NARRATIVE WRITING NOTES The purpose of narrative writing

NARRATIVE WRITING NOTES The purpose of narrative writing is to: • Entertain • To tell a story • Can be fictional or non-fictional

PERSONAL NARRATIVE CHECKLIST § § Covers a 3 -5 minute experience Must be multi-paragraphed (2+ paragraphs) All verbs are in the past tense Uses one of the four introduction types (listed below)

CHECKLIST CONTINUED: § ACTIONS (events) are written in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER § TRANSITIONS, especially TIME transitions, are used between ACTIONS (events) § REACTIONS (emotion/feeling words) are used between actions (events) § IMAGERY is STRONG (sensory words) § Reader SEES and “FEELS” everything the writer did § Conclusion is strong--wraps up the story with a QUESTION shows a CHANGE in the writer, ends with a FINAL THOUGHT, or ends with an INTERESTING ACTION

INTRODUCTION TYPES: 1. COMMON INTRODUCTION: EX: When I was your age. . . EX: When I was on vacation. . . EX: When I was on a rollercoaster. . . It’s BORING!! Don’t use this intro at all!!!!

INTRO TYPES CONTINUED: 2. ACTION (HERO) INTRODUCTION example: Hesitating, I held my breath and jumped off the dock into the frigid water.

INTRO TYPES CONTINUED: 3. “DIALOGUE” INTRODUCTION example: “Dad! Watch my cannonball!” I screamed to my father, who was watching from the cabin’s porch. ***refer to handout in writing binder for how to punctuate dialogue

INTRO TYPES CONTINUED: 4. IDEA/THEME STATEMENT (DIFFICULT!) example: I deeply regret the day I took my grandmother’s generosity for granted. It’s like a lesson/moral learned. It’s like a Chicken Soup for the Soul intro.

Sample Intro: “Wow, ” I whispered as I scanned the room for the first time. We had walked past it many times, even ordered take-out, but we had never ventured into the Dragonfly. I couldn’t help but notice the bloodred walls with cryptic characters emblazoned in gold, high-backed chairs without sitters, and a small, raised dining area. “I thought the place would be bigger, ” I said skeptically as the hostess showed us our table. The restaurant had opened probably five minutes before the cab dumped us out on State Street.

CONCLUSION TYPES: § PREDICTION: an insight into how the future could be different, better, or worse.

CONCLUSION TYPES CONTINUED: § POINTED QUESTION: leaves the reader thinking about your experience

CONCLUSION TYPES CONTINUED: § FULL-CIRCLE ENDING: circles back to the introduction

CONCLUSION TYPES CONTINUED: § IDEA/THEME STATEMENT: a brief explanation of lessons learned from your experience ALSO: Please do not start your narrative with an onomatopoetic word as a single sentence. Ex: BANG! I ran into the wall. AND… Please no rollercoaster stories!!

Sample Conclusion: But that wasn’t the case. After a few frustrating moments, and telling my brain to stop over-analyzing the situation, I began to relax and the chopsticks began to feel as normal as a fork. I enjoyed good conversation and excellent food. Not only had I been successful taking risks with eating utensils, but that the Dragonfly chef can make a darn good radish-sculpture of a fish. The rest of the meal wasn’t that bad either. Besides, I always look good in what I eat.