Using Narrative Techniques WORD CHOICE Show dont tell

Using Narrative Techniques

WORD CHOICE Show don’t tell I was sad My eyes were filled with tears. I was hungry My stomach was rumbling like thunder.

WORD CHOICE- SHOW DON’T TELL The use of vivid verbs, adjectives, adverbs in narrative writing serves to enhance the mood and bring the reader into your memoir. • Verb – action word ( scowled ) • Adjective – descriptive word ( scruffy ) • Adverb – tells you how a verb is done or to what extent ( harshly, incredibly )

WORD CHOICE- SHOW DON’T TELL Finding the right verbs, adjectives and adverbs to put into your memoir IS CRITICAL! Dead and boring words will lose your reader and put them to sleep… Said go See jump move put Laugh Jump

WORD CHOICE- SHOW DON’T TELL Vivid word choices will make your memoir come alive ! • ate or devoured • pushed or rammed • not hurt or pummeled • not fast or streaked

WORD CHOICE- SHOW DON’T TELL

WORD CHOICE- SHOW DON’T TELL Let’s see what we’ve got. . enhance these boring sentences with your table. ========================================= • Sammy went across the icy pond. • The girls laughed as they rushed to dance class. • Miss Thomas said, “don’t do that. ” • Tyler ate lunch, barely stopping to breathe in between bites.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Much like strong word choice the use of figurative language in narrative writing serves to enhance the mood and bring the reader into your memoir. IN OTHER WORDS Figurative language forms images in readers’ minds, showing them what something is like instead of just telling them

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE - IMAGERY e t a l f o d l o The c st n i a g a e u l b December p u d e k l a w s. I my skin a ive t s e f s ’ y l i to my fam amily f r u o r o f house dinner.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE - IMAGERY Read the following two stories and think about what makes them different.

STORY 1 Toby was lost. He must have wandered off from his family during their morning hike because around noon he realized that he was all alone in the middle of the woods. He wasn’t frightened exactly, but he was definitely anxious to find his family before evening. The thought of spending a night in the woods alone was a scary one. Heaving a sigh, Toby walked on.

STORY 2 Toby was totally lost. He must have wandered off from his family during their morning hike because around noon he realized that he was alone in the middle of the wide whispering woods. Thonk! Thunk! went his feet on the soft pine needles that covered the ground like a soft brown blanket. Birds twittered and tweeted from the sky-scraping branches of trees, but there was no sound of his family.

STORY 2 He wasn’t frightened exactly, but he was as anxious as a fish out of water to find his family before evening. The thought of spending a night in the woods alone was one that made his heart dance a fearful frenzied jig in his chest. Heaving a sigh, Toby tiredly trudged on.

Dirk The Protector Assignment CLOSE READ “ Dirk the Protector “ and follow the directions on the worksheet.