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Narrative
Writing

Its Whats
Happening
Marina Alburger
Adapted from Karen Cuda

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Definition

Narrative writing relates what is happening, has happened

or will happen to explain a concept or make a point. This
form of writing is most commonly used in biographies, storytelling, and college entry essays.

Narration focuses on the action and the events (a story)..

But you MUST have a point!

Keep in mind your purpose in writing a narrative. Without

purpose, narration loses significance. You should answer the
question, So What?

Common purposes for Narrative writing include: To entertain, to

inform, to heal others, to create a common history, or to provide
insight into something

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3 MUST haves for Narrative
Writing
Plot

the sequence of events and often their cause

or motivation.

Pace

the speed at which events are presented to

control the development of the story and add
emphasis according to the selected purpose.

Point

of View establishes the distance between

the narrator and the narration. Please note that
narrator and writer are not always the same.

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Elements of Plot

The essence of plot is the conflict. There must be some conflict in your narrative to create
tension within your story to hold audience attention.

Different kinds of conflict

Psychological conflict

(man v. self)- I really wanted a second scoop of ice cream, but I knew the extra calories would not
help my goal to eat healthier.

(man v. God (religion)- I love hot dogs, but its against my religion to eat pork.

(man v. Fate)- No matter what I did, my fate was to remain poor; every time I made $5,
something happened to cost me $10.

Social conflict

(man v. man)- Maury made me angry, so I hit him.

(man v. society) I hate shaving, but girls my age are expected to have shaved legs.

Environmental conflict

(man v nature)- The shark kept biting at my surfboard as I swam for the shore.

(man v. technology)- Every time I went to print my paper, my computer crashed.

The order in which the writer reveals information is not restricted to the order in which
things happened. Instead, the writer should focus on creating tension through the way the
conflict is overcome or resolved.

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Pace

Pace is the speed at which events are presented to control

the development of the story.

The ideal pace for your narrative is determined by the kind of

story you are telling and your intention in telling it.

Imagine the difference in speed between describing a

romantic lakeside picnic and the moments leading up to and
following a horrific traffic accident

Pace is controlled by:

Descriptive imagery, the amount of detail used. Less description

or description told in shorter sentences would create a faster
pace.

Use of dialogue. Short exchanges between characters create a

faster pace.

Diction (word choice). Formal, multi-syllabic words in longer

sentences create a slower pace.

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Point of View

Establishes the distance between the narrator and the narration. This is achieved
by carefully selecting person and position and knowledge of the events in
question.

Person Refers to the attitude and personality of the story-teller

First person- when the story is told as I or we

For a personal narrative, use first person.

Second person- when the story is told about what you did

Third person- when the story is told about what he, she, or they did

Position- the narrators closeness to the action in both space and time

Knowledge- the information the narrator knows (or does not know) and its
reliability

Limited the reader experiences the action through one or more characters
perspective. Limited narrators may not be reliable narrators.

Omniscient the reader experiences the action from an overall more

objective all-knowing view.

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Common Mistakes in Narrative
Writing

Too many details that are not relevant to your purpose or point.

Too few details such that your essay reads like a laundry list.

Its boring to tell me straight-out that you are fun, friendly, and talkative. Its more
effective to describe an incident to me that shows that you are these traits.

Rambling dialogue that serves no purpose.

No this happened, and then this, and then, and then then Bleh.

Telling vs. Showing.

Dont just list attributes, activities, or events. Give me interesting details about them in
a way that tells me a story.

Poor, unimaginative transitions.

If youre telling me a story about a time you went white water rafting, its probably not a
good idea to describe your breakfast in detail, unless the point of your story is that you
threw up that breakfast.

Dialogue should help the narration move to its conclusion.

Forgetting the conflict

The centerpiece of interesting narrative writing is the conflict and tension involved.

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Time to Pre-Write!

Determine your Incident and the conflict involved

Determine your point of view (Hint: For this essay, you

are probably using first person!)

Thinking Maps!