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Narrative Writing. Some Notes By Brian Yablon. What is Narration?. Narration means telling a story, or a series of stories for a purpose . The Communication Connection. There are always three parts to communication:
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Narrative Writing Some Notes By Brian Yablon
What is Narration? • Narration means telling a story, or a series of stories for a purpose.
The Communication Connection • There are always three parts to communication: • The creator (writer, songwriter, playwright, photographer, sculptor, painter, etc.) • The creation (text, song, sculpture, play, movie, etc.) • The receiver (reader, listener, viewer)
How They Fit Together • The creator (writer) manipulates the creation (text) in order to influence, or cause the desired reaction from, the receiver (the reader). • So, if you want to make someone laugh, write a funny story. • If you want someone to feel, create an emotional song, etc.
Help persuade readers by telling a compelling story. Help define an idea by telling an exemplary story. Show similarities or differences with comparison-contrast. Help show effects or causes by sharing a dramatic account of events or situations. Entertain. Inform by telling what happened. What Can Narratives Do?
What to do First? • Decide upon a purpose -- what effect do you want to have on the reader? • Decide on an audience -- to whom are you telling your story?
Figure out the Obstacles • All stories have one or more of the following: • Crisis • Conflict • Obstacle • Decision • problem
Types of Conflicts • Internal conflicts • Decisions that characters need to make
Other types of conflicts • External conflicts • Character versus character, such as two people competing for a job or in an argument • Character versus something LARGE, such as society, God, nature, tradition
Figure out the Setting • Settings include: • Time (of day, week,, month, season, year, decade, century, era)
Location, Location, Location • Location (a spot, in a room, in a house, on a block, in a neighborhood, in a city, in a state, in a country, on a planet)
Think about Events • Narratives focus on actions. • Decide on which actions you will focus in order to achieve your desired effect.
Create Interesting Characters • Readers care about characters more than any other part of a story. • Make them interesting and memorable.
Consider Perspective • There are three choices of narrative perspective to embrace: • First person • Second person • Third person
First Person Point of View • When using first person point of view, the narrator tells his/her story and uses “I,” and “me” as the narrative stance. • The narrator is part of the story and telling it from his/her perspective.
Second Person Point of View • Here, the narrator is directly interacting with the reader, and uses the word “you” as the narrative stance. • This is used almost exclusively when giving instructions.
Third Person Point of View • Here, the narrator is observing the story and is not part of it. • He/she uses words such as “he,” “she,” “they,” “them,” and “it.”
Types of Third Person P.O.V. • Omniscient • The narrator knows the actions, thoughts, and feelings of all the characters. • Limited Omniscient • The narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single character but may know the actions of all other characters.
More on Perspectives • Once you choose a narrative perspective, stick with it -- switching back and forth between perspectives almost always confuses the reader.
Consider organization • Make your narrative clear and easy to follow.
Chronological • This is the most common way to organize your story. • Beginning, middle, end. • Morning, noon, night. • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. • This is simple and straightforward.
Flashbacks • In a flashback, the story starts in the middle of the action. • Then, the narrator recounts images, or memories, of the past -- to explain how the characters got to their present state of affairs.
Flash-Forwards • A flash-forward is a variation on a flashback. • The story begins almost at the end of the action, then retraces the steps leading to that point, then finishes up the story.
Don’t confuse the Reader • Remember, you can be complicated, but you must always be clear to your reader. • If your reader cannot follow your story, then the story is worthless.
So What? • Always write a story that has meaning for you. • But…you need to convey the importance of your story to your reader. • Story-telling is a shared experience.
Be aware of Language. • Your choice of words creates a tone. • Be aware of the tone you create and the words you choose to use to create it.
The Grammar Police • Make sure that you avoid errors. • You want readers to pay attention to your story, not the annoying errors made in telling that story.
Good Words • Always use vivid, concrete, specific, interesting words. • Get rid of lifeless words that don’t really say anything.
Use Dialogue • It’s always interesting to hear people speak, even if they’re only speaking to themselves. • Always try to include dialogue.
