Narrative Writing

1. Narrative Writing

2. What makes up a good story? • Developed characters • Specific events • Precise vocabulary • Dialogue

3. Lesson 1: What is Narration? • Narrative: A story which is told by either a character in the story or by an outside observer • Narration: a reciting of the details of the story • All good stories, or narratives, share some similar qualities

4. The Principles of Good Narrative Writing Quality is more important than quantity. Stories are told from either a first-person or third-person point of view – not both. Stories are told either in the present tense or in the past tense – not both. Good stories are written by writers who use specific vocabulary. Good stories are written by writers who understand proper pronoun-antecedent relationships. Good stories exhibit a variety of sentence structures. Good stories exhibit effective paragraphing. Good stories exhibit effective sequencing. A good writer knows how to properly set the table for his reader. A good writer knows how to use dialogue correctly. A good writer knows how to develop characters fully. Good stories are written by writers who know how to end. A good writer views a story as a creation, not as a task.

5. Quality vs. Quantity • Long writing is not necessarily good writing • The shorter time span in a story, the better • A story is either told by the author or an outside observer Point of View

6. Tense • A story is told as if it is happening at the moment or as it happened in the past • No switching back and forth • All good writing begins with good vocabulary • Use precise words Specific Vocabulary

7. Pronoun-Antecedent Relationships • Concerns singular-singular or plural-plural usages • Do not pattern sentences so that they are boring • It’s better to be an overparagrapherthan an underparagrapher Sentence Variety Paragraphing

8. Sequencing • Plan a story before writing it • Follow a sequence of steps to ensure the reader is aware of the 5 W’s • Strict rules govern the use of dialogue in a story Table-Setting Dialogue

9. Character Development • Give full physical/character descriptions • Do not simply end your story – make sure it is well-devised and easy for the reader to bear • View the chance to write a story as a chance to create something of lasting importance and enjoyment – not as a task Ending Creation vs. Task

10. As I woke up, I felt a sudden dizziness come over me. When at last I opened my eyes, everything was a blur. My eyes squinted as the sun shone brightly through the window. I crawled out of bed and stumbled across the room toward the large door. As I walked down the wide hall toward the bathroom, I reached for the doorknob, but then I noticed it wasn’t there. John thrust his head into the opening, but he still could see nothing because the rocks extended just far enough to obscure his view. He backed his head out, and after a moment’s hesitation, he squeezed his way through the narrow gap. As he stepped out onto the other side, he was amazed by what he saw. The rock walls were covered with petroglyphs that seemed to be telling a story. He tried in vain to comprehend their meaning.

11. Point of View A position from which something is considered or evaluated • First-Person Point of View vs. Third-Person Point of View

12. Point of View • First-Person Point of View • Often called the author participantpoint of view because the story is actually about the author • Third-Person Point of View • Often called the author omniscientpoint of view because the author (an outside observer) has been granted the power to know all and see all • Uses the pronouns he, she, it, and they

13. __ had been following the river for approximately an hour, and __ legs felt very fatigued form the continuous walking. At this point the river forked off, so __ chose the left trail. By now __ eyes had become used to the darkness, and __ was able to see a dozen feet or so in front of __. __ sat down for a brief rest, and as __ look to the right, __ saw something white. __ walked over to it and observed that it was a human skeleton. __ let out an ear-piercing scream and fled from the spot. That skeleton made __ think that __ might possibly perish in this cave, and that thought was not particularly inviting. With greater resolve, __ stuck with __ plan and kept following the river. As the night worse on, it gradually became colder. __ was so tired from __ relentless walking, that __ finally collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.

14. I had been following the river for approximately an hour, and my legs felt very fatigued form the continuous walking. At this point the river forked off, so Ichose the left trail. By now my eyes had become used to the darkness, and I was able to see a dozen feet or so in front of me.Isat down for a brief rest, and as I look to the right, Isaw something white. Iwalked over to it and observed that it was a human skeleton.Ilet out an ear-piercing scream and fled from the spot. That skeleton made me think that I might possibly perish in this cave, and that thought was not particularly inviting. With greater resolve,Istuck with my plan and kept following the river. As the night worse on, it gradually became colder.I was so tired from my relentless walking, thatI finally collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.

15. Maryhad been following the river for approximately an hour, and herlegs felt very fatigued form the continuous walking. At this point the river forked off, so shechose the left trail. By now her eyes had become used to the darkness, and shewas able to see a dozen feet or so in front of her.Marysat down for a brief rest, and as she looked to the right, shesaw something white. Shewalked over to it and observed that it was a human skeleton.Shelet out an ear-piercing scream and fled from the spot. That skeleton made herthink that shemight possibly perish in this cave, and that thought was not particularly inviting. With greater resolve,Marystuck with her plan and kept following the river. As the night worse on, it gradually became colder.She was so tired from herrelentless walking, thatshe finally collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.

16. An IntenseStart The young treasure diver slowly sweeps his work light around the eerie darkness of the sunken pirate ship whichlay1,200 feet underwater in the Gulf of Mexico. He was chosenby his comrades to be the first to explore the wreckage and then to report back to the submersible craft to tell them what he saw. Suddenly a quick movement catches his eye. Was something really lurking in the dark, or was it his imagination? There it is again! He walks deeper into the ship until he felt something solid. He is now face-to-face with the biggest shark he has ever seen! Both terrified and surprised, he walked slowly backward, edging closer to the front of the ship. Thinking that it’s trying to attack, he attempts an awkward swim for the hole. He gotout just seconds ahead of the shark.

17. Lesson 2: Consistency of Tense • In the previous passage, the author has badly mixed his tenses • We were not able to tell if the incident was currently happening or previously happened • Mixing tenses in narrative writing can create confusion for some readers

18. Present vs. Past Tense • Creates • Limits • Discovers • Retreats • Models • Surrenders • Created • Limited • Discovered • Retreated • Modeled • Surrendered Present-tense verbs often end in “s”, while regular verbs form past tenses by adding “d” or “ed” to their present-tense form.

19. Present vs. Past Tense • Writes • Swims • Begins • Hangs • Bursts • Falls • Swings • Wrote • Swam • Began • Hung • Burst • Fell • Swung Irregular verbs make their past tenses by altering the basic spelling of the word.

20. Present vs. Past Tense • Is trying • Has been flying • Am voting • Are choosing • Has been hiding • Has been crying • Are considering • Has tried • Had been flying • Was voting • Were choosing • Had been hiding • Had been crying • Were considering The tense always changes on the helping verb, the perfect form (been) remains the same, and the tense may change on the main verb.

21. Present Tense The young treasure diver slowly sweeps his work light around the eerie darkness of the sunken pirate ship which lies1,200 feet underwater in the Gulf of Mexico. He has been chosen by his comrades to be the first to explore the wreckage and then to report back to the submersible craft to tell them what he has seen. Suddenly a quick movement catches his eye. Issomething really lurking in the dark, or isit his imagination? There it is again! He walks deeper into the ship until he feelssomething solid. He is now face-to-face with the biggest shark he has ever seen! Both terrified and surprised, he walksslowly backward, edging closer to the front of the ship. Thinking that it’s trying to attack, he attempts an awkward swim for the hole. He getsout just seconds ahead of the shark.

22. How do you determine whether a narrative is written in present or past tense? The first verb in the passage will determine the tense of the entire narrative.

23. Start to Agree As the countdown commenced, everyone anxiously checked their watches. No one dared take their eyes off the spacecraft for fear they would miss something momentous. Nobody allowed their vision to stray from that gleaming white projectile for even a second. Inside the craft a similar situation was being played out. Neither of the astronauts could afford to allow their concentration to lapse for even the briefest second. Neither of them needed to be reminded that their ability to perform under pressure meant success or failure for the entire space program.

24. As the countdown commenced, everyone anxiously checked their watches. No one dared take their eyes off the spacecraft for fear they would miss something momentous. Nobody allowed their vision to stray from that gleaming white projectile for even a second. Inside the craft a similar situation was being played out. Neither of the astronauts could afford to allow their concentration to lapse for even the briefest second. Neither of them needed to be reminded that their ability to perform under pressure meant success or failure for the entire space program.

25. As the countdown commenced, everyone anxiously checked their watches. No one dared take theireyes off the spacecraft for fear they would miss something momentous. Nobody allowed theirvision to stray from that gleaming white projectile for even a second. Inside the craft a similar situation was being played out. Neither of the astronauts could afford to allow their concentration to lapse for even the briefest second. Neitherof them needed to be reminded that their ability to perform under pressure meant success or failure for the entire space program.

26. Lesson 3: Pronoun-Antecedent Relationships • Pronoun: a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence • Examples? • He • She • They • It • We

27. Importance of Pronouns Without pronouns, our language would be too repetitive. With pronouns: Joe lost his temper this morning when he realized that he had forgotten his homework. Without pronouns: Joe lost Joe’s temper this morning when Joe realized that Joe had forgotten Joe’s homework.

28. Antecedent: the word to which the pronoun refers Pronouns and antecedents must have the same number – they must both be singular or both be plural.

29. anyone someone One each one Neither everybody Somebody many a (person, etc.) Everyone no one Each either Anybody nobody Every (person, etc.) What part of speech? What “number” are they? Singular indefinite pronouns When they are used as the antecedent, the pronouns must also be singular.

30. As the countdown commenced, everyone anxiously checked their watches. No one dared take theireyes off the spacecraft for fear they would miss something momentous. Nobody allowed theirvision to stray from that gleaming white projectile for even a second. Inside the craft a similar situation was being played out. Neither of the astronauts could afford to allow their concentration to lapse for even the briefest second. Neitherof them needed to be reminded that their ability to perform under pressure meant success or failure for the entire space program.

31. As the countdown commenced, everyone anxiously checked hiswatches. No one dared take hiseyes off the spacecraft for fear they would miss something momentous. Nobody allowed hisvision to stray from that gleaming white projectile for even a second. Inside the craft a similar situation was being played out. Neither of the astronauts could afford to allow hisconcentration to lapse for even the briefest second. Neitherof them needed to be reminded that hisability to perform under pressure meant success or failure for the entire space program. All pronouns have now been changed to singular form to provide agreement.

32. Lesson 4: Use of Dialogue Dialogue: the part of a piece of writing that indicates conversation between characters

33. Why would a writer include dialogue instead of writing it? • A writer can offer insight into how the character is made up • Having characters speak can build suspense

34. “Don Janssen,” the voice stopped me dead in my tracks. I turned to face a man standing opposite me in the middle of the street. “Hey, you! Janssen! Get back here,” the man snorted, putting his gun back in its holster. I looked behind me, then to either side. It was hard for my mind, numb from days on the trail, to comprehend what he meant. “Are you talking to me?” I asked. “I ain’ttalkin’ to the hitchin’ rail,” was his reply. “My name is Adams, not Janssen,” I answered. “You’ve got the wrong man.” “I never got the wrong man. I’d know you anywhere.” With that, he assumed the stance of a man poised to kill.

35. “Don Janssen,” the voice stopped me dead in my tracks. I turned to face a man standing opposite me in the middle of the street. “Hey, you! Janssen! Get back here,” the man snorted, putting his gun back in its holster. I looked behind me, then to either side. It was hard for my mind, numb from days on the trail, to comprehend what he meant. “Are you talking to me?” I asked. “I ain’ttalkin’ to the hitchin’ rail,” was his reply. “My name is Adams, not Janssen,” I answered. “You’ve got the wrong man.” “I never got the wrong man. I’d know you anywhere.” With that, he assumed the stance of a man poised to kill.

36. Dialogue is only effective and easy to understand if it is presented in a meaningful way What may be important for a writer to consider in creating easy-to-understand dialogue? Ability of the reader to easily detect a change of speaker when it occurs Ability of the reader to easily detect the character’s spoken words from unspoken words Ability of the reader to easily distinguish the story’s dialogue elements from its purely narrative elements

37. Rules of Dialogue • A character’s direct speech is always enclosed in quotation marks. • A character’s direct speechis always separated from anyindirect speech by acommaor an end mark. These punctuation marks are always inside quotation marks. • If a character delivers direct speech in multiple, uninterrupted sentences, only asingle setof quotation marks is required. • Begin a new paragraph each time there is a change of speaker. • If extensive indirect speechinterrupts a single character’s direct speech, you may choose to begin a new paragraph for clarity.

38. 1. A character’s direct speech is always enclosed in quotation marks. • “The meeting will be held on Friday.” • 2. A character’s direct speech is always separated from any indirect speech by a comma or an end mark. These punctuation marks are always inside quotation marks. • “The meeting will be held on Friday,” replied Mrs. Wilson. • Mrs. Wilson said that their meeting will be held on Friday.

39. 3. If a character delivers direct speech in multiple, uninterrupted sentences, only a single set of quotation marks is required. • “The meeting is on Friday? I thought you said it was on Thursday! This is going to be a problem,” said Mrs. Wilson. • 4. Begin a new paragraph each time there is a change of speaker. • “The meeting is on Friday?” asked Mrs. Wilson, obviously disturbed by the news. • “Yes, it is,” replied her assistant.

40. 5. If extensive indirect speech interrupts a single character’s direct speech, you may choose to begin a new paragraph for clarity. • “The meeting is on Friday?” I was sure that Mrs. Wilson had told me it was on Thursday, but I just assumed she had forgotten. After all, she had been under a great deal of stress lately, and it would be perfectly understandable for her to forget the date for a fairly insignificant meeting. • “Friday it is,” I replied, changing the date in my planner.

41. The principal said, “Our cafeteria will be closed for the next week while it is being repaired.” The principal said our cafeteria will be closed for the next week while it is being repaired. Our cafeteria will be closed for the next week while it is being repaired the principal said. Our cafeteria will be closed for the next week the principal said while it is being repaired. “Our cafeteria will be closed for the next week while it is being repaired,” the principal said. “Our cafeteria will be closed for the next week,” the principal said, “while it is being repaired.”

42. “Jane called me earlier today. She quit her job,” Bob said. “Does Mom know? If she hears that her favorite is out of a job, she’ll freak!” Sarah dropped her fork and knife on her plate with such force that the clatter turned heads at the nearby tables. “Done eating already?” Bob asked as he leaned forward to inspect the plate for cracks. “Why are you always taking her side?” “I’m not,” he said and waived off the waitress who had taken a few steps toward them, summoned by the commotion.

43. “Jane called me earlier today. She quit her job,” Bob said. • “Does Mom know? If she hears that her favorite is out of a job, she’ll freak!” Sarah dropped her fork and knife on her plate with such force that the clatter turned heads at the nearby tables. • “Done eating already?” Bob asked as he leaned forward to inspect the plate for cracks. • “Why are you always taking her side?” • “I’m not,” he said and waived off the waitress who had taken a few steps toward them, summoned by the commotion.

44. The Start of New Ideas My heart is pounding, my mind is racing, my head is throbbing, and beads of sweat are forming on my forehead. Why am I doing this? Is it for the thrill and excitement? Maybe it’s for the danger – I don’t know exactly. I steady myself and take the final step to the diving platform atop the one hundred-foot cliff. I am at the annual cliff diving championships, an event that annually attracts the best open-water high divers from countries around the globe. I have come with an overwhelming urge and an unexplainable need to win this competition. Even so, I am still anxious about all the things that could go wrong. Now one hundred feet up and ready to jump, I take a deep breath and look out over the beautiful scenery. The view is the most incredible I have ever witnessed. I know this must be the most lovely place on earth.

45. What was missing from the passage? Paragraphs!

46. Lesson 5: Paragraphing • Narrative paragraphs are written in a way that serves the story. They follow a certain kind of story logic. • “Show, don’t tell!” • What does this mean in narrative writing? • Use vivid language and details so readers can visualize your story • Reveal what is happening moment to moment – don’t give things away

47. What are some rules for paragraphing? • There are no “hard and fast” rules for paragraphing other than… • Begin a new paragraph with each new unit of thought. • How may this be interpreted? • What problems may arise if different authors interpret this differently?

48. In narration, paragraphing is an individual decision for every author. • There are a few guidelines for narrative paragraphing… • Reparagraphingmust take place with each changeof speaker. • Think of reparagraphing when action shifts from one setting to another. • Think of reparagraphing when the type of action changes. • If you think you are presenting too much information in one paragraph, you’re probably right. • Underparagraphing is an error; overparagraphingis an error… but underparagraphing is the worse error.

49. In other words… • Change of speaker • Change of setting/place • Change of topic/type of action • Change of time • Additionally… • Dramatic effect

50. The one good thing I could see was that the water was so shallow that, once I broke clear of the ship, I didn't have far to go to reach the surface. • It was long enough, though. • By the time I broke the surface, I had almost given up hope, but I found myself in the air and took a huge, gulping gasp.  I splashed around, happy just to be alive.  That's when the hand reached down and grabbed me. • Before I had a chance to think, I had been hauled into a small boat and dumped there like a load of fish.  I opened my eyes and was surprised--and happy--to see Jeremy staring down at me. • "You made it," he said. • I nodded. • "Did you get the map?" he asked. • I sat up, outraged.  "Is that all you can think about?" I demanded. • “No.  Of course not.  But did you get it?" • I pulled the map, now waterlogged, from the folds of my shirt and tossed it to the floor of the boat.  Jeremy looked visibly relieved. • "Are you all right?" he asked. • "I--I think so," I said. • "What happened to...uh, to Diablo?" • I shrugged.  "I don't know.  I didn't see him." • There was a pause.