Narrative Writing

Narrative writing is written with the purpose of telling a story. There are many forms and functions of narrative writing and they typically incorporate one or a combination of the narrative elements below.

The wording you use not only helps your reader to understand your message, it also adds interest and makes the difference between material people want to read, and material people want to avoid.

Think about how actors use their actions to tell a story. If a character is angry they stomp around, slam doors, and shout at each other instead of saying, "I am angry." Their acting is the way they deliver an interpretation of a script to tell a story.

In a story, authors use words to paint a picture. They could say, "Billy loved Sam," but that is not interesting to us. Instead, they might say:

Every time Sam was in the room, Billy's knees turned to Jello. Her hair, as dark as night, smelled faintly of coconut. Her eyes held the sunshine of the brightest summer day. Her laugh shimmered as if it was playing with the windchimes in a gentle breeze, and her lips...He could not help but fantasize about those lips. It drove a stake through his heart that she was with Eric. He did not deserve her. He...

By describing the things Billy was fixated on when he thinks about Sam, you get a sense of who Billy is as a person and you can either sympathize for him as he deals with this unrequited love, or you can determine that Billy really needs to get over himself and look for love elsewhere. Either way, you are now more involved with the story.

Narrative Elements

Character

The characters are who the story is about. Stories will include:

Protagonist - This is the main character. The story will focus on this character who must face a conflict and will go through some sort of change in the process. This character will be dynamic - meaning the character changes, and rounded - meaning their character has been thoroughly developed.
Antagonist - This character forms the struggle against the protagonist and is often seen as the bad guy.
Secondary characters - these characters support either the protagonist or antagonist and are generally flat and static characters, meaning we may not know much about them, and we will see very little change in their character through the story.

To effectively develop a character you must consider the entire character and show your reader the type of person he/she is. Instead of saying a character is kind, describe some actions or words the character uses to demonstrate that kindness. Instead of saying the character is ugly, describe the green slime that perpetually drips from his nostril, the black and rotted teeth covered in maggots that make up his smile, and the mold encrusted hair that is drooping down his skeleton-like shoulders. You could even describe the way he interacts with people abruptly and constantly mutters how he wants to be left alone. Remember: Show, don't tell!

Setting

The setting is the time and place. Perhaps the story takes place 50 years in the future on the moon. Perhaps it happens 50 years ago in the very house you live in. Play a game with your readers. Try to tell them where they are without telling them where they are by describing, in detail, all the things that are surrounding the main character. Remember to appeal to all 5 senses...

We marched in a straight line through a heavy metal gate. The other boys shivered with cold, and bright white clouds puffed from their mouths as they moved steadily forward. The ground crunched beneath our feet and walking became difficult and treacherous. The people in front started to knock the people behind them over as they slipped and tripped their way up the nearly frozen hill. The hairs in my nostrils stung as they froze together, and the ache of my lungs had me questioning whether I could make the 20 mile trek to the front. I warmed a square of bread from my morning rations in my gloved hand and popped it in my mouth. The bitter taste of the sourdough warmed me a bit and had me dreaming of home.

To write your own descriptive piece, answer the following first:

What is the character seeing?
What is the character hearing?
What is the character smelling?
What is the character tasting?
What is the character feeling?

Plot

The plot is simply the series of events that happen in a narrative. Plot lines follow a very specific structure, as outlined on Freytag's Pyramid.

Exposition:

Where are we?
Who are the characters?
What is the back story?

Inciting Action:

What happens to alert us that there is a problem?

Rising Action:

Describe the events that make the problem worse?

Climax:

What happens in the do or die moment where a decision must be made? (Think everything explodes and nothing can ever be the same again?)

Falling Action:

What are the consequences of the decision made in the climax?

Denouement

How has the character changed as a result of this problem?
How does the world carry on?

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