These are some common nonlinear text structures:

• foreshadowing
  An indication of what is to come

• parallel plot​
  The author includes two or more separate narratives linked by a common character, event, or theme

• flashback​
  A scene that is interjected into the main plot that depicts earlier events

• pacing
  The speed at which a story is told

Here are a couple strategies to help you identify the claim in a text:

• Look for repeated words or concepts that identify the topic of the text.

• Look for what the details have in common or what idea they all point to.

When you read informational texts, such as the text about canoes, it’s important to be able to identify the author’s central ideas, or main points.

These ideas drive the author’s message and are often not stated directly in the text.

In this lesson, you’ll read more about canoe journeys in the text “Tribal Journeys.” But first, review these strategies for identifying central ideas in complex informational texts:

• Look for repeated words or topics.

• Notice the text structure and specific details.

As you draft your written response, follow these steps:

1. Make a claim about a central idea in the text.

2. Identify textual evidence that develops the central idea.

3. Include commentary that explains how that evidence develops the central idea.

When you’re reading literature, asking these questions can help you identify themes:

• What are the characters experiencing in this text?

• What lesson about life might the author be trying to express?

• Are there any universal truths that the reader could take away from this text?

Here's a video with more tips on how to spot the theme in a text.

Active sentences are about what people (or things) do, while passive sentences are about what happens to people (or things). The passive voice is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb “be” (be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Passive Voice
He loves me. 

Active Voice
I am loved. 

Authors also use the setting to develop their characters. Narratives often take place in a specific historical setting or cultural setting. As you analyze characters, consider how the author uses the setting to develop the character.

Remember that historical setting includes the time period and location in which the narrative takes place. Cultural setting includes the values, beliefs, or behaviors that are common or appropriate for a specific time period or place in which a narrative takes place

A ruler exerts control over others and is often driven by the need for power. Readers are usually meant to dislike the ruler if he or she is causing harm to other characters. Readers may support the ruler if he or she treats other characters fairly.

These are examples of ruler archetypes:

• King Lear (from Shakespeare's play King Lear)

• Zeus (from Greek mythology)

A rebel rejects an unjust society by trying to overthrow a bad leader or change the status quo. Readers are usually meant to be cheering for the rebel to succeed in overcoming injustice.

These are examples of rebel archetypes:

• youngest princess in The Little Mermaid

• Robin Hood in Adventures of Robin Hood

A villain opposes the hero by trying to stop the hero from achieving his or her goal.

Readers are usually meant to dislike the villain or the villain’s actions.

These are examples of villain archetypes:

• The Wicked Witch of the West (from The Wizard of Oz)

• Iago in Othello (a Shakespearean play)

The characters in a narrative often drive the events in the plot. Include details that depict these elements of your characters:

• their appearance

• how they speak, think, or act

• their interactions with others

• what motivates them

Many narratives (stories) follow a linear, or chronological (in order from earliest event to the most recent), plot structure. Plan out these elements of your narrative:

• exposition: introduces key elements of the narrative, such as the setting, characters, and point of view

• rising action: identifies the conflict and includes several events related to overcoming the conflict

• climax: turning point where the conflict is most intense

• falling action: includes the character(s) working to resolve the main conflict

• resolution: shows how the conflict is resolved

See also the chart at the top of the page.

Good writers use different narrative techniques in their writing. A good overall strategy for developing your narrative is to show, not tell. So, instead of telling your readers what has happened, you show them by creating a picture in their mind.

Here is a telling statement:

• It was hot in the kitchen where Andre was working.

Here are two examples of showing this same idea:

• The sweat dripped from Andre’s forehead as he looked up longingly at the broken fan on the kitchen ceiling.

• The air was heavy and stagnant as Andre thought “Man, I would give anything for a cold glass of ice water.”

These two sentences allow readers to create a picture in their minds of how hot Andre feels in the kitchen.

Description shows the reader what is happening by providing sensory details. Use description to show the elements of your narrative. Here’s an example:

Original sentence:

• Andre was painting in the hot kitchen.

Improved with sensory details:

• Sweat dripped from Andre’s forehead as he dipped the brush into the can of sky-blue paint.

Pacing means how fast the story moves. Use dialogue, description, and reflection to slow down the pace of your narrative. Consider slowing the pace for important parts of your story.