Narrative Writing

Narrative Writing

Multiple Select

Before we begin... What are the features of a personal narrative? (Check all that apply)

• First Person point of view

• Sensory Details

• Argument

• informational facts

• based on a personal story or experience

Multiple Choice

What is a narrative?

• A story

• A biography

• Poetry

• A research project

Narrative Techniques

• Dialogue: spoken words of characters EX: "Where did you go?" she asked. I said, "Leave me alone."

• Pacing: speed at which a story is told (can be used to speed up or slow down the story) Elements: action, cliffhanger, word choice

• Reflection: writer describes a real or imaginary scene and adds a personal reflection on its meaning Ask yourself questions

Multiple Choice

What is the goal of writing a narrative?

• to create a masterpiece

• to have the reader make a choice

• to attract the readers at the beginning, keep them engaged until the end

• To create and ending that is always funny

Showing, Not Telling

2nd: Sensory Details

• Sensory details are any details that try to capture the five senses.

• You do NOT need to use all of these. I know a few people said you struggled with taste or smell, and it's okay if you focus on only a few that you're comfortable with.

• The five senses are what you: hear, see, smell, taste, and feel

• These details are helpful to slow down your writing if it's going too fast or you need some fluff to get to the word count

Examples of sensory details:

• Hear: The bang of the canon pounded through my head.

• See: Suddenly, all I could see was fire rushing across the floor. The orange flames covered everything before long.

• Smell: The scent of freshly cooked bacon wafted under my door and pulled me away from my homework.

• Taste: I could taste the blood from where I'd bitten my tongue in the accident.

• Feel: The wood was rough as I ran my fingers across it.

Let's try a quick example.

Look at this image and think of a sensory detail you could use to describe it.

Open Ended

What is a sensory detail you could use to describe this image? (Hint: What would it smell like? What would you see? Feel? Hear?)

Open Ended

Imagine you're describing a normal day at school. What are some sensory details you could include? (see? hear? smell? taste? feel?)

Multiple Choice

Which one is "showing," not "telling?"

• The game was amazing!

• Her heart began to race, sweat beading on her forehead

• He was very scared when he saw the big dog.

"Her heart began to race, sweat beading on her forehead"

You can tell that's she's nervous or scared, even without saying those words. Now, that's showing!

Can you see what the author is saying?

If you cannot visualize what they're saying, it's not description (or just really bad description, anyway).

Multiple Choice

You need to recognize description! How?

• Asking if you can see what the author is saying.

• Asking if the author is explaining anything.

• Finding language like "fumigate."

• There really isn't any way to figure it out.

Multiple Choice

True of False. Descriptive words are important because they add detail to the story.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of a narrative?

• To give the reader information

• To describe characters

• To tell a story

• To persuade readers

Multiple Choice

True or False. Simple sentences CANNOT be used to create emphasis in a story.

• True

• False

By Cherane Christopher

Task:

Write a story, or part of a story, beginning with the words: ‘I woke up in an alternate world...’

Open Ended

List 2 things you have learnt today about writing narratives and any questions you may have.

Multiple Choice

In a narrative, what is the plot/conflict in a narrative?

• When writing a plot decide on the conflict or problem for your character. As you write you will move your characters towards a resolution.

• When writing you will add details to make you character come alive.

• The plot will tell you who in your story.

• The plot will tells where your story will take place.

Multiple Choice

The falling action occurs..

• After the orientation

• After the climax

• Before the Climax