Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Narrative Writing
Unit Sequence
1. Voice
2. Point of View
3. Structure of a Narrative
4. Good Beginnings
5.
Opening Paragraphs
Examples of Story Beginnings
The Opening Sentence
Active Beginnings
Plot Development
Improve your Plot
Plot Development
6. Good Endings
7. Good Character Description
Characterisation
Character Profile
Character Wheel
Planning a Setting
Create a Setting
9. Sentence Structure
Add Phrases
Join Short Sentences
Vary sentence length
Smooth Transitions
Using Conjunctions
Create Similes
Create Metaphors
Personification
Onomatopoeia
Impact
Make every Word Count
Create Word Pictures
Focus on the Facts
Replace Overworked Words
Strong Verbs
Dont Say
Funny
Serious
A. FUNNY
B. SERIOUS
C. MYSTERIOUS
D. FRIGHTENING
A. FUNNY
B. SERIOUS
C. MYSTERIOUS
D. FRIGHTENING
A. FUNNY
B. SERIOUS
C. MYSTERIOUS
D. FRIGHTENING
Exercise:
You and your friends were playing a ball game outside on the top quad. You
know that you are not allowed to kick balls on the quad. When the ball was
passed to you, you kicked it back. The ball didnt go where you wanted it and
you broke Mrs. Jones office window.
Point of View
When a writer begins a new story he must decide:"Who will tell my story?"
An author can tell a story from the first-person point of view.
OR
The author can use the third-person point of view
First
Person
Point
of
View
I walked home from school today with my friends.
We stopped for ice cream. I had vanilla. It's my
favorite. When I got up this morning I brushed
my teeth.
Then I got dressed and ate my
breakfast.
Third - Person Point of View
Ted plays on a baseball team. He loves to play
with his team. He has a game next week. His
coach thinks he's a good baseball player.
The princess was locked in the tower. She had no
way to escape. She hoped that a prince would
rescue her. Her wish came true. He came and
took her to his castle.
I ride the bus to each every day. I like to sit with my friends.
Joey likes to go swimming. Sometimes he asks his friend Sam to go with him.
He brings his ball to play with.
Frosty the snowman had a hat on his head. He also had a pipe and a carrot
nose. He held a shovel in his hand.
Narrative Writing
In a good narrative, the reader relates closely to the story,
feels involved with the plot and often identifies with the
characters. A good story is hard to put down and the reader
feels a sense of loss when it ends. The features of a
narrative are:
the plot
characters
the setting
theme
Opening Paragraphs
The opening paragraph of a narrative will
often give us an introduction to the
characters, the setting, or both and will often
give us a hint about the plot.
Another name for this is orientation. You
orientate your readers, give them an idea,
right from the start, that your text is going to
be worth reading.
Opening Sentences(smaw 1)
The Opening Sentence
To write an opening sentence which will grab the readers attention.
Stories can start using the following ways:
Dialogue:
A statement:
The school principal had to collect the boy from the roof.
Problem:
David didnt know what to do: the school bully, Ted was
expecting him to hand over five dollars and all he had
was fifty cents.
Action:
Description of people:
Description of place:
Description of time:
Write an opening sentence for one of these stories using the different
ways to start a story:
A mysterious stranger
An accident
An act of bravery
The arrival of a new pet
A win
A loss
Active Beginings
In order to capture your readers attention, the beginning of your story must be
interesting and lively enough to make your reader want to keep reading. One way
to do this is to begin with an action.
Directions: Revise each story beginning. Put your main character in the setting,
and have the character do something relevant to the story.
Example:
Revision:
I splashed across the parking lot, yanked open the tall glass
door, dripping wet, stepped into the mall.
Exercise 2: Rocco
Here is an orientation that gives a setting.
Plot
A plot starts with an introduction to the narrative. A
plot will include problems or crises and how these
are solved, and the conclusion to the narrative. If it
is a good plot, there will be situations which happen
throughout the narrative that will make you want to
read on.
What happens in a novel has been carefully planned
by the author. Some authors use a flow chart to plan
their work. Others might write a brief overview of
events noting each crisis, climax or problem and how
each will be resolved.
This is how the plot of The Keeper might look in graph form.
The plot may have many parts to it. It may have subplots within the main
plot. Whether the plot is action-packed or slow and leisurely, a good plot
will keep the reader interested.
A crisis is a turning-point, a moment of danger or suspense. A climax is
the highest point in a series of events. There is often a build-up to a big
climax near the end of the narrative.
Characterisation
A persons appearance, their posture and ways of walking, their hobbies, the way in
which they express their emotions, their secret wishes, fears, prejudices and
religious beliefs are all pointers to their character.
We develop character through the following:
Dialogue
Action
Reactions
Relationships
how the character interact with each other, and how others view
them
Crisis
a turning point in the story for the character; the way in which
the characters respond in a crisis revaels true character
Characters
Narrative Characters may be people of animals. Although they are imaginary, the
author may have modelled their character on people they know. A reader can
usually identify with characters, either through a characters personality, actions or
experiences, or physical appearance.
Characters in a book may be built up over several chapters with the reader getting
an impression of their personality through actions, reactions and relationships to
other characters.
Character Wheels
Planning a Setting
Create a setting
Write a setting that vividly portrays the background to the plot.
The setting is where the action is happening and when the action occurs ie.
Time of day, month, year.
Choose one of the following and write a short description of it. The description
should include:
time of day,
the weather,
the sights,
sound and smells.
The beach
Inside a restaurant
A city street
A favourite park
A swamp
Add Phrases
Phrases add information and interest to short, dull sentences.
To add an adjectival phrase, you can ask questions like how, when, or where.
Adjectival phrases:
Adverbial phrases:
We skipped.
We skipped across the playground.
We skipped across the playground with great abandon
after our win in soccer.
Revised:
Rewrite the following examples to turn each example into one interesting sentence.
1. It was Sunday. The cricket match was cancelled. The pitch had been ruined by
rain
2. I was not pleased with my sister Natalie. She scribbled on my homework. I told
mom.
3. Ive been working all day. Im tired. I think Ill take a rest.
4. Every night for dinner we have boiled rice. I dont like boiled rice. It is my least
favourite food.
Smooth Transitions
One way an author can get the readers attention is by using pharases
that we call red flags. red flags, such as all of a sudden or the next
thing I knew, indicate a new twist in the plot. Red flags can replace
predictiable words and phrases, like next and then.
Read the sample sentences below. Create your own Red Flag Menu by filling
in the blanks.
Suddenly
Just then
Your audience will have a better understanding of Kristi and Ashley after
reading the conversation that takes place between them. It's more
interesting to read...AND...it helps to understand how both Kristi and
Ashley FEEL .
Dialogue lets you tell so much more about your characters.
It allows your readers to understand your characters more too.
Create Similes
LEARNING INTENTION: To liken something to something else, by using
similes.
Examples:
METAPHORS
A metaphor is like a simile. That's because it is a comparison that is made
between things, which is not always likely or obvious. We dont use like or as
in a metaphor.
We often use metaphors without realising it. For instance, when we say that
your parents 'bark a command'
command at you, you are comparing them to a dog, and
hence engaging in metaphor!
Other Metaphors
A heart of stone
He has the heart of a lion
You are the sun in my sky
You are the light in my life
She is my East and my West, my compass.
You had better pull your socks up
Love is a lemon - either bitter of sweet
Create Metaphors
LEARNING INTENTION: to understand that a metaphor is a word picture in
which the writer replaces the thing to be described with another image. It makes
a more direct and vivid comparison to a simile.
Examples:
an apple
cheese
the ocean
anger
Personification
LEARNING INTENTION: to understand that in personification, the non-human is
identified with the human or given human characteristics.
Examples:
refugee camp
cold
war
Onomatopoeia
LEARNING INTENTION: to understand that Onomatopoeia is found in a group
of words that attempts to replicate certain sounds.
We have words like woof-woof, or bow wow, tweet-tweet, and cock-a-doodle
doo. However, these words are still the creation of the human mind.
Examples:
wind
tank
walking in snow
IMPACT
Show Dont Tell
To write what is happening in the story without explicitly stating it.
Telling sentence:
Showing sentence:
Below are some telling sentences which simply state facts. Transform them into
showing sentences:
1. It was cold on the beach.
2. Dad was angry.
3. My friend is a great rugby player.
4. The house needed repairs.
5. The car braked suddenly.
Interesting
grew
a
Read the following sentences. What questions would you ask the writer to
ensure that all the essential information was given.
1. I dont like school.
2. My aunt is in hospital.
3. We like going out for dinner.
Select one of these sentences. Rewrite them with sufficient information.
Strong Verbs
By using strong verbs we can express movement and help to create a picture in
the readers mind.
Well-chosen verbs can give writing power.
With throttles open all the way, big bad bruce and his gang charge down the
highway on their Harleys. Bruce blasts along the highway at top speed. Icy
wind whacks into his face. He whacks it back, twice as hard. He zooms around
corners and shoots up the straight. He pushes his bike to the max.
from Big Bad Bruce by Dianne Bates
Write a description of the action in each of thes pharases using strong verbs.
Using a Thesaurus
A thesaurus extend your word power.
declared
exclaimed
questioned
replied
repeated
bellowed
shouted
responded
whispered
asked