The Narrative

What is Narration? To narrate is to tell a story. Your job, as a writer, is to choose an

important event in your life, and tell that story.

Write it like a short story, not like an essay.

Step 1 - Getting started Think of an important event in your life. Briefly write about that event. Choose something that changed you. The best stories are ones where the

character is changed by the experience.

Step 2 - Description Once you have a sense of the story, it is time

to begin to think about description. Think about particular details that relate to the

event: sounds, sights, feelings, smells, etc. These details help bring the event to life. They help the reader experience it just as you

did. The key is to never allow the details to hurt

the pace and flow of your story.

Step 3 - Choosing Details Once you have a sense of the details, you

need to decide whether these details support the story or get in the way of the story.

Be vivid. Help the reader really see, hear, touch, smell the item you are describing.

Like editing a movie, you need to view your story and decide: does it flow well, does the description enhance the story or get in the way.

Step 4 - Honing the work At this point, step back and see what

you have.

Step 5 - Active/Passive Voice Now that you have written the work,

look at the parts where action occurs. Try to keep these in the active voice. Example:

I was pulling the trigger - passive voice I pulled the trigger - active voice

Step 5 - Voice Continued As with everything, variety is the spice of life, but

active voice is more engaging than passive. It puts readers in the middle of the action, and

when handled properly, will keep them on the edge of their seats.

Passive voice uses the helping verbs “to be” and “to have’ along with another verb.

To stay in the active voice, avoid these sentence constructions

Using the active voice will quicken the pace of your story.

Be Honest This is your story. No one can tell it better than you, so don’t

use constructs from other writers. Tell it the way you would naturally tell it. Avoid cliches, such as, the passion that

burns, or big as a house. Stick to your own way of telling your story and

your own style. It will make the work more engaging to read.

Email If you have any questions, or you would

like me to see something, email your work to me.

If it is too close to the deadline, I may not get to it. I have five composition classes, and everyone has questions.

Good luck!