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Tips for Narrative Writing Use the tips below to help you through the writing process as you work on your archetypal tale. Narrative = an account of connected events, a story 1. Plan out your plot BEFORE you start writing your story. It will be easier to write an interesting and effective story if you (as the writer) know where it’s going from the beginning. Make a diagram of your plot or write out bullet points of all the events that you want to include in your story before you begin writing. 2. Make your main characters round and dynamic, rather than flat and static. If you want your reader to relate to your main characters, make sure you make them complex individuals. Your hero should experience some kind of change or growth throughout the story. 3. Use clear diction and syntax. Use words and sentence structures that sound natural to you. You want the story to have a voice that is unique to you. Use words and sentences that you would normally use to tell a story to a friend - just make sure they are grammatically correct and polished. 4. Choose a point of view - and stick to it! Your story should be told either from a 1st person point of view OR a 3rd person point of view. Choose one of these POVs and make sure it remains consistent throughout your story. 5. Use vivid descriptions and specific details. The best way to tell a story is to paint a picture for your reader. Use sensory details that will stick out in the reader’s mind as they are reading; they will be more invested in your story if they can picture the characters and settings in their head as they read. When you write a narrative essay, you are telling a story. Narrative essays are told from a defined point of view, often the author's, so there is feeling as well as specific and often sensory details provided to get the reader involved in the elements and sequence of the story. The verbs are vivid and precise. The narrative essay makes a point. Conventions of Narrative Essays In writing your narrative essay, keep the following conventions in mind. 1. Narratives are generally written in the first person singular, i.e., I. However, third person (he, she, or it) can also be used. Which person you use most often is a function of whose perspective is being captured in the narrative. If it's your story, use I; if it's a story about what happened to a friend, use she. That's logical and simple. And, be consistent in which person you are writing in. 2. Narratives rely on concrete, specific details to make their point. These details should create a unified, dominant impression. 3. Narratives, as stories, should include these story conventions: a plot (so tell your readers what is happening), including setting and characters; a climax (a peak experience often leading to the thesis, the important realization); and an ending (explaining how the incident resolved itself, also alluding to how the narrative's thesis comes to it full realization). 4. Consider using interpolated tale (a "twice told tale") to add some flair. An interpolated tale, used by the likes of none other Charles Dickens and Joseph Conrad, are stories within stories, where the character in one story goes on to tell a story that illuminates and adds meaning to the larger story as well. It's a tricky effect to pull off, but a nice effect when used well. 5. Speaking of plot, remember that most stories follow a simple time line in laying out the narrative. Chronological order is the rule. So feel free to break that rule, when appropriate, if you can think of a way use a different time order to enhance your story. For example, flashbacks are a wonderful device to merge the present and the past all at once. 6. Feel free to create stories that reveal human weakness as well.