Narrative thinking

¿From myth to logos?

- Descriptive thinking: used to set the background and to provide evidence rather than
to develop argument. When writing descriptively you are informing your reader of
things that they need to know to understand and follow your argument, but you are not
transforming that information in any way.
- Narrative thinking: frame of mind that leads you towards telling stories that have flow,
connection, tension and satisfaction. Create meaning in the minds of readers.

Fictional threshold: literary device that propels the plot forward. A crucial part of a
protagonist’s character arc, it describes the moment in which the hero of the story commits to
a quest.

Story and narrative

- Story: a narrative about people and events, usually including an interesting plot, is a
story. A story can be fictional or realistic, and it can be written, read aloud, or made up
on the spot.
- Narrative: a story that you write or tell someone, usually in great detail. A narrative
can be work of poetry or prose, or even song, theatre, or dance. Often a narrative is
meant to include the “whole story”. A summary will give a few key details and then the
narrative will delve into details.

Life story: an account of the series of events making up a person’s life

Narrative triangle

1. Conflict: The conflict is the big problem of the story. What is your main character
trying to overcome? That is the conflict.
Conflict comes in many different forms but will almost always involve an antagonist of
sorts. There can be one major conflict in your story, or your characters may encounter
several throughout the tale. But more than likely there is one big theme driving the
major conflict. So, what does that look like? Types:
 - Character vs self: In this type of conflict, your main character must overcome
something within themselves to achieve their goal. These internal conflicts may
look like a doubt, fear, or grudge. It’s whatever is holding them back from their
desires.
- Character vs character: In a character vs character conflict, someone is
standing in our protagonist’s way. This is a very common conflict type in
superhero tales. There’s a ‘bad guy’ our main characters must defeat before
the story ends.
- Character vs nature: Character vs nature conflicts pit our characters against
some kind of natural force. It could be a natural disaster (tornado, hurricane,
wildfire, avalanche) or any other kind of survival tale. Many post-apocalyptic
stories involve both character vs nature and character vs character conflicts.
- Character vs society: In our final conflict type, characters are battling
oppressive societal norms. In character vs society, our protagonist feels like
they are at odds with the whole world. This can often be broken down into
character vs character to get a strong emotional pull (such as a kid at odd with
their parents) but the themes are much bigger than any one person.

2. Point of view: Point of view (or POV) describes the lens through which the story
is being told. Types:
o First person point of view: A story told in the first person is most often told
from the point of view of the protagonist. Our protagonist narrator will speak
using first person pronouns (I, we, me, etc). And as the reader, we are privy to
their innermost thoughts and feelings. This is a great way to pull a reader into
the story, and a very strong bond can be formed between the reader and the
narrator.
o Second person point of view: You won’t see second person used very often
in literature, but it is an important POV to keep in mind. In the second person,
the reader is addressed directly and may even become a character of sorts in
your story. This point of view is written using second person pronouns (you,
your, etc).
o Third person point of view (objective): Third person POV is by far the most
common point of view in fiction writing. In this kind of story, the reader is a
bystander, observing the actions of the characters as told by an ‘outside
narrator’. This POV used third person pronouns (he, she, they, etc). But how
much we learn as a reader depends on which style of narrator you choose.
o Third person omniscient: A third person omniscient narrator knows
everything going down in the story. As a reader, we can learn the inside
thoughts and feelings of all the main characters. The story unfolds in front of
us, and we get to experience it through a variety of character lenses.
o Third person limited: In this POV, our narrator has access to only one
characters inside thoughts and feelings. As the reader, we typically follow this
one character as our main character, learning only what they know and seeing
the world through their eyes and experiences.
3. Plot: is the events or actions that drive the story. It describes the “what” of your
tale. The plot lets the reader know what’s happening, describes the problems your
characters are trying to solve, and gives the details on how they attempt to solve
them. Elements:
o Exposition: Exposition gives the reader the background info they need to jump
right into your story’s world. This is often found towards the beginning of your
story. Even if you choose to jump right into the action, somewhere along the
way your reader needs to get a crash course on your characters’ or setting’s
history. Exposition can be given in a variety of ways. Some examples include:
▪ Flashbacks
▪ Character dialogue
▪ Letters from the past
▪ Setting or character descriptions
▪ Point of View (aka POV, such as the narrator or main character’s
thoughts.
o Rising Action: The rising action is the moments in your story that lead up to
the climax — choices your main characters have made and the events
happening that are at odds with your characters’ goals. This is where your story
builds and your reader begin to invest in your characters.
o Climax: This is it — the primary turning point and what your story has been
building towards. What are your main characters going to do? Will they succeed
or fail?

Typical climaxes include victories or defeats. The main goal of the climax is to resolve

the conflict, but whether that positively or negatively affects your character is up to you.

Or maybe it’s not that simple.

o Falling Action: Now that the main conflict is resolved, it’s time to begin
wrapping everything up. The falling action is a great time to tie up any loose
ends while also giving your characters a chance to deal with the aftermath of
the climax.

4. Resolution: The resolution is also the time to show the next step in your
characters’ lives. The resolution of one story can also be the start of another. You
can introduce a new conflict or raise more questions for your reader. Wrap it up,
then begin again!

5. Characters: The characters are the people, animals, beings, or personified objects
driving your story. A story can have many characters or just one main character as
the focus. Your story’s characters should be compelling. Whether good or evil, you
need your reader to invest and care about their journey. Functions:
o Protagonist: The protagonist is typically the ‘good guy’ in your story — the one
the reader is rooting for. This main character is super important and central to
your plot. They are often trying to overcome the conflict while finding
themselves at odds with our next character type.
o Secondary:
 ▪ Antagonist: The antagonist of your story doesn’t have to be a single
person. It can be any character, group, or force that is at odds with your
protagonist. This doesn’t mean they have to be ‘evil’ or the ‘bad guy’,
but the antagonist is often pushing the conflict onto our protagonist.
▪ Deuteragonist: is close to the main character, but the story’s main plot
does not directly correspond with their own character arc. (Sa- The Lord
of the Rings)
▪ Side-kick: the best friend of the protagonist
▪ Mentor: the one who serves as a guide, advisor, and teacher to the
protagonist, providing them with valuable insights and knowledge to
help them overcome challenges and achieve their goals (Gandalf).
▪ Foil: exists to bring the protagonist’s qualities into sharper relief. Is the
opposite of the protagonist.
▪ Nemesis: the opponent or rival. Is the ultimate enemy, the one that
overshadows all the other in power or importance.

Archetypes/stereotypes

- Archetypical characters: people who fulfill specific roles within the plot or
conflict and help develop the literacy work’s theme, meaning, or purpose.
- Archetypical Plots: a type of story that has been told over and over again
throughout history.
- Cultural literacy: being able to understand the traditions, regular activities and
history of a group of people.

Narrative economy: maximum flow, minimum cost. The less words we use to tell, the better.

- Story: a narrative about people and events, usually including an interesting plot, is a
story. A story can be fictional or realistic, and it can be written, read aloud, or made up
on the spot.
- Plot: consists of the events that happen in the story. The plot is the backbone of the
story and provides structure and direction for the narrative. It should be engaging and
make the reader want to continue reading.
- Theme: Idea, belief, moral, lesson or insight. It’s the central argument that the author
is trying to make the reader understand. Is the “why” of the story. Central point or
message of the story.
TIME I. ORDER

1. Chronologic: the story is told as the action has happened.

2. Flashback (Analepsis): earlier point in the story.
3. Flash forward (Prolepsis): moment later in the chronological sequence.

TIME II. PACE

TIME III. TENSE

1. Past: Past tense is, without a doubt, the most common tense that writers default to.
It’s also the easiest to slip into accidentally. Lots of contemporary fiction is written in
the past tense, and it’s especially favoured in genre fiction. It’s often used to give a
sense of reflective distance from the events being narrated, making it ideal for
storytelling that is rich and detailed and is most commonly paired with an omniscient
narrator.
Writing in the past tense gives readers a vantage point of experience, allowing them
to explore characters and past events with a bird’s-eye view.

2. Present: As opposed to past tense, writing in the present tense provides a sense of
immediacy to any story. It brings readers straight into the pulse of the action, creating
an atmosphere of direct participation.
To a reader, events are happening in real-time, fostering a sense of connection and
involvement in the story. Present tense is especially popular in young adult fiction and
crime or thriller genres and is usually written in the first person.

3. Future: Books written in future tense are incredibly rare, but it can be a really useful
way to represent a point of view switch. By its nature, future tense is used for indicating
 events that have not yet occurred and creates an atmosphere of anticipation and
suspense that is especially useful for foreshadowing.

Beginning

- Ab ovo: the practice of beginning a poetic narrative at the earliest possible

chronological point.
- In media res: in or into the middle of a narrative or plot
- In extremis: the chronological end

Endings

- Happy
- Unhappy

Suspense

- Surprise (plot twist): keeps the reader interested in the story.

- Mystery: where an event remains mysterious until the end of the story (crime or
murder).
- Dilemma: a character facing a difficult choice with no clear or easy solutions. These
stories often explore moral and ethical questions.

Character’s creation

- Consistent: that is coherent with the plot

- Motivated: that motivates

Classification

- Flat character: they are characters that are mostly one-dimensional and don’t have a
lot of backstory or depth.
- Round character: related to a dynamic character. Is a major character who shoes
fluidity and the capacity for change from the moment we meet them.

- Static character: does not noticeably change over the course of a story.
- Dynamic character: is one who changes over the course of the story.

Tone and voice

- Tone: is the narrator’s attitude toward the subject they’re writing about as well as
toward their readers, such as respect, scorn, pity or compassion.
 - Voice: is the way a story sounds when you read it, as if the author and the narrator
had an audible voice. It can be conversational, sardonic, angry, detached, lyrical,
ceremonial, rollicking, matter-of-fact, serene, hallucinogenic.

Title: Is the story’s first impression.

Symbols: allows writers to express complex ideas while giving the reader a visual, sensory
experience. Is not rational, is irrational, based on the intuition of the narrative.