Elements of a Narrative

1. Elements of a Narrative American Literature, Fall 2013

2. Characterization • Who are the characters? • How do we get to know each character? • Dialogue: when characters speak • Inner monologue (3rd person omniscient) • Consistency throughout • Actions and thoughts should remain consistent to the character • Static or dynamic • Does the main character (or secondary characters) change or stay the same? • Primary characters: The main characters in the story • Secondary characters: Everyone else

3. Point of View • 1st person • I, me, us, we • Told from one person’s perspective – how does that alter a story? • 3rd person • They, them, he, she • Told from an objective narrator – how does that alter a story? • Which is more effective? What’s the difference?

4. Sensory Details • Imagery • Convey a vivid picture of experiences, events, setting, and/or characters • Taste, smell, sight, sound, touch • Use precise words, not a lot of words • Show, don’t tell!

5. Conflict • Issue/problem • The story should revolve around the central conflict • Internal – happens within a character • External - occurs outside of the character • Was something learned as a result? • Did the narrator or main character change? Did the secondary characters change? • What was the outcome?

6. Tone • How the speaker or narrator feels about or towards the subject; the attitude of the speaker or narrator • Not to be confused with the tone of the author – author and narrator are NOT the same thing • Examples of tone: formal, informal, solemn, serious, playful, sarcastic, ironic, guilty, cheerful, gloomy, pessimistic, optimistic, witty, suspicious, angry, pompous • Created through word choice, imagery, including or omitting details, etc. • There can be more than one tone in a piece (for example, it can be both humorous and sarcastic)

7. Mood • The atmosphere created by the writing or author’s words; the feeling that the reader gets from reading the words • The overall feeling of the work • Created through imagery, dialogue, setting, plot • Examples of mood: frightening, gloomy, mysterious, joyful, melancholy, sorrowful, sentimental, frustrating, suspenseful • Mood is usually established at the beginning and carried on throughout the work

8. Theme • Lesson learned; message of the story • Avoid clichés, ie. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” or “Walk a mile in another person’s shoes” • Satisfying conclusion • Was there a resolution or did it just stop? • There is a difference between ending a story and giving it a resolution

9. Literary/Narrative Techniques • Dialogue – when characters speak to each other • lets the characters tell the story • Description – utilizing sensory details • creates word pictures in the reader’s mind • Repetition – repeating important lines or words throughout the story • emphasis

10. Literary/Narrative Techniques • Pacing – the speed at which your story is told • not too slow, not too fast, but just right • Reflection – thinking and relating to and about one’s own experiences • does it cause the reader to reflect on their experiences? • Plot • Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution; setting

11. Choices! • Choose the prompt that you feel will lend itself to your best narrative writing. • Choose an artifact that is meaningful to you. Write a multi-paragraph essay describing the artifact, its value, and how it has shaped you as a person. Be creative! For example, think about your favorite toy as a child – what does it say about you? How did it shape you? Help you grow? What did it see? Go beyond the literal and think about the metaphorical. • Write about a scar, broken bone, illness, or other injury you have experienced (it could be your own or it could be someone close to you). In a multi-paragraph essay, tell the story about what happened. How did it affect you? Change you? Shape you? What did you learn about yourself (and/or others) from the experience?