Narrative Writing - Definition, Types, Tips and Techniques

Narrative writing is a style of writing that uses the technique of narration to present a series of events
that leads to an expected or unexpected end. In other words, it is a writing style that is used to tell a
story. Read through the article to learn more about narrative writing, the types of narrative writing, and
the tips and techniques you can use to write a narrative piece.

What Is Narrative Writing? – Meaning and Definition

A narrative gives an account of events that happen at a particular time and place; it can be fictional or
non-fictional. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a narrative in three different ways – “a description
of events”, “the part of a novel that tells the story, rather than the dialogue”, and “a way of explaining
events to illustrate a set of aims or values”. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms explains
‘narration’ as “the process of relating a sequence of events”, and a ‘narrative’ as “a telling of some true
or fictitious event or connected sequence of events, recounted by a narrator to a narratee (although
there may be more than one of each)”.

Characteristics of a Narrative – The 7 Key Elements

A narrative includes the smallest of details to the most important information. It is a mixture of these
that make the narrative interesting, informative and appealing. A narrative, especially when written in
the form of a story, must have the following elements.

Characters

Setting

Plot

Conflict

Theme

Style

Point of view

Characters refer to the animate and inanimate objects that are involved in the story. They drive the
story from the beginning till the end. A narrative story can have just one character or a number of
characters, all of them contributing to the process in the most minute or most noticeable way.

Setting refers to the surroundings where the story or the events being narrated happen. It can be any
place – a house, a forest, a car, a classroom, a playground, a bus, the middle of the road, etc. The setting
of the narrative plays an important role in setting the mood of the entire piece.
Plot refers to all the events that contribute to the story. It has a starting point – the exposition – where
the story begins, and the characters and the setting are introduced to the audience. This is followed by
the rising action – the point where the main character(s) faces an impediment that disturbs the course
of the narrative. Climax comes next and is the turning point in the story, which then leads to the falling
action. It is here that the problem starts resolving. This finally leads the story to a conclusion. In simple
words, it can be said that the plot is the order in which the events take place.

Conflict is the point of tension in the narrative where a problem arises. This point changes the course of
the narrative and leads it to the expected or unexpected end.

Theme refers to the central idea the narrative is based on. The whole piece revolves around it. Popular
themes include good and evil, justice, love, friendship, brotherhood, change, music, etc.

Style is characterised by the kind of language used by the writer to narrate, and this differs from genre
to genre.

Point of view refers to who tells the story. It can be a first, second or third-person narrative. First-person
narration is when a character who is part of what is happening tells the story from their perspective. It is
characterised by the usage of pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’, ‘mine’, ‘myself’, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’,
‘ourselves’, ‘ours’, etc. Second-person narration is characterised by the usage of pronouns such as ‘you’,
‘your’, ‘yourself’, and ‘yourselves’. Third-person narration is when there is a narrator (a character who is
not part of the story) or a character in the story who narrates what is going on in the story. It is done
with the usage of pronouns such as ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘they’, ‘his’, ‘hers’, ‘him’, ‘hers’, ‘their’, ‘theirs’,
‘himself’, ‘herself’, ‘themselves’, etc.

Types of Narrative Writing

Narratives can include historical pieces, novels, short stories, epics, ballads, etc. Poetry can be narrative
too. An example of a narrative poem would be ‘Snake’ by D.H. Lawrence. However, narrative writing can
be divided into four main types, namely,

Linear
Nonlinear

Descriptive

Viewpoint

Linear Narrative

In this type of narrative, the writer follows a chronological order of narration. The fictional or non-
fictional narrative is presented from the beginning till the end. Bildungsroman (also known as coming-of-
age novels) follow the linear narrative style. ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J.D. Salinger, ‘The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn’ by Mark Twain, ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, etc., are some famous
examples of linear narratives. Historical pieces, biographies and autobiographies are also forms of
writing that follow a narrative style.

The movie ‘Moana’ is a perfect example of a linear narrative. It starts with Moana as a little girl who is
taught all about her culture and her duties towards her tribe. This style perfectly supports the theme
and the plot. You see that Moana is always drawn to the ocean, identifies the purpose of her life and
travels across the ocean to save her people from complete doom.

Nonlinear Narrative

A nonlinear narrative is one in which the happenings are not narrated chronologically. This is the kind of
narrative that includes flashbacks. It starts at a point and goes back and forth. Most suspense thriller
novels and movies follow this style of narration. There are also lighter themes that are presented in this
fashion. ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte, ‘The Sound and the Fury’ by William Faulkner and ‘Catch-
22’ by Joseph Heller are some examples of novels that follow the nonlinear narrative style.

Stream of consciousness is a nonlinear narrative technique that presents all the thoughts and feelings
that go on in the mind of the narrator as things happen. Through this technique, one can also portray
the character’s flow of thoughts in a realistic manner. James Joyce’s novel ‘Ulysses’ is a well-known
example that uses this technique.

The series ‘This Is Us’ is a great example of the nonlinear narrative style. You will see the story of the
Pearson family always oscillating between the past and present. Every episode is a series of events that
happened on the same day during the different stages of their lives or the same emotion experienced by
the different characters. This is an effective way of telling a story as it keeps the viewers always wanting
to know more.

Descriptive Narrative

This is a narrative style in which the audience is made to see and feel the characters’ world. In a
descriptive narrative, the writer uses descriptive words and phrases that create vivid images in the
minds of the readers. ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ by Stephen Chbosky, ‘The Song of Achilles’ by
Madeline Miller, and ‘The God of Small Things’ by Arundhati Roy are some examples of descriptive
narrative.

Most of you may have watched both ‘Avatar’ and ‘Avatar: Way of the Water’. The descriptive technique
is used in both movies. The way of the Avatar realm is portrayed in a manner that makes the audience
feel one with the characters and the setting.

Viewpoint Narrative

A viewpoint narrative is a style of writing in which there is the presence of a first, second or third-person
narrator. The usage of pronouns changes based on who narrates the happenings in the story. The most
common viewpoint narratives seen are the first-person narrative and the third-person narrative.
Autobiographies are written in the first-person point of view, and biographies in the third-person point
of view.

‘The Fault in our Stars’ by John Green and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee are examples of a first-
person narrative. ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott and ‘Beloved’ by Toni Morrison are two among
the many examples of third-person narratives. There are not as many books in the second-person
narrative as in the first and third-person narratives. However, there are some that are wonderfully
presented. ‘Ghost Light’ by Joseph O’ Connor and ‘If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler’ by Italo Calvino are
novels written in the second-person narrative. Try reading these novels and analyse the kind of effect
the different viewpoints have on the readers.

Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi), the protagonist, narrates throughout the movie, ‘The Life of Pi’, thereby
rendering it an example of a first-person narrative. Bagheera, the panther in ‘The Jungle Book’, narrates
how Mowgli came to live with the wolves and all that has happened and is happening in the present.
This, therefore, can be considered to follow a third-person narrative structure.

List of Narrative Forms

The narrative style of writing is commonly employed in the following forms.

Short stories

Novels

Epics

Ballads

Essays

Fables

Parables
Biographies

Autobiographies

Travelogues

How to Write a Narrative Piece? – Tips and Techniques

Here are some tips and techniques you can follow to write a good narrative piece.

Before you start writing your first draft, brainstorm your ideas.

You will not know what will inspire you. So, when you talk to people, pay attention to how they are
narrating; read the works of different authors in the genre that you are planning to write; explore the
different voices and employ them creatively to suit your characters and narrative on the whole.

Jot down who your characters are and how you expect them to be; visualise the setting and lay out the
details; think about the point at which you want your narrative to start and end.

The point of view you are using to narrate plays a major role. If you want your readers to be a part of
what is happening, use the first-person point of view. This will help your readers see and feel it just like
you do. If you want your readers to be a spectator and analyse everything, you can use the third-person
point of view. Contrary to both, if you want your readers to be a part of everything and have their own
experiences, use the second-person narrative.

Remember that you can have more than one narrator. Using multiple narrators will help you build
different perspectives of a given situation.

Use descriptions to give your readers a magnified and clearer view of the setting and characters.

Have a strong theme and see to it that it reaches your audience.

Bear in mind that every word matters. The diction you choose and the manner in which you employ
them to form sentences is what builds the desired effect.

Also, remember that you need not stick to one narrative style. For instance, you can write a linear or
nonlinear descriptive first-person narrative. Do not limit yourself too much with the style. Choose what
suits your narrative best and use them in the best possible way.

When you write, you have your freedom. Make up your own techniques, style, and use literary devices
to support your writing. Nothing works better than authenticity.

Allow your creative mind to work at its own pace. Do not interrupt or force the flow of thoughts.

Proofread before you finalise the final draft.

Examples of Narrative Writing

Here is an example of a narrative verse – the first few lines of the poem ‘Snake’ by D.H. Lawrence. See
how the poet uses words to narrate the incident of the snake appearing at his water trough and
everything that happens further.

“A snake came to my water-trough

On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,

To drink there.

In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob tree

I came down the steps with my pitcher

And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough

before me.

He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom

And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down, over

the edge of the stone trough

And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness,

He sipped with his straight mouth,

Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body,

Silently.”

Example 2:

This short paragraph given below is an excerpt from the novel, ‘If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler’ by Italo
Calvino. See how second-person narrative works. The narrative style makes the reader feel included and
one with the characters in the story. In the following example, the writer instructs the reader to get
comfortable and do everything that is necessary so as to not be disturbed in between the reading.

“Adjust the light so you won’t strain your eyes. Do it now, because once you’re absorbed in reading
there will be no budging you. Make sure the page isn’t in shadow, a clotting of black letters on a gray
background, uniform as a pack of mice; but be careful that the light cast on it isn’t too strong, doesn’t
glare on the cruel white of the paper, gnawing at the shadows of the letters as in a southern noonday.
Try to foresee now everything that might make you interrupt your reading.”

Frequently Asked Questions on Narrative Writing

Q1

What is narrative writing?

Narrative writing is a style of writing that uses the technique of narration to present a series of events
that leads to an expected or unexpected end. It can be fictional or non-fictional.
Q2

What is the definition of a narrative?

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a narrative in three different ways – “a description of events”,
“the part of a novel that tells the story, rather than the dialogue”, and “a way of explaining events to
illustrate a set of aims or values”. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms explains ‘narration’ as
“the process of relating a sequence of events” and a ‘narrative’ as “a telling of some true or fictitious
event or connected sequence of events, recounted by a narrator to a narratee (although there may be
more than one of each)”.

Q3

What are the elements of a narrative?

A narrative, especially when written in the form of a story, must have the following elements.

Characters

Setting

Plot

Conflict

Theme

Style

Point of view

Q4

What are the types of narrative writing?

Narrative writing can be characterised into four categories, namely,

Linear narrative

Nonlinear narrative

Descriptive narrative
Viewpoint narrative

Q5

List some narrative forms.

Some examples of narrative forms are epics, ballads, short stories, novels, biographies, autobiographies,
and travelogues.