Narrative Writing
10 Things to Remember When
Writing a Narrative
Number 1 – Your Story Beginning
Your story needs a strong beginning. You can
achieve this using one of the following
methods:
• Dialogue (Conversation)
• A Question
• A Vivid Description
• An Interesting Fact
• Sound Effects
Dialogue
“ Hurry or you’ll be late!” called my mother
from the bottom of the stairs. “Today of all
days you want to be on time.” If I had only
know what that day would bring, I would have
stayed in bed.
A Question
Have you ever had a day when you wished
you had stayed in bed? As I rushed to catch
the bus on what seemed to be a perfectly
normal day I had no idea what was ahead of
me.
A Vivid Description
The sun was warm on my back as I raced
toward the waiting yellow school bus. As I
nestled into the worn leather seat I was
greeted by the friendly voices of other excited
children. The look on my face was one of
confidence and contentment. With a jerk the
bus rumbled down the road and I was on my
way into one of the worst days of my life.
An Interesting Fact
Shock has been known to kill ten year olds.
It can cause their brains to explode and their
heart to stop dead still. These facts raced
through my mind as I stood dumbfounded in
front of my fifth grade classmates. I wish I had
stayed in bed!
Sound Effects
“Buzzzzzz!” The sound of my alarm clock
droned in my ears as I struggled to come
awake. With a start I sat straight up in my bed.
This was my big day and I had to be on time.
Number 2 - Paragraphs
Be sure your story has paragraphs. They tell
when you're switching time, place, topic or
speaker, and they help break the page up so it
is not just a solid block of writing.
How Do I Know When To Start a New
Paragraph?
There are a few standard times to make a new
paragraph:
• When you start in on a new topic
• When you skip to a new time
• When you skip to a new place
• When a new person begins to speak
• When you want to produce a dramatic effect
Number 3 - Capitalization & Punctuation
• Capitalize
– Beginnings of Sentences
– Proper Nouns
• Punctuate
– End Marks (question mark, period, exclamation
marks)
– Commas when joining two sentences with a
conjunction, addressing a person, with quotations,
etc.
Number 4 – Use Rich Words
Remember words such as said, went, and put
are DEAD. Use words that describe the action.
Went
NOT
My dad went to work.
BUT
My dad raced to work.
Said
NOT
Jane said she had a secret.
BUT
Jane whispered to Peter a wonderful secret.
Number 5 - Wow Words
Show your reader that you have a high-quality,
first-class, superior, excellent, exceptional,
outstanding, brilliant, extraordinary,
incomparable vocabulary by using 5th grade
vocabulary words.
Don’t Use Use These Instead:
acceptable, admirable, commendable, praiseworthy,
good virtuous, accomplished, skilled,
bad Defective, erroneous, inadequate, substandard,
corrupt, vile, distressing, severe, offensive, immoral
thing material object, article, concept, entity, apparatus, device,
detail, statement, items.
big considerable, colossal, immense, sizable, vast, eminent,
influential, paramount, prime, prominent
small diminutive, immature, minute, slight, negligible, petty, trivial,
limited.
important far-reaching, grave, momentous, significant, substantial,
prominent, notable
happy content, joyous, jubilant, thrilled, advantageous, favorable,
fortunate,
sad sorrowful, cheerless, dismal, gloomy, melancholy, mournful,
somber grievous
[Link]/new_ataralon/mikzoot/english/.%5Cdenise_text%[Link]?fileToDownload=wowWords1
Wow Words
[Link]
Number 6 - Show, Don’t Tell
The Show, Don’t Tell method of writing is when
the writer is able to create a picture in the
reader's mind, to get away from the repetition
of such empty words like went, big, or said.
NOT
Susan exercised.
BUT
Sweat poured from Susan’s forehead as she
continued to do one hundred sit-ups .
Number 7 - Conversation
The Five Rules for Writing Direct Quotations
Rule 1 Rule 2 Rule 3 Rule 4 Rule 5
Add Separate Capitalize Add end Add
quotatio source the first marks. needed
n marks. phrase word of capitaliza
from the direct tion and
quote. quotation. punctuati
on.
Conversation
Remember
You must make a new paragraph every time a
different person speaks!!!!
Number 8 - Sentences
• Vary your sentences.
– Are some of your sentences long and others
short?
– Do you start the beginnings differently?
– Do some sentences start with a part of speech
other than a noun or pronoun?
Number 9 – Figurative Language
Use a little figurative language to add interest to
your story.
• Simile
• Metaphor
• Alliteration
• Onomatopoeia
Simile
comparison between two unlike things that have
something in common using like or as
Examples
• It's been a hard day's night and I've been working like
a dog. - The Beatles
• My heart is like an open highway. - Jon Bon Jovi
• like two peas in a pod
like Christmas in summer
• as hungry as a bear
as nutty as a fruitcake
as quick as lightning
Metaphor
Metaphor– comparison between two unlike
things that have something in common
without using like or as
Examples
Patty was a raging tiger when she lost her lunch
money.
During the night the forest was a dark,
frightening battlefield.
Alliteration
repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in
two or more neighboring words or syllables
Examples
down in the dumps
do or die
right as rain
sink or swim
pay the price
back to the basics
green as grass
live the life
Onomatopoeia
the imitation of natural sounds in word form.
These words help us form mental pictures
about the things, people, or places that are
described
Examples
buzz
hiss
roar
woof
bang
pop
hiss
sizzle
Number 10 - Plot Structure
[Link]
[Link]
• a plot, including setting and characters
• a climax (This is when the plot is solved.)
• an ending
United Streaming
• Parts of a Story: Huck and Jim [05:34]
[Link]
[Link]?guidAssetId=20D49155-2509-447F-
8C47-
69C9B3D2128A&blnFromSearch=1&productc
ode=US
Beginning
• In the beginning of your story, you should
introduce your characters.
• The reader should also know about the world
your characters live in (the setting) and the
something about each of the characters in
your story.
• The beginning of your story is also the place
where your plot (the problem) is first
introduced.
Middle
Your story needs to build to something exciting,
the climax. Write about a simple conflict, a
task that must be completed, a question that
must be answered, or a barrier that must be
overcome.
Climax
Rising Action
Resolution
Beginning
Middle
• Include
– Actions
– Dialogue
– Sensory Details
– Thoughts and Feelings
– Suspense (Remember to build to a climax.)
The End
This is the big finish. The end should reveal how
you overcame your problem. All conflicts are
resolved and everything goes back to normal.