Narrative Writing: Elements and Structure

• Narrative writing involves telling a fictional or real-life story with a plot structure.
• It can also be an essay where a personal story explains an issue or argument.
• Presentations of narrative writing differ based on the writer's creativity.
• The core function of narrative writing is to tell a story regardless of form.
• Narrative essays, while similar in format to academic texts, are often anecdotal, experiential, and personal.
• This allows students to express themselves creatively and emotionally.
• Movies and YouTube videos can also be examples of narrative essays.

Elements of a Story

• Setting: The time and place where the story occurs.
• Theme: The main subject or basic idea of the story.
• Mood: The tone reflecting the emotions/feelings of the narrator or speaker.
• Characters: The individuals in the story, classified as Protagonist or Antagonist.
• Plot: The sequence of events, including a climax or turning point.

Effective Narrative Essays

• Thesis: Sets up the action in the introduction.
• Transition Sentences: Connect events and guide the reader.
• Conclusion: Ends the story and provides a moral, prediction, or revelation.

The Introduction

• The introduction is the starting paragraph of the story.
• It establishes the narrator's tone, mood, voice, and point of view.
• Introduces or hints at the central conflict.
• It must include a hook and a thesis statement.

Narrative Hook

• The narrative hook opens the essay, grabbing the reader's attention and setting the mood.
• Hooks are essential for captivating the reader and setting the stage.
• A well written hook creates enough interest that the reader is compelled to read on.

The Thesis

• The thesis states the essay's main idea and structure.
• In a narrative essay, the thesis introduces the action in the first paragraph.
• The provided thesis examples hint at the sequence of events without revealing the entire plot.

The Body

• The body contains the supporting information, which is the plot.
• The plot can be arranged chronologically.
• Chronological order presents events as they happen in time.
• In a chronological essay, transitional sentences serve two purposes.
• They signal the end of an action in one paragraph and link to the next.
• Transitional sentences create unity and help the reader follow the story.

The Conclusion

• Narrative essays require a conclusion, similar to academic essays.
• The conclusion should briefly recap the main point without rewriting the entire essay.
• The last sentence of the conclusion can serve two functions.
• It delivers the moral of the story, highlighting what the character(s) learned.
• It makes a prediction or reveals future actions resulting from the story's events.