Patterns of Development: Narration

• Patterns of development are various ways to organize information in writing.

Narration

• Narration is the most basic pattern of development.
• It describes how, when, and where an event or occurrence happened.
• It is used to tell a story or focus on related events.
• Logical actions are movements within the plot or narrative that drive the characters forward.
• The way of narration refers to how a writer presents a story, including the pace of the scenes.
• Natural progression of time to the events of the story makes it good writing.
• Clipped narration is a concise way of telling a story.
• Paced narration is a more detailed way of telling a story.
• Terminology places emphasis on concepts critical to the narration.
• Writers must choose how to address terms and which ones they want to use for an appropriate setting.
• Concrete terms identify measurable and observable things, places, and events.
• Concrete terms have physical manifestation in the world (e.g., spoon, dog, house).
• Abstract terms refer to intangible ideas or concepts (e.g., love, freedom, feminism).
• General terms are commonly used to denote groups.
• Specific terms refer to individual components of a group (e.g., cabinets, desks, chairs).

Description

• Description provides details about an object, person, or location to set its appearance firmly.
• It answers: What does it look like? What are its characteristics?
• Characteristics include a clear focus, use of sensory details and precise words, and logical order of details.
• Objective description looks into factual and scientific characteristics as objectively as possible.
• Subjective description is used to "paint a picture" of how an author sees a character or wants the reader to see them.
• It is also used in literary discourse when a stereotyped image is attributed to a person, place, or event.

Definition

• Definition explains not just what something means or is, but also what something does, what something is used for, what something looks like, etc.
• Scientific definition defines concepts factually, often used in scientific contexts or real-world facts.
• Subjective definition defines objects in a more personal way, usually derived from the author's experiences and opinions.
• It is often used by a writer to state something from the point of view of the characters or in relation to the setting.
• A term can be emphasized by its characteristics or features, function, effect, or origin.

Classification and Exemplification

• Classification divides things into groups, classes, or categories based on criteria or standards.
• Exemplification provides examples and illustrations to clarify or explain the concept or subject matter.
• Exemplification presents a general statement followed by specific and concrete examples to expound on the main idea.

Comparison and Contrast

• Comparison and contrast organizes ideas based on how events, places, people, things, and concepts are similar to or different from one another.
• Separate description involves describing one item first, followed by the second item.
• Side-by-side description involves discussing both items based on each point.

Cause and Effect

• Cause and effect explains why something happens or what results a particular event produces.
• Paragraphs can emphasize either cause or effect.

Problem-Solution

• Problem-solution focuses on either a problem or a solution in a particular area or situation.

Persuasion

• Persuasion convinces readers to agree to an argument or claim about a particular topic.