This document provides guidance on writing narrative paragraphs and essays. It explains that narratives tell a story through a logical sequence of events and always have a purpose for being told. Key features of narratives include a topic sentence that states the main idea and purpose, detailed events in chronological order from beginning to middle to end, and use of past tense. Successful narratives achieve coherence through clear logical organization and use of transitional words and phrases to connect ideas and mark stages of the story. An outline is suggested to plan topic sentences that set boundaries and communicate the main idea and purpose for each paragraph in a narrative.

1. NARRATIVE WRITING
Steps Chap 3

2. *Review
•Paragraphs must have:
•A topic sentence that communicates the writer’s main idea
and a keyword that communicates the purpose;
•Plenty of vivid, unified details.

3. Concept Wheel
Narrative
Writing

4. Definition
•Narrative Writing--writing that tells a story by presenting
events in an orderly, logical sequence.
•Narratives always have a purpose—the writer has a
reason he/she wants to tell this story.

5. Important Features
1. Topic sentence provides the main idea and the purpose
of the story
2. Unified details create a vivid picture for the reader
3. Chronological order--all events are depicted in the order
they happened
•Beginning
•Middle (turning point—what changed?)
•End
4. Story is in past tense.

6. Examples
What are some specific examples of a narrative?
What are some specific non-examples of a narrative?

7. Relationship to Other Concepts:
Coherence
• It is the writer’s job to make the connections between their
ideas apparent to the reader.
•Coherence—all parts of a paragraph fit together in a clear,
logical order.
•Identify the major stages in your essay!
•Focus on chronological order—events are depicted
in the order they occurred.
•1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 NOT 6, 4, 1, 3, 2

8. Transitions
•Transition words or
transition phrases are
words that that connect
the ideas in an essay.
•Transitions mark the
stages of the
story…the
chronology.
For Showing Time:
• After
• Before
• During
• Earlier
• Later
• Meanwhile
• Since
• Soon
• Then
• While
• The next day…
• That
afternoon…

9. WRITING AN OUTLINE

10. Writing Topic Sentences
•Your topic sentence needs to give boundaries to your essay.
• It needs to communicate your main idea (moment of
realization).
• It needs to communicate your purpose (outcome/change).
•Student Example: “On a hot, humid, May morning in 1947, I
began to suspect that there was an advantage to being a white
Anglo-Saxon Protestant.”

11. Topic Sentence + Key Word
Beginning—What I used to think…
• What happened, briefly? Choose your details carefully—get the most bang
for your buck!
Middle—But then this happened…
• What was your realization?
• What about you/the situation changed?
End—And now I think…
• What are the lasting effects of this experience on your life?
• What did you learn about yourself?