This PowerPoint can be used in class to encourage students to start practising their narrative writing skills.

1. NARRATIVES
Yr 11 English – Mr. Modra

2. Top Ten Rules for Narratives
1. Think of a central idea, such as a quest, journey or
goal.
2. Describe an interesting setting (time and place) where
your story will take place (e.g. your neighbourhood,
another world in the future, a time in the place).
3. Create a main character (protagonist) who changes or
develops during the story (e.g. they were cowardly,
greedy or selfish but become brave, generous or
caring).
4. Create another who is the main character‟s enemy
(antagonist).
5. Plan for at least three things to happen to your
protagonist in your story. Include a conflict, a climax
and a resolution.

3. Top Ten Rules for Narratives
(cont.)
6. Start with a zinger first line and some action.
7. Include some dialogue or direct speech but
not too much (balance with some description
of the action).
8. Include a twist if you like.
9. Use the show-don’t-tell technique.
10. Create some suspense if you can.

4. Narrative Structure
Climax (worst thing
happens)
Complicatio Resolution (crisis is
n (conflict) resolved)
Orientation (who, Conclusio
what, when, n
where)

5. Things to avoid…
 Using too many characters
 Writing about things and places you know
nothing about
 Writing about the weather at the start
 Write “and then I woke up” at the end!

6. Some structural considerations
 Experiment with the structure by using a
flashback or telling the story from two different
perspectives
 Decide whether you will write the story in the
first person or the third person.
 Indent paragraphs, missing lines only to
indicate a change of time, place or narrator.

7. Language
 Use language to suit the genre, era and social
context of the story.
 Use a blend of action, description, dialogue and
reflection to create variety.
 Use evocative to create atmosphere e.g. Still
the moon beams in on her and the clock ticks.
 Use figurative language in descriptions e.g. The
words dance in front of her eyes.
 Dialogue should be realistic e.g. “Lights
off, Abbey”.

8. Grammar
 Use a variety of short and long sentences.
 Using short sentences and fragments can
create drama and impact.
 Use a variety of sentences beginnings.
 Use the correct conventions for using dialogue
(see next slide).
 Use correct paragraphing (indent rather than
miss lines).
 Choose present or past tense.

9. Using Dialogue (Direct Speech)
 Quotation marks are placed at the beginning
and end of each person’s actual words
spoken.
„Give me the key,‟ pleaded Ned, „it‟s dark in
here!‟
 Start a new paragraph (indented) for each
new speaker.
„Where is Ned?‟ asked Luisa.
„I‟m not sure,‟ lied Hunter, trying to glue pieces
of his lucky scarf together.

10. Using Dialogue (Direct Speech)
Cont.
 When a speech extends for a couple of
paragraphs, quotation marks are placed at
the beginning of each paragraph, but only at
the end of the last paragraph.
 Punctuation marks (full stops, commas,
question marks and exclamation marks, etc)
go inside the final quotation mark if they
relate to the quoted words, but outside if
they relate to the whole sentence.
Who said, „I am a drama queen‟?
Vesna said, „Am I a drama queen?‟

11. Task 1
 Look at the following pictures, pick one to write
about.
 Write a paragraph about the scene, which
characters would fit there? Describe the
feeling, smell, what you would hear, the taste
and feel
 Describe in detail what you:
 See
 Hear
 Smell
 Taste
 Feel

13. Task 2
 Picture one of the photos and describe the
character.
 Who is this person?
 What is their back-story?
 What are they feeling?
 What can they hear, see, smell?