About narrative writing.

1. Writing a Narrative
Essay
Senior Grade

2. What is Narrative Essay?
• It is a type of writing that is told in
an elaborative form and focuses
solely on the practice of telling
stories.
• Unlike textbooks and many non-
fiction books, which provide us with
information, narrative writing, such
as novels and short stories, gives us
characters, plots, settings, and
conflict.

3. Types of Narrative Writing
• Short Story
• Autobiography
• Novella
• Fable
• Fairy Tale
• Descriptive narrative
• Linear narrative
• Quest narrative

4. Narrative Writing focuses on
• Personal experiences
• Anecdotes
• Reflections

5. The Purpose of a Narrative
• To tell a story about a personal
experience
– Describe the experience in detail
– Don’t tell the reader ~
SHOW them what happened.
The reader should feel like
they are in the experience
because your details are
so vivid!

6. Format
• 1st Person or 3rd
Person
• 8-10 Sentences per body paragraph
• New event = new paragraph
• Events described in chronological
order
• Elaborate ~ do NOT list events!

7. Format
• Use personal feelings and emotions ~
for every event, give your reaction (how
did you feel?)
• Describe things using all of your senses
• Closing paragraph is NOT a conclusion ~
it is an overall reflection
to the event

8. Overall
• Use transitions (words and phrases) to
link ideas and paragraphs
• Use strong / vivid words
• Use complex, compound, and detailed
sentences

9. Topic for Narrative
• We will all be writing on the same topic for your 1st
narrative. This will allow everyone in the class to
follow along as we discuss how each portion of the
narrative is written.
• The topic is : What unexpected event shows how a
person can influence someone from a different
generation?
• This will be about you so think about how someone
had an influence on you and what knowledge or skills
you gained from them.

10. The
Tell – Show Strategy

11. Remember When …
• You probably remember “show and tell”
from kindergarten….

12. What if you forgot to bring
something?
• You would still want to tell your friends
about your special item
• You’d have to “show” them with your
words

13. Showing is Better than Telling
• Showing is more specific
• Showing helps readers make a picture in
their minds
• Showing is more interesting than telling

14. What is the Difference?
• Showing includes the details –
– Using Your Senses
– Feeling Words
– Similes and Metaphor
– Focuses the Reader on the Most Important
Parts

15. Example:
Telling
My basketball game
was exciting.
Showing
It all came down to the final few seconds. The
scoreboard flashed the close score in bright red .
Our team was behind one point, 57-56. While the
crowd roared, our coach called time out from the
sidelines to set up a play. We were going to go for
one shot. My friend Robert was supposed to take
it. (He’s our best outside shooter.) Unfortunately,
something went wrong. As I prepared to throw
the ball in, Robert was being blocked out by two
players on the other team. For a split second I
froze not knowing what to do. Then I realized if I
didn’t throw it in quickly, the ref would blow his
whistle, giving possession to the other team.
Swiftly, I flung the ball as hard as I could towards
the basket.

16. The Strategy
• Start with the simple sentence
• Use visualization to list everything you
want to show
• Compose detailed compound, complex
sentences full of strong, vivid word
choices.

17. Introduction
– Must catch the readers attention
immediately!
– Use separate sentences to introduce ideas
and events. Do not list the events.
– Do not give away the story in the
introduction, but rather leave the reader
wanting more
– Use transitions to introduce each new idea

18. Overall - Introduction
• Introduction should be at least 5 sentences
long
• 1 catchy introduction sentence
• 3-4 ideas or events described separately
• 1 hook to leave the reader wanting to read
more

19. Introduction Guidelines
Sentence #
1
2 – 4
5
What you should write:
Attention Getter
Introduce character(s), setting, and
event = build the background
DO NOT TELL THE STORY YET!
Hook: Leave the reader wondering
“What happens next?”
Example hook: I rushed out the door with anticipation, having no idea
what this exciting day would have in store for me.

20. A Sample
Crash! That was the sound I heard in my head
as the shadowy image hit me. I wasn’t sure what had
just happened. One minute I was flying free like a
bird; the next I was lying on the ground. As I began
to wake from what seemed like imaginary visions, I
realized that something wasn’t right. Would I, Adam
Zebrin Martin better known as Zebra, ever be the
same again?

21. Body Paragraphs
– Must describe all ideas or events mentioned in the
introduction in chronological order – these
ideas/events are the “true” story and should
further explain the introduction
– Each idea/event should be a separate paragraph
– Describe each idea/event in a detailed explanation
using feelings, emotions, and senses. Make the
reader feel as if they were there also.

22. Body Paragraphs
– Use transitions (words or phrases) to start each
new paragraph and each new idea
*use transition sheet provided for suggestions
– Each paragraph should be at least 8-10 sentences,
but all body paragraphs should be equal length

23. A Sample
Throughout the chaotic scene, one thing raced through
my mind, “Was I just hit by a car?”. As I finally began to sort
through the events, I realized that when I felt like I was
soaring like a bird I wasn’t paying attention. Rather than running
like I usually did, I had gained more momentum and began to fly.
Immediately, I now realized that the shadowy image that had
appeared was a car. With this in mind, I glanced at the nearby
pedestrians beginning to come forward. As they asked me if I
was okay, I couldn’t respond; it was like I was in a dream. Fear
began to grow inside me. I wondered what would happen if I
couldn’t run again? This thought lingered in my mind as I began
to realize that a crowd had formed around me. Finally, with
agonizing pain, I tried to move.

24. Final Paragraph Guidelines
– Not a conclusion! Instead use the final
paragraph to wrap up the story
– DO NOT RESTATE previous events!
– Look back and REFLECT on the overall
experience
– You should unify (tie together) the whole
essay
– Include overall feelings about the whole
event – has it changed you
in any way?

25. A Sample
As it turns out, even though I am unable to
run like I use to, I am still Zebra. Throughout
this experience I have had to learn to enjoy
different activities. Although my first love will
always be running, I can now look to the future
with more enthusiasm. In the end, the day I
chose to fly like a bird caused me to look at the
negatives in life and the positives. I realized that
by only focusing on the negative can cause a
lifetime of pain, but the positives can create a
bright future.