Narrative Writing
Weaver
Structuring a Narration Essay
A narration is simply the telling of a story.
Whenever someone recounts an event or
tells a story, he or she is using narration. A
narration essay recounts an event or tells a
story to illustrate an idea. A narration essay
may be entertaining or informative.
•There are five basic steps to writing a
narrative essay.
Purpose
Why are you telling the story? Every
narration must have a point or purpose,
usually to entertain or to inform.
• For the narrative you will write in class,
you must tell us the significance of the
story.
• Why did you choose to share this story?
• What was the epiphany you had? How
did you change as a result of the event?
CONTEXT
• You should establish the context of
your narrative early in the essay. You
can follow these basic guidelines:
who, what, where, when.
• Setting
• Characters
• Plot
POINT OF VIEW
• A narrative essay may be written in the firstperson (I) or third-person (he, she, it) point of
view; do not use second person (you). If you
were part of the action, the first-person provides
the best perspective. If you are relating an event
based upon other sources, use the third-person
point of view. In some circumstances, you may
be forced to choose the point of view (if, for
example, you were a witness, but not a
participant). Once you have decided upon a
point of view, stay consistent with it.
DETAILS
• Include enough details for clarity;
however, select only the facts that are
relevant.
• Sensory Details-Information that appeals
to the five senses of your audience: sight,
smell, sound, taste, and touch.
Organization
• A narrative usually follows a
chronological time line; however, you
may find flashbacks a creative option
as long as the narrative can be clearly
followed by the reader. Most
narratives are told in the past tense.
You should keep tenses consistent.
Narrative Leads
An invitation into the story
What is the function
of the lead?
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Established the context
Sets the tone
Determines the content and direction
Establishes the voice and verb tense
Lures the reader
Grounds the writer
Fuels the writing
Makes it easier to write the rest of the piece
3 Types of the narrative
leads:
1.Action
2.Dialogue
3.Description
Action Lead
You can get the reader
hooked into the story by
starting with an exciting
event or action.
Action Lead
BORING LEAD
• “I was excited for the first day of school.”
EXTRAORDINARY LEAD
• “I threw on my favorite sweater and raced down the stairs,
barely gulping down a glass of orange juice. It was the first
day of sixth grade, and I couldn’t wait to start my new life as a
middle school student.”
Dialogue Lead
A character or characters
speaking.
It places the reader right
into the scene.
Dialogue Lead
BORING LEAD
• “There was a mouse in the house today.”
EXTRAORDINARY LEAD
• “Eeeeeeeeeew!” yelled my sister as the little brown fur ball
ran across the kitchen. “Whatever you do, don’t go into the
pantry,” I laughed. But, my sister had already fled to her
bedroom.
Description Lead
You can draw the reader
in by painting a picture
with your words and
imagery.
Description Lead
BORING LEAD
• “Football season is the best time of year.”
EXTRAORDINARY LEAD
• “The smell of freshly cut grass and burning leaves
mingles in the crisp air to announce the beginning of
the season. The bright lights blazed onto the field as
the echo from the announcer blared in the
background. Football season had arrived.”
Atwell, N. (2002). Lessons That
Change Writers (pp. 51-53).
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.