WRITING NARRATION
We’re raised on film, and movies leave out the continuous, getting-from-here-to-there tissue of
experience that holds the heightened moments of life together. All we need, as an audience, are
essential gestures. (Mark Doty, poet/author of memoir Heaven’s Coast)
INTRODUCTION
Narration is storytelling. Effective storytelling requires that you be selective in how you tell
your story because, as Doty tells us, there’s need to tell your full story. The audience does not
need every detail, action, and word spoken. The audience does need “essential gestures.”
STRATEGIES FOR NARRATION
Often, but not always, our stories fall into a traditional, linear sequence of events told in
chronological order. This traditional sequence consists of (1) exposition, (2) conflict (3) rising
action, (4) climax, and (5) denouement.
Exposition is the introduction to your narrative. In the exposition, “expose” your reader to your
setting, characters, point of view, and tone. In a short narrative essay, you might also want to
include your thesis, one that suggests the strategy of narration—gives the reader a clear sense
that a story is going to unfold.
Conflict, is at the heart of your story, its dramatic center. Think of conflict in terms of a clash of
forces. One force is you; the other force could be either internal or external. Internal conflict
would be a conflict within you. An external conflict would be a conflict with outside forces
such as other people, nature, fate, God, or the gods. Conflict often develops as a chain reaction:
one event causes another. Conflict “builds” as you tell your story. To develop your conflict,
narrate the rising actions that lead to the climax. The rising action often creates suspense.
Climax is the high peak of action, the turning point of your story, and the moment when your
reader has a heightened emotional response to your narration. The climax could be a specific
action or a realization on the part of you or one of your characters. Some writers plot the climax
as a moment of realization or epiphany, a sudden understanding. At the point of climax, the
conflict might reach a resolution or be left unresolved.
Denouement is the falling action after the climax. The word “denouement” is a French word
meaning the “unknotting.”
OPTIONAL NARRATIVE STRATEGIES
You have the option of breaking traditional narrative structure with foreshadowing, flashback
(episodes of previous action) and/or flash forward (episodes of future actions). Some writers
prefer not to include a denouement, but rather end with the climactic moment. Handled carefully,
this kind of ending can be dramatic; however, be sure you do not leave the reader wanting more
closure. Actions involving irony also add interest to your plot. You might also consider a pattern
of stream of consciousness or associative memory. Essayist E. B White writes, “You remember
one thing and that suddenly reminds you of another thing.” Ultimately, keep in mind Mark Doty’s
instructive comment that the audience needs “essential gestures.”