Narrative Writing

We are learning to …
Identify the purpose of a narrative
Identify features in a piece of
narrative
 A narrative needs to have …
 Orientation
When, where, who, what, why
 Complication
a problem
 Resolution
a solution
 It also includes
 developing a plot
 some characters
 a style
 a theme
 a setting
 Don’t forget ……..
 – we want to entertain the reader!
Different types of narrative texts
 thriller
 romance
 adventure
 comedy
 science fiction
 and probably lots more
 Let’s brainstorm - think of some
narratives we already know
 Little Red Riding Hood
 Cinderella
 Snow White
 3 Little Pigs
 Beauty & the Beast
 Billy Goat Gruff
 The Slippery Dip
by May Gibbs
 see if you can find the main characteristics of this piece of writing
 orientation
 Series of events
 Complication
 series of events
 Complication
 Series of events
 resolution
 Narrative Writing Tips
here are a few key ideas to help
 what can we do to make our story more exciting to read?
 try to stick to 2 or 3 characters
 when you describe your characters, try using a ‘sentence of
3’ e.g. Mrs Maple was wearing a shiny overcoat,
black gumboots and a peaked hat.’
 Beginning, Middle, End
 The Beginning – introduce the characters, sets the scene and
sets up the problem
 The Middle – where the hero has to deal with the problem
 The End – the characters sort out the problem (or not) and
the story finishes
 more tips ….
Find a GOOD story starter!
 start with some action
 use speech to introduce a character
 describe the setting
 Editing your story

Editing your story – no-one gets it right the first time!

 this is an important part of your writing

 will your story make sense to your reader?
 will it interest them?
 are your characters believable?
 how is your spelling?
 Check your punctuation
 Paragraphs are important
-check out these ideas
 Start a new paragraph when you
 change the time e.g. early in the morning …
 change a place e.g. on the other side of the mountain stood
…
 a change of action e.g. at that moment the lights went out …
 a change of character e.g. unexpectedly Dr Townley came
around the corner …
 Last helpful tip!
 don’t forget to give your story a catchy TITLE
 wait until you get to the end of your story before you give it
a title

 Best of Luck – I can’t wait to read your story