narrative writing

Narrative Writing

What is Narrative?

Often, the word narrative is synonymous with story.  A narrative is the story (fiction or non-fiction) told and the order in which it is told.   Sometimes, there is a narrator, a character or series of characters, who tell the story. Sometimes, as with most non-fiction,  the author himself/herself in the narrator. 

You are narrators of your own lives all the time.  Something happens in class. You go to lunch; then,  you tell the details that are important to you in the order that seems right to you.  The story that you tell is a narrative.  A reporter who tells a human interest story for the Olympics about an athlete that fought for years to get to the Olympics might emphasize his hardship, the time he had to sleep outside for a week, the eight hours a day that he worked out.  The narrative is shaped by details.These details offer clues about the author’s purpose. Clearly, the author who emphasizes the hardships of an Olympic athlete wants to show us that this person overcame adversity to succeed.

Why Write Narrative?

Narrative writing is very important in your day-to-day life.  For the rest of your life,you will write texts, e-mails, cover letters, blogs, etc. about  your beliefs,  your ambitions, information you know, and feelings you have.  What could be more important?

Narrative writing in fiction and non-fiction (and even poetry) tells others the stories of our personal experiences and allows us to gain empathy and sympathy about the world around us.