for additional suggestions.] The purpose of your narration may be to entertain, teach
a lesson, or create an impression.
So now, write a sentence summarizing the point of the narration you plan to write.
STEP 2: Prewriting—Planning the Details
When you have selected a topic, plan the details. List the events you want to include.
Remember that narration is usually developed in chronological order, so as you
develop your list, arrange it in the order of occurrence. Of course, narration can
employ some of the characteristics of storytelling, such as flashbacks, foreshadow-
ing, or other variations of chronological order to enhance the storytelling qualities.
[See flashback and foreshadowing in the Glossary.]
Complete your list of events before you go on to Step 3.
STEP 3: Writing—Following the Plan
Writing the narration is a matter of telling the story from beginning to end. As
you write, include certain techniques to generate interest for the reader. Consider the
following:
- Write good description. Show the reader what happened, don’t tell. [See
Chapter 10, Description.] - Dialogue helps the reader see the characters in lifelike situations. [See Chapter 22,
Dialogue.] - Use specific details, especially those that provide sensory images. [See specific
detail and imagery in the Glossary. Also see Sample Revision for Specific Detail
in Chapter 3, Revising.] - Because a narration is not a short story, aim toward brevity and maintain a
first-person point of view.
STEP 4: Revising—Polishing the Content
A narration, like any other writing, should include good writing techniques. To revise
your narration, ask yourself these questions and make any revisions needed so that
you can answer “yes”:
- Have I told a story from a consistent, probably first-person point of view?
- Does my story follow chronological order?
- Have I used the techniques of storytelling: sensory images, specific details,
dialogue, and elements of characterization, setting, and plot? - Have I divided paragraphs appropriately according to change in speaker or
topic?
98 / Methods of Development