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“Narrative” means storytelling. Some stories are fictional--they deal with characters and events that the writer has created from imagination. Some stories are nonfiction; they recreate events which happened to real people.

All stories, to some extent, have entertainment as their purpose. Writers often use narrative to do more than entertain, though; a narrative can help illustrate some point the writer is trying to make. For this assignment, you will write a nonfiction narrative to illustrate a point. 

You will find that narrative is a useful device in both exposition (writing used to explain) and argument because it helps support a point in a dramatic, compelling way, a way your readers can understand. Of course facts, figures, and reasons are useful support; but the human element in narrative can add a powerful emotional dimension to your discussion or argument. 

Let us say, for instance, that you are arguing for stiffer drunk driving penalties. Naturally, you would want to build a logical case using statistical evidence to show things like the number of traffic accidents and traffic fatalities related to alcohol use. If you added to that evidence the story of a friend who was seriously injured or killed by a drunk driver, your audience’s emotions might be stirred in a way they would not be by statistics. 

Whether you realize it or not, you have in your memory many stories worth writing down for a purpose. Your life has been full of dramatic moments-not necessarily the kind you see on television, but a kind that grows out of real situations that are important to you and which can be important to others. 

Some basic guidelines

1. Unlike the essays we have written so far this semester, the narrative will not necessarily begin with an introductory paragraph that makes a thesis, audience, and purpose clear. Some narratives do begin with a “point,” but sometimes writers find it more effective to hold off the main point until the end of the essay. Even then, you will want to be more subtle about making your point than you would in a strictly expository (“explaining”) essay or persuasive essay. If you recreate your event dramatically, the strength and power of the narrative will carry most of the weight of making the point.

    

2. To make a short narrative work well, the writer must choose a limited incident to recreate. You will not be able to dramatize a two week vacation or even everything that happened on a weekend camping trip; at best, you would only be able to summarize. Please pick an event which took place in a short period of time.

    

3. Remember that your goal is to recreate the event, not summarize it, philosophize about it, or reflect on its meaning. You can certainly use the introduction of your story to give the reader necessary background information, and you can use your ending to make sure the point is subtly re-emphasized. But most of your narrative should be a dramatic recreation of the event. If you use your words like a video camera, you can make the story come alive for the reader and make him/her feel as if the event is really happening.

Make a Plan

Once you have gotten an OK on your topic and purpose, you can make a list of the episodes that make up your story. Gather details to dramatize each episode.

Then look over those scenes. Mark the climax scene with an asterisk. Decide which other scenes need full development because of their importance to the story. Which scenes are less important and deserve less detail when you write?

Finally, are you ready to look at some student writing? For samples of various student essays, go to http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/bof.htm (used with permission). Several essays are organized around narration, while other essays use narrative paragraphs to recount specific events. 

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