Narration

PRESENTS – a SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

storytelling – long or short, factual or imagined

anecdote – a brief, entertaining account of a single incident

ORGANIZES – TIME

STRATEGIES – TIME and DETAIL

by TIME

Chronological – strict sequence of events from first to last [process description]

Flashback (“in the middle of things”) – seizes the reader’s attention [cause/effect]

Lead (journalistic) – places the main details of the story in the introduction then

explains further details in the remainder of the body; dramatically weaker than

the first two strategies, it allows the writer to quickly report what happened

by DETAIL

Scene – reports an event vividly and precisely over a short period of time – the

technique of the dramatist; often the strategy of fiction; the writer portrays

people with selective details; recalls dialogue or faithfully invents it

Summary – condenses the essential events over a long period of time – the

technique of the journalist or historian; relates events in condensed form;

strives to record the essentials smoothly and continuously

Style

- Detail by selective description – carefully chosen elements, not comprehensive elements

- Vary sentence length and pattern

- Conclude the sequence – could excite or thrill (climactic), could remain understated, or could close naturally; whatever the conclusion, it must bring closure to the narrative

- Transition the time movement

- Avoid shifts in tense

Point of View – vantage point from which the narrator tells the story

1^st person – “I” – subjective, personal tone

3^rd person – “he,” “she,” or “it” – detached, having the distance of an outsider