narration how to effectively write a story. story starters (syntax) most important part of a story...

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NARRATION HOW TO EFFE CTIVELY WR ITE A STORY

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Page 1: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

NARRATIONHOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY

Page 2: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX)

Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story sets the mood and tone, grabs the reader’s interest and establishes a base for what follows.

1. Typical Beginning – Blah, Blah, Blah.

2. Action – A character is doing something

3. Dialogue – A character is speaking

4. Reaction – A character thinking or responding to something that occurred before the story begins.

5. Description – The setting or a character is described in detail

Page 3: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

SAMPLES• “I’m a sweating fat kid standing on the edge of the subway

platform staring at the tracks.” – KL Going

• “Simon Glass was easy to hate. I never knew exactly why, there was too much to pick from. I guess, really, we each hated him for a different reason, but we didn’t realize it until the day we killed him.” – Gail Giles

• “A white petal ruffled in the breeze, then tore free from the wilting carnation on the student’s grave then tumbled away.” – Elaine Alphin

• “When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy.” – Kaye Gibbons

Page 4: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

DESCRIPTION (DICTION)One way to keep readers involved in the story you’re writing is to choose the most precise and perfect words to create images in the readers mind. In other words, show, don’t tell.

Use:

• Figurative Language

• Sensory Details (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell)

• Metaphor/Simile

• Adjectives (words that describe nouns)

• Adverbs (words that describe verbs)

• Be Specific (Instead of “the tree”..........describe what kind of tree? what color? what shape? what size? What lives in the tree? what does it look like? what does it smell like?)

Page 5: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

ACTION (DICTION)

Another way to keep readers involved in the story you’re writing is to use an active voice rather than a passive one. In other words, make sure your verbs show action.

Passive Voice

He ate mashed potatoes for dinner.

She was sitting on the couch.

I am speeding down the freeway.

Active Voice

He stuffed his face with mashed potatoes.

She stretched out and sunk into the couch.

I stomped on the gas and flew down the road in a blur.

Page 6: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

DIALOGUE

One last way to keep readers involved in the story you’re writing is to use dialogue, Not only does is make the reading speed up but it also makes it more entertaining. So, make your characters talk.

• New paragraph each time someone new speaks

• Punctuation inside quotation marks

• Quotation marks around the words spoken, “do you hear, the words, that are coming out of my mouth?”

• Capitalize the first word in the quotation marks

• Commas separate the speaker’s words from the rest of the words in the sentence

• Said is dead, in another word instead.

Page 7: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

SAID IS DEAD, USE US INSTEAD

Don’t get stuck using the word “SAID” over and over in your story. Refer to following word list to find a word that says it better.

bellowed

complained

denied

griped

hollered

muttered

protested

reported

shouted

admitted

argued

confessed

echoed

grumbled

howled

recited

requested

yelled

agreed

asserted

claimed

corrected

gasped

insisted

mumbled

pleaded

roared

begged

commented

explained

groaned

inquired

murmured

proclaimed

repeated

screamed

Page 8: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

If every sentence you write sounds the same and doesn’t reveal anything new, if you use the same tired, and boring words, readers will quickly lose interest. Instead, use…

D – DESCRIPTION

A – ACTION

D – DIALOGUE

Page 9: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

PRACTICE INSTRUCTIONS

Using description, action, or dialogue rewrite the following scenes. Your scene must establish a character, setting, and problem like the original but that’s all they have to have in common.

Page 10: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

PRACTICE #1

Page 11: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

PRACTICE #2

Page 12: NARRATION HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WRITE A STORY. STORY STARTERS (SYNTAX) Most important part of a story is the first few sentences. The beginning of a story

PRACTICE #3