Writer's Choice Grade 12Unit 4: Narrative WritingOverviewA narrative requires the basic elements of setting, plot, point of view, characters, and theme. The setting creates a mood and establishes the reader’s expectations. It can also be an important part of the conflict and can contribute to establishing the theme of the narrative. Time, place, weather, historical period, and cultural milieu are all parts of the setting. Each of these parts affects the characters and the events in the narrative. The plot is the arrangement of events in the narrative. The events may not be arranged chronologically. A writer may choose to begin the narrative with an exciting event that happens late in the time line. Then the writer can use flashbacks to relate the events leading to the opening scene. A writer may also use flashbacks to create suspense. Other ways to create suspense are by withholding information from the reader, foreshadowing, delaying action at a critical moment, and surprising the reader. The narrator that the writer selects to tell the story determines the point of view, which affects what the reader learns, when the reader learns it, and how the reader feels about the characters and events in the narration. A short-short story gives readers a brief glimpse into a world. Its brevity gives the writer the challenge of establishing and solving the conflict quickly. Adapting a narrative for film creates a different challenge. The words of the narrative must be translated into action and dialogue that the audience can see and hear. |  |
