Sample Notes: Writing Techniques For Narrative Writing

O Level and IGCSE English Language

Writing Techniques for Narrative Writing

1. Purpose and Features of Narrative Writing

• Definition: Narrative writing tells a story or recounts events with a structured plot and engaging characters.
• Primary purpose: To entertain, engage, and emotionally move the reader.
• Core features:
  • Plot (beginning, conflict, climax, resolution)
  • Characters (well-developed, with motives and arcs)
  • Setting (vivid, sensory details)
  • Dialogue (reveals personality, advances plot)
  • Narrative voice (first- or third-person)
  • Descriptive techniques
  • Cohesion and sequencing

2. Structure of a Narrative

• Exposition (Beginning):
  • Introduce characters, setting, and tone.
  • Establish the protagonist and initial mood.
• Rising Action (Build-up):
  • Series of events leading to the climax.
  • Tension and stakes increase.
• Climax:
  • The most intense turning point.
  • Conflict reaches peak.
• Falling Action:
  • Consequences of the climax unfold.
  • Loose ends start to tie.
• Resolution (Ending):
  • Conflict is resolved (either happily or tragically).
  • Emotional or moral reflection is delivered.

3. Language Techniques

A. Figurative Language

• Simile: Comparison using “like” or “as” (e.g., as brave as a lion)
• Metaphor: Direct comparison (e.g., Time is a thief)
• Personification: Giving human traits to non-human things (e.g., The wind whispered)
• Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect (e.g., I waited for a thousand years)
• Symbolism: Objects or characters representing larger ideas (e.g., a rose for love)

B. Sensory Language

• Appeals to five senses:
  • Sight: “The amber glow of sunset…”
  • Sound: “A piercing scream shattered the silence…”
  • Smell: “The acrid scent of smoke…”
  • Taste: “Bitterness spread across his tongue…”
  • Touch: “The coarse fabric scratched his skin…”

C. Tone and Mood

• Tone: The narrator’s attitude (e.g., sarcastic, nostalgic, fearful).
• Mood: The atmosphere felt by the reader (e.g., suspenseful, calm).

4. Sentence-Level Techniques

• Varied sentence lengths:
  • Short for impact: “Bang.”
  • Long for description: “As he trudged through the dense forest…
• Punctuation variety:
  • Use of ellipses (…) for suspense.
  • Dashes and colons for emphasis.
  • Exclamation marks to show emotion (used sparingly).
• Repetition: Reinforces ideas or emotion (e.g., Again and again, she knocked.)
• Anaphora: Repetition at sentence beginnings (e.g., He ran. He stumbled. He fell.)

5. Dialogue

• Functions of dialogue:
  • Reveals character
  • Advances the plot
  • Builds tension
• Formatting rules:
  • New speaker = new paragraph
  • Use quotation marks and punctuation correctly
  • Tag with actions to reveal emotion (e.g., “Leave now,” she whispered, backing away.)
• Avoid overuse: Blend with description for balance.

6. Characterisation Techniques

• Direct characterisation: Telling the reader (e.g., She was angry.)
• Indirect characterisation: Showing through actions/speech/thoughts (e.g., She slammed the door and muttered under her breath.)
• STEAL technique:
  • Speech
  • Thoughts
  • Effect on others
  • Actions
  • Looks

7. Setting Techniques

• Use weather, time of day, objects, and sensory detail to build:
  • Mood (e.g., fog = mystery)
  • Context (e.g., modern vs historical)
  • Theme (e.g., decay, chaos)
• Integrate setting into action: Don’t just describe — show how it impacts the character.

8. Narrative Voice and Point of View

• First-person (I, we):
  • Deep emotional insight
  • Limited perspective
• Third-person limited (he, she):
  • Follows one character’s thoughts
• Third-person omniscient:
  • All-knowing narrator
• Second-person (you):
  • Rare; places reader in the story

9. Creating Suspense and Tension

• Foreshadowing: Hints about what’s to come.
• Red herrings: Mislead the reader intentionally.
• Time pressure: Deadlines or countdowns increase urgency.
• Withholding information: Delay revealing key details.
• Dramatic irony: Reader knows more than characters.
• Change in pace: Slow down or speed up action strategically.

10. Endings: Types and Techniques

• Circular ending: Echoes the beginning.
• Twist ending: Subverts expectations.
• Emotional/moral resolution: Leaves reader with a feeling or lesson.
• Open ending: Leaves events unresolved (used for thought-provoking stories).

11. Common Themes in Narratives

• Coming of age
• Loss and grief
• Escape or survival
• Discovery or transformation
• Friendship and betrayal
• Identity and self-discovery

12. Planning a Narrative

• Mind map or bullet outline:
  • Characters
  • Setting
  • Conflict
  • Key events
  • Resolution
• Use chronological or flashback structure

13. Tips for Success

• Show, don’t tell: “She clenched her fists” vs “She was angry.”
• Limit characters and focus on depth.
• Stick to one clear conflict and resolution.
• Be consistent with tense and POV.
• Edit for clarity, vividness, grammar, and flow.