Writing A Story Lledó

Narratives
The structure of a narrative text is divided into three paragraphs, which are:
I. INTRODUCTION/ ORIENTATION
You set the scene for the story (people involved, time, place) in an interesting way
to catch the reader’s attention and prepare the audience for the action to come.
II. MAIN BODY /SERIES OF EVENTS

You develop most of the plot. The plot is what happens in the story, that is, the
sequence of events. It often includes a climax or turning point at which the characters
or events change.
III. CONCLUSION / RESOLUTION

You end the story action. You can refer to moods, consequences, people’s
reactions, feelings, comments. The more unpredictable your conclusion is, the longer-
lasting the impression it will make on the reader.
STORYTELLING TIPS
• INTRODUCTION/ ORIENTATION
The introduction should have: i) a hook and ii) a thesis.
1. The Narrative Hook
The hook in an essay is the part of the introduction, usually the first few
sentences, that grabs reader’s attention. It helps to set the stage for the story and
makes readers start guessing about what will happen next.
E.g. I had never been more anxious in my life. I had just spent the last three
endless hours trying to get to the airport so that I could travel home.
After reading the preceding hook, you may have thought of questions like these:
• Who is the narrator and why is he/she anxious?
• Where is the airport?
• What made the trip to the airport seem endless?
• Why is this person going home?
Hooks can be hard to write. For that reason, some writers don’t write the hook
until quite late in the writing process. That gives more time to think of a very strong
hook that really grabs their reader’s attention.
Some common hooks may be:
• A personal experience or idea / feelings
E.g. I hated school! Now, however, when I feel discouraged by my problems, I

overcome this by trying to remember my years at boarding school.
• A quotation
A Czech proverb tells us, “Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your
friends”
• A question
Have you ever wished that you were an only child?

• Surprising information
Americans make up five percent of the world’s population, but use 26 percent of
the world’s energy.
Follow the hook with some background that explains a little bit about your topic
and leads the reader to your thesis statement.
2. The Thesis Statement
In most essays, the thesis states the main idea of the essay and tells what the
organization of information will be. However, in a narrative essay, the thesis introduces
the action that begins in the first paragraph of the essay.
EXAMPLE:
Now, as I watched the bus driver set my luggage on the airport sidewalk, I
realized that my frustration had only just begun.
This thesis statement does not tell the reader what happens. It only introduces the
action that will follow. The paragraphs in the body will develop the story.
• MAIN BODY / SERIES OF EVENTS

The action in a plot can be organized in many different ways. One common way is
chronological or time order. In this method, each paragraph gives more information
about the story as it proceeds in time.
Transitional sentences
In an essay with chronological organization, each paragraph ends with a transitional
sentence. These sentences have two purposes: i) to signal the end of the action in one
paragraph, and ii) to provide a link to the action of the next paragraph. These sentences
give your story unity and allow the reader to follow the action easily. Example:
[…] However, my father patiently taught me how to use the different floor
pedals, the turn signals, and, my favorite, the car horn.
For the next lesson, I sat in the driver’s seat. […]
• CONCLUSION / RESOLUTION
Narrative essays need to have concluding ideas. In the conclusion, you finish
describing the action in the essay. The final sentence can have two functions:
1. It can deliver the moral of the story by telling the reader what the character(s)
learned from the experience.
2. It can make a prediction or a revelation (disclosure of something that was not
known before) about future actions that will happen as a result of the events in the
story.
EXAMPLES:
• Moral
The little boy had finally learned that telling the truth was the most important
thing to do.
• Prediction
I can only hope that one day I will be able to do the same for another traveler who
is suffering through a terrible journey.
• Revelation
Every New Year’s Eve, my wife and I return to that magical spot and remember
the selfless act that saved our lives.
Exam question
Your teacher has asked you to write a short story with the title ‘The moment that
changed everything’.

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Narratives

II. MAIN BODY /SERIES OF EVENTS

III. CONCLUSION / RESOLUTION

• Where is the airport?

• What made the trip to the airport seem endless?

• Why is this person going home?

E.g. I hated school! Now, however, when I feel discouraged by my problems, I

Have you ever wished that you were an only child?

• MAIN BODY / SERIES OF EVENTS

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