Narrative Writing

1
Narrative Writing

• Telling stories to prove
• your points!

2
Develop Paragraphs with Stories!

• To relate a memory or about an incident, just
  tell a story.
• Example Writing Question
• What was the most difficult choice that you
  have ever made? What made it so hard to decide?

Do you believe the sisters story?
3
Why Do We Write Stories?

• The basic reasons to narrate in an essay are to
  inform and to persuade.
• To answer what was your most difficult choice,
  you have to explain what made any selection a
  tough call.

Why will the US let China get the oil?
4
Use Assertive Topic Sentences

• We answer a question with our main idea in a
  topic sentence
• My most difficult choice was coming to college
  without a scholarship.
• Yet this assertion needs further explanation to
  become reasonable.

Is the womans perfume enough?
5
Can You Prove Your Assertions?

• Answer what makes it a tough call to go to
  college without a scholarship?
• My parents were unwilling to pay my tuition, so
  going to college without a scholarship was a
  difficult decision.

Is it hard to go to college with or without a
scholarship?
6
We Use Pointed Topic Sentences!

• Which sentence is more on topic?
• 1.When I moved to a new city, I had to tell my
  old girlfriend good-bye.
• 2.Leaving my girlfriend when I moved was my most
  difficult choice.

How focused is the lifeguard?
7
How Do We Organize in Time?

• Does this story follow a direct time sequence,
  from first to last?
• Moving into a dormitory at age 16 put me on my
  own. My parents were not there to tell me what
  to do. If I was late to the cafeteria, I didnt
  eat. I had to make new friends in morning
  classes and at work in the afternoon. In the
  evening, I played sports well enough to gain
  respect.

8
Three words tell time sequence

• Moving into a dormitory at age 16 put me on my
  own. My parents were not there to tell me what
  to do. If I was late to the cafeteria, I didnt
  eat. I had to make new friends in morning
  classes and at work in the afternoon. In the
  evening, I played sports well enough to gain
  respect.
• The words morning, afternoon, and evening suggest
  a time sequence.

Are our cell phones the future of time?
9
Can You Add Transition Words?

• Use then, until, when, after, while
• We played basketball ___ the dean made us go
  inside the dormitory.
• ___ my friends and I sat around talking ___ other
  kids studied.
• ___ the bell sounded at 10 oclock, the lights
  went off.
• Everyone fell asleep pretty soon ___ getting into
  bed.

Is there that much difference in time?
10
Did You Add Specific Details?

• The English professor explained the four major
  sentence errors.
• He said that using a comma instead of a period
  can create a ___.
• Missing a period makes a ___.
• No s on some verbs creates a ___.
• No subject or verb makes a __.

Is this the boys last, fatal error?
11
Can You Use Consistent Tense?

• Keep the story in the past tense!
• Use stopped, started, be, kept, wrote
• In college, we listened to all kinds of lectures
  and __ lots of class notes.
• Sometimes the professor went off topic, so we ___
  writing notes.
• I listened while my friends in the back row ___
  telling jokes.
• When the professor got back on topic, I ___
  taking notes again.
• It __ not much use hoping that he would go off
  topic again.

12
Can You See What Is Off Topic?

• Which sentence below is off the topic?
• In Korea, the busses were very crowded.
• Once my necktie got caught between two people on
  the bus.
• It was dark blue and light gray.
• I lost it when I took it off so that I could
  breathe.

What is the problem with U.S. public
transportation?
13
Can You Use Consistent Voice?

• Inconsistent voice means changing from formal to
  casual language.
• Changing the formality of the words in a story is
  comparable to switching from a bass to a tenor
  voice!
• Inconsistent voice makes your story look and
  sound bad.

Based on his words, would you trust this pilot?
14
Can You Find the Inconsistency?

• I majored in history as I am interested in the
  past.
• To me, it is more than just names, dates, and
  events.
• History explains human nature.
• We see ourselves in our ancestors.
• They did good and they messed up.

Why does the kid want to hitchhike?
15
Use Stories to Prove Your Points!

• Certain writing questions require story answers.
• The purpose of the story is not so much to
  entertain as to explain.
• Through a story, for example, the writer can tell
  how a past event changed his life.

Are prescription drugs better for you or the drug
industry?
16
Can You Find the Storys Point?

• Nasr borrowed a pot from his neighbor Ali. The
  next day he brought it back with another little
  pot inside. Nasr explained It had a
  baby."Later, Ali lent Nasr another pot, hoping
  that he would get back two. Days passed, but Nasr
  had not returned it. Ali went to demand his
  property.
• "I am sorry," said Nasr. "I can't give you back
  your pot, since it has died."
• "Died!" screamed Ali. How can a pot die?"
• "Well," said Nasr. You believed me when I told
  you that your pot had had a baby."

A. There is no point. B. Dont believe anything.
C. Nasr tricked Ali.
17
Can You Find the Storys Point?

• Nasr went to buy clothes. He tried on trousers,
  but gave them back. Then he tried a robe with the
  same price. Nasr was pleased with the robe, and
  he left the shop.
• Before he went home, the shopkeeper ran out.
  "You didn't pay for the robe!" he shouted."But
  I gave you the pants for the robe, didn't I?"
  replied Nasr. "Yes, but you didn't pay for the
  trousers, either!" said the shopkeeper. "But I
  didn't buy the trousers," replied Nasr. "I am not
  stupid to pay for what I never bought."

A. Its a mix-up. B. Nasr stole the robe. C.
Nasr fooled the man.
18
Which ones require storytelling?

• Describe why you need to have a college degree.
• Tell about your favorite personal experience.
• Explain how you plan to become a big success one
  day.
• What is your all-time, very most memorable
  incident?

Do you agree with Chemcos story?
19
Can you see major errors?

• In the past, when an oil spill occurs, wildlife
  perishes.
• Imported oil is increasingly expensive that can
  inflate the price of gas even further.
• A Polar bear that ingest much oil may very well
  die.
• With the oil drilling come the issue of
  earthquakes.
• There is other ways to solve the energy problem.
• Why kill the Polar bears they never hurt us?
• Whether their wildlife or not, lets save them.
• Then bears would drown, they wont even have
  food.
• As gas prices rise we really need energy
  solutions.
• If the drilling start Arctic melting will speed
  up.

Can you find the comma splices, run-ons,
fragments, and s/v errors?
20
You can fix major errors

• In the past when an oil spill occurred, wildlife
  perished.
• Imported oil is increasingly expensive that can
  inflate the price of gas even further.
• A Polar bear that ingests much oil may very well
  die.
• With the oil drilling comes the issue of
  earthquakes.
• There are other ways to solve the energy problem.
• Why kill the Polar bears they never hurt us?
• Whether theyre wildlife or not, lets save them.
• Then bears would drown as they wont even have
  food.
• As gas prices rise, we really need energy
  solutions.
• If the drilling starts, Arctic melting will speed
  up.

You can find the comma splices, run-ons,
fragments, and s/v errors.
21
Can you see major errors?

• Another thing he stand for is alternate fuel.
• In America, color and gender does not matter.
• Hell change us he is already making a
  difference.
• Bill taught Hillary how the White House is ran.
• The question is we Americans ready for Hillary?
• What does Obama do it makes you think danger!
• Would you vote for one who sound like a
  terrorist?
• It was his historic night it was also one for
  voters.
• All men are equal these words are famous ones.
• Patience is a virtue we will see a female
  president.

Can you find the comma splices, run-ons,
fragments, and s/v errors?
22
You can fix major errors

• Another thing he stands for is alternate fuel.
• In America, color and gender do_ not matter.
• Hell change us he is already making a
  difference.
• Bill taught Hillary how the White House is run.
• The question is are we ready for Hillary?
• What does Obama do? It makes you think danger!
• Will you vote for one who sounds like a
  terrorist?
• It was a historic night it was also one for
  voters.
• All men are equal these words are famous ones.
• Patience is a virtue we will see a female
  president.

You can find the comma splices, run-ons,
fragments, and s/v errors.