Elements of Descriptive and Narrative Writing

Source: info found on pages R34-36 in McDougall Littell’s 10th grade

Literature textbook

Successful Descriptive Writing Should

Key Techniques of Descriptive Writing

Key Techniques cont.

4 Ways to organize using space: choose from one or more of the following techniques

Model: Thunder’s nostrils quivered as he was led into the barn. How would this be as a place to spend nights from now on? In the stall to the left, the straw smelled fresh. Beyond that stall, a saddle hung from rough boards. To the right of his stall was another, from which a mare looked at him curiously.

The author uses a combination of inside/out, left to right and near to far.

Organize by order of impressionModel: As her foot slipped on the pebbles, her first thought was of whether she would sprain an ankle sliding into the surf. Her heart began a dangerous thumping, but soon the soft sand provided a comfortable seat so that her body responded by calming down. She realized that the water was shallow and warm. Her hat would shade her eyes and prevent sunburn.

Tip: Useful transitions for this technique: after, next, during, first, before, finally, then

Organize by order of importanceModel:I checked my backpack for the comforting essentials. Book? Yes. Journal and pencil? Yes. Water bottle? Yes. Tissues? Yes. Then I checked for required essentials. Passport? Yes? Airline ticket? Yes. Map? Yes. Last of all, I checked the most important possessions for this trip—a light heart and a sense of adventure. I was beginning my first real vacation.

Again, use of transitions helps move from least to most important ideas.

Successful Narrative Writing Should

Key Techniques of Narrative Writing

Key Techniques cont.

3 Ways to Organize

Flashbacks introduce events that happened sometime before the beginning of the story. You can use flashbacks to how past events led up to present situations or to provide background about a character or event. Clue words (last summer, as a young girl, the previous year, his earliest memory) let the reader know you are interrupting the main action to describe earlier events.

Ways to Organize Cont.