Ways to Improve Your Narrative Writing
- SHOW, DON’T TELL
-never tell emotions, show
*takea bit of favorite food, push it away (depressed)
- Characterization and exposition—narrativesummary
-don’t tell me things I will laterfind out through dialogue
-set-up charaters, not thoughdescription like (a good-looking man in his fifties. Too vague.
-describe using character’sactions, reactions, interior monologue (thoughts), and dialogue.
- SEE HOW IT SOUNDS
-You don’t have to use perfectgrammar in dialogue. Run-ons,contractions, fragments okay if you do it for a reason.
-you can have characters lie
Don’t use too much unusualspellings or other tricks.
þ POINT OF VIEW
-voice appropriate to character(language and vocabulary)
*12 year old thinks and seesthings like a 12 year old.
1st (personal), 2nd,3rd (distant) POV
- DIALOGUE MECHANICS
-noun before said (Jill said, notsaid Jill)
-No explanationsin dialogue
-no ly adverbs.
*hysterically,angrily…
- attributions:
- Try not to use them (use beat instead)
-make sure theyare not impossible
*he grimaced, or snarled. (Replied or answered are okay).
- PORPORTIONS:
-Don’t spend toomuch time on characters that aren’t important.
- INTERIOR MONOLOGUE:
-Don’t say I thought
-just say what you are thinking initalics.
*(She invited me in. Great. I had to agree.)
Not
-(She invitedme in. “Great,” I thought.)
- EASY BEATS:
-Bits of action that can be usedto break up long scenes of dialogue and can be used to tell who isspeaking. That way you avoid using toomany said’s.
- Sophistication:
-Don’t use too many –ing or –assentences. Use ctrl + F buttons to findhow many you use in story.
-Use short sentences to show formore intense scenes.
-Live some things to theimagination: kissing, violence, etc.
- Make sure that the reader cares about yourcharacter or is fascinated by him/her or they will not want to read anyfurther.
- Have fun with your story. Enjoy it.