A Good Narrative:

A good narrative:

	involves readers in the story.  It is much more interesting to actually recreate an incident for readers than to simply tell about it.
	relates events in sequence. The creation of specific scenes set at actual times and in actual places. Show, don't tell. Re-create an event by setting it in a specific time and space.
	includes detailed observations of people, places, and events. Do you recall sights, sounds, smells, tactile feelings, and tastes? Use actual or re-created dialogue? Give actual names of people and places.
	presents important changes, contrasts, or conflicts and creates tension. Do you grow from change? Is there a conflict between characters? Is there a contrast between the past and the present?
	is told from a point of view--usually the author's point of view.
	focuses on connection between past events, people, or places and the present. How relevant is the event today? How relevant will it be in your future?
	makes a point, communicates a main idea or dominant impression.Your details, specific scenes, accounts of changes or conflicts, and connections between past and present should point to a single main idea or dominant impression for your paper as a whole. While not stating a flat "moral" of the story, the importance of your memory must be clear to your reader. Look back through your narrative: answer on your blog the questions or statements of each bullet point as it relates to your own narrative.  After reading the piece on EMPATHY, think about some ways that you can change your narrative.  We will be revising tomorrow along with peer editing!