Monday, February 20, 2012
Narratives can be tricky. We all like to tell stories, but a narrative also has to make a point. The narrator needs to experience some sort of change brought about by the event described. How will you decide what life event you want to write about? Are there any experiences that lend themselves well to narrative? How can you TEST your narrative to make sure that you have made a solid point?
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Narratives are very tricky but with practice I am getting the hang of it. In class last Monday we learned it is important to have a story for your narrative that has a point behind it. When I was thinking about ideas to do for my paragraph it took me awhile, I had somewhat of a writer’s block because I kept thinking about stories that had absolutely no meaning. I eventually realized that if you find a story that impacted your life or a story that you learned a good lesson from, those are the good stories to use for narratives. In order to test your narrative you have to read it to your self and ask yourself what is the point of this, is there a lesson or a moral in it or is it just a story that you wrote. That is where it starts getting complicated for most people.
ReplyDeleteI agree that one way to TEST a narrative is to read it to yourself and question yourself whether you met each requirement. Another thing I recommend is to make sure that the evidence strongly supports your topic sentence. Even in narrative writing, you have to make sure that you have evidence that supports why this event is significant to your life and how the event eventually helped you gain a better understanding of yourself and your life.
DeleteHi, everyone this posting is mines. I posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:45 pm.
DeleteZaaida
Yes, I totally agree narratives can be very tricky. In class we learned about the importance of a narrator that has a point to share. While in class I was thinking what I'll be writing about. It took me awhile to figure out what I'll be writing about in my paper but when I did it became very clear to me. As, I was sitting in the classroom I was thinking about what experiences I gone through as a child and I realize I can be the narrator telling the story. I can't wait until class to share with my writing with my classmates about what I went through as a child living in India as an orphanagen. For me to check my writing I'll use the TEST and also use self-assessment checklist to make sure I made a solid point. I'll also make sure I will revise and edit and have others help me correct my papers in making sure it has correct grammer, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling. When writing papers it should be coming from your heart.
ReplyDeleteWow that is so interesting! I hope I get to read yours. I was adopted when I was 2 years old and was a foster chid to my parents now when I was only 2 months old so I kind of know what you went through. Obviously not to the same extent but I would love to hear your narrative. I had so much fun with this assignment and cant wait to share!
DeleteI find narratives to be tricky, but with time and practice anyone can do them. I was thinking what can I write about and I know it needs to be something that made an impact, made you become a better person, or taught you an important life lesson. The experiences that lend themselves well are the ones that have good points and tell a story well. You may have an amazing narrative, but if it’s not written well enough it won’t help. I can TEST my narrative by first making sure I have a well written narrative and keep reading it to myself making sure spelling, grammar, structure, and transitions are tackled down. It helps when you read it to someone and they read it to you and you can hear where you need some work done.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Life experiences shape who we become as people and what we believe in.I think we all have a life lesson we can share with one another. I feel that things happen for reasons, good or bad help shape the future of not only ourselves, but how we treat others. I cant wait to read what your writing about.
DeleteI agree, narratives are very tricky to write. In fact, right now i am having lots of difficulty writing my paper. The point of a narrative is that it has a point. Make sure you chose a moment that has impacted your life greatly and not something that is meaningless to you. I may have a good story to tell, but if the writing structure isn't working right, the story won't flow. That's why TEST is very important. Everyone should TEST their writing. It really does help you realize what needs to be worked on and what doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI also had some issues when writing my paragraph. At first, in my earlier drafts, I was having problems coming across when the point of my story actually comes in. By printing it out and using the plot graph to help find out where my rising action, climax, and resolution were I found that to help a lot.
DeleteThat is very true. Narratives can be very tricky to write. It was very tough trying to find a special event that impacted me from my childhood. I literally had to write down a list of events and narrow them down to a couple. I am satisfied with my decision, but I am in the same boat as April jewell. I am having a little bit of writers block. In order to TEST my narrative, I will have to start with making sure I have a correct topic sentence. Clearly giving the reader an idea of what they will be reading. Then, i will obviously have evidence and supporting details with in the narrative as well as transitions. By the end of the story i want the reader to be able to learn some sort of lesson from it.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to start it especially knowing what you want to write. That's not just the hardest part also writing a well written essay that has a point and it flow right. Hope it came out the way you wanted it too.
Delete-Gabriela Olivares
For my specific narrative I got out a piece of paper and did some pre-writing. I wrote down all of the questions that I was interested in writing my paragraph on. I then put down life situations next to the question that I would use if I were to choose that topic. By doing that I could physically see what would make a good narrative and I could see those topics that I would spend a page ranting about a story that happened to me. I think that when a lesson is learned in the story or something in your life has an impact on you it is those stories that make good narratives because there is a cause and an effect which makes a point. To test my paragraph I read it out loud and made sure that I had specific details on where exactly that my climax and resolution point was. Being able to see that in front of me helped a lot.
ReplyDeleteBrittney, I say you have a great idea. Writing down the topics and writing down the ideas for each topic is another way to brainstorm for ideas. Also, I agree that reading it out loud, instead of silently to yourself helps tremendously. When you are reading it out loud, you are listening to yourself.
DeleteThere are ways to figure out what to write about in a narrative paper. One way is to brainstorm for ideas. When you are brainstorming, you need to think about a significant event in your life that changed you or that effected you tremendously. Another way is to communicate with a friend, family member, or tutor about your ideas for the narrative paper. These people might give you advice on which idea to do or might help you in the process of brainstorming for ideas. One way that I can TEST my narrative is to highlight and underline the different parts of a paragraph. For instance, I can underline my topic sentence, highlight my supporting evidence, summary paragraph, and circle my transitions. A person should read his or her paper several times and make marks on his or her paper in the similar way that I have suggested. On the marjons, it is a good idea to take notes and write down what you think needs improvement.
ReplyDeleteHi, everyone. I should have not posted anything anonymous. I am the one that posted Anonymous Feb 26, 2012 7:39 pm.
DeleteZaaida
Narratives are tricky when writing but with practice we will make perfection. I really believe with efforts we are able to achieve this class, let's all do our best and get through this. We all like to tell stories in person, writing is much different. In writing we will tell our stories how we feel, as we would with just saying story but a bit more proper. Not that we don't say things properly, just in writing we should write no slang, etc. I'm sure you know what I mean, right? The story I chose to write in class is about a childhood event as we have discussed in class. I think we all have many childhood events that we can write about that are either sad or very precious. Experiences do lend themselves well to narrative as we tell our story. I will test my narrative by having others read my story. For instance, my class (peers) and Lugene Rosen (my teacher), whom will grade my paper of course. Anyhow, stay positive as we will become pros at this journey of learning and let's make it fun!
ReplyDeleteNarratives can be tricky, depending on if you like to tell stories or not. I enjoy writing narratives because I like telling stories. For my narrative paragraph I chose to write about an event that changed my life. This was a good decision because there are so many life changing events in a persons life every year. I have a couple life changing event experiences that lend themselves well to be narrative. I chose one very special adventure I had in the country Romania last year. At first I almost chose another topic because there was no way I could explain my whole experience in Romania in one paragraph. I decided to keep my topic because it was fun reflecting back on the trip, while writing my assignment. I can TEST my narrative by writing a topic sentence that states the paragraphs main idea, checking to see if I have solid evidence, writing a summary statement that reinforces my topic sentence, and checking to see if I put proper transitions in my paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I like to tell stories but it's tricky not to talk forever and get side track. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to wrtie about to because there are so many life changing events that have took place. Thats good you decided to keep your topic and figure it out. I think by writing down the main events that happen in Romania will help you stay focused on your paragraph. Sounds like you had fun!
Delete-Shannon Hunt
I actually like writing narrative stories over any other. Its more what I am thinking,feeling, and my perspective.My problem is organizing my thoughts on paper.So I do alot of brainstorming ideas first and foremost.For my paragragh I chose to write about middle school and how it relates to growing up akward about self image.My biggest challenge was with how am I going to keep you interested in one sentence.After I switched some wording around so it makes sense, my topic sentence was stronger than what i started with.I tested it my making sure it flowed into the points I was trying to make.Going to the writing center hwelps alot to,because they helped me really figure out what my main ideas were,and if I hand smooth transitions.
ReplyDeleteI like to write narratives stories as well. It's a great idea that you do brainstorming because it keeps you force on what you're going to write about and it also gives you different ideas on how to format your paper. I hope I'll get the chance to read your paper on what happened to you in middle school sounds like a lot of stuff was happening in your days. That's good that you switched your wording around because it gives you a clear view on what you need to be working on. I adivce you to keep going to the learning center because you'll improve on your writing. Remember writing is essential.
Delete-Mudra Perez
Narratives can be tricky but practice makes perfect. It took me a while to figure out what it was I wanted to write about. I did a lot of brainstorming and writing down certain thoughts that came to mind. There are so many things someone can write about but it's hard to make sure you keep your story to the main topic. For my narrative paragraph, I'm going to write about a life changing opportunity that has made me more a confident person in where I stand today. I can TEST my paragraph by writing down a bold topic sentence and making sure I have good evidence and speciifc details to back it up. Then writing a summary statement that reevaluates the topic sentence and continuing on with the correct transition sentence.
ReplyDelete-Shannon Hunt
I absolutely agree with you that narratives can be very tricky but practice makes perfect. It took me a while to figure out what I was going to write about also but I finally thought what I was going to write about. That's great you do a lot of brainstorming. I should also brainstorm. I totally agree with you someone can write about anything they desire but keeping the main topic can be overwhelming. That's good that you use the TEST it's a great way to revise, editing, grammer, spell checking, and to check for any mistakes. Remember to also to read out loud so you are able to hear yourself and make corrections to your paper. If you read to yourself quietly you are not able to catch the mistakes. Go to the writing center if you're having trouble with your paper they're great help.
Delete-Mudra Perez
Practice does make perfect, and if you apply yourself to something, youd be suprised what you can accomplish.
Deletei enjoy writing narratives story, it allows the writer connect with audience. Yes TESTing your narrative essay is always an important step in creating a well written paper. The topic sentence is key. You have to be able to get the point of the story to the reader is just a brief sentence. Also, checking to make you have enough evidence to support your main point of view is always a must. If there is no evidence to support you're main topic, then its not a paper i would personally read... Towards the end of you're story you need to be able to restate your main topic or relate back to it. You should have to remind the reader of what the topic is this far into writing, but if you're able to relate back to your main topic smoothly, then you can check that S (TEST)Transition are always an important part of the paragraph, a smooth transition will allow the reader flow smoothly through reading or revision.
ReplyDelete