Have you ever written a narrative or at least learned how to do it in school? If so, chances are you already know that narrative is a text that contains a series of events that are explained chronologically and in detail, and generally contain messages that are able to capture the reader's interest. Have an interesting idea to turn into a narrative? Try writing the idea down on a piece of paper. To gather ideas, actually you can also apply the various tips summarized in this article, such as free writing, designing narrative structures, and practicing the ability to describe information in detail. Then, schedule a specific time each day to write in a location with minimal distractions, and always carry a notebook with you so you can write down any ideas that come up immediately. Since editing plays a very important role in the narrative creation process, don't forget to ask for criticism and suggestions from readers, as well as revise the final draft based on the results of the editing.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Finding and Gathering Ideas
Step 1. Make a list of meaningful topics
Write down some topics that are important to your life and deserve to be developed into a narrative. In particular, think about an experience that left a deep impression on you, such as an event in your childhood, a happy moment, a goal you achieved, or a mistake you've made.
- The core of the narrative does not have to be based on a very large life event. In fact, life experiences that are simple and often forgotten, such as cooking lunch for loved ones, are full of meaning and interesting to tell.
- If you can't find a specific event that deserves to be developed into a narrative, try searching for a memorable moment, memory, or image in your mind.
Curiosity is key:
Remember, special questions can make for interesting stories. Therefore, ask questions instead of describing your experience as it is. For example, try asking why the old man who walked past your house this morning was carrying a cane. Who knows, the story can inspire you to produce a complete and interesting narrative, right?
Step 2. Practice freewriting for at least 15 minutes per day
In the exercise, write down whatever comes to your mind without editing or correction for 15 minutes. Set an alarm to go off 15 minutes later, sit down in a place free of distractions, and start writing. After 15 minutes, reread your writing and underline sentences that can be developed into a narrative.
- Don't worry if at this time, the material you produce is not too much. Basically, freewriting is a form of practice, and chances are, you won't be producing any outstanding work right away through the material. However, keep doing it because in truth, there will always be material that deserves to be explored in more depth.
- Some people also find it helpful to discuss a topic or idea with those closest to them. Therefore, there is no harm in consulting the ideas you want to develop with creative and trusted friends.
Step 3. Practice writing descriptively by including as much detail as possible
The trick is to observe the world around you using all your senses. Then, focus on one object and describe the object as realistically as possible. That is, describe the color, the shape, the reflection of light on the surface, the smell, the texture, and the emotion that comes to you when you see it. Then, think about ways to transfer the clarity of that image to your reader's mind.
- One example of a vivid description is, “Apparently, the floral patterned handwriting that once beautifully circled my grandfather's wall clock has faded years ago, replaced by sharp, abstract-patterned strokes that color the brownish-yellow wooden body.. His form and age are indeed old, but no one dares to deny the precision of the location of all the segments and the sculptural perfection of the triangular apex that is so symmetrically split.”
- Bring a notebook (or use an app that comes with your phone) to practice describing things throughout the day. To expand your vocabulary, try to find synonyms for the words you use, and then use those synonyms when you return to practicing your descriptive writing skills later on.
- Real detail is one of the most important factors for building a narrative. Therefore, don't hesitate to take the time to practice your descriptive writing skills. If you want, you can even describe objects that occur in everyday life in the narrative, such as a coffee cup, birdsong, or a stranger passing in front of you.
Step 4. Select the main theme or message to be displayed in the narrative
Every narrative must have a message. Therefore, ask yourself, "What lesson do I want to teach the reader?" Also think about the lessons that can be drawn from the experience that you will adopt. Be honest with yourself and with the reader, and let your emotions drive the message you want to convey to the reader. Choose a clear and simple message, then build a narrative out of that simplicity to make the events in it more meaningful to readers, and easy for them to remember.
- Want to share a personal experience? The first step that needs to be done is to let out your helplessness. Talking about positive and negative personal emotions, as well as writing honest personal experiences, is scary. Therefore, use this helplessness as fuel to enrich your narrative.
- For example, if you want to write down what happened when your romantic relationship ended, understand that it's not easy to share your past behaviors that contributed to the event, even if you and your ex-partner have been disguised as fictional characters. However, keep digging up the mistakes of your past as honestly as possible so that the written story sounds more authentic.
Part 2 of 3: Drafting the Narrative
Step 1. Take time to write every day
For writers, a blank sheet is perhaps one of the most terrible scourges! However, you still have to start, right? Don't worry, you've now gathered ideas, sharpened your descriptive skills, and thought of a message that is meaningful to the reader. Now, all you have to do is sit down and write down the story.
- Choose a time and location that is free of distractions, and write your story for at least 30 minutes per day. Even if your words sound forced early in the process, don't worry. As your writing experience increases, the connection between your brain and your hands will become stronger. As a result, the activity of writing on paper or typing on the keyboard will begin to feel automatic.
- Understand that freewriting practice is not the same as writing your story. Therefore, you can still write freely on any topic for 15 minutes per day, but don't forget to set aside about 30 minutes per day to write your story.
Tip:
Get to know your work habits. In particular, identify the times that best spur your creativity and productivity. Some people are able to work effectively if they have a consistent writing schedule, but there are also people who can only write fluently when they accidentally wake up in the middle of the night.
Step 2. Narrate events in a consistent voice
If you want to make a non-fiction narrative from a first-person perspective, or a fictional narrative from a third-person perspective, don't forget to use a consistent point of view and style of language. Make sure the reader is aware of the narrator's identity, why he is telling the story, and what is at stake. Even if you're working on a personal narrative written from your own point of view, keep these three factors in mind.
- Remember, the narrator doesn't have to be true, honest, or moral. In fact, an unscrupulous or unreliable narrator is actually more capable of attracting the reader's attention, you know!
- For example, the story narrator may have committed an unforgivable crime in the narrative, but is still able to win the reader's heart through his charisma. Because readers already empathize with the narrator, they will begin to question their own morality when they finally understand the narrator's true identity.
Step 3. Show the reader concrete details, rather than a summary of events
Instead of summarizing events with sentences that feel boring, try to build the setting and character of the story with specific and interesting details. In particular, place the reader in a specific setting, then help them to dive into the world you want to tell, as if they were in it too.
- Narrate descriptively, but don't overwhelm the reader with boring details. Explaining everything a character does, whether it's important or not, or constantly bombarding readers with descriptions of the setting can make your narrative feel boring. Therefore, simply describe the details that are important and whenever possible, don't forget to explain their relevance to the main event you want to tell.
- If the character written has a character that is indecisive and it is this indecision that is closely related to the fate of the character at the climax of the story, don't forget to include details that support the description of the character at the beginning of the story, such as when he always finds it difficult to determine the lunch menu, and events. other minors capable of supporting these characteristics.
Step 4. Make sure the narrative is structured with the right structure, that is, it has a beginning, middle, and end
One of the characteristics of narrative is the existence of a coherent structure that builds the story towards the climax. Therefore, after gathering all the elements that will be present in the narrative, try to outline the events. Although you can still include elements of storytelling that are not chronological, such as flashback moments, the concrete events must still be arranged systematically and sequentially.
- Management is the key to producing a quality journalistic narrative or fictional narrative. If you want to write a personal narrative for job applications or other professional purposes, don't forget to manage the structure in a clear, systematic, and easy to understand manner.
- If your narrative is creative, feel free to experiment with structure. For example, your chosen plot might center on a character who is having a hard time reconstructing his forgotten experiences from the past.
- Even if you play with a timeline, the events you tell must still have a coherent plot and be directed towards the climax or the most important moment in the event.
Step 5. Build a narrative towards a climax or very important moment
Remember, the climax is the peak intensity of an event. Generally, the narrative will build the conflict to reach its climax, then end the narrative with a resolution that is the resolution of the conflict. To do this, you just need to remember the main theme or message that you want to convey to the reader, then direct the plot towards the most important moments in that theme or main message.
Pay attention to the tempo of the story. Even if you are not interested in the events that are written, is it possible that the narrative can attract the attention of the reader? Therefore, take the time to present important details to build and strengthen the plot at the beginning of the story, but rush to the core events when the time comes, instead of prolonging the story with less important information
Part 3 of 3: Revising the Narrative
Step 1. Sharpen your sentences to be clearer, more direct, and effective
Make sure your word choice is really specific, straightforward, and clear. If you find words that sound ambiguous, immediately replace them with words that have a stronger and more precise meaning. Go back to dictionaries and thesaurus, then look for alternative words that are more effective to fill your narrative.
For example, a sentence like "Difficulty sleeping has made friends with his daily routine, and like a nocturnal animal that only activates when the sky is dark, he feels that darkness can sharpen the sensitivity of all his senses," even though it sounds beautiful, is actually less effective. Instead, try using sentences that are denser and easier to digest, such as, "Insomnia has become his daily diet, and like nocturnal animals, all of his senses become sharper when the sky is dark."
Take a rest:
After completing the first draft, don't reopen it for a day or two. Take a break to clear your eyes and brain so that when the revision process begins, you can evaluate the draft through fresher glasses.
Step 2. Look for spelling and grammatical errors
Reread your narration, then correct any spelling and grammatical errors you find. When telling an event, the sentences you use must be able to represent the setting of the story. Does your story take place in the past, in the future, or in the present? Mark or underline the action verbs that you write, and make sure the diction you use matches the setting in which you are telling the story.
- For example, if the narrative contains events that happened in the past, don't forget to use a diction that represents the goal, such as “formerly”, “ever”, “before”, etc. so that the reader does not assume the event is happening in the present.
- Remember, the characters you create may think or speak at different times than those described by the narrator. For example, something like, "When she was little, Noelle used to jump rope and yell, 'Tom likes Sophie now! Anyway, Tom wants to marry Sophie! Tom and Sophie are sitting on the tree!'”
Step 3. Make sure all the sentences are written in chronological order
Pay more attention to sloppy sentences, and awkward paragraph shifts. In particular, make sure each sentence has a logical relationship to the previous one, and try to vary the sentence structure to make it look more readable. In general, make sure all events are written chronologically and cohesively, with a logical flow.
For example, you could potentially lose reading if you cover one specific topic in the first paragraph, then bring up a topic that is completely off the mark (such as a different event in a different location) in the next three paragraphs, then return to the first topic to end the narrative
Step 4. Ask for criticism and suggestions from your peers and mentors
While it may feel intimidating, especially if your narrative is based on personal experience, understand that getting a fresh and objective perspective from the reader is a crucial factor in strengthening your narrative. Therefore, don't hesitate to ask friends, relatives, and/or mentors for help to read your narrative, then provide constructive criticism and suggestions afterwards.
- If the narrative content is your personal experience, select readers who are not involved in the experience. In this way, readers can give an honest and objective opinion about whether or not your narrative can make them feel “actively involved” in the story, even if this is not the case.
- If you receive harsh criticism from readers, don't take it to heart. Instead, use the criticism to refine and strengthen your narrative!
Tips
- In fact, the length of the narrative has no limit, unless instructed differently from the beginning. If there are no specific instructions for word or page count, feel free to use as much space as possible to get your message across to the reader.
- Reading is one of the most effective ways to improve your writing skills. Therefore, try reading various published works, such as novels or articles published in newspapers, to enrich your understanding of the types of narratives.
