Summary

Narration tells a story that makes a point. Think of it as a movie or TV show that lets your readers see what happens and hear the characters speak for themselves as each scene progresses toward the conclusion. A narrative should have a source of conflict. The most common sources of conflict are person versus person, person versus self, person versus society, or person versus nature.

Narration is organized chronologically, that is as events, scenes, or actions occur in time. The introduction of a narrative should answer the basic questions of who, what, where, when, and why. A narrative must be coherent, meaning that each scene and character must relate to the main point. Location and characters must be related as well. The most common error in writing a narrative is to get away from the main point by introducing irrelevant details or characters.

Remember that a narrative begins at the beginning and ends at the end of the story. Also, the narrative may be true — that is based on a real event — or it may be fictional. An effective narrative reaches a climax and then resolves the conflict first revealed in the introduction and developed throughout the body of the essay.