This document defines and describes different types of narrative writing. It explains that narrative writing is story writing that can be fiction or nonfiction. The main types of narratives discussed are linear, nonlinear, viewpoint, and descriptive narratives. It also outlines some key characteristics of narrative writing, such as descriptive language, characters like the protagonist and antagonist, plot, and narrative structure with a beginning, middle, and end.
2. WHAT IS NARRATIVE
WRITING?
Narrative writing is, essentially, story writing. A narrative
can be fiction or nonfiction, and it can also occupy the space
between these as a semi-autobiographical story, historical
fiction, or a dramatized retelling of actual events. As long as a
piece tells a story through a narrative structure, it’s narrative
writing.
4. LINEAR NARRATIVE
With a linear narrative, a story’s events are told in chronological order.
Most books, movies, TV shows, and other pieces of media are linear
narratives. With a linear narrative, each scene is followed by the next logical
scene. There can be gaps between scenes, such as a book’s third chapter
taking place two years after its second chapter’s events.
Another specific type of linear narrative you may have encountered is the
historical narrative. A historical narrative follows a linear timeline to tell the story of
an actual event or series of events.
5. NONLINEAR NARRATIVE
In contrast to a linear narrative, a nonlinear narrative presents its
story’s events in nonchronological order. A well-known example of a
nonlinear narrative is House of Leaves, a novel told through first-
person narration, recovered documents, and footnotes throughout the
book.
6. VIEWPOINT NARRATIVE
A viewpoint narrative focuses on the narrator’s
perspective of the story’s events. Generally, these
kinds of stories are more character driven than plot
driven. The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most
popular examples of a viewpoint narrative
7. DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE
In a descriptive narrative, the focus is on how the story’s setting,
characters, and objects look and feel. The goal here is total
immersion in the world of the story; this is different from how a
viewpoint narrative strives to create immersion in a character’s inner
world, a limited perspective on the world of the story. A well-known
example of a descriptive narrative is Edgar Allan Poe’s short story
The Tell-Tale Heart.
9. Descriptive language: This type of
language evokes feelings rather than directly
stating facts. Descriptive language techniques
include metaphors, similes, personification,
and onomatopoeia.
10. Characters. Among the characters, nearly every narrative needs to have a
protagonist. The protagonist, also known as the main character, is the
character whose story is being told as they work toward a goal or face a
challenge.
Another character found in nearly every narrative is the antagonist. The
antagonist isn’t necessarily the “bad guy”; they are simply the character or
force imposing obstacles for the protagonist to overcome. In many narratives,
the antagonist is a person, a force of nature, the protagonist’s society, or even
an aspect of the protagonist’s personality.
11. Plot: The plot is the series of events that happen in
your narrative. A plot can be simple, with only one or
two events, or it can be complex and multi-layered.
Narrative structure: Every narrative, even nonlinear
narratives, is organized in some way. This is how the
main character pursues their goal or faces the challenge
presented to them. No matter how you structure your
narrative, it has three distinct parts:
12. The beginning: This is where the reader meets your writing. Hooking
their attention at the beginning is crucial.
The middle: The middle of your story or essay is where the action
happens. This is where your protagonist faces one or more conflicts and
reaches the climax, the point where the narrative pivots to the falling
action after the protagonist either meets or fails to meet their goal.
The end: After the narrative’s climax, the ending wraps up loose story
threads, satisfies readers’ remaining curiosities, and positions the
protagonist for life after the story’s events.
