narrative essay Determine your narrative point (thesis) and purpose. Is my narrative well focused? Do I try to cover too long a time period? What is my reason for telling this story? Is that reason clearly stated or implied for readers? Is my meaning clear? Have I left my reader saying “So what?”< /span> Establish a context. The reader should be a witness or participant. We should “be there.”< span> You should never end a story with, “I guess you had to be there.” Is it clear when the action happened? Where? To whom? Select details of the event. Have I selected details that help readers understand what is going on in my narrative? Have I included unnecessary details that distract readers or get in the way of what I am trying to convey? Do I give enough examples of the important events in my narrative? Who, what, where, when, why, how? Organize your narrative. Is the chronology of events clear? Have I taken advantage of opportunities to add emphasis, drama, or suspense with flashbacks or other complications of chronological organization? Write an outline before you start to help with organization. Use narrative time for emphasis. Use dates, days of the week, and/or seasonal markers to help situate the reader. Use transitional words to clarify narrative sequence. Have I used transitional expressions to help readers follow the sequencing of events? Transitional words: after, next, then, earlier, immediately, and finally. Keep your verb tense consistent to avoid confusion. Since this is something that happened to you in the past, it will be easiest to use the past tense. Use dialogue to bring your story to life. Have I used dialogue to reveal a situation, or have I simply summarized the situation? Choose the most appropriate point of view. How would my story be different had I used another point of view?
