Narrative Elements

Elements of

Narratives

Personal NarrativeA story about a moment in

your own life.

It is not an autobiography (a story about your entire life)!

A personal narrative focuses on a single event or moment in your life.

Fictional Narrative

A story about a moment in a made-up character’s life.

You create the characters, setting, and conflict, but it should still

focus on a single event or moment (because this is a SHORT story!)

Focus!You can’t write a novel! When creating your

story, focus on a single moment or very few moments.

Personal Narrative: I will tell the story of the moment when I forgot my lines while

performing on stage.

Fictional Narrative: I will tell the story of the moment when my character got lost in the

woods.

Point of View:1st Person:

“I never thought that owning a dog would be so challenging. When I brought Fluffy home for

the first time, she destroyed my favorite

pair of shoes within five minutes. After I found the damage, I locked

Fluffy in her crate.”

3rd Person:“Amber used to think that owning a dog would be

easy, but when she brought Fluffy home for

the first time, she discovered she was

wrong. Fluffy had destroyed her favorite pair

of shoes. When amber saw them, she locked

Fluffy in her crate.”

Narrative ElementsThere are 5 main elements that apply to narratives in general:

1. Character 2. Setting 3. Conflict 4. Plot 5. Theme

These are the main

“ingredients” in a story.

CharacterThe main people (or other living things) that are involved in your story.

YOUR GOALS AS THE WRITER:

• Show who your characters are through their behaviors. • Show what motivates your characters. • Make your characters realistic.

SettingWhere do different scenes in your story take place?


• “Paint” a picture of the scene. • Create a mood. • Establish context for the story (time and location).

ConflictWhat problem or challenge does the main character in the story face?


• Create tension and interest in your story by making readers doubt that your characters will be successful.

• Create a problem that motivates and drives the actions of your characters.

ConflictBoth narrative types need to focus on a conflict that the main character faces.

Every story worth reading has a conflict.

If there is no conflict, there isno tension in the story.

Types of Conflict:External Conflict: Internal Conflict:

Pip can’t decide if he should join basketball

or swimming.

The coach says that Pip isn’t allowed to join the

cross country team because he is a robot.

Pip will have to struggle against the coach if he wants to join the team.

Pip will have an internal struggle to

decide what is best for

him.

Man vs. SelfA man struggles to be kind to his wife’s ex-boyfriend even though he is very jealous

A woman struggles to understand her identity when she is half Chinese and half American

A man struggles to quit a drug addiction

examples

Man vs. ManTwo men fall in love with the same woman

A student struggles against a mean teacher that always gives him detention

A hero must defeat the villain who ruined his life

examples

Man vs. NatureA man is attacked by bears while on a camping trip

A family struggles to survive during a hurricane

A drought kills all of the crops, and a farmer must try to survive without food or money

examples

Man vs. SocietyA gay couple tries to find acceptance in a society that does not accept their choices

An immigrant fights to change a law that prevents him from becoming a citizen

A man wants to become a artist, but his family expects him to be a doctor

examples

Man vs. TechnologyA man struggles to hack a computer in order to steal information

A farmer’s tractor breaks down, and he struggles to fix it in time for the harvest

A team of students struggles to build an underwater robot for a contest

examples

Man vs. SupernaturalA man struggles to survive as a god tries to ruin his life

A man struggles to get home after being transported back in time by a mysterious spell

A fated prophecy states that a man will kill his father, and he struggles to prevent this from happening

examples

Conflict:What might conflict look like in a personal narrative or college admissions essay?

• You vs. an academic or co-curricular challenge

• You vs. expectations others hold for you • You vs. personal shortcomings • You vs. friends or family members • You vs. a experience of failure • You vs. …

PlotHow is the problem introduced? What steps does the character take to solve the problem? How is the problem is solved?


• Create a series of events that shows how your character strives to overcome the problem/conflict.

• Create a plot that feels original (avoid cliches).

ThemeWhat does the story seek to tell us about life or human nature? What’s the message of the story?


• Write a story that means something more to readers than the surface-level enjoyment of events in the plot.

• Don’t make your theme/message obvious or repetitive.

Let’s identify elements of narratives in Disney’s…

Mulan

CharacterHow does the author teach us about who the main characters are? (Personality, habits, beliefs, physical appearance, desires, history, etc.?)

We first meet Mulan. She ties a

bag of grain to her dog, and uses the

dog to feed the farm animals.

Exposition

What does the character’s action SHOW you about their personality?

Character

We first meet Mulan’s father. He is praying to his

ancestors for Mulan to not mess

up on her important day.

How does the author teach us about who the main characters are? (Personality, habits, beliefs, physical appearance, desires, history, etc.?)

Exposition


Character

Mulan seems slightly more

confused, awkward, and

disorganized than the other girls in

town.


Exposition


Character

She ruins her meeting with the

town matchmaker in every way

possible.


Exposition


SettingHow does the author create a mood with setting? How does the setting enrich the overall story?

ConflictWhat struggle motivates the characters to act? A good story tends to have more than one conflict.

Mulan sings a sad song because she feels like she can’t

be herself. (Her family/the

community expects her to be

a housewife).

Intro Conflict

ConflictWhat struggle motivates the characters to act? A good story tends to have more than one conflict.

An army is approaching China and new soldiers

are being recruited. One man from every family must go, so Mulan’s father has

to enlist even though he is old

and injured. Women are not allowed in

the army.

Intro Conflict

PlotWhat events move the story forward and help the characters resolve their conflicts?

Mulan dresses up as a man and

goes to enlist in the army in order

to protect her father. She meets her incompetent dragon protector,

Mushu.

Rising Action

CharacterHow does the author teach us about who the main characters are? (Personality, habits, beliefs, physical appearance, desires, history, etc.?)

Rising Action

The leader of the Huns, Shan Yu, captures two

Chinese scouts and kills one

because only one man is needed to

deliver a message.



Mulan tries to act like a man at the training camp in

hopes of keeping her identity secret.

Mulan develops a crush on captain

Shang.

Rising Action

Note that new conflicts arise that build on the main conflicts which have already been established.


Mulan gradually proves that she’s

capable of being a soldier.

Rising Action


Mulan and friends finally fight the Huns.

Mulan comes up with a clever plan to

help them win.

Rising Action


Mulan gets injured, so everyone finds

out she is a woman. She is kicked out of

the army.

Rising Action


Mulan discovers that the Hun army was not destroyed, so she rides to warn

people in the capital.

Rising Action


Mulan reunites with her friends and they come up with a plan

to protect the Emperor and stop

the Huns.

Climax


Mulan & friends kill Shan Yu with

fireworks, and China is safe.

Climax / One Conflict Resolved


Mulan is honored by the Emperor.

Mulan travels home.

Falling Action


Mulan’s father says he is proud to have her as a daughter.

Conflict Resolved


Conflict Resolved

Captain Shang shows up at

Mulan's house looking for her.

ThemeWhat’s the message of the story? What does the author want to tell us about life and human nature?

Mulan’s father tells her that “the flower that blooms in

adversity is the most beautiful of all.”

Mulan is happy about who she is after going against the societal expectations people

held for her. She also receives more acceptance from other people after this happens.

ReflectionReflect, or share your thoughts, about why the story you are telling is meaningful.


• Make your thoughts in your narrative more important than the events you are describing. Events are generic, but your thoughts are unique.

• Reveal what you or other people learned by sharing thoughts • Reflection doesn’t always have to be positive or uplifting, and

you do not have to shy away from the truth of what you experienced, even if it resulted in failure or tragedy. Honesty, vulnerability and even confrontation of difficult lessons will make your essay even more poignant.

ChangePersonal narratives tend to depict change. Maybe your skill level changes, your beliefs change, the way you understand the world changes, your mood or habits change…etc.

Often characters learn something from the change.

OutlineBeginning

• Who is(are) the main character(s)? • What is the setting? • What is the problem?

Middle• How does the character try to solve the

problem? End

• Is the problem resolved? How? • Reflect: why was this event important or

meaningful in the life of the character?

Narrative Elements

Education

Transcript of Narrative Elements