narrative techniques

• Narrative writing


  The way in which a writer conveys what they want to say to their reader and the methods that they use to develop a story
• Elements of narrative writing

  • Character
  • Setting
  • Point of View
  • Plot
  • Conflict
  • Style
  • Theme
• Narrative structure


  • The most common is where the story moves from beginning to end in chronological order
  • Presents the events of the story out of order, employing narrative techniques and other literary devices to shift the chronology of a story
• Allegory


  A symbolic story, often religious or spiritual in nature, that reflects on elements of what it's like to be human
• Authorial intrusion


  When a character takes on the personal views, morals, and even personality traits of their author when using this narrative technique
• Open ending


  When a story is left open-ended and unresolved
• Flashback


  Reflects on events that happen before the main body of the story being told, giving context for what happens in the present time
• Flashback (narrative technique)


  Taking the reader out of an otherwise chronological story, a flashback shows events that happened in the past that impact the characters in the present day of the story timeline

  
• Foreshadowing


  A way to provide hints about events in a story before they happen. Writers often use foreshadowing to add an element of tension and emotion to their stories, as readers may recognize the event and continue reading to see if they're correct
• Epiphany


  A sudden realization by a character can have a dramatic impact on a story. This is usually in relation to a problem that a character has been facing and a solution or different perspective emerges
• In medias res


  A Latin phrase meaning "in the middle of things". It refers to starting the story in the middle of the action rather than a natural starting point
• Frame story / Embedded narrative


  Writers using frame stories will often create "mini stories" within the main narrative to highlight other characters or develop the plot
• Multiple narrators and perspectives


  A story can have both multiple narrators and perspectives. This technique is used to show different character's viewpoints throughout the story, often in the form of an all-knowing, or omniscient, third-person narrator
• Pathetic fallacy


  This is where the mood of a character is reflected in non-human objects surrounding them. Weather is typically used in fiction to suggest a character's frame of mind in a given moment of the story
• Plot twist


  When something unexpected happens in a story, this is often described as a plot twist. Used throughout all manner of storytelling, the expected ending is usually shifted at a pivotal moment in the plot
• Red herring


  These are popular in crime and mystery writing in particular, where writers divert the attention of the reader onto another character or element of the story in order to distract them from the truth
• Prophecy


  As the name suggests, a writer will use this technique to have characters make predictions about the future, which then come true as a result of them thinking about that event