By: Lauren Beth Kelly
Narrative fiction is a form of writing where the narrator speaks directly to the reader (a.k.a. narrates) through events that happen in the story. There are many different kinds of narrative structures, but here are some of the most basic that are commonly used.
This is the most common type of narrative structure. It’s mostly written in chronological order, with a focus on the present. A common technique for linear short stories often concludes with a dramatic and ironic revelation and quick resolution, which just means that most of the story is the rise action, then quickly addresses the climax and resolution. Here, the order events are portrayed corresponds to the order in which they occur. Stories using this narrative structure will have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
This type of narration tells the story from the point-of-view of the characters, and a chronological sequence of events is unimportant. Flashbacks are interruptions to the present-day story which writers use to portray past events to provide background or context to what’s happening or will happen in the future. For example, a past tense and reference to a narrator’s young age will indicate that you’re reading a flashback.
This is a non-linear narrative structure in which an author does not incorporate the use of time. James Joyce, Virginia Wolfe, and William Faulkner often used this technique. Stream of consciousness writing often lacks traditional sentence structure and punctuation. With this method of narration, an author describes the context as a flow of thoughts within the minds of the characters.
This structure consists of many smaller stories within the context of a larger story. Each story takes on more meaning when analyzed relative to a larger story. The stories lead the readers from one story to the other and establish the context for an embedded narrative. It also offers multiple perspectives to the readers about the story. For example, in “The Wizard of Oz,” a portion of the story occurs inside Dorothy’s mind which is embedded within her “home” life in Kansas.
This is the repetition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a context that shows ideas have equal importance. Here, elements in sentences are similar or identical in structure and add symmetry and balance to the narration. Writers use parallel structure to add clarity to their writing and to make it easier to understand. An example is that of Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech.
In this structure, the narrative will conclude where it began by bringing closure through a return to the theme that is introduced at the beginning. With this technique, the sense of closure returns the narrator to a setting through the repetition of sentences from the start. The goal here is to hook the reader to make them curious about how the characters ended up where they are. It can, for example, “create a sense of doom and inevitability.”
Each of these works best with a different kind of story. Some of these may seem daunting, but the best way to understand and properly utilize these structures is to just bite the bullet and start writing with one!
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