ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel ClickView Writing Narratives: The 3 Stages and Short Story Language Features | English
Have you ever watched a movie or read a book that left you feeling inspired to create your own story? Maybe you were amazed by a brave hero or a mysterious maze. If you’ve ever thought about writing a story, you’re in the right place! Let’s explore how to write a short story, which is a type of narrative. Narratives can also be scripts, picture books, or novels, but we’ll focus on short stories for now.
Every narrative has three main stages: the orientation, the conflict, and the resolution. Let’s break these down:
This is where you introduce the main characters, the setting, and important details. Think of it as setting the scene for your readers. Who are the characters? Where does the story take place? This stage helps readers understand what the story is about.
In this stage, you introduce a problem or challenge that the characters must face. This is where the action and excitement begin! Sometimes, writers start their stories with the conflict to grab the reader’s attention right away. There can even be more than one problem in a story.
This is where the problem is solved, or the characters find a solution. It doesn’t always have to be at the end of the story. Sometimes, placing the resolution earlier can make the story more interesting or surprising.
To make your story come alive, you’ll need to use certain language features. Here are some important ones:
Including dialogue, or conversations between characters, is another great way to bring your story to life. Use punctuation marks like quotation marks to show when someone is speaking.
Now that you know the basics of writing a narrative, you’re ready to start your own short story. Who knows? Maybe you’ll create the next big adventure that everyone will be talking about!
Happy writing, and remember, practice makes perfect. Keep exploring and experimenting with your stories, and you’ll become a great storyteller in no time!
Imagine you’re a director planning a movie. Start by drawing a story map that includes the three stages of a narrative: orientation, conflict, and resolution. Use your imagination to fill in details about the characters, setting, and the problem they face. This will help you organize your thoughts and create a blueprint for your story.
Draw or write a detailed description of your main character and the setting of your story. Use adjectives to make your character and setting come alive. Think about what makes your character unique and how the setting influences the story. Share your sketches with a classmate and see if they can imagine your story world.
Gather in small groups and brainstorm different types of conflicts that could happen in a story. Think about challenges your characters might face. Write down as many ideas as you can, then choose one to develop into a short story. Remember, the conflict is what makes your story exciting!
Write a short conversation between two characters in your story. Use dialogue to show their personalities and how they react to the conflict. Practice using quotation marks and other punctuation correctly. Share your dialogue with a partner and act it out to see how it sounds.
Write a short story using the narrative stages and language features you’ve learned. Share your story with the class or in small groups. Give and receive feedback on how well the story captures the reader’s interest and how effectively the language features are used. Use the feedback to make your story even better!
Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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– Did you see it last night?
– Oh wow! Yes. What about that angry hero character and that huge maze?
– I just couldn’t believe it! When they found the dagger under the house?
– Yep. It was like everything fell apart from then on.
– And what about the ending?
– Totally did not expect that.
– It’s got me all inspired. I’d love to write something like that. Maybe a short story first though.
– Great idea! I think you’d be great at it. [laughs]
– Yeah, why not? Any thoughts on how I get started?
– You said you wanted to write a short story. Well, that’s a narrative text type. The form of narrative you’ll be writing is a short story, but there are other forms of narratives too, like scripts, picture books, and novels.
– Yes. They’d be fun to write, wouldn’t they? But for now, I’ll stick with a short story. Any tips for writing narratives?
– Yes, just like all the other text types, narratives have stages or parts to include. For narratives, there are three stages: the orientation stage, the conflict stage, and the resolution stage.
– Can you take me through those parts? I’m not sure what some of the words mean.
– The orientation stage is when the main characters, settings, and things are introduced. Orientation means the writer is giving the reader a sense of who and what is going to be featured in the text. Next is the conflict stage. Here the writer adds more about the main characters and introduces a problem.
– I’ve noticed that the conflict stage can come quite early in a short story or novel.
– That’s correct. Sometimes a writer can even start their narrative with the problem. There’s no strict rule, and there can be more than one problem. Finally, there’s the resolution stage. Here’s where the problem is solved or there’s an answer to the problem. Like the conflict stage, sometimes writers put the resolution stage in places other than at the end.
– Yes, I can see why. That could help to make the narrative more interesting or dramatic. Okay, I’ve got the stages part now. What about the language features of a narrative text?
– Good question. There are a lot of language features that are common in all kinds of narratives. For instance, nouns, both common and proper nouns, as well as pronouns to tell you who or what the story is about. Adjectives to describe the characters and settings. Then, there are verbs too: action verbs to show what characters do, sensing verbs to show what the characters feel or think, and saying verbs to show what people are speaking or help tell what someone is saying.
– Great! I understand. I also want to include people speaking in my short story.
– Easy. You’ll be including dialogue that shows what characters say. Show speech by using punctuation like this.
– Oh wow! Thanks so much for the tips! I can’t wait to start writing. Here I come, Hollywood! If you liked this video, you can find it and so many more at clickview.net. Sign up for free today!
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This version removes any informal or potentially inappropriate language while maintaining the essence of the conversation.
Writing – The activity of creating written works, such as stories, essays, or reports. – Sarah enjoys writing stories about magical adventures.
Narrative – A story or account of events or experiences, whether true or fictional. – The narrative of the book was so exciting that I couldn’t put it down.
Characters – The people, animals, or beings in a story. – The main characters in the story were a brave knight and a clever dragon.
Setting – The time and place in which the events of a story occur. – The setting of the story was a small village in the mountains during winter.
Conflict – A struggle or problem that the characters face in a story. – The conflict in the story was between the hero and the villain who wanted to take over the world.
Resolution – The part of the story where the conflict is resolved or worked out. – The resolution of the story showed how the friends worked together to solve the mystery.
Language – The words and style used by an author to express ideas and tell a story. – The author’s use of descriptive language made the story come alive.
Adjectives – Words that describe or modify nouns, giving more detail about them. – The bright, colorful balloons floated up into the clear blue sky.
Verbs – Words that describe actions, occurrences, or states of being. – The cat jumped over the fence and ran across the yard.
Dialogue – The conversation between characters in a story. – The dialogue between the two friends was funny and made everyone laugh.
