Narratives

In this unit, I will be focusing on narrative writing for my standards as well as my full length piece. This presents unique challenges to me as the method and systems of writing narratives have never been fully taught to me. An avid reader, some of the key components of good narration have sunk in, but I find myself at a disadvantage when it comes to articulating in and building upon my work in this portion of the class.

It isn't that I do not understand how to write a narrative, the concept its self is fairly simple. I have not, however, needed to acquire any sort of mastery in this style. Not once in the past 8 years of my schooling have I had to utilize the skills and nuances of fictional or narrative writing in any context other than a college essay. I'm not about to spend this time complaining about how the school system has failed to instruct me in this writing (although I could, and with good reason). Instead, I will reflect on how this discovery has impacted my learning now.

Reviewing some research on the basic components of narrative writing, I had one of the fabled "ah-hah!" moments. It seemed as though everything I had suspected about books that I loved and hated were displayed on the page and elements of plot, character and development seemed to click the more I looked at material. It came to me just how much we learn without actually trying. While I still can't twist my words with the skill of Douglas Adams or weave plots like Tolkien, I am finding ways to better my own writing through the examples of other, far greater authors.

Beginning to understand the elements of narrative writing has truly helped me understand literature in a deep way. I am starting to understand the implications of subtle changes in tone and description and grasp the true greatness of many works that I have failed to appreciate in the past. Despite its dubious beginning, I think that this unit will really help me to advance as a student and as a reader.