Narration

Goal:  to write an action sequence with suspense and tension through varied narrative pace
Time: 40 minutes 


"Narrative pace" is the speed at which you offer forth details of a story.  A writer must vary the narrative pace so that the story does not become monotonous.  To vary the narrative pace, make sure the most important details of the story get the most time and attention, whereas the least important details get less time and attention.

Imagine your friend telling you a story about a car accident he had this morning.  Here are two ways the story could be told.  Notice they both have the same number of sentences but they take very different approaches to the story:

A.
First, I got up out of bed.  It was still dark out.  I took a shower.  After my shower, I got dressed and I made myself some ham and eggs.  After eating, I gathered my schoolbooks and walked outside to my car.  Once in the car I shifted into reverse and backed out of my parking space.  I was pullling out into the road when a car ran right into my driver's side door.  I got out the pasenger's door and waited while the driver of the other car called the police.

B.
It was a very normal morning for me, that is, until I pulled out of the driveway and onto the road--much as I had done every other day for a full year.  Time seemed to stop as a glanced left and saw a thundering blue chevy charging from out of nowhere.  Its wide front grill seemed to smile at me ominously as the car inched closer and closer to mine--there was nothing I could do to stop it, and moving was impossible.  After what seemed like hours of anticipating the impact, CRASH! the chevy's heavy chrome bumper smacked against the side of my car.  Glass flew inward and covered my lap and feet.  Breathing heavily, it took a moment for me to check every inch of my body, and sigh with relief when it turned out I was not injured.  I crawled over to the passenger side door and stepped onto solid ground as a crowd began to form around the two cars.  The other driver was already barking into his cell phone, calling for a police officer to come clear away the wreckage.

 

As you can see from the above passages, the details you choose to convey can make a huge difference in the impact of a story.  For today's activity, I want you to think of an event you will write about, and remember as many details as possible about it.  Write two drafts of your story--one with poor narrative pace and one with strong narrative pace.