Narrative techniques

Learning different techniques like point of view, tense, and voice used to tell a story.

What is narration and why is it important in written stories?

"Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience."

In which storytelling formats is narration optional?

"However, narration is merely optional in most other storytelling formats, such as films, plays, television shows, and video games."

What does the narrative mode encompass?

"The narrative mode, which is sometimes also used as a synonym for narrative technique, encompasses the set of choices through which the creator of the story develops their narrator and narration."

What does narrative point of view refer to?

"Narrative point of view, perspective, or voice: the choice of grammatical person used by the narrator to establish whether or not the narrator and the audience are participants in the story; also, this includes the scope of the information or knowledge that the narrator presents."

How does narrative tense impact the storytelling?

"Narrative tense: the choice of either the past or present grammatical tense to establish either the prior completion or current immediacy of the plot."

What are some aspects that fall under the umbrella of narrative technique?

"Narrative technique: any of the various other methods chosen to help narrate a story, such as establishing the story's setting, developing characters, exploring themes, structuring the plot, intentionally expressing certain details but not others, following or subverting genre norms, employing certain linguistic styles, and using various other storytelling devices."

What does narration include?

"Thus, narration includes both who tells the story and how the story is told."

Can the narrator be a character in the story?

"The narrator may be anonymous and unspecified, or a character appearing and participating within their own story."

What is the role of the narrator in some stories?

"The narrator may merely relate the story to the audience without being involved in the plot."

Can there be multiple narrators in a story?

"Some stories have multiple narrators to illustrate the storylines of various characters at various times, creating a story with a complex perspective."

What types of stories require narration as an essential element?

"Narration is a required element of all written stories (novels, short stories, poems, memoirs, etc.), presenting the story in its entirety."

What are the potential ways to convey a story in formats where narration is optional?

"...in which the story can be conveyed through other means, like dialogue between characters or visual action."

How does narration establish the relationship between the narrator, audience, and story?

"[Narration] establishes whether or not the narrator and the audience are participants in the story."

What does narrative tense determine?

"The choice of either the past or present grammatical tense to establish either the prior completion or current immediacy of the plot."

How does the narrative technique contribute to storytelling?

"...any of the various other methods chosen to help narrate a story, such as establishing the story's setting, developing characters, exploring themes, and structuring the plot."

What does narrative point of view determine?

"...the choice of grammatical person used by the narrator to establish...the scope of the information or knowledge that the narrator presents."

Can the narrator have limited knowledge of characters' thoughts and events?

"The narrator may have varied awareness of characters' thoughts and distant events."

What role does the author play in narration?

"The author themself as a character."

How does the narrator's awareness influence the storytelling?

"The narrator may merely relate the story to the audience without being involved in the plot."

How can multiple perspectives be included in a story?

"Some stories have multiple narrators to illustrate the storylines of various characters at various times, creating a story with a complex perspective."