Activities

1. Write dialogue to include in narrative writing.
   
   
2. Write descriptions to include in narrative writing.
   
   
3. Use pacing to develop narrative writing.

4. Construct meaningful, rich dialogue that works to develop the narrative’s experiences and/or events that shows the character’s responses to the situation.
   
   
5. Construct descriptions that incorporate other elements of the narrative such as characters, pacing, and plot line to improve the narrative.
   
   
6. Modify pacing of the storyline to most effectively foster the narrative.
   
   
7. Add additional narrative techniques such as dialogue, description, and pacing based on predictions of what readers might need upon reading the narrative writing.

8. Identify places in the narrative where dialogue works to richly enhance the narrative.
   
   
9. Analyze descriptions used in narrative writing and revise to add to narrative’s overall effectiveness.
   
   
10. Determine if pacing might be accelerated or slowed to more richly develop the narrative.
    
    
11. Critique and adjust order of events to assure most logical order.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Dialogue is written that fits appropriately in the narrative.  Dialogue should contribute in a meaningful way to the narrative.
   
   
2. Descriptions of events and situations in the narrative are constructed.
   
   
3. Writer appropriately paces the narrative to let the reader follow and engage in the narrative.
   
   
4. Dialogue that is included is meaningful, rich, and true to character.  When dialogue is included, it is a meaningful addition.  What the characters say in the dialogue contributes meaningfully to the narrative.
   
   
5. Descriptions that are included in the narrative contribute to develop experiences and events in significant ways.  They might further develop a character, work with the pacing, or improve the storyline.
   
   
6. The pacing of the narrative is constructed to contribute to the overall effectiveness of the writing.  A pace that is too fast and leaves the reader confused is slowed down and more details are provided.  Similarly a pace that is too slow is revised to move the story along faster.
   
   
7. Student predicts what the reader of the narrative might need to further tell the story and adds additional dialogue or description or adjusts pacing. This provides the writer a chance to consider another’s point of view and adjust and react accordingly.
   
   
8. Writer identifies and considers additional places within the narrative that additional dialogue could work to enhance the narrative.   Additional dialogue might be added to tell the narrative’s story in a more interesting way.
   
   
9. Writer analyzes descriptive passages used in the narrative and how they contribute to the overall effectiveness of the narrative.  The writer may choose to revise or remove current descriptive passages, or add additional description to develop the narrative.
   
   
10. Writer determines if the pacing of the story is effective in the development of the narrative.  The writer may decide to accelerate or slow down the pacing to more effectively develop the narrative.  Some events may be omitted, or some may be added to make the pacing more effective.
    
    
11. Writer considers other possible orders of events for the writing and continues using same order or adjusts order of events to best develop the narrative.  This might be a “what if” exercise that encourages the writer to try out other orders.