A, B, C’s of Style for a Personal Narrative ADDING AUTHOR’S VOICE BUILDING TONE CREATING MOOD

Author’s voice is the author's style, the quality that makes his or her writing unique, and which conveys the author's attitude, personality, and character… (Wiehardt) "Tone in writing refers to the writer's attitude toward the reader and the subject of the message. The overall tone of a written message affects the reader…" (Ober 88). Mood in writing is defined as the climate of feeling in a literary work – that choices in setting, objects, details, imagery and words all contribute to creating (Bokesch, Ed.).

Author’s voice – who the author is Tone –how the writer feels and his/her attitude toward the reader and the subject of the message Mood –how the author wants the reader to feel

A, B, C WORKSHOP

Narrative Organization It’s fairly obvious to say that how the narrator tells the story affects the tone and mood. In terms of organization, the narrative mode has a very broad range of the ways it can be told. Sensibly, the most obvious is chronological order. However, creatively speaking, it is not always the most effective way. Students are also very familiar with techniques such as flashbacks/forwards used throughout the story or starting where the story ends in a circular method. But there is no “right way.” However, we all can agree that “grabbing the reader” is still necessary.

Narrative Organization: LEADS OPENING GRABBER (LEADS) IDEAS: Statement Action Imagery Dialogue Lead

Narrative Organization: LEADS  STATEMENT: start with meaningful, reflective narration or statements (Example: Most kids approach their first day of school with nervousness. I was no different…)  ACTION: jump into the action of the story. (Example: I began falling, rapidly falling.) *Consider breaking chronological order (maybe by telling the outcome right away) so include an appropriate transition sentence at end of paragraph one: It was then that I… / I remember this clearly because…/I remember my mom calling out…/ I always look back on this moment because…/This incident began my…)  IMAGERY: the sensory details to put the reader there *Be careful as this requires careful planning and solid use of transitions  DIALOGUE: jump into dialogue that is attention getting (Examples: “What did you say?”/ “Watch out!” /”Did you find it yet?”)

Narrative Organization: LEADS Your task… is to compose two different leads for the story topic that you have chosen. Yes, you are to write the same story lead two different ways. This will allow you to consider which is more effective for your particular story, as you consider the effectiveness of creating mood, tone, and voice.

Narrative Organization: LEADS After reading the lead examples… Which lead was your favorite? Did a certain lead type stand out as more “grabbing”? How do your leads stack up? What was the feedback from others?

Narrative Organization: the story  Focus on exploding the moment but set up the event. You can see this in focus and content.  Transitions! This is significant for any blueprint that breaks chronological order.  Verb tense? No “right” tense, but it has to work.  Make sure to be attentive to rubric –this is what we’ll do this week.

A, B, C WORKSHOP

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Dialogue: Reveals character, especially by using words to describe HOW they spoke (murmur, shout, advise, droned, consoled). Avoid the word “said”. It can also show character and/or tone by using slang, informal grammar, and/or dialect. Keeps the action moving. Don’t just tell the reader what happened, show them through a combo of narration and dialogue. Shows relationships Example: If a character speaks gently to another, it shows a tender relationship; characters who interrupt or speak harshly demonstrate a different relationship.

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Punctuating Dialogue:  He screamed, “This is the best book I’ve ever read!”  “This is the best book I’ve ever read,” he responded.  “This,” he interrupted, “is the best book I’ve ever read.” How about these: Did you say The test will be Friday? Joey said I heard Mr. Hepler say Your test is tomorrow. That is really soon!

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Sensory detail (five senses) Creating images of a scene/event/moment in a reader’s head by listing the  SEE  HEAR  FEEL/TOUCH  TASTE  SMELL Think of a moment at the beach. Can you picture sixty seconds of one moment from that experience and its sensory details: see, hear, feel, taste, smell. This is not about what happened, just where you are and what is around you.

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Sensory detail (five senses) waves crashing… hot sand… kids laughing… the white foam advancing then retreating, playing some sort of game with the little children building sandcastles the baking granules that were glistening in the sun’s rays the sound of happiness colored with pure innocence grew louder as the birds flew closer

Narrative Workshop: language tools Can you (with the help of your seat partner) create examples of these “basic” techniques of figurative language that are a way to be “advanced”? personificationonomatopoeiamagic 3 simile hyperboleapostrophe metaphoralliterationidiom

personification: giving inanimate objects (or abstract concepts) animate or living qualities Example: “Time let me play / and be golden in the mercy of his means” simile: comparison between two essentially unlike things using words such as “like,” “as," or “as though” Example: “My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” metaphor: comparison between essentially unlike things but through a direct labeling of something to which it is not literally applicable –often developed more than a simile Example: “[Love] is an ever fixed mark, / that looks on tempests and is never shaken.” onomatopoeia: the use of words to imitate the sounds they describe Example: “crack” or “whir” hyperbole: exaggeration for emphasis that is not to be taken literally Example: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds, particularly at the beginning of words. *alliteration is NEVER repetition of vowel sounds. Example: Matt made the most of the moment and captured the images on his cell phone. magic 3: the “poetic” expression in groups of 3 Example: eat, sleep, and drink; stop, drop, and roll apostrophe: addressing someone or something that is not present or ordinarily talked to Example: “Oh, slice of pizza, you taunt me and my diet!” idiom: an expression that holds a literal and figurative meaning that is culturally understood Example: It’s raining cats and dogs; you drive me up a wall.

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Diction (word choice) is maybe the most simple way to help establish author voice and create mood/tone within writing. But how?

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Diction can be something as simple as creating a poetic nature: alliteration, assonance, consonance.

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds, particularly at the beginning of words. *Note that alliteration is NEVER repetition of vowel sounds. Example: “... like a wanderer white” assonance: the repetition of similar vowel sounds. Example: "I rose and told him of my woe" consonance: the repetition of similar consonant sounds at the end of a word. Example: “think-blank” or “whose-woods”

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Dynamic action verbs Not only do they help move/show the action, the more dynamic and detailed the verbs the better they help create mood Ex: I was nervous. She stole quick, frequent glances at the clock, pacing the lengths of the hallway. I cried after my beloved fish was flushed. bawled/ blubbered/ sobbed/ teared up/ whined/wailed/groaned

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Formality of the mode and audience Also, choose based on formal (research/analysis/essay) or informal (narrative) Ex: cowardly GutlessPoltroon CravenChicken YellowPusillanimous Connotation : negative versus positive Ex: place these in order from most positive to least positive thin versus emaciated versus gaunt versus skinny versus slim versus slender

A, B, C’s for a Personal Narrative Sentence structure : while it’s not exactly diction, sentence length (short or long) can impact style Ex: I saw his face. He was pale and lifeless. It was obvious. He was dying. the slow pacing and pauses = emotionally dramatic tone/mood. versus He proceeded to go through other moments in my life, but I could scarcely hear them through the ringing in my ears and my futile attempts to hold back tears the wordiness and limited pausing = more thoughtful, rushed, overwhelmed tone/mood