Narrative Text As A Means of Entertaining People

According to Wikipedia, a narrative (or play) is any account of connected events, presented to a reader or listener in a sequence of written or spoken words, or in a sequence of (moving) pictures. Dealing with text, it has more specific definition: a text to entertain the reader or listener.

The purpose of narrative text

Narrative text is aimed at entertaining, gaining, and holding a readers' interest. However narratives can also be written to teach or inform, to change attitudes/social opinions, for example soap operas and television dramas that are used to raise topical issues. A narrative sequences people/characters in time and place. It is different with recounts in that through the sequencing, the stories set up one or more problems, which must eventually find a way to be resolved.

Types of narratives

There are many types of narrative; they can be imaginary, factual or a combination of both. Some types of them are: fairy stories, mysteries, science fiction, romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, personal experience.

The features of the text 

Below are the features of this kind of text:

• Characters with defined personalities/identities.
• Dialogue often included - tense may change to the present or the future.
• Descriptive language to create images in the reader's mind and enhance the story.
• Generic Structure of Narrative Text

Generic structure in a text is a series of components building a text. The generic structure of narrative:

• Orientation: (Or it is the introduction) in which the characters, setting and time of the story established. This part of structure usually answers who? when? where? For example: The beast was looking for his friends next to the forest last night.
• Complication or problem: It is where the problem developed or arised. It usually involves the main character(s) (often mirroring the complications in real life).
• Resolution: There needs to be a resolution of the complication. It is here the problem is solved (over). The complication may be resolved for better or worse/happily or unhappily. Sometimes there are a number of complications that have to be resolved. 

In helping you as to write narrative text, you could use this pattern:

• Plot: It introduce what is going to happen?
• Setting: Where will the story take place? When will the story take place?
• Characterization: Who are the main characters? What do they look like?
• Structure: How will the story begin? What will be the problem? How is the problem going to be resolved?
• Theme: What is the theme / message the writer is attempting to communicate?

Language Features 

Language features are the diction, tenses, and some other aspects of language used. The language features of the narrative text are as follow:

• Action verbs: They provide interest to the writing. For example, instead of "The old woman was in her way", try this one "The old woman barred her path". Instead of "She laughed" try "She cackled."
• Written in the first person (I, we) or the third person (he, she, they).
• Usually past tense.
• Connectives, linking words to do with time.
• Specific nouns: Strong nouns have more specific meanings, for instance, oak as opposed to tree.
• Active nouns: Make nouns actually do something, such as this: "It was raining" could become "Rain splashed down" or "There was a large cabinet in the lounge" could become "A large cabinet seemed to fill the lounge."
• Careful use of adjectives and adverbs: Writing needs judicious use of adjectives and adverbs to bring it alive, qualify the action and provide description and information for the reader.
• Use of the senses: Where appropriate, the senses can be used to describe and develop the experiences, setting and character: What does it smell like?; What can be heard?; What can be seen - details?; What does it taste like?; What does it feel like?

Well, if you have understood the concept of a narrative text, could you find one as your own example? You could, of course.