By Mike Klaassen
As do so many words in the English language, narration has more than one meaning. In its broadest context, narration encompasses all written fiction. More narrowly, narration is the fiction-writing mode whereby the narrator communicates directly to the reader.
Along with exposition, argumentation, and description, narration (broadly defined) is one of four rhetorical modes of discourse. In the context of rhetorical modes, the purpose of narration is to tell a story or to narrate an event or series of events. Narrative may exist in a variety of forms: biographies, anecdotes, short stories, novels. In this context, all written fiction may be viewed as narration. Other than as a means of gaining wide perspective, this definition of narration is of limited value to fiction writers.
Some writing experts describe fiction as having two modes: dialogue and narrative. Such a broad view of narrative may be technically correct, but it ignores the opportunities and challenges presented by more specific fiction-writing modes.
If the broad definition of narration includes all written fiction, and the narrow definition is limited merely to that which is directly communicated to the reader, then what comprises the rest of written fiction? The remainder of written fiction would be any of the other fiction-writing modes. Together with narration, there are eleven fiction-writing modes.[i]
Fiction-Writing Modes
(Arranged in order of the anagram D-A-N-C-E S-I-S-T-E-R):
- Description is the mode for portraying people, places, things, or concepts.
- Action is the mode for showing things happening, in detail, as they occur.
- Narration is the mode by which the narrator communicates directly with the reader.
- Conversation is the mode for presenting characters talking.
- Exposition is the mode of conveying information.
- Summarization is the mode of restating actions or events.
- Introspection is the mode for sharing a character’s thinking.
- Sensation is the mode for evoking the five senses, or maybe even six.
- Transition is the mode of moving from one place, time, or character to another.
- Emotion is the mode of conveying how a character feels.
- Recollection is the mode for revealing what a character remembers.
Narration as a fiction-writing mode plays a vital role in the craft of storytelling today. The skill with which narration is applied is an important aspect of an author’s style.
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Mike Klaassen is the author of Fiction-Writing Modes: Eleven Essential Tools for Bringing Your Story to Life, which is available for order at traditional and online bookstores. You may “Look Inside” the book at Amazon.com.
This article was adapted from an article published by Helium.com on January 20, 2009. Copyright 2009 and 2022 Michael John Klaassen. All rights reserved. You are welcome to share this article with others.
[i] Klaassen, Fiction-Writing Modes, 3. ISBN: 9781682221006.