Teaching Narative Writing

I don't recall ever being assigned to write a narrative story. It seems as though I must have, but I always struggled if I had tried to write one myself for my own enjoyment. I had ideas but could never get them on paper. Jago's short exercises really made sense for me to think of character and setting details and to write them down.

If they helped me, I think they would really be able to help students. I have always worried that I am loosing my imagination and that you are most creative when you are a child. I know I haven't really lost my imagination but it does need some prompting and inspiration. Students may need these prompts too.

I thought that the short exercises would work as great warm-ups in a classroom. Simply developing on a character and setting. The prompts for different characters and the smells for setting are just enough of an inspiration to get the students thinking outside their own experiences. It is difficult to come up with a story out of no where, but when given character scenarios one can imagine and write a unique story.

I also liked how Jago wants the students to think of themselves as characters for writing a college essay, and to focus on detail and depth. Working on these exercises previously would help them in their writing style.