How can you use narrative structure to explore the past, present, and future in your writing?

Narrative structure is the way you organize and present the events, characters, and themes of your story. It can help you create engaging and meaningful narratives that connect with your readers and convey your message. In this article, you will learn how you can use narrative structure to explore the past, present, and future in your writing.

1 What is narrative structure?

Narrative structure is the framework that shapes your story. It consists of elements such as plot, point of view, setting, theme, tone, and style. Narrative structure can be linear, nonlinear, circular, or experimental, depending on how you arrange the sequence, duration, frequency, and order of the events in your story. Narrative structure can also vary depending on the genre, purpose, and audience of your writing.

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Joel John V.

I write COPY, plan MAILS and tell STORIES at Zebra48
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I always begin with a narrative skeleton before I start writing my stories. Best tool for this is excel. Yes. You heard that right. MS Excel, Google Sheets or even WPS Spreadsheet is enough for the job. I would begin writing the base plot of main characters from their POV. They are written in less than 5-6 points for each characters. Then the overall narrative structure. This way, I can cross-reference things. I literally gave away the answer to the whole article but I will try to explain it further below.

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2 Why is narrative structure important?

Narrative structure is important because it affects how your readers perceive and interpret your story. It can help you establish the context, conflict, and resolution of your story, as well as the emotional impact and significance of your message. Narrative structure can also help you create suspense, surprise, curiosity, and empathy in your readers, as well as guide them through the logic and coherence of your story.

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Joel John V.

I write COPY, plan MAILS and tell STORIES at Zebra48
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Sure, Stephen King doesn't do that. He just writes. But he's a really good writer. And for people who are starting out or have trouble with their thoughts or are not full-time writers, then you should definitely utilise this structure before proceeding with the first draft. It helps give you an idea of what's going to happen next, and how much you should write for this current chapter/event/moment, and even helps hugely to pace your narration.

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3 How to use narrative structure to explore the past?

One way to use narrative structure to explore the past is to use flashbacks. Flashbacks are scenes that interrupt the present action of your story to show something that happened in the past. Flashbacks can help you reveal the background, motivation, or secrets of your characters, as well as create contrast, irony, or foreshadowing in your story. Flashbacks can also help you show how the past influences the present and the future of your story.

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Sifon Umoh

SEO Blog Writer| Editor|I create SEO content that places you at the top of search results| Storyteller| Creative writer| Author
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Flashbacks deepen a narrative. It helps you fill in missing details so your readers can fully understand the story. It also helps to: 👉 Enhance the character development 👉 Create foreshadowing. 👉 Create revelation. 👉 Provide emotional depth 👉 Build structural variation.

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4 How to use narrative structure to explore the present?

One way to use narrative structure to explore the present is to use dialogue. Dialogue is the conversation between your characters in your story. Dialogue can help you show the personality, emotions, and relationships of your characters, as well as the conflict, tension, or humor in your story. Dialogue can also help you advance the plot, reveal information, or express your theme in your story.

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Joel John V.

I write COPY, plan MAILS and tell STORIES at Zebra48
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This should be your core plot-line, and the weightage of content should be more on this (personally, I would say, anywhere close to minimum 80% of the plot should be in the present)

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5 How to use narrative structure to explore the future?

One way to use narrative structure to explore the future is to use foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is the hint or clue that suggests what will happen later in your story. Foreshadowing can help you create anticipation, suspense, or dread in your readers, as well as prepare them for the outcome, twist, or resolution of your story. Foreshadowing can also help you establish the cause and effect, or the moral and ethical implications of your story.

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Joel John V.

I write COPY, plan MAILS and tell STORIES at Zebra48
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This should have the lesser weightage (with respective to the content) when writing a narration with past, present and future. Past: 12-15% Present: 80% Future: 8-5%

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6 How to choose the best narrative structure for your writing?

There is no one best narrative structure for your writing. The best narrative structure depends on your goals, genre, and audience. You should choose the narrative structure that suits your story, message, and style. You should also experiment with different narrative structures and see how they affect your writing. You can use tools such as outlines, diagrams, or templates to help you plan and organize your narrative structure.

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Joel John V.

I write COPY, plan MAILS and tell STORIES at Zebra48
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No rules here, my dear fellow being. Just make sure you weigh in the core idea of the story you are about to create. If it's something that's fast paced, jumping between different times may not be the best idea. But look at the "BODIES" series on Netflix. They jump between multiple timelines (decades and centuries) even though it's a suspense-crime genre—it's called experience and skill, and should not be performed by amateurs. So stick to the basics. Break the rules subtly.

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Sifon Umoh

SEO Blog Writer| Editor|I create SEO content that places you at the top of search results| Storyteller| Creative writer| Author
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Storytelling is not a one-size-fits-all process. Usually, the best advice is to let it flow. Your story doesn't have to be in a linear structure. It can be a wavy path. Just ensure that you achieve clarity because that is the purpose of structures. You can also infuse past, present, and future into one write-up. But it must fit the genre and your audience.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How can you use narrative structure to explore the past, present, and future in your writing?

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1 What is narrative structure?

2 Why is narrative structure important?

3 How to use narrative structure to explore the past?

4 How to use narrative structure to explore the present?

5 How to use narrative structure to explore the future?

6 How to choose the best narrative structure for your writing?

7 Here’s what else to consider

Writing

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How can you use narrative structure to explore the past, present, and future in your writing?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 What is narrative structure?

2 Why is narrative structure important?

3 How to use narrative structure to explore the past?

4 How to use narrative structure to explore the present?

5 How to use narrative structure to explore the future?

6 How to choose the best narrative structure for your writing?

7 Here’s what else to consider

Writing

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