Because narration tells a story of “what happened,” it often uses chronological (time) order. Start at the beginning of the story, and describe the events in the sequence in which they occurred.
For more on chronological order, see “Chronological Order” in Chapter 3.
Time transitions (words and phrases like next and meanwhile) are important in narration because they make the order of events clear to readers. Writers of narration use these common transitions not only within a paragraph — to move from one detail about the event to the next — but also between paragraphs to move from one major event to the next.
For more on transitions, see “Revise for Coherence” in Chapter 4.
Common Time Transitions
| after | eventually | meanwhile | soon |
| as | finally | next | still |
| at last | first | now | then |
| before | last | second | when |
| during | later | since | while |
NARRATION AT A GLANCE
Introduction with thesis statement
Says what’s important about the experience
First major event
Details about the event
Second major event
Details about the event
Third major event
Details about the event
Conclusion
Reminds readers of the main point and makes an observation based on it