Academic Reading, Writing, and Speaking

Key features of literacy narratives

A-95
A well-told narrative shows readers what happened and why it matters. Lively details present the sights, sounds, and smells of the world in which the story takes place. Dialogue and action add interest and energy.
Using specific details

Writing descriptions

Using examples and illustrations
A main idea or insight about reading or writing, sometimes written as a thesis statement, gives a literacy narrative its significance and transforms it from a personal story to one with larger, universal interest.
What makes an effective thesis statement

Effective thesis for a literacy narrative

Drafting a working thesis

Putting your working thesis to the “So what?” test
A well-organized narrative, like all essays, has a beginning, a middle, and an end and is focused around a thesis or main idea. Narratives can be written in chronological order, in reverse chronological order, or with a series of flashbacks.
Informal outlines

Formal outlines
First-person point of view (I) gives a narrative immediacy and authenticity. Your voice may be serious or humorous, but it should be appropriate for your main idea.

NOTE: Sometimes, especially with narrative writing, it is not possible or necessary to express a central idea in an explicit thesis statement. See Writing with an implicit thesis.