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Narrative structure in fiction refers to how a story is ordered and shaped. Cliff-hangers, plot twists, dramatic beginnings, endings which explain absolutely everything, stories that start (or end) with a bang – these are all choices a writer can make when they decide how to shape and order their story.

Two of the most important choices are:

• how to order the events in a story
• who is telling the story

For example, the events in a story may be ordered in a very logical, linear way or a non-linear way where the story jumps around in time – perhaps starting in the middle of the story or jumping into the past or future.

A story may also be told from different narrative perspectives so we may see the story through the eyes of only one character or look down on the whole story knowing everything all the characters are doing, feeling and saying.

Writers structure their stories by choosing the sequence in which narrative elements will be revealed to the reader.

A linear or chronological structure is where the story is told in the order it happens. With a chronological or linear structure, the reader finds out what happens in the ‘correct’ order – this can lead the reader through events clearly. It may not be the most interesting way to tell a story, though. You could use a non-linear structure where flashbacks show the reader a past event, gradually revealing details that have an impact on the plot.

In The Woman in Black by Susan Hill the narrator moves through different time periods to tell the story. This structure is used by Hill to build tension, as the narrator at the start knows how the story will unfold and can flash back and flash forward to control the reader’s knowledge. A non-linear story could begin at any point – somewhere in the middle, at the climax, or even at the end.

Both linear and non-linear structures are influenced by the narrator’s point of view.

In a circular narrative, the last section (or even just the last line) of a piece of writing takes you back to the beginning. For example, in the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is whisked away from her home by a tornado and eventually, after a series of adventures, returns home – a place she now truly appreciates. Here the circular narrative creates a neat, happy ending, but it can equally be used to disturbing effect.

A circular ending is often used by writers to create a contrast between what was happening at the beginning and what was happening at the end – perhaps nothing has changed, perhaps it has changed for the better, or, worse. For example, in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the novel ends as it began, with the animals on the farm being treated badly by a cruel leader. At the beginning it was the farmer and at the end it was a fellow animal – which seems even worse!

Why is this a circular narrative?

Narrative perspective is the point of view from which the story is told. There are two that are the most common in fiction.

First-person perspective

First-person perspective is where a character from the story tells the story. This involves using ‘I’ or ‘we’ in the narration. The advantage of this structure is that the reader can empathise and identify with the narrator – sometimes it can feel as if we become them. Using first-person perspective, a writer can choose to limit or reveal information based on what the character does or doesn’t know. This can be very effective in creating mystery and suspense.

In Blade: Playing Dead, Tim Bowler uses a first-person perspective to help the reader understand the narrator’s point of view:

You probably want to know my name. Well, that's a bit of a problem. I got loads. But, there is one name I like. Everybody called me it in the old days. No one does now cos no one in this city knows it. And that's fine. I don't like to remember. But, I do like the name. You can use it if you want. BLADE.

Third-person perspective

Third-person perspective is where the story is told about the characters. Using third-person perspective often means the reader can picture the whole scene as though it is being told through the eyes of an outsider. It uses ‘he’ or ‘she’ or ‘they’ to tell the story. Third-person perspective views events from the outside in. It allows the writer to follow whichever character they choose. The advantage of this is that the narrator is separated from the action and can reveal to the reader what any, or all, of the characters are thinking.

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding describes two of his characters in the first chapter:

Ralph disentangled himself cautiously and stole away through the branches. In a few seconds the fat boy's grunts were behind him and he was hurrying toward the screen that still lay between him and the lagoon. He climbed over a broken trunk and was out of the jungle.

Here, third-person perspective enables the reader to get an idea about the characteristics and appearance of both characters – Ralph and the ‘fat boy’, Piggy.

Writers use tension to keep a reader’s interest and keep the plot moving. Tension can be created effectively by building up suspense. As a writer you need to think about how to structure your story to build up this tension. There are several ways to do this, including:

• Starting in the middle of the action – for example, a dramatic moment like a fight, an accident, an explosion, which only begins to be explained after the reader has lived through the action first.

• Keeping some information back or only hinting at information – for example, only later revealing crucial information (like your hero is in fact a ghost!) or starting with vague description (‘a figure appeared’ rather than telling us straightaway it was Hettie the nosy neighbour).

• Creating a plot twist – for example, something unexpected happens at the end or, even better, something unexpected happens but you’ve already given hints in the story (a technique called foreshadowing).

• Using a cliff-hanger – for example, leaving the reader on the edge of their seat at the end of a chapter, desperate to find out what happened next.

Which is false?

Remember

When planning and writing a story think about the order in which events will be revealed to the reader, as well as the perspective from which the story is told. Experiment with linear and non-linear structures, and with first-and third-person perspectives.

What kind of narrative voice will you create? Where will you begin the story in order to hook your reader? Notice how other writers build their stories.

There is no single right way to tell a story.