Narrative Storytelling Techniques
- The narrator or storyteller should clearly organize the structure of the narrative to make sure the order of events follows either in a sequential or in a nonsequential order. To make a good structure, the events which are not significant to the listener are usually eliminated and more emphasis is given to the important points. By structuring the story, the narrator is able to allocate time to each event and ensure that the audience understands the narrative.
- The narrative should be presented to the audience either from a first person perspective, where the narrator gives the story from one of the characters' point of view, or from a third person perspective. In the second case, the narrator narrates the story as an observer to the happenings of the events as they unfold. The narrator can also give the story from multiple points of view if he wants to make it more interesting.
- Omniscient narrative is the ability of the narrator to understand all aspects of the story and characters. The narrator delves into the thoughts and actions of all of the characters and presents them from a broad perspective. The omniscient narrator can reorder the chronological events of the story because of his broad understanding of the characters and events.
- Another important technique is the development of characters. The narrator should create characters that are easily memorable to the audience. This involves creating different character styles. Every story usually has a hero (protagonist) and a villain (antagonist), for example. How easily the narrator is able to create these different characters determines whether the audience relates with them easily, thus making the narrative more interesting.
- The conflict which arises between the protagonist and the antagonist must be created effectively to make the story more interesting. The narrator should introduce problems within the narrative which force the audience to think about what will happen next. This creates suspense and makes the audience more attentive and interested in the story.