I was reluctant to begin this segment because first of all, there is no way I could discover the thousands of narrative styles out there, but I figured the best way to start is by first talking about the different narrative styles I have used, and then adding more to this segment in the future once I discover others.

When I talk about narrative styles, I do not mean to discuss point of views like first person, second person, and third person, although when taken at face value, that is exactly what this term means. Rather, I want to discuss that there are many different ways to write stories. How the reader takes your story depends on how you, the author, write it.

So far I have used three different narrative styles. I'm not sure how to label these so for now I'll just call them the following:

• Emphasis on emotion
• Emphasis on the setting
• Emphasis on the interactions

Epmhasis on emotion applies to my stories such as Zelo's Story and The Words to Speak.

Emphasis on the setting applies to my stories such as Silver Heart and Double-Edged.

Emphasis on the interactions applies to my stories such as The Contract and Cupid's Match.

Emphasis on Emotion

To me, emphasizing the emotion makes the story that much more personal. In order to make it relatable, I try to highlight the main character's opinions and feelings by describing them in detail and by writing down exactly what I think they would think in a certain situation. 

In Zelo's Story, my writing style was very much affected by Stephen Chobsky's Perks of Being A Wallflower. The way he wrote that story was so personal and so captivating that I found myself feeling everything the main character felt. I understood him, even if I had never been through what he had been through. It was this level of connection that inspired me to write Zelo's Story in a similar style by putting myself in Zelo's shoes and asking, "Who am I? What have I done? What will I do?" If you're going to pursue this style, make sure you contemplate your character's personality through and through. If you don't, the emotions you portray could be confusing to the reader if you yourself do not understand who the main character is.

"She seems lonely now. She seems lonely, even when she’s in a group of people who love her, even when the teacher is talking to her and she’s nodding her head like she understands. She seems lonely, and sad, and just so vulnerable, and I don’t know why she looks like that, because she’s never looked like that before. Even if she pretended to smile, there was still a sparkle, a light in her eyes. But now, there’s no sparkle. There’s no light. Her irises are dull. There’s nothing but gray, gray, gray - the color of rain, the color of angry clouds, the color of insipid dew - in her eyes." (Excerpt from Zelo's Story)

Through this paragraph I have stated that Zelo is insightful, observant, concerned, and curious. It's okay to repeat things in your stories (gray, gray, gray), even if it goes against grammar rules. That's fine. There are times when you have to break the rules in order to convey your story the way you want to.

"I know she’s trying. I know she’s trying to make me feel good about being here, but it’s not working, and I just want her to shut up.

And I know I’m being selfish and rude for thinking that constantly. But I can’t stop myself.

I can’t stop a lot of things. Like how I couldn’t stop myself from having to move here. Or how I couldn’t stop my mom from dying.

I sort of hate myself for that." (Excerpt from TWTS)

Here I'm trying to make the reader understand that the main character's point of view is not a happy view. She hates herself. She despises herself. She has regrets. She wishes she could change the past. She knows she's thinking all these awful things, but she thinks she's helpless. I wrote her thoughts out like that not to gain sympathy, but to gain a reaction. I don't care if the readers initially hate the main character. What matters is that from the getgo, they understand who she is, and by understanding who she is, the readers can also understand why she does certain things. And once she changes, the reader's mind can change, too.

Emphasis on the Setting

When I want my readers to really see the things I'm talking about, I like to describe what is going on in a certain situation. 

“What’s that?” I ask as I peer around the doorframe. He points to a shape in the distance. I see a perfect snowman, each circle shaped precisely. It lacks eyes, a nose, and a mouth, but its charm lies in its empty canvas, a portrait free for anyone to design and interpret.

“It’s a three-snowball structure,” he proudly presents to me.

“It’s called a snowman,” I correct him. (Excerpt from SH)

Not a perfect example, but I will use it. Here I showed the readers how Emer, the main character, saw the snowman, and how Luhan saw the snowman. To Emer, it was a perfect creation, and while it lacked the normal parts a snowman should have, she knew what it was and saw it as a blank slate free for anyone to use. To Luhan, the snowman was simply three snowballs on top of each other. Because he didn't know what it was called, that was how he saw it.

For those of you who have read SH, I'm not sure if you noticed, but in the beginning I made sure to scarcely use emotion in any of Luhan's thoughts. This is because I wanted to be very careful with his point of view. As a robot, he shouldn't have feelings, but later, that fact becomes more obvious. Also, I made his thoughts very clipped and very straight to the point. There was no second guessing until later.

"My entire being is sore and screaming with excruciating pain. Never before did I think I would feel what I feel right now. Blood is all over me, but I can’t see it; it blends with the black of the night and the black of my clothes. There isn’t enough light to distinguish the beginning or the end of each color. I cough, and dark liquid spills out." (Excerpt from Double-Edged)

With this paragraph I wanted to show the readers how dark it was that night, so much so that Tao couldn't even see his pain. I wanted the readers to picture a boy, alone and lost in the dark, a pool of blood around him but with no consciousness of how much there was or what it looked like. His surroundings were dark, his blood was dark, and his mind, as it waved back and forth between death and life, was dark, too. 

In Double-Edged, I've also been very careful with how Tao thinks. I wanted Tao to be assertive. He's a guy with a tough outer shell, but inside, he's sensitive to people, but chooses to ignore them because he is afraid of hurting them. I wanted him to be someone who always assumes and never asks questions. I don't know if you have noticed this - for the people who are reading DE - but Tao doesn't ask questions, whether it be in his thoughts or vocally. The only time he has asked questions is when he feels helpless and weak. It is during those situations that he cannot simply assume things to be the way they are.

Emphasis on the Interactions

I usually do this for my romantic comedies. I like to put more emphasis on the couple's words and interactions. Romantic comedy is filled with that - witty words and flirtatious actions. So when I want the mood to be more light-hearted and comedic, this is where my priorities lie.

“It’s their own fault if they let their imagination run away,” you tell him, “not yours.”

“And I’m tired of saying no,” he continues.

“So say yes for once.”

“No,” he complains.

“You just said no. I thought you were tired of saying no.”

“You’re really frustrating, you know that?” (Excerpt from The Contract)

Sometimes I'll take a step back from describing feelings and surroundings and focus more on the conversation, like here. If you want a reader to learn more about the character through their actions rather than words, then focus more on their conversations with other people, how they reply, and how they act. You can keep it simple, too, to make the conversation seem fast-paced. You don't always have to put "he said" or "she said", etc. To make it seem like quick bantering, ignore those entirely.

Here's another example: 

Striving not to take him too seriously, I inquire, “Then … you basically pair people up in your spare time?”

He pouts. “It sounds like a vice if you say it like that.”

“I mean, why do you do it?”

“I think it’s a good thing to help people be with the person they like.”

“But what if they’re not meant to be? What if it ends badly?”

“But you won’t know until you try, right?” He remarks. “And wouldn’t it be better to have an end after starting, rather than having it end without it ever beginning?” (Excerpt from Cupid's Match)

-----

Remember, there are so many kinds of other narrative styles, I simply haven't written in them yet. And I am not at all saying that my writing style is superior, because it certainly isn't. I can only explain to you what I know, so I used my stories as examples. Also, I am not saying that you should stick to one style - mix them up! In Cupid's Match, I tried to emphasize both the conversations and the thoughts of each character. Emphasize the parts you feel is important. If you feel that at a particular time in your story, the surroundings are significant, describe them. If you feel that the people in that situation are more important, forget the setting. You don't have to describe everything. Know what's important, and highlight those things. 

I'm not perfect guys. My older stories , for real. But you learn through experiences, so don't be afraid to mess up. 

Later! You're all fabulous!