Day 13 Assignment 13: Narrative Summary. Practice rewriting a previous scene using Narrative Summary.

So Narrative Summary is used to take you from one scene to the next, but it can also help move things along in a scene. You don’t have to explain everything that is happening that is where the Summary comes in. (that is my interpretation of what the Author in the book said…she used three or four pages to explain it). Admittedly I didn’t read it all. There were too many examples and it lost my attention. Ironic huh?

Anyway I’m going to try rewriting one of my scenes using Narrative Summary. I don’t think I really have a problem putting too much detail in and drawing scenes out. I like to keep things moving along or I lose interest and if I’m losing interest there is no way it will keep someone else’s attention.

But it is part of the ninety day challenge so I have to do it anyways…I’m really procrastinating this.

Alright well this isn’t working. So we are going to feign a scene.

Scene One No Narrative Summary. (obnoxious).

Anger bubbled up in me as I ran to the door in my socks, and quickly pulled on my rain boots. I struggled with the sticky dead bolt and twisted the brass door handle pulling hard to get the door open. Finally the old wooden and metal door jerked open and I fell on my butt. I stepped outside, took a deep breath and slammed the door shut behind me. I then proceeded to stomp down the front steps angrily.

Scene One Narrative Summary. (tolerable) So this would be cutting out the parts of the story that make it difficult to read.

Angrily, I stalked to the front door and pulled on my rain boots. I unlocked the sticky dead bolt and pulled on the heavy door until it jerked open tossing me back onto my butt. Embarrassed I slammed the door behind me and stomped down the steps.

Scene Two NO Narrative Summary (obnoxious)

The egg shell colored Kitchen felt tense as he stared at his daughter. She stood next to the oak breakfast table that was covered in delicious food for a healthy and wonderful breakfast. She clenched her trembling dainty hands with anger causing the ring on her small finger to dig into her palm, and forcing the little freckle on her finger to stand out. He slammed his right fist into the oak wood and refused to look at her. Instead he stared out the window at a cat resting under their picnic table staying dry from the persistent rain (which had been falling for the last week).

Scene Two Narrative Summary (tolerable) this would be how you would open your scene, every chapter or paragraph needs a transitional phrase (something I learned in 10^th grade) Narrative Summary is kind of like that. It sets up the scene and keeps the story flowing in a way that makes sense.

Tension filled the kitchen as she stared at her father. He stood silently on the other side of the heavily laden breakfast table. She clenched her trembling hands trying to control her anger. Her father suddenly slammed his fist on the table and refused to look at her. Instead he stared out the window at the persistent rain.

I know I switched from first person to third person, but you can kind of see how the two scenes would connect and flow together.

The result is this:
Tension filled the kitchen as she stared at her father. He stood silently on the other side of the heavily laden breakfast table. She clenched her trembling hands trying to control her anger. Her father suddenly slammed his fist on the table and refused to look at her. Instead he stared out the window at the persistent rain. Angrily, she stalked to the front door and pulled on her rain boots. She unlocked the sticky dead bolt and pulled on the heavy door until it jerked open tossing her back onto her butt. Embarrassed she slammed the door behind her and stomped down the steps into the rain.

I don't know if I did that well or not I was kind of irritated with this assignment and frustrated so I am just going to stick with this.

Day 13 Completed. X_X