The second workshop in the Communications Lab’s spring writing workshop series will be held at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13 in CU2.

“Telling Your Story: Writing a Narrative” and will cover the topic of writing narrative essays.

“Whether they are in English Comp I or Comp II, students will have to write an essay where they make a claim and then they support with a personal experience or write about an experience that changed their lives,” Lydia Rucker, Communications Lab assistant, said. “That is a narrative.”

Rucker explained that narratives differ from most college writing.

“Narratives have a different structure from other essays,” Rucker said, “A narrative tells a story.”

Rucker explained the kinds of topics narratives cover by quoting Sylvia Plath.

“Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise,” Rucker said.

She explained how part of the workshop focuses on finding individual moments to focus on, par on dialogue and details, part on the structure of a narrative and then the benefits of the workshop.

“Students can come in with ideas and leave with a good hook starter, and plot outline,” Rucker said. “I think it will help with attention to detail on other essays.

“There is a tendency to be vague in essays. In narrative writing it’s more of a detail based skill. When you learn it your writing will be more concrete.”

For more information about the writing series contact the Communications Lab at 405-682-1611, ext. 7678.

To contact Mike Wormley, email staffwriter4@occc.edu.