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Narrative Writing Workshop

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Narrative Writing Workshop

Plan, draft and improve a short narrative set on a ferry trip. Use the mini-story and tasks to explore how writers build tension. Your own story can take a different direction.

Read: The last crossing

The ferry gave a low shudder as it left the harbour. Keira pressed her forehead to the window and watched the lights of Wellington shrink behind them. Across the aisle, Wiremu was trying to keep a paper cup upright on the tilting table. Arjun grinned. “Smooth sailing,” he said, just as the cup slid into Wiremu’s lap. A sharp chime sounded. The lights flickered once, then steadied. Over the speaker, a calm voice asked passengers to remain seated while the crew checked a sensor. Keira noticed that the deckhand by the stairs had stopped smiling. He looked towards the dark water and spoke quietly into his radio. Then came three knocks from somewhere below the floor. The ferry seemed to hold its breath. Wiremu lowered his cup. Arjun’s grin disappeared. Keira stood, but the deckhand raised a hand. “Stay here,” he said. “I’ll find out what that was.” A minute passed. Then another. When the deckhand returned, he was carrying a small orange life jacket. “It came loose in the storage area,” he explained. “Nothing is wrong with the ferry.” The tension drained from the aisle. Arjun let out a laugh, and Wiremu rescued the cup. Outside, the lights of the South Island appeared between the clouds.

1.Identify the story’s setting. Include both where it takes place and a detail that suggests when or what conditions are present.

2.Which event first changes the mood from playful to uneasy? Choose one.

Wiremu spills his drink.
The lights flicker and an announcement mentions a sensor check.
The South Island lights appear.
Arjun tells a joke.

3.Find one detail that creates suspense before the explanation is revealed. Explain how it makes the reader feel.

4.True or false: The story resolves its main uncertainty when the deckhand explains the knocks.

5.Rewrite “The ferry moved” to make the movement vivid and suggest the passengers’ discomfort. Use a strong verb and one precise detail.

6.The writer uses the sentence “The ferry seemed to hold its breath.” What technique is this, and what effect does it create?

Plan your own ferry-trip narrative

Build a story with a clear beginning, rising tension, turning point and resolution. Your main character might be a passenger, crew member or someone waiting at the terminal.

7.Create a story plan. State your main character and what they want, the ferry setting, the problem, two events that increase tension, and how the problem is resolved.

8.Write one line of dialogue that reveals how your character feels without naming the emotion. Add a brief action or gesture to show it.

9.Draft your narrative in 2–3 paragraphs. Include a distinct opening, rising tension, a turning point, a resolution, sensory detail and at least one line of dialogue.

10.Edit your draft: choose one sentence to improve by replacing a vague word with a more precise one, then explain why the new word works better.