Table 1.

Basic concepts of narrative structure with examples of questions useful in exploring these concepts

Concept	Illustrative probing questions
Genre	What literary type (or genre) do you think this writing might be described as (e.g. prose, poetry, drama, obituary, prayer, diary entry, legal document, recipe, etc.)?
Narrator vs. author	Do we know who the author is? Who is the narrator?
Narration	Is the voice of the narrator in the 1st person (I), 2nd person (you), 3rd person (he/she/them)? What is the narrator’s status (e.g. powerful, expert, novice, victim, neutral, biased, involved, distant)? Does the narrator change during the course of the text? Are there multiple points of view (POV) expressed in the narration? Example: Is there a third-person omniscient POV? Is such a POV possible? How would you describe the visual lenses (or focalization) through which you are apprehending the events and characters in this narration?
Diction	Is it serious, grandiose, cold/impersonal, pleading, clinical, casual, etc.?
Time	When does this story occur? Is it in the past, present or future or a combination? How much time passes in the story? In what order are events described? Are there any flashbacks or flash-forwards?
Plot	What happens in this story? Can you recognize a type of story that this narrative may resemble? Have you been exposed to this theme before (e.g. story of quest, chaos, revenge, love, restitution?)
Images	What images are conjured up? What metaphors are used? What do you wonder about?
Feelings/emotions	What feelings are evoked in this text?
Gaps or ‘left out text’	What might be ‘missing’ from the text? Is there anything you want to know more about in this story?
Meaning	What meanings do you think the author is trying to convey in this story?

Note this table is based on The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative by H. Porter Abbott [18]