ABSTRACT
One of the most striking differences between the texts created by boys and girls is that boys’ narratives tend to take the form of an undeveloped sequence of events. In these pieces, the movement of the storyline is typically signaled by “then...then...then.” Skilled writers, by contrast, possess various techniques to make their stories and characters come alive by evoking images, impressions, and recollections of real or imagined events. They use these techniques not only to convey “what happened,” but also what characters think and feel and how they interact with each other, creating stories that are richer and more meaningful. Three essential techniques include descriptive detail, dialogue, and reflection (what writer Barry Lane in After the End [1993] calls “thoughtshots”).
