Orientation

Orientations: their Purpose

• introduce the plot: what is happening
• indicate where the story is taking place – creating a sense of place and the time period
• introduce who is involved

They also create an atmosphere (and therefore feelings in the reader) and provide the reader with details
about what can be seen through the writer’s use of visual imagery and what can be heard through the writer
describing sounds or even silence.
They are short - a paragraph - their purpose is to engage the reader's interest through language and imagery.

Consider this example:

Mary sat on the bench trying to keep her melting ice cream from ruining her skirt. She'd been there, in the
sun, too long already. He wasn't coming. She'd been foolish to think he'd respond to her plea to meet. But
here she was sitting on the bench - waiting.

This orientation could be improved. By adding some description of place the reader gets a better idea about
where the character is. Underline what has been added about the place in the example below.

For example:
Mary sat on the shady wooden bench outside the library trying to keep her melting ice cream from ruining
her skirt. She'd been there, in the sun, too long already. He wasn't coming. She'd been foolish to think he'd
respond to her plea to meet. But here she was sitting on the bench - waiting.

Next, it can be improved by adding some adjectives and adverbs to create an atmosphere and feelings in the
reader - NOT too many because that would spoil the effect. Underline the adjectives and adverbs that create
atmosphere and feelings in the reader in this example.
For example:
Mary drooped forlornly on the shady wooden bench outside the library, desperately trying to keep her
melting ice cream from ruining her favourite red skirt. She'd been there, pacing, waiting impatiently in the
sunny courtyard before reluctantly escaping to the shade of the bench. She'd been there too long already,
fidgeting and looking up at every footfall and now was late to her next lesson, Music. He wasn't coming.
She'd been foolish to think he'd respond to her pathetic plea to meet. But here she was nervously sitting on
the bench- waiting.

Your turn
Add some description of place AND adjectives and adverbs to create atmosphere and feelings in the reader
in the following orientation so that it is clearer and more interesting to the reader.

John and Brad looked at one another. They had to act fast or they'd be trapped by the flames. Brad reached
for his backpack and put it on while John picked up their water bottles and placed them into his bag. Then
they heard the wind and felt the heat as flames moved from tree to tree above their heads. They had to go
now.