Back to feed
Planning Notes·핏과 결에 대한 소고

What Is a 'Narrative'?

NS
normalstory
cover image

A narrative doesn't explain what's happening — it reproduces the situation as it is. That is, it doesn't tell; it shows. Unlike a straight news piece that suddenly reports a fire, a narrative reveals — through plot — the lead-up to the fire, the conflicts people went through, and so on.

In other words, by 'exposing the whole arc of an event's birth, development, climax, and resolution (or breakdown),' it builds up a visual effect — a story you watch rather than read. Like a film, a plot lets you look at characters, events, and space from multiple angles.

But what separates a narrative piece from fiction is that fiction's plot is made up, while a narrative's plot is factual. What they share, on the other hand, is that both pursue enjoyment. That's where the real value of narrative sits: delivering fact while staying compelling.

This English version was translated by Claude.

친절한 찰쓰씨
Written by
친절한 찰쓰씨

Pleasant Charles — UI/UX researcher at AIT. Keeping notes on design, planning, and slow days here since 2010.

More on the author's page

Keep reading

Planning Notes

May 26, 2026·1 min
Planning Notes

Turning AI’s Decisions into Real-World Action

May 24, 2026·2 min
Planning Notes

The two unchanging principles of vibe coding

Apr 12, 2026·3 min