You need to be aware of how writers create particular effects and how the structure of a text affects meaning and genre. All sorts of things contribute to the way a story is told and this has an effect on the reader too.

• You might consider:
• What type of text is it? E.g. poem, play, prose
• Who is the narrator?
• Which person is the story told in?
• Are the events in chronological order? If not, why not? And which order are they in?
• If it is a poem, does it rhyme?
• Is there a particular rhythm it follows?
• If it is a play, how are stage directions used?
• How is dialogue used?
• What do you know about the characters and how did you find that out?

Once you have answered these questions about a text you have several points you can make in your exam or coursework. The most important thing is that you can give examples of these points from the text and you can explain what effect they might have and how they relate to the themes being explored -essentially, why has the author chosen to do that?