There have probably been millions of paragraphs written about walking through the woods on a summer's day, and most of them have been very boring indeed. A handful of writers have been able to make such passages memorable: for example, Henry David Thoreau, Robert Frost, and Bill Bryson, to name just three. These writers did not simply talk about sunlight coming through the leaves, crackling twigs, or birdsong. Thoreau brought his unique individualist philosophy to his descriptions of the woods. Frost brought drama and a wry appreciation that a man walking through the woods was the strangest of many strange things there. Bryson brought humor and insatiable curiosity.

A narrative paragraph is one in which a story is told. Something has to happen. Perhaps you find a flower as unique and beautiful as Ralph Waldo Emerson's rhodora. Perhaps you focus on a particular tree, bird, or woodland creature and try to tell its story. Perhaps you see an object that seems out of place and try to explain how it arrived there. Perhaps you think about the story of the entire wood, how long it has been there and what was before it, particularly if there are any signs of this to be seen.

In addition to telling a story, a well-written paragraph will include description relying on at least four senses, as you immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of the forest. There may even be things to taste, since berries and toadstools could lead to a dramatic story of poisoning. The story does not have to be so sensational as this to be interesting, however. The best way to choose details that are likely to captivate the reader is to select the ones of most interest to you.