Background information the background information sets the scene for the audience. It includes the following pieces of information: A topic sentence, what story/event is about, who it is about, when it happens, where it happens, where the source of the narration is. Note: the topic sentence of a narrative paragraph does not start the narration. It establishes a purpose. It does not tells only a story, but also the reader's view point. Therefore, writing a strong topic sentence is important.