How to be a good RPG Narrator

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It has been 7 years I started playing RPGs as a player. Before now I have never tryed seriously to be a narrator. It has been one years I started to try it. It's funny and it's also difficult, especially when your party is composed by expert players. Untill now, I've learnt many interesting things.

1. Read manuals. If you don't know rules, you can't be able to manage well a session. Being a narrator means to entertain you and your friends during each meeting and rules prevent possible arguments. Then, you can use rules as you want, it depends from the kind of RPG. There are some that let you a lot of freedom and others that let you less.
2. Follow the story...but don't force the players. A narrator have to be flexible. It isn't funny for players being forced to do something they wouldn't. Write down the main plot and give your party the right quantity of freedom.
3. Fill your mind up with a good reserve of improvisation. I'm not able to read minds and I have never known anyone who's able to do yet. For each situation, you can think at multiple solutions, your group will choose the ones you didn't think at. You will be taken by surprise for the most of the times but you can't demonstrate it. The show must go on, in any case.
4. Bluff. Rolling some dice behind the narrator' screen is psychologically worrying for players. They can't know the results, so they can't know what should happens. If you roll some dice without necessity the situation become a little more spicy, keeping high the attention of players.
5. Be equally right with everyone. Follow the rules and let your friends do almost anything they want. And justify why they can't do that action.

These are the most important rules I think a good narrator should follow. What do you think about? Have you ever played RPGs? What do you prefere to be: player or narrator? Let's leave comments with your opinions.

Have a nice monday!

Emily.