narrative essay topics students

Narrative Essay Topics: TOP 200 Choices for Students

narrative essay topics students

Imagine yourself facing a blank page, ready to fill it with your memories and imagination. What story will you tell today?

As students, you often have to write narratives that capture people's attention. But with so many stories to choose from, where do you start? How do you find the perfect topic that will grab our readers' interest and make them think?

Join our essay service experts as we explore 200 topics for college where stories are waiting to be told, and experiences are ready to be shared. From everyday events to unforgettable moments, each topic is a chance to connect with your readers and make them feel something.

order narrative essay

Do You Need Professional Help with Your Hometask?

Ideas for Narrative Essay Topics

After exploring how students write narrative paragraphs, we've put together a list of narrative essay topics designed specifically for college and school students. This list covers a wide range of subjects, so pick one that speaks to you! If you want to see how to develop a topic into a written essay, check out our narrative essay example . 

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

How about delving into captivating literacy narrative essay topics designed specifically for college-level writing? Exciting, isn't it?

  • How did a childhood book shape your view of the world?
  • What challenges did you face when learning to read in a second language?
  • How has storytelling within your family influenced your literacy journey?
  • Can you recall a pivotal moment that ignited your love for reading?
  • How did a specific teacher inspire your passion for literature?
  • Have you ever encountered a character in a book who profoundly impacted your perspective on life?
  • What role did writing play in helping you navigate a difficult period in your life?
  • How has your relationship with technology affected your reading habits?
  • What cultural or historical event sparked your interest in a particular genre of literature?
  • How has poetry shaped your understanding of language and emotion?
  • Have you ever experienced a breakthrough moment in your writing process?
  • How has reading aloud impacted your comprehension and enjoyment of literature?
  • Can you recall a time when a book challenged your beliefs or worldview?
  • How has participating in a book club enriched your reading experience?
  • What strategies have you developed to overcome reading difficulties or distractions?

Personal Narrative Essay Topics on Relationships

Take a moment to reflect on your past experiences and craft compelling personal narratives with these essay ideas.

  • How did a specific friendship shape who you are today?
  • Can you recount a moment that strengthened your bond with a family member?
  • What challenges have you faced in maintaining a long-distance relationship?
  • How has a mentor influenced your personal and professional development?
  • Have you experienced a betrayal in a relationship? How did it impact you?
  • Can you describe a memorable conflict resolution process within a relationship?
  • How has your relationship with a pet affected your emotional well-being?
  • What lessons have you learned from navigating a romantic relationship?
  • How has your relationship with a sibling evolved over time?
  • Can you recall a time when you had to set boundaries in a friendship?
  • How has volunteering or community involvement enriched your relationships?
  • What cultural differences have influenced your relationships with others?
  • Can you share a moment when you felt truly understood by someone?
  • How has technology affected the dynamics of your relationships?
  • Have you ever experienced a reconciliation that transformed a strained relationship?

Best Narrative Essay Topics on Education and Learning

Consider the beauty of sharing your personal experiences and emotions in a captivating manner through these ideas for personal narrative essays.

  • What was the most valuable lesson you learned outside of the classroom?
  • Can you recount a moment when a teacher's unconventional method transformed your understanding of a subject?
  • How has a field trip or experiential learning opportunity impacted your education?
  • What challenges have you faced in balancing extracurricular activities with academics?
  • Have you ever had a "Eureka!" moment while studying? Describe it.
  • How has learning a new skill outside of school influenced your academic performance?
  • Can you recall a time when a peer's perspective challenged your own understanding of a topic?
  • How has technology enhanced or hindered your learning experience?
  • What role does creativity play in your approach to learning?
  • Have you ever experienced a setback that ultimately propelled you forward academically?
  • How has your cultural background influenced your learning style?
  • Can you describe a time when you had to advocate for yourself within an educational setting?
  • How has mentorship shaped your educational journey?
  • What strategies have you employed to overcome academic challenges or obstacles?
  • Can you reflect on a time when failure taught you a valuable lesson about learning?

At this point, we think you might've already been interested in our term paper writing service that helps busy students succeed in college. 

Personal Narrative Essay Ideas on Reflection on Life

Why not ignite your creativity with a range of narrative essay topics, from extraordinary moments to everyday experiences?

  • How has a moment of failure ultimately led to personal growth and resilience?
  • Can you recount a pivotal decision that significantly altered the course of your life?
  • What lessons have you learned from navigating a crossroads or major life transition?
  • How has your perspective on success evolved over time?
  • Can you reflect on a time when you had to confront and overcome a deeply held fear?
  • What role has gratitude played in shaping your outlook on life?
  • How have your values and beliefs been influenced by significant life experiences?
  • Can you describe a moment when you found clarity and purpose amidst chaos or uncertainty?
  • What impact has traveling to a new place had on your understanding of the world and yourself?
  • How has adversity strengthened your character and determination?
  • Can you recall a time when a random act of kindness profoundly impacted your life?
  • What lessons have you learned from embracing vulnerability and authenticity in relationships?
  • How has practicing mindfulness or self-reflection enhanced your well-being and happiness?
  • Can you reflect on a period of personal transformation or self-discovery?
  • How have you found meaning and fulfillment in pursuing your passions and interests?

Ideas for a Narrative Essay on Culture and Society

Engaging your readers with narrative essays on culture and society is a great way to spark interest, offering captivating ideas for exploration.

  • How has your family's unique culinary heritage influenced your cultural identity?
  • Can you reflect on a specific cultural artifact or heirloom that holds deep significance for your family?
  • What challenges have you faced in preserving traditional customs while adapting to modern societal expectations?
  • How has a local festival or celebration revealed the intricacies of your community's cultural tapestry?
  • Can you recount a moment when you navigated a cultural clash between your upbringing and the dominant culture?
  • How has your experience as a first-generation immigrant shaped your understanding of cultural assimilation?
  • What lessons have you learned from participating in intercultural exchange programs or initiatives?
  • Can you describe a unique cultural practice or tradition within your community that outsiders might find intriguing or misunderstood?
  • How has the revitalization of indigenous languages contributed to the preservation of cultural heritage in your region?
  • Can you reflect on a personal journey of reconnecting with your cultural roots after a period of assimilation or disconnection?
  • What role does storytelling play in passing down cultural wisdom and values within your family or community?
  • How has the portrayal of your culture in mainstream media affected your sense of belonging and self-perception?
  • Can you recount a moment when you challenged cultural stereotypes through creative expression or advocacy?
  • How has the migration of a specific cultural group enriched the social fabric and economic landscape of your community?
  • What initiatives or grassroots movements are currently underway to promote cross-cultural understanding and cooperation in your society?

Since you're working on essays, we think it's suitable to suggest you learn more about the case study format , which is another common college assignment.

Narrative Writing Topics on Hobbies and Interests

Wow your readers by turning your passions and hobbies into compelling narrative essay topics that will get them thinking.

  • How has your passion for urban gardening transformed neglected spaces in your community?
  • Can you recount a thrilling adventure from your hobby of urban exploration?
  • What lessons have you learned from restoring vintage motorcycles in your spare time?
  • How has your fascination with birdwatching deepened your connection to nature and conservation efforts?
  • Can you describe a memorable moment from your hobby of foraging wild edibles in the wilderness?
  • What unique skills have you developed through your hobby of beekeeping, and how have they impacted your daily life?
  • How has your interest in historical reenactment brought the past to life in unexpected ways?
  • Can you reflect on a transformative experience from your hobby of landscape photography?
  • What insights have you gained from practicing the art of bonsai cultivation and nurturing miniature ecosystems?
  • How has your passion for stargazing inspired awe and wonder in the vastness of the universe?
  • Can you recount a challenging project from your hobby of woodworking and the satisfaction it brought upon completion?
  • What cultural connections have you discovered through your hobby of traditional folk dancing?
  • How has your interest in sustainable fashion influenced your consumer habits and environmental awareness?
  • Can you describe a moment of serenity and mindfulness experienced while practicing the art of tea ceremony?
  • How has your hobby of letterpress printing preserved the tactile beauty of handmade craftsmanship in a digital age?

Narrative Essay Titles on Life-Changing Moments

Life is full of unexpected twists that can lead to life-changing moments. Take a look at these narrative essay titles for stories that have had a lasting impact on your life.

  • How did surviving a natural disaster reshape your perspective on life?
  • Can you recall a single conversation that drastically altered the course of your life?
  • What was the pivotal moment that inspired you to pursue your dreams against all odds?
  • How did a chance encounter lead to a life-changing friendship or partnership?
  • Can you reflect on the decision that transformed your career trajectory?
  • What profound lesson did you learn from facing a life-threatening illness or injury?
  • How did traveling to a new country open your eyes to new possibilities and opportunities?
  • Can you recount the moment when you discovered your true passion or calling in life?
  • What was the turning point that allowed you to break free from a toxic relationship or environment?
  • How did experiencing failure or rejection ultimately lead to personal growth and resilience?
  • Can you describe the moment when you found the strength to overcome a deep-seated fear or insecurity?
  • What life-changing realization did you have while experiencing a period of solitude or introspection?
  • How did a profound act of kindness from a stranger restore your faith in humanity?
  • Can you reflect on the moment when you forgave someone who had deeply hurt you, and how it changed your perspective on forgiveness?
  • What pivotal decision did you make that allowed you to reclaim control over your own happiness and destiny?

Have you ever wondered about the challenges of essay writing? What happens when you're assigned a larger paper, like coursework? Make a preemptive strike by exploring coursework writing service right now!

Good Narrative Topics on Travel and Adventure

Consider creating intriguing titles for your narrative essay ideas by exploring thrilling travel adventures.

  • Can you recount a memorable encounter with wildlife during your solo hiking adventure?
  • How did a spontaneous decision to explore an unfamiliar city lead to unexpected discoveries?
  • What lessons did you learn from navigating a foreign country with only a map and your instincts?
  • Can you describe the exhilaration of conquering a challenging mountain peak for the first time?
  • How did immersing yourself in a local culture during your travels broaden your perspective on the world?
  • What unexpected obstacles did you encounter while embarking on a backpacking journey through rugged terrain?
  • Can you reflect on the transformative experience of volunteering abroad in a community-driven project?
  • How did getting lost in a labyrinthine city alleyway lead to serendipitous encounters and newfound friendships?
  • What was the most memorable meal you had while sampling street food in a bustling market abroad?
  • Can you recount the adrenaline rush of participating in an extreme sports activity in a foreign land?
  • How did witnessing a breathtaking natural phenomenon during your travels leave a lasting impression on you?
  • What cultural traditions or rituals did you participate in during a homestay experience with a local family?
  • Can you describe the sense of wonder and awe you felt while exploring ancient ruins or historical sites?
  • How did navigating a language barrier challenge and ultimately enrich your travel experience?
  • What valuable life lessons did you learn from the mishaps and misadventures encountered during your journey off the beaten path?

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas on Career and Work Experience

College students can uncover captivating narrative essay ideas by exploring potential career paths or reminiscing about past job experiences.

  • How did a challenging project at work showcase your problem-solving skills and resilience?
  • Can you reflect on a pivotal mentorship experience that guided your career trajectory?
  • What valuable lessons did you learn from a career setback or failure, and how did it shape your future success?
  • How did a workplace conflict lead to personal growth and improved communication skills?
  • Can you recount a moment when taking a professional risk paid off in unexpected ways?
  • What insights did you gain from transitioning to a new industry or career path?
  • How did participating in a cross-functional team project enhance your collaboration and leadership abilities?
  • Can you describe the satisfaction of achieving a long-term career goal after years of hard work and perseverance?
  • What impact did a meaningful recognition or award have on your motivation and sense of accomplishment?
  • How did volunteering or pro bono work contribute to your professional development and sense of purpose?
  • Can you reflect on the decision to leave a stable job in pursuit of passion or fulfillment?
  • What strategies did you employ to navigate a toxic work environment and maintain your well-being?
  • How did a career setback lead to unexpected opportunities for personal and professional growth?
  • Can you describe a moment when mentorship or sponsorship played a crucial role in advancing your career?
  • What lessons did you learn from a challenging client or customer interaction, and how did it shape your approach to customer service and relationship-building?

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics about Challenges and Obstacles

If you're not sure what to write about for your narrative essay, think back to the tough times you've had and how you managed to get through them.

  • How did you conquer a once-paralyzing fear to chase your dreams?
  • What new strengths did you discover while adapting to a physical challenge?
  • Can you recall a creative solution you used during a tough financial period?
  • When did you bravely stand against injustice, despite opposition?
  • How did overcoming a language barrier broaden your horizons?
  • What key lessons did you learn from a major setback in your life?
  • How did you manage overwhelming stress and responsibilities?
  • What inner reserves of resilience did you draw upon after personal loss?
  • Describe a time when you defied societal norms to pursue your goals.
  • Reflect on a moment when failure fueled your determination for success.
  • When did you find the courage to leave your comfort zone behind?
  • How did community support bolster you through a challenging time?
  • Share a time when self-doubt led to newfound confidence.
  • Can you recount a tragedy that spurred your personal growth?
  • What insights did overcoming a monumental obstacle reveal about life?

Best Narrative Essay Topics: How to Choose the One That Resonates 

A narrative essay is a type of writing that tells a personal story, including characters, plot, setting, and the order of events. Its main goal is to connect with readers emotionally and share a specific message or insight through the retelling of a meaningful experience.

Students write narrative essays as part of their studies for several reasons. Firstly, it allows them to express themselves creatively by sharing their unique experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Secondly, it helps them develop important writing skills like organizing ideas and thoughts effectively.

Narrative Essay topics

Choosing good narrative essay ideas involves looking at personal experiences, interests, and the potential for engaging storytelling. Here's a simple guide to help you pick the right topic:

  • Think about significant moments in your life that had a lasting impact, such as personal growth or overcoming challenges.
  • Choose topics related to your hobbies, interests, or areas of expertise to make your story more engaging.
  • Consider what your audience would be interested in and choose topics that resonate with them.
  • Focus on a specific event or detail to make your narrative more focused and impactful.
  • Look for universal themes like love or personal transformation that connect with readers on a deeper level.
  • Brainstorm ideas and write freely to uncover compelling topics.
  • Decide on storytelling techniques like flashbacks or foreshadowing and choose a topic that fits.
  • Get feedback from friends, peers, or instructors to see if your topics are interesting and impactful.
  • Choose topics that evoke strong emotions for a more compelling narrative.
  • Select a topic that you personally connect with to make your story authentic.

Once you've chosen a topic, brainstorm ideas and create an outline for your essay. Follow your professor's instructions carefully and consider seeking help from our narrative essay writing service if needed.

Bring your stories to life with EssayPro. Select from a vast array of narrative essay topics and let our professionals help you weave your tales into captivating essays. Whether it's adventure, reflection, or imagination, we're here to assist.

Final Remarks

As we wrap up, our list of 200 narrative essay topics is here to fuel your creativity for your next writing project! Whether you're sharing a memorable event, reliving a childhood memory, or expressing a profound insight, crafting a narrative essay can be an uplifting experience that resonates deeply with readers.

And if you're gearing up for college admissions, why not check out our admission essay writing service ? We've already assisted countless students in securing their spots at their dream colleges, and we'd love to help you, too!

Give Us Your Task

We provide assistance as well as editing and proofreading. Every paper we deal with is written and triple-checked by a team of experts—which means that you are guaranteed to get top-quality work from our term paper writing service . Order now!

Daniel Parker

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

narrative essay topics students

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

Related Articles

Mental Health Research Topics: 200 Writing Ideas for You

Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

50 Narrative Essay Topics

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a narrative essay can also tell an exciting story and create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind! We’ve got 50 narrative essay topics designed to prompt students to craft memorable written narratives. These can be modified for students in elementary, middle and high school. Feel free to print the entire narrative essay topics list for plenty of inspiration for your next narrative essay assignment!

Narrative Essay Topics

  • Your first day of school.
  • Your most exciting day of school
  • A field trip that your class took.
  • Your favorite summer vacation.
  • A trip that included something unexpected or surprising.
  • A time that you experienced something spooky.
  • A time that you experienced something truly frightening.
  • A time that you learned something new that changed you in some way.
  • The moment when you met someone who changed your life.
  • The day that you got your first pet.
  • A move from one place to another.
  • Something funny that happened to you.
  • Something funny that happened to one of your family members or friends.
  • Something embarrassing that happened to you.
  • Your favorite birthday party.
  • A birthday that was disappointing.
  • A big storm (rain, snow or even a tornado!).
  • A time that the power went out.
  • A summer day when the temperature got much higher than expected.
  • A time when you went to an amusement park.
  • A time when you got lost somewhere.
  • A memorable experience with a favorite family member.
  • A sad experience with someone about whom you care.
  • Your most exciting moment playing sports.
  • Your most exciting moment performing in a play, singing, playing music or dancing.
  • An experience that left you feeling frustrated.
  • An experience that was hard but ended up being worth it.
  • A time that you experienced rejection.
  • A weird encounter with a stranger.
  • A random act of kindness.
  • A time that you took a stand for someone or for an issue that you care about.
  • A moment when you thought you might get hurt but didn’t.
  • Breaking a bone (or otherwise suffering an injury).
  • Your first time away from home for the night (or longer).
  • A time when you experienced a historic event.
  • Where you were when a major event happened. (Note: You don’t need to have been at the site of the event; this prompt is about where you were when you found out about the event and how you reacted.)
  • A time when you rebelled against your parents or teacher.
  • A dangerous experience.
  • A misunderstanding between yourself and someone else.
  • A difficult decision that you had to make.
  • The end of a friendship or relationship.
  • The beginning of a friendship or relationship.
  • A time when you judged someone first and then realized that you were wrong about the person.
  • A time when someone judged you first and then realized that he or she was wrong about you.
  • A moment when you felt that you were starting to grow up.
  • A time when you saw one or both of your parents in a different light.
  • A time when you looked up to your older sibling.
  • A time when your younger sibling looked up to you.
  • A time when you were grateful to be an only child.
  • An experience that you think has only ever happened to you!

Looking for more essay topics? Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Descriptive Essay Topics Cause and Effect Essay Topics Persuasive Essay and Speech Topics

Narrative Essay Topics Featured

  • Scriptwriting

Narrative Essay Topics — Prompts & Ideas For All Grade Levels

N arrative essays can present a serious challenge for even the most seasoned of writers, but fear not, we’ve compiled some great narrative essay topics to inspire your next paper! Follow along as we explore prompts relating to life, school, and more. By the end, you’ll be prepared to tackle narrative essays from a variety of different angles.

Good Narrative Topics

What is a narrative essay.

Before we jump into our narrative essay topics, we have to first answer the question: what is a narrative essay ? A narrative essay is a prose-written story that’s focused on the commentary of a central theme.

Narrative essays are generally written in the first-person POV , and are usually about a topic that’s personal to the writer.

Everything in a narrative essay should take place in an established timeline, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

For more on narrative essays, check out this video on literacy narrative topics and structure:

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas  •  Narrative Essay Titles

In the world of literature, narrative essays are held to a rigorous structure. We’re not going to enforce that rigor here! So, follow along as we (hopefully) inspire you with a variety of narrative essay topics and argument essay ideas. 

Narrative Ideas

Narrative essay ideas for kids.

Narrative essay topics for kids usually focus on family, school, and friends.

Here are some easy narrative essay topics that work well for kids:

  • Describe your most recent birthday party.
  • Tell the story of your first day of school.
  • Who is your best friend?
  • Have you ever helped others?
  • Describe your favorite animal(s)
  • What is your dream for the future?

This next video from “Teaching Without Frills” explores narrative essay topics for kids in further detail. 

Narrative Essay Ideas  •  Titles of narrative essays

Sometimes it can help to visualize narrative essay topics with pictures, especially for younger kids. If you’re a teacher, consider using pictures to inspire your students!

Narrative essay ideas for teens

Middle school and high school students are often asked to write narrative essays too. But whereas narrative essay topics for elementary school students are usually structured around simple, positive topics, narrative essay topics for teens are generally more contemplative.

Here are some personal narrative essay topics that work well for teens:

  • Describe a moment of loss.
  • Describe a moment of serenity.
  • Recount the story of a lost friend.
  • Detail your greatest creation.
  • Tell the story of your favorite teacher.
  • How would you change the world?

Remember: not every person has the same circumstances as others. That's why they're called personal narrative essay topics.

It’s important to frame narrative essay topics for kids in a way that every kid can relate. For example: the prompt “a lost friend” could mean a friend who moved away or a dead pet. Make sure to word your prompts in such a way that participants can glean their own interpretation.

Related Posts

  • What is a Narrative? →
  • What is Narrative in Film? →
  • FREE: The Ultimate Storyboard Creator →

Narrative Essay Ideas

Narrative essay ideas for young adults.

Young adults are sometimes asked to write narrative essays for school and or job applications. Narrative essay reviewers typically want to see writers demonstrate maturity and growth in their work. As such, their questions are generally structured around challenges and problem management.

Here are some narrative argument essay topics for young adults:

  • Have you ever failed at your job?
  • If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be?
  • What is something you take pride in?
  • Describe your childhood.
  • How will you grow this year?
  • What is the most important element of success?

Of course, the topics above are mostly focused on success and failure. Young adults can certainly respond to the other prompts too!

Narrative essay ideas for adults

Adults aren’t generally tasked with writing narrative essays unless they’re writers. But that doesn’t have to be the case! There are a lot of positives to writing narrative essays, whether you’re a literary professor or a wrestler looking to articulate your thoughts.

So, here are some things to write a narrative essay about for adults:

  • What was your worst job?
  • What (or who) was your first love?
  • Who do you take care of?
  • What is your most prized possession?
  • If you could tell somebody who’s now gone from your life one thing, what would it be?
  • Paint a picture of where you find peace.

Narrative essay titles Easy narrative essay topics

Narrative essay titles  •  Easy narrative essay topics

In recent years, companies have been selling books with narrative essay prompts for adults (particularly elderly adults) to reflect on their lives.

Creative Writing Prompts & Exercises

Now that you're brainstorming good titles for personal narrative, time to learn about other forms of creating writing. A narrative essay is just one type of essay – there are dozens more! In our next article, we break down more creative writing prompts and exercises, including those suited to fantasy, romance, horror, and more. By the end, you’ll know a ton of different ways to approach your next story.

Up Next: Creative Writing Exercises →

Write and produce your scripts all in one place..

Write and collaborate on your scripts FREE . Create script breakdowns, sides, schedules, storyboards, call sheets and more.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Pricing & Plans
  • Product Updates
  • Featured On
  • StudioBinder Partners
  • The Ultimate Guide to Call Sheets (with FREE Call Sheet Template)
  • How to Break Down a Script (with FREE Script Breakdown Sheet)
  • The Only Shot List Template You Need — with Free Download
  • Managing Your Film Budget Cashflow & PO Log (Free Template)
  • A Better Film Crew List Template Booking Sheet
  • Best Storyboard Softwares (with free Storyboard Templates)
  • Movie Magic Scheduling
  • Gorilla Software
  • Storyboard That

A visual medium requires visual methods. Master the art of visual storytelling with our FREE video series on directing and filmmaking techniques.

We’re in a golden age of TV writing and development. More and more people are flocking to the small screen to find daily entertainment. So how can you break put from the pack and get your idea onto the small screen? We’re here to help.

  • Making It: From Pre-Production to Screen
  • How to Get a Film Permit — A Step-by-Step Breakdown
  • How to Make a Storyboard — Ultimate Guide with Free Storyboard Templates
  • VFX vs. CGI vs. SFX — Decoding the Debate
  • What is a Freeze Frame — The Best Examples & Why They Work
  • TV Script Format 101 — Examples of How to Format a TV Script
  • 0 Pinterest

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Duke University

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

narrative essay topics students

50 Engaging Narrative Essay Topics for High Schoolers

Do you know how to improve your profile for college applications.

See how your profile ranks among thousands of other students using CollegeVine. Calculate your chances at your dream schools and learn what areas you need to improve right now — it only takes 3 minutes and it's 100% free.

Show me what areas I need to improve

What’s Covered:

Narrative essays vs. analytical essays, how to pick the right narrative essay topic, elements of a strong narrative essay, engaging narrative essay topics for high schoolers, where to get your narrative essay edited for free.

Narrative essays are an extensive form of writing that gives readers the opportunity to follow along as a person goes through a journey or sets of experiences. Rather than providing analytic insight, narrative essays simply share a story and offer a first-person account. These essays may seem easy to write at first, but it takes a certain finesse to write a narrative essay that is interesting, cohesive, and well-researched. Whether you’re looking for a unique topic to write about, or just want some new inspiration, CollegeVine is here to help! These 50 narrative essay topics are engaging, unique and will have you writing in no time.

A narrative essay is a great way to express your personal experiences and opinions, but it is important to remember that this type of essay is different from an analytical paper. In a narrative essay, you do not need to provide background information or explain your thoughts and feelings; instead, you simply tell a story. It’s important to avoid too much telling in your writing; instead, use creative details and vivid imagery to make readers feel as if they are actually right there with you.

Where You Will Encounter Narrative Essays

This type of essay is typically encountered in high school, where students may be required to write personal statements to prepare for their Common App essay . Narrative essays are also commonly seen in AP Language and Composition. Therefore, it’s important you are aware of the style because you are bound to have a narrative essay assignment.  

Of course, before you start writing, it is important to pick the right essay topic. There are many factors involved in the process of picking the perfect narrative essay topic for your story.

You should always choose a topic that you are passionate about, since writing on something you care about will make the process much easier. Not only will it be more interesting to create your paper around something that truly interests you, but it will also allow you to fully express yourself in your essay. You also want to be sure that the topic has enough material to work with. If your chosen topic is too short, you will not have enough content to write a complete paper. For example, if you are writing about your experience getting lost at the mall, make sure that you have enough information to work with to craft an engaging narrative. 

The best topic for an engaging narrative essay is one that focuses on showing versus telling, has a clear structure, and provides a dialogue. These elements come together to form an engaging narrative essay. Regardless of what subject you pick, any topic may be turned into a fascinating, A+ worthy narrative using the tips below.

Show, Don’t Tell

To write a good narrative essay, it’s important to show, not tell. Instead of simply informing your audience, show them what you mean. For example, instead of saying “I was nervous,” you could say “My heart began to race and my stomach filled with butterflies.” Also make sure to use sensory details, such as sights, sounds and tastes, and include a personal reflection at the end of your narrative. 

Begin with a Strong Opening Line

A good narrative essay will begin with an attention-grabbing opening line. But make sure to avoid common clichés, such as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Instead, come up with something original and specific to you and your situation. For example: “My pre-calc teacher was obsessed with circles. I mean, he even used circular note cards.” Or, “It all started the day my mom brought home a guinea pig.”

Follows a Three-Act Structure

A strong narrative essay follows the same three-act structure as other essays. But in order to make it interesting, you’ll need to come up with a creative way to break things down into sections. For example, using the guinea pig example from above, you could write the following:

  • Act 1 – Introduction: The day my mom brought home a guinea pig.
  • Act 2 – Conflict: The day I had to say goodbye to my beloved pet.
  • Act 3 – Conclusion: Looking back at how much I miss him now that he’s gone.

Conclude with Personal Reflection

To conclude your narrative essay, you’ll want to explain what this specific experience taught you or how you’ve changed. For example, upon realizing that her pre-calc teacher was obsessed with circles, the writer of the previous example begins to notice circular shapes everywhere. Another way to conclude your narrative essay is by touching on how this experience impacted you emotionally. For example, after losing his guinea pig, the writer explains how much he missed it.

Use Dialogue

Include a conversation in your essay to make it come alive. For example, instead of simply saying that you met a new friend, talk about how you introduced yourselves or what they were wearing when you met them.

narrative essay topics students

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

The following list of 50 narrative essay topics is divided into categories. This will make it easier to find a topic that fits your writing style.

1. What is a childhood song that still sticks with you today?

2. Your first day of Kindergarten

3. Talk about a time when you’re siblings looked up to you

4. Describe the best birthday party you’ve ever had

5. Talk about the best day you ever spent with a childhood friend

6. Explain your first childhood hobby

7. Describe your first halloween costume

8. A family vacation gone wrong

9. Your first family reunion

10. Describe a tradition that is unique to your family

11. Describe your family to a person who’s never met them before

12. What frustrates you most about your family

13. If you could only keep one memory of your family, what would it be and why?

14. Describe a time your family embarrassed you in public

15. The most beautiful place in the world

16. Your favorite season and why

17. If you were a part of nature, what element would you be? Why?

18. When you go outside, which of your senses are you most thankful to have?

19. Describe the first time you witnessed a tornado 

20. Write a poem about your favorite season

21. Describe yourself as one of the four seasons

22. Describe a time in which you felt connected with nature

23. Describe the first time you played an instrument and how you felt

24. What major event would be much worse if music was removed, and why?

25. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

26. What would a life without music look like?

27. If you could master one instrument, what would it be and why?

Relationships

28. What if you had never met your best friend?

29. Describe a time when you fixed a broken relationship

30. Talk about a movie that defined a relationship for you

31. Describe your first date

32. Describe the first time you made a friend

33. Describe your relationship with your parents

Self Reflection

34. Have you ever fooled someone? If so, describe what happened and how you felt about it

35. What is the worst thing you’ve done to someone else?

36. Write about the difference between how things seem and how they really are. 

37. Have you ever been embarrassed in some way? If so, describe the situation and how it affected you as well as those around you

38. Have you ever witnessed something really beautiful? Describe it

39. Is your glass half empty or half full?

Overcoming Adversity 

40. Have you ever been very afraid of something but tried your hardest to appear fearless? If so, describe that experience

41. When have you ever succeeded when you thought you might fail

42. What are your secret survival strategies?

43. Describe the last time you were stressed and why?

44. Describe a time when you were discriminated against

45. The most memorable class you’ve had and why

46. Your favorite study abroad memory

47. Describe your kindergarten classroom

48. Describe your first teacher

49. The first time you experienced detention

50. Your first field trip

Hopefully these topics will get you thinking about a personal experience that could make for a thoughtful and engaging narrative essay. Remember, a strong narrative essay must contain relatable details and a clear flow that keeps the reader entertained and engaged to read all the way to the end.

If you need some additional guidance on your narrative essay, use CollegeVine’s free peer review essay tool to get feedback for free!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

narrative essay topics students

150 Narrative Essay Topics: Step By Step Guide 🤓| Studyfy

150 Narrative Essay Topics

narrative essay topics students

If you're looking for a more creative approach to writing essays, narrative essays might be a great option for you. With narrative essays, you have the freedom to tell a story and use your own personal experiences to make a point.

Whether you're writing a personal narrative or an experiential essay, you'll want to make sure that you're engaging your reader and conveying your message effectively. This is where custom essay writing services and coursework writing services can be incredibly helpful. With the assistance of professional writers, you can develop a compelling narrative essay that is both engaging and informative.

Overall, writing a narrative essay can be a fun and rewarding experience. Whether you're reflecting on a personal experience or sharing an anecdote, remember that the goal is to make a point and connect with your audience. So why not give it a try and see what stories you can tell? And if you need any assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to a " write my essay" or " write a paper for me" service for help.

What is a Narrative Essay?

A narrative essay is a less formal form of academic writing where the goal is to see whether you can tell a story clearly in an engaging manner. It follows the typical format of an essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion but also incorporates classic story writing elements like plot, setting, character, climax, and ending. 

This kind of essay is written from a defined point of view, usually yours, so writing in the first person is recommended unlike most other forms of academic writing. You still need to make a point though, so include a thesis statement in your first paragraph and refer to it again in the conclusion. 

Many college application essay prompts are narrative writing, for example - describe the most significant achievement of your life. Learning how to write a good narrative paper has use beyond just college essays though, a majority of online content now is based on telling engaging stories. Read on to know more about narrative papers and find a list of 150 fascinating topics for narrative essays.

How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay

Choosing good narrative essay topics are crucial for a few reasons. The story you tell will most often draw from your own experiences and thoughts, so choose a topic that you know well or are well-informed about. Additionally, since the story has to have a purpose, select a topic that has broad potential and narrow it down to tell your unique story. Remember the following things when choosing a topic for a narrative essay.

The key thing to remember is that you’re telling a story

Because a narrative essay is so unlike most academic writing assignments, a common mistake is writing sections like a dry academic assignment. It’s for school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t deliver an experience. It’s about crafting an engaging piece of storytelling while revealing something impactful through the story.

Choose an interesting or meaningful idea to explore

This is a great time to write about something that is particularly important in your life or something you are passionate about. Topics can range from your thoughts and ideas about a concept to an obscure activity that you enjoy.

The pre-writing stage is critically important

A good story flows well and includes details that draw the reader in, but it also has to deliver some idea or message. Collecting information and planning ahead to create an outline for your essay will smoothen your writing process.

Don’t forget to have fun with it!

The story you tell should be engaging, which means you have the freedom to experiment! Drawing from several different but interconnected life experiences, or telling the story from the perspective of an inanimate object are some interesting ways to make your essay stand out. 

But remember that it’s still an essay

Even though it’s storytelling, you’re still writing an essay, which means it needs to follow the classic essay structure. Based on the word count, plan how many body paragraphs you need (minimum 3 ALWAYS). Your first sentence should still have a hook, and your first paragraph still needs to have a thesis statement. The story that unfolds in the body paragraphs shouldn’t drift from your thesis statement, and your conclusion needs to end the story as well as reiterate your thesis. 

Struggling with the Topic for Your Narrative Essay Homework?

Get your assignments done by real pros. Save your precious time and boost your marks with ease.

150 Unique Topics for Narrative Essay 

It can be quite tough to think of something meaningful to write your essay about, but almost any experience you have can be an interesting topic. For one person, the first time they played a sport could be a traumatic experience, for another it could be life-changing. Only you know your experiences and thoughts. Here’s a list of narrative essay topics that you can use to start the brainstorming process and spark your imagination.

College narrative essay topics 

College is a time of new experiences. So much happens that it shouldn’t be difficult to choose something to write about. The essay you write can be more descriptive, focussing on your sensory observations of an experience, or more contemplative, focusing on new thoughts and feelings. Take a look at these narrative essay topics for college students. 

What was it like getting your first acceptance letter?
How you chose which college to go to
Your first day leaving home and coming to campus
Meeting your roommate and whether it went well or not
Your first college party 
Your favorite class 
Losing touch or staying in touch with friends from high school
The best day in college so far
The difference between sports in high school and college
How you realized college was easier or tougher than you thought it would be
What it was like being in a class with 200 students
Your experience with an extracurricular you had never tried before
Going home for the first time after attending college
Finding a subject you never thought you would like 
How did you start feeling truly comfortable in college?

Narrative essay topics for high school students

High school years are chaotic. The changes in students and their social expectations can be frustrating, challenging, and exhilarating. Essays about many important firsts can be drawn from high school. Here are a few examples of narrative essay topics related to high school.

The best day of freshman year
A time you were bullied and stood up for yourself
A time when you were bullied and felt helpless
Your most significant social accomplishment
What was a meaningful volunteering experience you had?
Your proudest moment in a sporting event
Losing a valued friend
Your first highschool dance
Why your favorite teacher became your favorite teacher
When you realized what you want to pursue as a career
The best video game moment you had 
An embarrassing moment in school and how you overcame it
Your best social media moment
The buildup to graduation day
An experience helping another student

Personal narrative essay topics

Since narrative essays are often written in the first person and rely on the experiences and thoughts of the author, they can all be considered personal, but a personal essay asks you to specifically tell a story about a time that changed you in a meaningful way. Here are some topics for writing a narrative essay about personal moments and revelations. 

A summer vacation adventure that involved heroics
Describe an experience you had in a foreign country that made you feel lucky to be from your country
Your first time following a YouTube tutorial 
Your excitement at watching the newest star wars/lord of the rings/Marvel Cinematic Universe etc. movie
Bonding with a new pet 
The moment you realized that you admire some traits in a person and want to be like them 
A situation that changed your relationship with your parents 
A situation when you had to deal with the police
Witnessing an event that needed you to call the police 
Your best leadership moment
Your experience attending a large event (politics, religion, sports, etc)
The most meaningful time in church or any religious moment of significance
An experience that humbled you 
A situation where you made a serious mistake 
A time you had to learn from adversity 

Narrative argument essay topics

Like any narrative essay - the goal is to tell a story, but like any argument essay - the goal is to convince or persuade the reader to agree with your viewpoint. Writing an effective narrative argument essay incorporates convincing arguments into the story itself. The trick is finding a balance between getting lost in telling the story and forgetting about storytelling and convincing the reader. Here are a few examples to help you find a topic for a narrative essay. 

A time when you convinced somebody against a conspiracy theory
A moment that made you more religious or spiritual
A moment that made you less religious or spiritual
Your favorite trip and why the place you went to is fantastic
How you discovered your favorite art style
The first time you played a new genre of game and why it’s the best 
Your experience attending a conference or event about climate change
Watching a movie, tv-show, youtube video, or any media that changed your mind
A situation where you had to verbally defend yourself or a friend
An observation about income disparity gained by working in a soup kitchen/homeless shelter etc.
An experience you’ve had talking to somebody with different political beliefs
A conversation about gender identity with an older person
Seeing the police behave appropriately or inappropriately
Your experience with love and how you developed your definition of it
A time you had to swallow your pride and hold your tongue

Easy narrative essay topics

Here’s a list of some good topics for a narrative essay that most people have experience with and can write about but are still interesting enough to create an engaging story for the reader. Below are some easy but interesting narrative essay topics.

A hike, picnic, or walk that made you appreciate nature
Visiting a particularly awesome amusement park
An especially romantic date
Your first trip to a big city 
Your first trip to a foreign country 
Discovering a new movie genre
The thrill of watching horror movies
A regular day in your life
A moment when you gained respect for your parents, teachers, or friends
The time you saved an animal
How you broke a bad habit 
How you developed a new skill
Your experience at a zoo
The first time you went bowling (tried any new game)
Your happiest day

Did you like our inspiring Narrative Essay Guide?

For more help, tap into our pool of professional writers and get expert essay editing services!

Cultural narrative essay topics

Some of the most mind-expanding experiences happen when looking at and understanding a different culture or by analyzing your own culture from an outsider’s perspective. Cultural narrative essay topics are particularly useful when applying to colleges or applying for grants or scholarships for exchange programs. 

What you learned from a trip abroad
How the lives of people in various socio-economic brackets are different
Observations on which basic things are different in different countries
How your cultural identity has changed over time
Sleeping over at a friends house from a different cultural background
Describe some unique personal family traditions
An experience where your culture/race/religion affected the situation around you
How you learned to fit in with a different culture
You first experience living in a foreign country
Discovering new subcultures like anime, gaming, k-pop, etc
Your favorite traditions from foreign cultures
How you understood your cultural heritage better
A time when you realized the impact of media on the perspective of other cultures
Getting over stereotypes because someone behaved differently than what you expected 
Celebrating a different festival for the first time

Autobiographical narrative essay topics

Autobiographical narrative essays as you to specifically describe and talk about things in your life that impacted you. Take a look at the narrative essay topics below for inspiration.  

Your first memory
Your first meaningful memory
Your first day of school
Your relationship with your grandparents
Finding out a shocking family secret
Your proudest achievement as a child
Your favorite childhood hobby
The best day of middle school
A time when you lost something important
How you dealt with losing someone close to you
Discovering your favorite musician
Your first kiss, date, or relationship
The worst day of your life 
Why certain things are so meaningful to you
Which people have influenced your life significantly?

Fictional narrative essay topics

Fictional narrative essay topics are an opportunity to flex your creativity. Put yourself in the shoes of someone else, or in a fantastic situation and write a story! These are some narrative essay topics to choose from down below.

What it would be like traveling to Mars
What you would do with a million dollars
Describe a particularly vivid dream 
A day in your life if you woke up as the opposite sex
What it would be like to be a professional gamer
What it would be like to have 100,000 Instagram followers
A day at the zoo from the perspective of an animal
A day in the life of a child from a very wealthy family
A day in the life of a child from a war-torn country
What it would be like to have your own talk show
What would you do if you were president?
What would you do if you were a dictator?
What it would be like to be a superhero
Tell a story based on your favorite work of art
A hypothetical dinner with your favorite celebrity

Best narrative essay topics - our choice

The best narrative essay topic ideas are going to be different for every individual. This section is going to choose some topics that offer the most space for creativity, are interesting to write about, or offer a broad chance for self-reflection. 

Your earliest sad memory
How you realized someone had become a role model
A day in the life of your favorite fictional character
The thrill of winning
The heartbreak of loss
Understanding gender identity
A clash of culture
A new discovery
Finding your favorite hobby 
Performing beyond expectation
Overcoming personal trauma
Helping someone in need
A life-changing trip 
Enjoying nature
Questioning the status quo

More interesting narrative essay topics

Think about these situations and ask yourself if any of these or something similar happened to you and makes for a good story. Enjoy these interesting narrative essay topics!

The best way to win at a particular video game
The process of creating a good TikTok 
Why binging a show is the best way to consume media
What it’s like being lost in a virtual world
A time you were convinced to try something new
Discovering a new favorite food 
What dancing means to you 
The saddest scene in media
The funniest babysitting moment
Your first day at a job
A time you asked for help
What it feels like to end a good book
A time where you panicked 
A time you were kind to someone 

Final thoughts

A narrative writing is unlike most other forms of academic writing. This can make it challenging for students, but as long as you think about it as writing a story and choose the right topic for a narrative essay, they are actually a joy to write! Here are a few key things to remember as you write your essay. 

A narrative essay uses the story structure - beginning, middle, and end, as well as plot, climax, setting, and characters

Spend time on the prewriting phase to gather your thoughts and plan an outline

Don’t lose track of the main purpose of the story

Generally, write in the first person, but the third person can be used as well

Use vivid words and explain sensory details

Above all, have fun and engage the reader as much as you can

Featured Posts

Definition essay topics.

narrative essay topics students

Cause and Effect Essay Topics

narrative essay topics students

180 Persuasive Essay Topics

narrative essay topics students

Narrative Essay

Narrative Essay Topics

Caleb S.

Best Narrative Essay Topics 2023 for Students

Narrative Essay Topics

People also read

Narrative Essay - A Complete Writing Guide with Examples

Writing a Personal Narrative Essay: Everything You Need to Know

10+ Interesting Narrative Essay Examples Plus Writing Tips!

Crafting a Winning Narrative Essay Outline: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you a student in 2023, looking for some awesome narrative essay topics that are easy to grasp and fun to write about? 

You're in luck! Narrative essays let you share your stories, making them a perfect choice for students. 

In this guide, we've put together a list of the best narrative essay topics for 2023. 

Whether you're an experienced writer searching for fresh ideas or a student hunting for an exciting topic for your next assignment, we've got your back. These topics will ignite your imagination and captivate your readers. 

So, let's dive in!

Arrow Down

  • 1. Narrative Essay Topics for Students
  • 2. Unique Narrative Essay Topics for Students
  • 3. How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?
  • 4. Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Narrative Essay Topics for Students

If you're a student looking for a diverse range of topics, we've got you covered with a diverse selection of narrative essay topics. 

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5

  • My First Day at a New School
  • The Time I Learned to Ride a Bike
  • A Visit to a Haunted House
  • The Day I Met a Real-Life Superhero
  • My Most Memorable Family Vacation
  • A Surprising Encounter with an Animal
  • The Mystery of the Missing Homework
  • The Best Birthday Party I Ever Had
  • When I Lost a Tooth
  • My Adventure in a Fantasy World

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 6

  • An Unforgettable Camping Trip
  • The Day I Discovered a Hidden Talent
  • A Mysterious Letter and Its Consequences
  • A Time I Had to Stand Up for What's Right
  • The Thrilling Mystery of a Forgotten Diary
  • A Memorable Encounter with a Famous Person
  • My Journey Through a Fantasy Land
  • The Day I Learned a Valuable Life Lesson
  • An Unexpected Act of Kindness
  • A Secret Adventure in an Abandoned Place

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 7

  • The Most Exciting Adventure of My Life
  • The Day I Overcame a Fear
  • A Memorable School Field Trip
  • The Strangest Mystery I Ever Encountered
  • An Unforgettable Encounter with Wildlife
  • A Life-Changing Decision I Had to Make
  • The Best Book I Ever Read and Why
  • A Day in the Life of a Time Traveler
  • The Importance of Friendship in My Life
  • A Valuable Lesson Learned from a Mistake

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 8 

  • A Time I Faced a Difficult Moral Dilemma
  • The Most Memorable Summer Vacation
  • The Impact of a Life-Altering Decision
  • An Unexpected Act of Kindness I Received
  • The Day I Stepped Out of My Comfort Zone
  • A Historical Event I Would Like to Witness
  • A Special Family Tradition and Its Significance
  • A Personal Achievement I'm Proud Of
  • A Challenging Obstacle I Overcame
  • A Journey Through My Creative Imagination

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 9

  • The Transition to High School: Challenges and Triumphs
  • A Life-Changing Encounter with an Inspiring Mentor
  • My First Part-Time Job and What I Learned
  • The Day I Realized the Power of Empathy
  • The Impact of a Personal Passion or Hobby
  • An Unforgettable Travel Experience Abroad
  • A Meaningful Community Service Project I Participated In
  • The Role of Technology in My Life
  • A Defining Moment in My Cultural Identity
  • My Vision for the Future: Dreams and Aspirations

Narrative Essay Topics for O-Levels 

  • The Day I Took a Leap of Faith
  • An Unforgettable Journey into the Unknown
  • A Life-Altering Decision I Made in High School
  • An Encounter with a Stranger That Changed My Perspective
  • The Role of Resilience in Overcoming a Personal Challenge
  • The Impact of a Cultural Exchange Experience
  • A Lesson Learned from a Unique Life Experience
  • The Importance of Perseverance in Achieving a Goal
  • My Most Memorable Academic Achievement
  • A Glimpse into My Future: Aspirations and Ambitions

Narrative Essay Topics for Highschool

  • The Moment I Discovered My Passion
  • A Life-Changing Journey Abroad
  • A Challenging Decision That Shaped My Future
  • An Unexpected Act of Kindness That Touched My Heart
  • The Role of Resilience in Overcoming Adversity
  • A Personal Experience That Shaped My Values
  • The Impact of Technology on My Generation
  • A Time I Took a Stand for a Cause I Believe In
  • A Memorable Leadership Role I Assumed
  • A Glimpse into My Ideal Future: Aspirations and Goals

Narrative Essay Topics for College

  • The Journey to Finding My Academic Passion
  • A Life-Altering Study Abroad Experience
  • The Transformational Impact of a Challenging Decision
  • Navigating the Transition from College to the Professional World
  • An Unforgettable Encounter with a Mentor or Role Model
  • The Role of Adversity in Shaping My Personal Growth
  • A Significant Ethical Dilemma I Faced in College
  • How My College Experiences Have Shaped My Worldview
  • The Impact of Technology on My College Education
  • A Personal Reflection on My Career Aspirations and Goals

Narrative Essay Topics for University

  • The Evolution of My Academic and Career Goals at University
  • An Eye-Opening Internship Experience That Impacted My Future
  • A Transformative Study Abroad Journey
  • Navigating the Complexities of Balancing Work, Academics, and Social Life at University
  • The Role of a Unique Research Project in My Academic Growth
  • A Personal Account of Overcoming a Significant Academic Challenge
  • A Meaningful Leadership Role in a University Organization
  • The Journey of Self-Discovery Through Elective Courses at University
  • The Impact of Peer Relationships and Networking at University
  • How My University Education Has Shaped My Perspective on Global Issues

Unique Narrative Essay Topics for Students

We've gathered distinct narrative topic ideas to fuel your creativity. Let’s look at some personal narrative ideas to inspire your narrative writing.

Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics

  • A Peaceful Day by the Riverside
  • Exploring a Haunted House
  • My Favorite Childhood Memory
  • A Walk Through an Ancient Forest
  • The Perfect Winter Wonderland
  • An Evening at a Carnival
  • A Visit to a Vibrant Art Gallery
  • The Spectacular Colors of Autumn
  • A Day in the Life of a Beach
  • An Exciting Night in the City

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

  • A Life-Changing Decision I Made
  • A Moment of Personal Triumph
  • Overcoming My Greatest Fear
  • A Meaningful Lesson from a Personal Challenge
  • The Role of a Special Friend in My Life
  • A Time When I Broke a Personal Record
  • The Impact of a Mentor on My Life
  • My Journey to Self-Discovery

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

  • My Earliest Memory of Learning to Read
  • The Book That Sparked My Love for Reading
  • A Life-Changing Experience in a Library
  • The Impact of a Special Teacher on My Writing Skills
  • How Technology Has Shaped My Writing Habits
  • A Personal Reflection on My Writing Journey
  • The Role of Literature in Shaping My Perspective
  • Writing as a Tool for Self-Expression and Healing
  • How I Overcame Writer's Block
  • The Significance of Storytelling in My Life

Engaging Narrative Essay Topics

  • The Mystery of a Lost Treasure Map
  • An Unlikely Friendship That Changed My Life
  • A Day in the Life of a Professional Athlete
  • The Journey of Starting My Own Business
  • A Haunting Experience in a Historic Place
  • A Memorable Road Trip with Friends
  • My Encounter with a Famous Celebrity
  • The Day I Conquered My Greatest Fear
  • An Adventure in a Foreign Land
  • A Life-Altering Decision at a Crossroads

How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?

Choosing the right topic for your narrative essay can be a daunting task. Before you start writing, it is important to invest some time in researching and brainstorming. 

Here are a few tips to help guide you in selecting an interesting and engaging narrative essay topic: 

  • Reflect on Your Personal Experiences: If you are writing about a personal narrative topic, consider the impactful moments in your life and think about experiences that have left a strong impression on you.
  • Identify a Clear Message or Theme: Determine the central idea or theme of your narrative. Decide what lesson, insight, or emotion you want to convey.
  • Engage Your Audience: Consider your target audience and what will resonate with them. Choose a topic that captures their interest and keeps them engaged.
  • Play with Different Perspectives: Explore the option of incorporating different viewpoints. Combining personal and external perspectives can add depth to your narrative.
  • Test Your Idea: Get feedback from a friend or classmate. Assess if your chosen topic is likely to resonate with your audience.
  • Stay True to Your Voice: Balance considering your audience with being authentic. Let your unique voice and storytelling style shine through in your writing

Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Once you have selected a topic for your narrative essay, it is time to start writing. 

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you write your story: 

  • Start with a Strong Hook: Begin your narrative essay with a captivating hook, such as an engaging anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid description. 
  • Follow a Clear Structure: Organize your narrative essay outline with a clear structure. Most narratives follow a chronological order, but you can also use flashbacks or nonlinear storytelling when it serves your narrative. 
  • Build Tension and Conflict:  Create tension and conflict in your narrative to add depth and maintain reader engagement. Whether it's a personal struggle, a moral dilemma, or an external challenge, these obstacles will keep readers eagerly anticipating what comes next.
  • Revise and Edit:  After completing your first draft, take the time to revise and edit your work. Review it for grammar and spelling errors, but also examine the overall structure and flow of your narrative.
  • Practice, Practice, Practice:  Like any form of writing, improving your narrative essay skills takes practice. Keep writing and experimenting with different topics, styles, and approaches to develop your storytelling abilities.

Before you start writing, make sure you read some narrative essay examples to learn how to organize your thoughts and structure your story.

In summary, no matter the type of essay you are writing about, you need a topic to start with. Our collection of narrative essay topics offers fresh, distinct ideas. 

These topics are crafted to ignite your creativity and captivate your audience. They cover a diverse range of experiences, making it easier for you to connect with your readers on a personal level.

Still, struggling to write a compelling narrative essay? MyPerfectWords.com  is here to help you out!

We stand as the most reliable narrative essay writing service with a specialized focus on crafting exceptional essays designed for high school and college students. Our customer support team is also available 24/7, request write my essays online whenever you need assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are narrative essay topics different from other essay types.

FAQ Icon

Narrative essay topics are usually based on personal experiences, so they are more emotional and creative than other types of essays. Also, they are often more open-ended, so you have more freedom to choose what to write about. 

Where can I find good narrative essay topics?

There are a few ways to find good topics for your narrative essay. You can look through books or magazines for ideas, or search online for inspiration. You can also brainstorm with friends or family members to come up with ideas. 

What do I write a narrative essay about?

You can write a narrative essay about anything, but it is usually based on personal experience. Try to recall interesting incidents from your life to develop a narrative about. 

AI Essay Bot

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Caleb S.

Caleb S. has been providing writing services for over five years and has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He is an expert in his craft and takes great pride in helping students achieve their academic goals. Caleb is a dedicated professional who always puts his clients first.

Get Help

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

Narrative essay

Become a Writer Today

Narrative Essays: Examples And Topic Ideas For Students

Writing a narrative essay is a great way to share your life with others. Here, we’ll explore topics that will set you up to write a great narrative essay.

If you’re searching for a list of personal narrative essay topics, you’re likely writing a middle school, high school, or college essay. A personal narrative describes your life experience, usually from the first-person point of view.

There are many different approaches to take to writing a narrative essay. Good narrative essay topics are engaging and can be either serious or silly. A personal narrative is not an argument essay or a persuasive essay; rather, it tells a story from your point of view.

Narrative essay writers are constantly on the lookout for things that happen in their lives that teach a lesson, make a point, or tell a funny story. When brainstorming for the best topic for your narrative essay, think about something that happened in your life that you love sharing with others, and work to translate your story into written prose that will hook your readers.

Here, we’ll explore some of the best narrative essay topic examples and ideas, helping you get your writing started right.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers

Narrative Essay Examples

1. the power of potstickers by lauren brown, 2. everyone should have a best friend 30 years older than them by lucy holden, 3. all it takes is a small act of kindness by maddie huiras, 4. a reflection on working in labor & delivery by dr. amos grunebaum, md, 5. pressures of being a first generation american-born citizen by helen bezikyan, narrative essay topic ideas, 1. your first day of high school, 2. how you met your best friend, 3. your best birthday party, 4. your favorite (or most difficult) childhood memory, 5. your most embarrassing moment, 6. how you made a difficult decision, 7. an act of kindness, 8. a tribute to your first pet.

Although I find the exact measurements of recipes comforting, I do my best to add a pinch of this and a dash of that in my meals every so often. It’s how I get to go outside my comfort zone every day. And I see in myself a newfound wisdom: it’s ok to go off the beaten path, you can experiment, compromise can lead to something new and beautiful. My mother’s cooking taught me that and I expect to bring that with me wherever I may go.

In this food-based tribute to her mother’s ingenuity, Brown discusses important family memories while sharing lessons from her mother that she now carries through everyday life. The combination of rich descriptive language with an explanation of how the experience of cooking with her mother shaped her life draws the reader in, helping them to feel like they’re in the kitchen with Brown and her mother.

In short, we adopted each other as confidants and met regularly to discuss life in general. He was more supportive than anyone else I met during the whole three years and stepped out of his remit to give me tailored advice that definitely helped me to get a job in journalism. It was clear from the start that he cared more about what was right for me than what was right for the university league tables, perhaps because he actually knew me. When I told him I was worried that the long days I was doing in the student newspaper office would take a toll on my degree, he told me I could get a first if I wanted one, but thought the student paper stuff would help my career much more. 

It can be hard to find a friend who knows you better than yourself, and Holden discusses that phenomenon in their essay on friendship. She discusses how her friend affected her life during their time together and how he affected her after being separated by distance. In this narrative essay, the author works to describe the feelings she experienced through the ups and downs of their friendship, writing about universal truths that all humans experience in relationships. 

Throughout his life, he had gotten used to dealing with Dyskeratosis congenita, and as life went on, he eventually developed cancer; but even while battling cancer, my dad showed kindness. In fact, on the night before he passed away, even though he knew he wouldn’t be with us for much longer, he tried his best to focus on the positive stuff. 

In this essay, Huiras reflects on the life and death of her father and celebrates his commitment to kindness to others throughout his life. While Huiras narrates the events that led to her father’s death, she also describes how his actions and character significantly affect her life, helping her grow into the woman she wants to be.

Labor & Delivery is getting tears in your eyes when you watch a couple you’ve connected with welcome their baby into the world. Even though you’ve just met and will likely never see each other again, there’s something special about sharing that experience that makes you feel like you’ve known each other forever. Labor & Delivery is a place full of opposites. A woman grieving a devastating loss can be in the room next door to a family celebrating a new addition and 14-year-old mother can be in the room next door to a 45-year-old mother. Regardless of the circumstances, each family that walks through the L&D doors will be forever changed.

In this essay on life behind the doors of the delivery room, Dr. Grunebaum shares what it’s like to both celebrate and grieve with families and how difficult it can be to manage both the chaos and joy that comes with the birth process. If you choose to write an essay about a process so personal as birth, leave out any details that could identify the people involved, as Grunebaum does in this essay. 

The struggles that come with having immigrant parents may include constant seeking of approval, always having to be responsible, as well as immigrant parents discussing the future that they may have already planned for their child. More often than not, immigrant parents constantly remind their child, or children that they expect big and great things from them in the future, which is part of why they came to this country.

In this essay, Bezikyan discusses the unique pressures of being a first-generation American-born citizen. In addition to offering her perspective, she also offers the opinions of others in similar circumstances. This helps to support her opinion and help others see the shared experience of people born to immigrant parents.

Narrative Essay Topics: Your first day of high school

Whether you’re a college or high school student, you likely remember your first day of high school—stepping away from middle school and becoming a young adult. The first day of high school is rife with emotion, and describing your experience can provide your reader with an interesting perspective on how you deal with transition and change.

When describing the big day, use details. Explain how you felt as you walked toward the door, how you felt when you struggled to find your classes, and what it was like opening your new locker for the first time. As you write, you may find it helpful to avoid technical details (like the minute-to-minute scheduling of your classes) and instead focus on unique or tough moments or how accomplished you felt by the end of the day.

Your best friend has been there for you through thick and thin, and writing about how the two of you met can be a fun narrative essay topic, no matter your age or writing level.

As you tell the story of how you met your best friend, describe how your connection grew over time. Perhaps you were thick as thieves right away, or you needed some time to realize that you’d met a lifelong friend. For some inspiration, reach out to your best friend and ask them what they remember from the day you met—it can be fun and fresh to get their perspective on how your first meeting went.

Birthdays are a time to celebrate, and writing about a particularly excellent birthday can be a great topic for your narrative essay. When discussing your best birthday party, include all details, including who you invited, what you ate, and how you celebrated with family and friends.

You may also want to talk about why that particular birthday was so meaningful to you. If it was a landmark birthday (like your sweet 16) or a special event (like your last birthday party at home before you left for college), be sure to mention this, so your reader understands why this event was so significant in your life.

There’s no way around it: traumatic things happen in childhood, and wonderful things happen. Writing about childhood memories can be relatable and provide an instant connection with your readers.

When choosing a favorite childhood memory to write about, think back to memorable times in your life because they’re connected with strong emotions. Perhaps you want to write about when your baby sibling came home from the hospital or your first baseball game.

If you choose to write about a difficult childhood memory, the process for choosing a topic is still the same. Think back to a childhood memory that evokes strong emotion. While writing about a negative childhood memory can be an excellent way to write a compelling personal essay, it can also bring up challenging thoughts and may feel traumatic.

Have a particular time that made you red in the face? Writing about an embarrassing moment is relatable and can provide a humorous topic for your narrative essay.

When writing about your embarrassing moment, it can be helpful if you’re willing to laugh at yourself and find the humor in the situation you went through. Be sure to describe what happened from start to finish, painting a clear picture of the moment for your readers. Describe your emotions as the embarrassing moment occurred, and talk about what happened after the moment was over.

Wrestling with a difficult decision can feel impossible at the moment, and reflecting on the experience of making a difficult decision to your readers can make for an excellent narrative essay topic.

When you’re talking about a difficult decision in your narrative essay, give plenty of background information so that the reader fully understands why you’re wrestling with a tough choice. Don’t give away your decision at the start of the essay; rather, take the reader through your thought process as you had to decide what to do.

Sharing an act of kindness you did with someone else—or a random act of kindness that someone did for you—can provide a warm, fuzzy topic for your narrative essay. When writing about an act of kindness, focus on how the act made you feel, whether you were the giver or the receiver of the act.

Much like writing about meeting your best friend for the first time, it can be helpful to talk about your state of mind before and after the act of kindness occurred. Perhaps you were going through a tough time, and the act of kindness helped to boost your mood. Explaining the emotions that came with the act of kindness and the facts of the situation can help your reader feel connected to your story.

Narrative Essay Topics: A Tribute To Your First Pet

Whether you have a dog, a cat, or something more exotic, many readers will be able to connect with the love that a kid has for their first pet. When writing a narrative essay about your first pet, please explain how you felt the first time you laid eyes on them. This may mean describing when they were first presented to you as a kitten or a puppy or the first time you saw your older rescue pet.

Talk about the qualities you loved most about your pet, whether that was their ability to comfort you after a bad day or how they were never too old or tired to go outside and play frisbee. Focus both on the descriptive qualities of your pet that allow your reader to imagine what they looked like and the emotional qualities that keep your first pet near and dear to your heart to this day.

If you have a pet currently, you can mention them in your narrative essay about your first pet, talking about their qualities that remind you of your first pet. While it can tug at your heartstrings to describe the memory of your first pet, writing about the love you have for an animal is nearly universally relatable, and your readers will love hearing about your fond memories of your furry friend.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

If you’re still stuck, check out our available resources for  essay writing topics .

narrative essay topics students

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

View all posts

164 Narrative Essay Topics for School & College Students

A narrative essay tells a story about a series of events. At the core of this kind of essay can be a personal experience or a fictional plot. Any story can be a basis for a narrative essay!

Narratives can look similar to descriptions. Still, they are different. A descriptive essay aims to explain the details of a specific moment. Narrative writing focuses on a sequence of events to tell a complete story.

In this article, we have prepared a list of narrative essay topics for high school, college, and university students. The topic ideas are divided by spheres. In the collection below, you’ll find the ideas based on personal experience as well as fictional narrative essay topics. Make use of resources offered by our custom writing experts to write any paper!

  • 🔝 Top 10 Topics
  • 📖 Fictional Topics
  • 🧑✍️ Personal Narrative
  • ✈️ Traveling
  • 🧒 Elementary

✏️ Middle School

🧑‍🏫 high school.

  • 👫 Relationships
  • 🧸 Childhood
  • 💡 Writing Guide and Tips

🔝 Top 10 Narrative Essay Topics: High School

  • Your childhood role model
  • How you overcame hardship
  • The best news you have ever heard
  • The time you experienced culture shock
  • A story of how you mistreated someone
  • The most memorable encounter you’ve had
  • An unexpected event that changed your life
  • The most embarrassing conversation you’ve had
  • When you realized you were wrong in an argument
  • A person who changed your opinion on something

📖 Fictional Narrative Essay Topics

The art of writing fiction is all about narrating a story. In a fictional narrative, you are free to create a tale that doesn’t relate to real life. Take a look at the fictional narrative essay topics below:

  • Write a narrative where a girl discovers her superpower.
  • A story about a land that has 25 hours in a day.
  • Describe your version of the future .
  • Fiction narrative where a person discovers big city life.
  • Come up with an apocalyptic story.
  • A group of scientists discovering a new world inside the Earth.

When writing a fictional narrative.

  • Write about a hamster that prevented a house robbery.
  • A person who saves the country from mass-produced poisoned food .
  • A group of high school students helping to improve their city.
  • A new civilization in a far away galaxy.
  • Write about a grandfather who was secretly a spy.
  • A narrative about a person waking up from the surgery with a different identity .
  • Create a story about a mysterious musical instrument .
  • A college student who won the presidential election.
  • Compose a story about a painting that looks different in every new house.
  • An anonymous person sends lots of money to the poor.
  • Come up with a fictional narrative about a family with unusual tendencies.
  • A movie star who lives out their roles in real life.
  • Passengers of an airplane encounter a UFO .
  • A narrative where a farmer grows strange plants.
  • Write about an orphan who finds out about their inheritance .
  • Story of siblings who resolve a long-lasting argument.

🧑✍️ Personal Narrative Essay Topics

A personal narrative is devoted to the author’s own experience. Therefore, feel free to write in first person. Include your thoughts and emotions. Do your best to describe the details of your narrative. This will help the reader to relive the story with you. Here is the list of excellent topic ideas for your essay:

  • Memories of your first sports coach.
  • A story of how you dyed your hair.
  • Write about something you did against your parents’ will.
  • Recall a day when you got in a fight with your best friend .
  • What was the most exciting adventure in your life?
  • An unfortunate situation that had a good ending.
  • Write about the time when you had to train hard for a competition.
  • Describe the turning point of your life.
  • An experience when you had to overcome your fear.
  • Write about the circumstances that brought you and your parents closer.
  • Describe a memorable conversation with someone.

Vivian Gornick quote.

  • An imaginary world you’ve created as a child.
  • Who gave you the most valuable lesson in your life?
  • One time when you regretted doing something.
  • A particularly embarrassing situation you went through.
  • Your memories of seeing something very beautiful.
  • A moment that made you proud of yourself.
  • Recall a time when you taught a child to do something.
  • What was the most memorable news report you saw in your life?
  • Describe a day when you stood up for someone.
  • Write about the best birthday party you’ve ever had.
  • Share your experience of being lost.

📚 Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

Literacy narrative revolves around reflecting on feelings connected to reading and writing. For this type of essay, think of yourself as a reader and a writer. You can describe any reading experience, whether it is a book, email, or social media post.

  • The most touching piece of writing you’ve ever read.
  • Write about a book that impacted you the most.
  • A news article that changed your view on life.
  • What book character do you most identify with?
  • Talk about a piece of fiction that captured your imagination.
  • What was your favorite novel growing up?
  • The scariest story you’ve ever read.
  • Recall your emotions after reading a heartfelt social media post.
  • What is the most boring book you’ve read?
  • Describe a book that you would reread over and over again.

A book report is considered a narrative essay.

  • Your experience of reading a story to a child.
  • Have you ever read something that taught you a lesson?
  • Do you see yourself becoming a professional writer?
  • Recall the day when you had to complete your first writing assignment.
  • How does sharing thoughts on social media make you feel?
  • If you were to write a book, who would be the main character?
  • Talk about the most personal thing you’ve ever written.
  • Describe your experience of composing a poem.
  • Why can someone have difficulty with writing?
  • Recall what it was like to read for the first time.
  • What does journaling mean to you?
  • Have you ever been proud of something you wrote?

✈️ Narrative Essay Topics about Traveling

In this section, you get to engage your creativity! A narrative essay about traveling is supposed to show the reader what it’s like to explore the world. Present a story taking place in a real or imaginary location:

  • Your first time traveling to another country.
  • Friends taking a trip to the Great Canyon.
  • Write a narrative about traveling to your dream location.
  • Describe a trip to the Taj Mahal.
  • A day-long road trip.
  • Share your experience of visiting a historical site.
  • Come up with a story about getting around the airport .
  • What to do if you are lost in a foreign country?
  • A day in the life of a flight attendant .
  • Write about eating unusual foods from around the world.
  • Describe talking to a local in a foreign language .
  • A narrative about going on a seven-day cruise .
  • Tell the reader about the most breathtaking view you’ve ever seen.
  • Write a story about riding a train.
  • A short narrative about an out-of-state road trip.

Robert Louis Stevenson quote.

  • Traveling to see your family on holidays.
  • Come up with a narrative about hitchhiking across America.
  • What is it like to travel in the air balloon?
  • How to prepare for a trip around the world.
  • What to do if your luggage got lost in a foreign country.
  • Describe packing a suitcase for a long trip.
  • A story about a person missing their plane.

🏫 Narrative Essay Topics about School

This section is for all grades! Writing a narrative essay about school gives you a chance to share your personal experience as a student. You can write about precious memories, challenges, or influential people in your school career. Pick one of the narrative essay topics about school from this list:

🧒 Elementary School

  • Write a story with your favorite teacher as the main character.
  • Describe your first day at school.
  • A fun memory with your best friend.
  • What is your favorite thing to do during a break?
  • Tell your reader about something interesting you learned in class recently.
  • A day when you had to leave school early.
  • Recall your favorite celebration with classmates.
  • Write about your favorite school subject.
  • A story about your most unusual day at school.
  • How did you bond with your classmates?
  • Come up with narrative about a memorable event at the cafeteria .
  • The last day of school before the summer break .
  • One time when you forgot to bring something to the class.
  • Describe how you worked on a science project.
  • The most challenging class you took in middle school.
  • A story of how you pranked a friend.
  • Have you ever won a school competition?
  • The day when you’ve decided on your future profession.
  • Write about the teacher who impacted you the most.
  • A story of a serious conversation you had about your grades .
  • The day when you got in trouble with the principal .
  • Reflect on a class you will never forget.

👫 Narrative Essay Topics about Relationships

Narrative essay about relationships focuses on presenting a story about connections between people. You can write about your family, friends, or loved ones. Make sure to pick a statement that you will expand on in your story. Use the following list of narrative writing topics to come up with your narrative about relationships.

  • A conflict between generations .
  • What is it like to be in love ?
  • Write about how hatred can destroy relationships.
  • Describe an example of loyalty.
  • A story about maintaining friendship via social media .
  • Come up with a narrative where people with opposite personalities are getting along.
  • Tell the reader about somebody being generous.
  • Write about a couple being honest with each other.
  • A story where classmates treat each other with respect.
  • Describe a family that maintains loving relationship no matter what.
  • A story where you help somebody who used to be your enemy .
  • How friendliness can brighten up a person’s day.
  • Talk about the pain of ending a relationship .

Brandon Sanderson quote.

  • Children learning from their parents about empathy .
  • A narrative about food connecting people.
  • Come up with a story about unfulfilled expectations.
  • The importance of authentic conversations in a friendship.
  • What relational patterns do you see in your family?
  • Manifestations of real love in everyday life.
  • A story when someone makes a sacrifice for the sake of others.
  • Describe a situation where parents are bonding with their child.
  • Talk about the most meaningful relationship in your life.

🧸 Childhood Narrative Essay Topics

Childhood narrative essays are about sharing memories from the time when you were little. You can write about playing with friends or a day when you fell off the bike. Or, ask your family members to recall some episodes from your childhood.

  • A story of how you received your nickname.
  • Write about playing with your favorite toys.
  • What is the most memorable place you went to when you were little?
  • What kind of friends did you have when you were little?
  • Did you ever break anything?
  • Recall your earliest childhood memories.
  • What was the first valuable lesson you’ve learned as a kid?
  • Share your favorite childhood sports memory.
  • A story of your first triumph.
  • What did you enjoy doing when you were little?

Marcel Proust quote.

  • A moment from your childhood that your parents often recall.
  • Which talents did you have when you were a child?
  • What was it like to grow up with your siblings?
  • Write a narrative about your favorite pet.
  • The most memorable childhood moment with your family.
  • Were there any challenges you had to overcome as a kid?
  • What was your favorite children’s book ?
  • Did you ever get lost when you were little?
  • An exciting sleepover you had with friends.
  • Write a story about how you and your friends went on an adventure.
  • A family holiday that you will remember forever.
  • What was your favorite food in your early years?

💡 Narrative Essay Writing Guide and Tips

As you already know, writing a narrative essay is very similar to telling a story. Here are a few tips to remember for narrative writing:

  • Tip 1: Use your memories. Take time to write down everything you can recall about the event. You can use it as a basis for your paper.
  • Tip 2: Be clear. Stick to the main idea of the essay. It’s better not to add characters or details that are not relevant to the story you’re telling.
  • Tip 3: Choose words carefully. In an essay words to are like paint on a canvas. The use of vivid language can help you create a story worth reading.

Now, pay attention to this step-by-step guide. It will help you outline an on-point narrative essay:

  • Introduction. In the opening paragraph, determine the main idea of the paper. Make a clear thesis that reflects the purpose of your narrative. To help yourself with this part, you can try a narrative essay thesis generator .

In this essay, I want to share my happiest childhood memory of playing with my older brother.

  • The body. Since you are writing the narrative essay as a story, make sure to tell the story well. Think through the plot with conflict, climax, and a powerful conclusion. Take your time to introduce the setting and the characters. All this will make your paper entertaining and easy to read.
  • Conclusion. Bring your narrative to a logical end. Expanding on the thesis statement will help you write a great conclusion.

Playing with my older brother taught me the true meaning of family, and I’m very grateful for it.

We hope this article helped you figure out how to write a narrative essay!

You may be also interested in:

  • How to Write a Narrative Essay: Easy Guide and Useful Tips
  • How to Start an Autobiography about Yourself: Full Guide + Autobiography Examples
  • How to Write a Creative Essay: Tips, Topics and Techniques
  • Breaking Down the Types of Essays: a Complete Guide for Success

🔍 References

  • Narrative Essays: Purdue University
  • Nailing the Craft of Narrative Writing: WeAreTeachers
  • Narrative and Reflection Writing Samples: Western Technical College
  • Drafting a Narrative: Walden University
  • Scholarly Personal Narrative: University of Vermont
  • The Power of Personal Narratives in the Classroom: University of Washington
  • Fiction Writing Basics: Purdue University
  • How to Write a Literacy Narrative: Pen and the Pad
  • Literacy Narratives: UNC Charlotte
  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to LinkedIn
  • Share to email

200 Process Essay Topics

Similar to the instructions in a recipe book, process essays convey information in a step-by-step format. In this type of paper, you follow a structured chronological process. You can also call it a how-to essay. A closely related type is a process analysis essay. Here you have to carefully consider...

150 Classification Essay Topics and Ideas

In a classification essay, you divide the subject into categories. To create these categories, you single out certain attributes of things. You can classify them according to their characteristics, themes, or traits. Sounds complicated? Be sure that any high school or college student can manage this type of essay!

200 Excellent Evaluation Essay Topics

Throughout your high school years, you are likely to write many evaluative papers. In an evaluation essay you aim is to justify your point of view through evidence.

240 Immigration Essay Topics

Immigration is a permanent move to a foreign country. It takes place all over the globe, including the United States. It played an important role in history, and it continues to influence society today. This article offers a variety of immigration essay topics. They are suitable for college-level works, as...

440 Good Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

Should you buy a green or a red apple? Before making a decision, people often compare their options. In a compare and contrast essay, you analyze the similarities and differences between certain things. In this article, you’ll find interesting and easy compare and contrast essay topics for college, high school...

210 Good Opinion Topics for Essays

An opinion essay requires a student to present a point of view on a chosen subject and back it up with substantial evidence. Like in a debate, the writer has to give their opinion and defend it while using scholarly resources. This article will help you find a good opinion...

450 Philosophy Topics & Questions for Your Essay

When you start studying philosophy, you may think it’s boring and has nothing to do with the real world. It couldn’t be further from the truth! The study of philosophy deals with the most exciting and mysterious aspects of reality. It is closely connected with science, psychology, art, and politics....

120+ Micro- & Macroeconomics Research Topics

It would be great if economics in college would just teach you how to save and make money. In reality, however, students usually write research papers on micro- and macroeconomics topics to learn about the production and consumption of goods on an international level.

417 Business Topics & Research Titles about Business

The corporate world is the world of the future – there’s no doubt about that. And education in ABM will help you conquer it! What is ABM strand, exactly? ABM stands for Accountancy, Business, and Management. Future leaders and entrepreneurs pursue education in this field to learn the skills essential...

201 Research Topics on Psychology & Communication

If you are a psychology student and you think that Mindhunter is just not good enough, you are not alone! Psychology is one of the most exciting research areas. It is one of the reasons why Custom-writing.org experts prepared as many as 191 psychology research topics! 🔝 Top 10 Communication...

511 HumSS Topics: Humanities & Social Science Research

There is a big difference between research conducted in science and humanities. Scholars in humanities and social sciences (HumSS strand) are more interested in questions rather than answers. Interpreting the known facts and looking at them from a new perspective is also a part of research in HumSS. There are...

301 Best Health & Medical Research Topics

The importance of health research can’t be underestimated. It helps move medicine forward and save millions of people. It also promotes various preventive techniques that help us live longer and safer lives.

narrative essay topics students

Narrative Essay Topics: A Compilation of 120+ Great Ideas

narrative essay topics

In the world of writing, narrative essays stand out for their ability to blend storytelling with personal reflection. These essays are your chance to share a meaningful experience in a way that captivates readers and leaves a lasting impact. Unlike other types of essays, narratives let you explore your memories and emotions while crafting a story that resonates universally.

What makes narrative essays particularly fascinating is their emphasis on authenticity and vivid detail. Readers crave a genuine connection with the writer, and this genre offers the perfect platform to achieve just that. Whether recounting a life-changing event or sharing a simple moment that left a lasting impression, the narrative essay allows you to infuse your unique voice into a rich and engaging storyline.

In this article, we've curated a list of narrative essay topics, no matter what grade you're in. And if you're knee-deep in a big college project, don't worry – just let us know - do my dissertation , and we'll handle it with expertise.

How to Choose Interesting Narrative Essay Topics: 12 Tips

Now that we're ready for narrative writing, the first step is picking a topic that truly matters. Here's a simple guide to help you choose a story that will grab attention and leave a lasting impression:

  • Heartfelt Moments: Start by thinking about moments in your life that really meant something to you. These can be happy, challenging, or enlightening times—whatever feels important. The more you care about the story, the more your readers will too.
  • Everyone's Story: Consider if your chosen topic is something others might connect with. It could be a shared experience like facing a fear, overcoming a hurdle, or chasing a dream. A relatable theme helps your readers see a bit of themselves in your story.
  • Picture Perfect: Look for a topic that lets you use lots of details and descriptive words. Readers love to be transported into your world, so choose a moment where you can vividly describe things like sights, sounds, and feelings.
  • What Did You Learn? Think about whether your story has a lesson or insight. It could be a small realization or a big life change. Sharing what you've learned adds depth to your narrative and gives your readers something to think about.
  • Easy to Follow: Make sure your topic can be told in a clear order. Readers should easily follow the flow of your story. Try to keep things organized, maybe starting at the beginning and moving through the important parts.
  • Unexpected Twists: Explore moments in your life that had unexpected twists or turns. Whether it's a surprising revelation, a sudden change of heart, or an unforeseen challenge, these unexpected elements can add intrigue to your narrative and keep readers engaged.
  • Personal Growth Arc: Opt for a topic that showcases personal growth or transformation. Personal narrative essay ideas that highlight your journey toward becoming a better person, overcoming limitations, or embracing change are not only compelling but also offer readers a glimpse into the resilience of the human spirit.
  • Expressive Dialogue: If your chosen topic involves conversations, ensure they are expressive and add value to the narrative. Use dialogue to convey emotions, reveal character dynamics, and provide insight into the central theme. Well-crafted dialogue can breathe life into your story, making it more relatable and engaging.
  • Cultural or Historical Context: Consider whether your story holds any cultural or historical significance. Exploring how your experiences intersect with broader cultural or historical events can provide a unique perspective, enriching your narrative and fostering a deeper connection with readers.
  • Balance Emotion and Reflection: Strike a balance between emotional storytelling and reflective insights. While it's important to convey the emotions of the moment, also take moments to step back and reflect on the significance of the experience. This dual approach adds depth and resonance to your narrative essay topics.
  • Create a Strong Opening: Capture your readers' attention from the start by crafting a strong opening. Whether it's a gripping statement, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid description, a compelling introduction sets the tone for the entire essay and draws readers into your narrative.
  • Consider Your Audience: Keep your intended audience in mind when selecting a topic. Tailor your narrative to resonate with the interests and experiences of your readers. This consideration ensures that your story connects on a personal level, making it more memorable and impactful.

How to Choose Interesting Narrative Essay Topics

If these tips don't quite match your style, feel free to send us a ' write my paper for me ' request, and we'll take care of the task for you, covering any topic you have in mind.

Your Words, Our Expertise – a Match Made in Narrative Heaven!

Let us do the storytelling for you – your engaging essay is one order away!

Narrative Essay Topics For High School

  • Learning to Ride My Bike
  • Imaginary Adventures in the Backyard
  • Hiding and Seeking in Fun Places
  • Building Awesome Blanket Forts
  • Baking Cookies with Family
  • Splashing in Puddles on Rainy Days
  • Tag Games with Neighborhood Friends
  • Show and Tell Excitement at School
  • Snowy Days and Hot Cocoa
  • Fun Birthday Parties with Friends
  • Movie Nights with the Family
  • Cooking with Mom or Dad
  • Funny Family Road Trip
  • Sunday Pancake Breakfasts
  • Game Nights and Family Fun
  • Silly Family Photo Mishaps
  • DIY Christmas Decorations with Family
  • Grandma's Special Holiday Recipes
  • Celebrating Big Family Moments
  • Camping and Storytelling Together
  • A Day of Exploring the Forest
  • Camping Under the Starry Sky
  • Picnic Adventures in the Park
  • Watching a Sunrise by the Ocean
  • The Joy of Planting and Gardening
  • Unexpected Encounters with Wildlife
  • Splashing in Puddles After the Rain
  • Capturing Beauty Through Nature Photography
  • Hiking Trails and Discovering Hidden Gems
  • Feeling the Warmth of a Bonfire Night
  • My First Musical Instrument
  • Creating Melodies on the Piano
  • Dancing to the Beat of My Favorite Song
  • Concert Excitement with Friends
  • Discovering New Tunes on the Radio
  • Singing in the Shower Moments
  • Learning to Play Guitar Basics
  • The Impact of Music on My Mood
  • Jamming Sessions with Siblings
  • A Song that Brings Back Special Memories

Relationships

  • My Best Friend Through Thick and Thin
  • Making Friends in High School
  • Adventures with my Furry Friend
  • Siblings: Partners in Crime and Love
  • Heart-to-Heart Talks with Mom or Dad
  • Learning About Trust in Friendship
  • Figuring Out Teenage Relationships
  • Making New Friends in a New Place
  • How a Mentor Changed My Life
  • Reconnecting with an Old Pal

Self Reflection

  • Finding What Makes Me Tick
  • Facing Tough Times and Bouncing Back
  • Setting Personal Goals That Matter
  • Loving Myself, Flaws, and All
  • Growing Through Mistakes
  • Building Confidence and Banishing Doubts
  • The Quest for Inner Peace
  • Setting Boundaries for Self-Care
  • Reflecting on My Personal Growth
  • Being Thankful for Small Joys
  • My First Day of School Excitement
  • Memorable Moments in the Classroom
  • Favorite Subjects and Why I Love Them
  • School Plays and Unforgettable Performances
  • The Fun of Group Projects
  • Lunchtime Laughter with Friends
  • Overcoming Challenges in School
  • Teachers Who Made a Lasting Impact
  • The Joy of Learning Something New
  • Unexpected Friendships in School
  • Discovering the Joy of Reading
  • Exploring the World of Art and Creativity
  • Adventures in Photography
  • Learning to Play a Musical Instrument
  • The Thrill of Sports and Team Spirit
  • Gardening and Growing Green
  • Cooking Up Delicious Creations
  • Building and Crafting: My DIY World
  • Dancing Through the Rhythms of Life
  • Exploring the Outdoors: My Nature Hobby

Crafting Tales that Captivate Is Our Specialty!

Whether it's a personal journey or a fictional adventure, let our narrative essay writing service bring your narrative to life.

Narrative Essay Topics For College

  • Discovering What I Love to Study in College
  • Late Nights Studying and Learning to Manage My Time
  • Internship Adventures: Lessons from the Real World
  • How a Mentor Changed My College Experience
  • Dorm Room Stories: Making Unexpected Friends
  • Balancing Work and Fun in College
  • From Nervous Freshman to Wise Senior: What I've Learned
  • Studying Abroad: Trying New Things and Meeting New People
  • Making Connections: How Networking Led to Opportunities
  • Facing Challenges in College and Finding My Strength

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

  • The Midnight Adventure That Taught Me Courage
  • Chasing Dreams: A Journey Beyond Comfort Zones
  • Lost and Found: A Tale of Personal Discovery
  • The Unexpected Friendship That Changed My World
  • Embracing Chaos: Lessons from a Spontaneous Road Trip
  • Breaking Free: Escaping the Chains of Self-Doubt
  • Through My Lens: Capturing Moments that Define Me
  • A Quest for Perseverance: Overcoming a Personal Everest
  • Homecoming: Rediscovering Roots and Unspoken Bonds
  • Tiny Sparks: The Simple Joys We Often Overlook

Good Narrative Essay Topics

  • The Day Everything Changed: A Personal Turning Point
  • Unlikely Heroes: Stories of Everyday Acts of Kindness
  • Behind the Scenes: The Challenges of Pursuing a Passion
  • Lessons from the Playground: Childhood Wisdom Revisited
  • The Unforgettable Journey of a Handwritten Letter
  • The Mystery of a Long-lost Family Recipe
  • Midnight Musings: Reflections on Sleepless Nights
  • A Brush with Nature: Finding Solace in the Great Outdoors
  • The Art of Resilience: Bouncing Back from Life's Curveballs
  • Serendipity Strikes: The Power of Random Connections

Best Narrative Essay Topics

  • My Big Changes: How Small Choices Shaped My Life
  • Night Adventures: Exploring Cities After Dark
  • Finding Forgotten Hobbies: Rediscovering Old Passions
  • Memories in Scents: The Smells That Take Me Back
  • What If Stories: Imagining Different Paths I Could Have Taken
  • Objects with Stories: Finding Meaning in Everyday Items
  • Lessons from Solitude: What I Discovered in Quiet Moments
  • Family Tales: Learning About My Roots Through Stories
  • Destiny's Dance: Moments That Changed Everything
  • My Emotions Palette: Painting with Feelings in My Life

As you reach the end of the article, we hope you've enjoyed the topic suggestions. But if you're feeling uncertain about how to approach an essay on your chosen topic, don't hesitate to reach out. Just say, ' write research paper for me ,' and we'll ensure you love the final result.

Survey Research Method

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

EveryWriter

A New Community of Writers

100 Greatest Narrative Essay Topics

January 5, 2024 by Richard Leave a Comment

100 Greatest Narrative Essay Topics

Welcome to our 100 Greatest Narrative Essay topics of all time list. These topics are written about over and over again by students and writers all over the world, and they are made new every time someone tells their story. Sharing personal stories can be a powerful way to connect with others. Whether it’s a humorous anecdote or an impactful life event, narrative essays give readers a glimpse into someone else’s world while reminding them of our shared humanity.

So, if you are having a hard time coming up with a topic to write about, try these 100. We seek to provide inspiration for your personal narrative essay. It compiles a list of 100 narrative essay topics ranging from lighthearted tales about childhood memories to profound life-changing events. With so many options, readers are sure to find an experience in their own lives that they can transform into an engaging first-person story.

Some of these narrative essay ideas evoke positive emotions – like achieving a major accomplishment, traveling somewhere new, or meeting someone influential. Other prompts allow reflection on challenging experiences – like encountering failure, coping with loss or illness, or facing down fears. The list also includes topics perfect for humor pieces – because the best personal narratives often share smiles and laughter too.

Readers can take a look at the list and see which topic speaks to them. Then they can start drafting their own unique story. Because each person’s tale offers its own dose of wisdom, inspiration, and connection. The stories readers craft based on these ideas will surely impact others.

Here are 100 potential narrative essay topics:

  • A time I overcame a fear
  • The day I met my best friend
  • A family vacation that went wrong
  • The experience of learning to ride a bike
  • Attending my first concert
  • My most difficult class in school so far
  • My proudest accomplishment
  • A time I failed at something
  • My experience learning a new language
  • Meeting someone famous
  • My experience as a camp counselor
  • My favorite family holiday tradition
  • The first time I traveled alone
  • A challenging hike I went on
  • Moving to a new place
  • Getting my first pet
  • Being bullied as a child
  • My first day of high school
  • My experience playing on a sports team
  • The day I got my driver’s license
  • Something funny my parent or sibling did
  • Working an unpleasant job as a teenager
  • Volunteering in my community
  • The day I became an older sibling
  • A parenting lesson my parents taught me
  • Attending my first homecoming dance
  • My favorite birthday celebration
  • A cooking disaster story
  • My experience getting stitches or breaking a bone
  • A mentor who impacted my life
  • My most memorable act of kindness from a stranger
  • The adoption of my pet
  • My experience being homeschooled
  • Starting a new hobby as an adult
  • My fondest childhood memory
  • My first heartbreak
  • My experience with online school
  • My journey recovering from an injury
  • Being a working student
  • Writing my first poem or short story
  • My scariest nightmare
  • Making a move to live on my own
  • Coping with my parents’ divorce
  • My adventure backpacking overseas
  • My most memorable day playing childhood games
  • The time I performed on stage
  • A cherished family tradition
  • My proudest moment as a parent
  • Meeting my grandparents for the first time
  • My experience being an older sibling
  • My fondest memory of a family pet
  • My most memorable birthday
  • My most humbling moment
  • My first experience with snow
  • A difficult goodbye
  • My favorite place to spend time as a child
  • Winning an award
  • My favorite holiday gathering
  • Studying abroad in college
  • Moving to a new city after graduation
  • My experience voting for the first time
  • A favorite item from my childhood
  • My experience overcoming sickness or surgery
  • My favorite family vacation
  • A memorable weekend road trip
  • My first paying job
  • My experience on the first day of a new school
  • Celebrating a cultural holiday
  • How I learned to overcome a bad habit
  • Staying up all night with friends
  • Attending prom
  • My experience being home alone
  • Getting elected as a group leader
  • Preparing for a major storm
  • Learning a lesson about honesty
  • The day I rescued an animal
  • My first impression of a famous landmark
  • My most memorable celebrity encounter
  • My experience with online dating
  • My first car buying experience
  • Deciding my college major
  • Changing career paths
  • My experience with unrequited love
  • Meeting an idol or someone I admire
  • My experience dealing with loss
  • My biggest regret
  • My proudest problem solving moment
  • My favorite concert experience
  • My experience with an act of heroism
  • My first time trying an extreme sport
  • How I overcame my biggest fear
  • My experience with an ethical dilemma
  • My most spiritual experience
  • My most terrifying moment
  • A major turning point in my life
  • My best day ever
  • My worst day ever
  • My experience immigrating to a new country
  • My experience parenting multiples (twins, triplets etc)
  • My funniest travel mishap

As evident, there is no shortage of engaging topics for personal narrative essays. The experiences humans accumulate throughout their lives – whether they make one laugh, cry, or change who one is – are what connects people at one’s core. Hopefully this list has provided some inspiration. Now one can take a chosen story and make it shine by adding rich details, thoughtful reflection, a meaningful central message, and a unique voice. After all, the magic manifests through the telling, and every individual has a one-of-a-kind tale only they can share. So embrace the memories and truths to craft an essay that resonates. Who knows which lives one’s words might touch or perspectives they may broaden? When more narratives are exchanged, perhaps we will begin to see that while specific adventures may differ, at heart most seek similar things – joy, purpose, wisdom, catharsis. And by reading others’ stories, people expand their wells of compassion. So take up the pen and start composing the next great personal narrative. Those words cannot wait to be read!

Related Posts:

50 spring break writing prompts

About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.  

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry.   Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Privacy Overview

Narrative Essay Writing

Narrative Essay Topics

Cathy A.

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics and Ideas

16 min read

Published on: Mar 22, 2023

Last updated on: Mar 25, 2024

narrative essay topic ideas

People also read

How to Write a Narrative Essay in Simple Steps

20+ Top Narrative Essay Examples by Experts

Personal Narrative Essay - Easy Guide & Examples

Share this article

Unlike other forms of academic writing, narrative essays focus on personal experiences, anecdotes, and reflections. They aim to engage readers through vivid storytelling, allowing them to connect emotionally with the narrative. 

However, finding the right topic can sometimes be challenging. 

In this guide, we'll look into the narrative essay topic examples, explore various themes, and provide valuable tips to help you choose the perfect topic for your narrative essay.

Let’s jump in!

On This Page On This Page -->

Narrative Essay Topics for Students

If you're a student, you probably have to write an essay at some point. Getting an interesting topic idea is not easy. We have gathered some essay topics for different academic levels to help you with the task.

Let's dive right into the narrative essay topics list without any delay.

Narrative Essay Topics For University Students

  • The worst interview of your life 
  • A time when you discovered something precious 
  • A time when you were insulted or disrespected
  • A time you discovered one of your skills
  • The moment when your loved one was hurt 
  • The moment when your best friend had an accident 
  • The day your father caught you smoking 
  • A mistake that taught you something significant 
  • An action you thought would help the person but got you in trouble.
  • The moment when someone else's experience saved your life 
  • The time when you underestimated a junior
  • How has practicing helped you become a professional?
  • The time when your beliefs were shaken
  • An event that made you feel sorry about a person
  • The time when you had to let go of one of your most important things

Narrative Essay Topics For College Students

  • First experience of living in a hostel
  • The worst roommate ever
  • Frightening memory of your childhood
  • Why you chose a specific major
  • What studying in a dream college feels like?
  • The most healthy part of your routine
  • The time you inspired someone
  • What should you tell your younger self?
  • Your favorite author and his work that you most relate to
  • A moment when your joke offended your friend

Narrative Essay Topics For Grade 12

  • Your favorite activities in your leisure time
  • How you overcome your fears
  • The hardest thing you did in life
  • What regrets do you have in life?
  • Your biggest motivation to score well in academics
  • Share a cherished family tradition and its impact on you.
  • Recall a moment where you stood up for your beliefs.
  • Discuss a tough decision and its impact on your character.
  • Explore a memory that highlights the value of friendship.
  • Reflect on a book, movie, or art that shaped your perspective.
  • Overcome a setback or failure and what you learned.

Narrative Essay Topics High School

  • The most interesting summer school memory 
  • The moment when you saw your favorite actor in real life 
  • The first time you helped a needy person
  • How you became friends with your best friend 
  • A person who left a deep influence on you 
  • The day when you became a class representative 
  • Your first speech on the stage
  • Your first term paper
  • Your favorite high school student’s profession 
  • The first time you stood up for something you believed in

Narrative Essay Topics For Grade 10

  • A time when you had to stand up for something you believed in
  • The most significant challenge you have faced in your life so far
  • A moment that changed your life forever
  • A decision that you regret making and what you learned from it
  • A person who has had a significant impact on your life
  • A time when you learned an important life lesson through a mistake you made
  • A trip that you will never forget
  • A time when you felt like you had to prove yourself to someone
  • A moment when you felt like giving up, but you pushed through anyway
  • An experience that helped you discover something new about yourself.

Narrative Essay Topics For Grade 9

  • A time when you overcame a fear
  • The most memorable day of your life
  • A difficult decision you had to make
  • The first time you tried something new
  • A moment when you learned an important life lesson
  • An experience that changed your perspective on something
  • A time when you made a mistake and what you learned from it
  • A memorable trip you went on
  • The first time you fell in love with a hobby or activity
  • A moment when you felt proud of yourself for overcoming a challenge.

Narrative Essay Topics For Class 7

  • My favorite sibling
  • Betrayal in friendship
  • Why is television so important in your life?
  • A hobby of yours that you recently adopted
  • The most memorable farewell
  • A memorable encounter with a new friend
  • The day when you became a class representative
  • Your dream college
  • Your favorite profession

Narrative Essay Topics For Class 6

  • The time when you underestimated a junior 
  • The time when your beliefs were shaken 
  • An event that made you feel sorry about a person 
  • The time when you had to let go of one of your most important things 
  • Your favorite activities in your leisure time 
  • The most adventurous thing you've ever done
  • Your biggest motivation to score well in academics 

Narrative Essay Topics For Grade 5

  • Your first day at school
  • Your favorite teacher 
  • Your best winter vacations
  • The happiest day of your life
  • Your best birthday ever
  • The moment when you got lost in a mall 
  • The most painful injury 
  • Your first pet
  • The feeling of losing loved ones
  • The hardest goodbye 

Order Essay

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

Short Narrative Essay Topics

  • Exploring family traditions
  • Narrating standing up for beliefs
  • Recounting a tough decision
  • Reflecting on the value of friendship
  • Sharing shaping perspectives
  • Reflecting on overcoming failure
  • Revisiting meaningful places
  • Delving into a social passion
  • Narrating stepping out of comfort zones
  • Reflecting on influential role models

Best Narrative Essay Topics

  • An unexpected act of kindness
  • A transformative travel experience
  • The day everything changed
  • Lessons learned from failure
  • A secret that changed everything
  • Discovering my passion
  • The power of forgiveness
  • A moment of serendipity
  • Conquering my greatest fear
  • Lessons from a cultural exchange

Topics For Narrative Essays on Themes

Narrative essay themes contain a range of subjects and ideas that serve as the central focus or underlying message of the narrative. These themes often reflect aspects of human experience, emotions, relationships, and societal issues. 

Here are some common narrative essay themes and their topic ideas:

Childhood Memories Narrative Essay Topics

  • My favorite toy from childhood
  • Exploring my grandparents' house
  • Building forts and imaginary worlds
  • The day I lost my first tooth
  • Baking cookies with my mom
  • Playing hide and seek in the neighborhood
  • My first pet and our adventures together
  • Celebrating holidays with family traditions
  • Exploring nature in my backyard
  • The joy of making new friends in kindergarten

Life Lessons Narrative Essay Topics 

  • Overcoming stage fright during a school performance
  • Finding strength through a sports injury
  • Learning patience through gardening
  • Embracing change after moving to a new city
  • The value of empathy in understanding others
  • Discovering inner courage during a difficult decision
  • The power of forgiveness in healing relationships
  • Finding beauty in imperfection and embracing flaws
  • The rewards of volunteer work and helping others
  • Overcoming self-doubt through creative expression

Personal Growth Narrative Essay Topics 

  • Exploring my cultural heritage through food and traditions
  • Overcoming language barriers in a foreign country
  • Finding confidence through public speaking
  • Rediscovering creativity through art and music
  • Exploring new career paths and passions
  • Finding balance between work, family, and self-care
  • Embracing vulnerability and authenticity in relationships
  • The journey of self-discovery through traveling alone
  • Overcoming limiting beliefs and embracing personal power
  • Learning to set boundaries and prioritize self-respect

Relationships Narrative Essay Topics 

  • The bond between siblings: shared adventures and conflicts
  • Lessons learned from a long-distance friendship
  • Reconnecting with an estranged family member
  • The influence of a childhood teacher on personal development
  • Building trust and communication in romantic relationships
  • Exploring the dynamics of multigenerational relationships
  • Navigating friendships through life transitions
  • Overcoming misunderstandings and repairing relationships
  • The role of pets in family dynamics and emotional support
  • Exploring the meaning of unconditional love through relationships

Social Issues Narrative Essay Topics

  • Empowering youth through education and mentorship
  • Exploring access to healthcare in underserved communities
  • Addressing mental health stigma and promoting awareness
  • Bridging the digital divide: access to technology and information
  • The impact of climate change on local communities
  • Exploring racial justice and equity in society
  • Overcoming barriers to LGBTQ+ equality and acceptance
  • Supporting refugees and building inclusive communities
  • The importance of intersectional feminism in social justice movements
  • Promoting diversity and inclusion in educational settings

Personal Narrative Topics 

A personal narrative essay is a type of essay in which the writer shares a personal story, experience, or event from their own life. In this section, we will look into some different personal narrative ideas: 

Personal Experience Narrative Essay Topics

  • Overcoming a fear of public speaking
  • The day I conquered my greatest phobia
  • Learning to embrace vulnerability and authenticity
  • A life-changing encounter with a stranger
  • Navigating a crossroads: choosing between passion and stability
  • Finding resilience through adversity
  • The transformative power of self-reflection
  • Lessons learned from a failed business venture
  • Exploring the joys and challenges of parenthood
  • Overcoming cultural barriers in pursuit of personal growth

Personal Narrative Essay About Friendship

  • The unlikely friendship that changed my life
  • Weathering storms together: the strength of true friendship
  • Navigating the ups and downs of high school friendships
  • From strangers to soulmates: a journey of friendship
  • The power of empathy in strengthening friendships
  • Exploring cultural differences through friendship
  • The art of forgiveness: repairing broken friendships
  • Lessons learned from a childhood best friend
  • Finding support and laughter in friendships across generations
  • Celebrating diversity: embracing friendship beyond borders

Personal Narrative Stories Ideas on Traveling and Holidays

  • A solo journey to self-discovery
  • Living with locals in a foreign land
  • Traveling alone to remote destinations
  • Exploring culinary delights around the world
  • The joy of spontaneity
  • A holiday to remember
  • Traveling through time
  • From backpacker to business class
  • Discovering hidden gems off the beaten path
  • Family road trips

Fictional Narrative Essay Ideas

  • Lost in a parallel universe: A journey through time
  • The last survivors of a post-apocalyptic world
  • A magical creature's quest for home
  • The secret society of time travelers
  • Escaping from a dystopian society
  • Adventures in a virtual reality game
  • Discovering a hidden portal to another dimension
  • The mystery of the abandoned spaceship
  • Guardians of the enchanted forest
  • A quest for the legendary artifact of power

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

  • How a childhood book shaped my imagination
  • Learning to read and write in a second language
  • Discovering the power of poetry through personal experience
  • The influence of storytelling in family traditions
  • Overcoming dyslexia: My journey to literacy
  • Exploring literary classics through different cultural lenses
  • The impact of technology on reading habits
  • The role of libraries in nurturing a love for reading
  • Finding my voice through creative writing workshops
  • Using literature to navigate life's challenges

First-Person Narrative Essay Ideas

  • My journey through a haunted house on Halloween night
  • A day in the life of a street performer in New York City
  • Surviving a wilderness adventure in the Rocky Mountains
  • Exploring the abandoned mansion at the edge of town
  • My experience as a volunteer in a refugee camp
  • Racing against time: My first marathon experience
  • Finding love in unexpected places: A summer romance
  • The night I spent stranded on a deserted island
  • Becoming a detective for a day: Solving a mystery in my neighborhood
  • My encounter with a UFO: An unforgettable extraterrestrial experience

Funny Narrative Essay Topics

  • The misadventures of my clumsy pet cat
  • Embarrassing moments during family gatherings
  • My hilarious attempt at learning a new dance
  • Surviving a disastrous cooking experiment in the kitchen
  • The comedy of errors: my unforgettable road trip
  • Accidentally sending a funny text to the wrong person
  • The day I accidentally wore mismatched shoes to school
  • My awkward encounter with a celebrity lookalike
  • The unintentional pranks I played on April Fools' Day
  • When auto-correct turns texting into a comedy show

Tips to Choose the Right Narrative Essay Topic

When selecting a narrative essay topic, consider the following tips:

  • Authenticity: Choose topics that align with your personal experiences and values.
  • Relevance: Select topics that are relevant and meaningful to your intended audience.
  • Engagement: Opt for topics that are engaging and thought-provoking, sparking curiosity and empathy in readers.
  • Scope: Ensure that the topic allows for sufficient depth and exploration within the confines of a narrative essay.

If you want to get an idea of writing a narrative essay, visit our narrative essay examples blog and get access to free PDF examples.

Summing it up!

Essays provide a unique opportunity to share personal experiences, insights, and reflections with readers. By choosing the right topic and crafting a compelling narrative, you can engage and inspire your audience. 

Remember to infuse your writing with authenticity, emotion, and vivid detail to create narratives that resonate long after they're read. 

If you find yourself short on time or unsure where to begin, seeking professional assistance is always an option. The custom essay writing service at CollegeEssay.org is here to help you with your writing needs. 

Additionally, don't forget to try our essay writer AI tool for further assistance!

Cathy A. (Literature, Marketing)

For more than five years now, Cathy has been one of our most hardworking authors on the platform. With a Masters degree in mass communication, she knows the ins and outs of professional writing. Clients often leave her glowing reviews for being an amazing writer who takes her work very seriously.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Get Help

Keep reading

narrative essay topic ideas

Legal & Policies

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Refunds & Cancellations
  • Our Writers
  • Success Stories
  • Our Guarantees
  • Affiliate Program
  • Referral Program
  • AI Essay Writer

Disclaimer: All client orders are completed by our team of highly qualified human writers. The essays and papers provided by us are not to be used for submission but rather as learning models only.

narrative essay topics students

one pixel image

Home — Blog — Topic Ideas — 150+ Great Narrative Essay Topics and Ideas

150+ Great Narrative Essay Topics and Ideas

narrative essay topics

Often during the education process in school or university , we are asked to write an essay. Let’s talk about essays, in particular narrative ones. In a narrative essay, the author tells a story from real life. In this form of essay, the presentation of events in chronological order will not be enough. The authors’ thesis should interest the reader and make the story as vivid as possible so that the reader wants to become a part of the events described and can easily "transfer" to the story . More often such an essay is written in the 1st person in the present or past tense.

There are also other types of essays, such as:

  • Description essays. In such an essay, we describe an object.
  • Definition essays. Here we have one goal - to reveal this or that concept.
  • Illustration essays. Your goal is to prove a statement.
  • Argument essays. Here we give examples of persuasive facts that support your assertion.

Now let's look at the most popular narrative essay topics that we can board you with.

How to Know What Topic You Need?

If you were given a list of essay topics at schools or colleges , it would be logical if you choose a topic that is closer to you, on which you are not averse to reflecting.

If there is no list of topics, and you have only indicated the direction in which you should choose a problem for the essay, you will have to formulate the topic for narrative writing yourself.

Here are some tips on how to choose a topic for your essay:

  • Before defining a narrative essay topic, it is worth finding the author's position. This is the moral instruction of the author, which can be written directly or encrypted in the words or thoughts of the hero-narrator. To find it, one should single out the topic and all the micro-themes in the text, and then formulate moralizing within their framework, that is, the author's position.
  • From the author's position, it is worth asking a special question, that is, a question that requires a general answer, and not a short "yes" or "no". This question will be a problem.
  • It is necessary to find two examples in the text that illustrate the transition from the question to the author's position, that is, to help answer the question posed. This will prove that such a problem is indeed raised by the author.

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas

Now, let’s take a closer look at topics for narrative essay examples you can choose. 

Personal Narrative Essay Topics 

Personal narrative essay examples and ideas are needed when you describe something that you experienced in your life.

  • How To Be a Defensive Driver.
  • A Personal Narrative about Fear Of Heights.
  • My Fear of Failure.
  • The Narrative about Losing My Dad.
  • A Day I Lost My Best Friend.
  • Narrative on Precious Time.
  • What I Did This Summer.
  • Personal Narrative: I Am a Perfectionist.
  • Why Softball Is Important in My Life.
  • Narrative on Vocation.
  • My First Rock Concert.
  • How I Learned to Accept Myself the Way I am.
  • I Helped a Person in Need.
  • My Last Day at School.
  • The Character I Associate Myself with.

Cultural Narrative Essay Topics

Cultural topics for narratives allow you to highlight the topic of culture and at the same time present the story in an interesting way for the reader.

  • Narrative about Mexican Culture.
  • What traditions are unique in your family?
  • Which tradition surprised you the most?
  • How does the media influence our perception of culture?
  • How does culture define a person's personality?
  • What culture do you identify with?
  • What is your favorite holiday?
  • How does your family celebrate Christmas?
  • The Impact of Narrative in English Language and Culture.
  • What holiday has the most sacred meaning for you?
  • What traditions does your family observe on the Easter holidays?
  • Which of the cultural events you attended did you remember the most?
  • What foreign tradition do you like the most?
  • Holiday traditions in your family.
  • Which festival do you like the most?

Narrative Argument Essay Topics 

This type of narrative topics for an essay implies that you need to write about something that has had a big impact on you.

  • Conflict case from your life.
  • What disagreements did you have together with your friend?
  • The case when someone deceived you.
  • Has there been a choice in your life that you regret?
  • Have you been in conflict with other people?
  • A situation where you have to make a difficult decision between right and wrong.
  • Have you been caught doing something bad?
  • Have you ever had to win friends following the rules?
  • Have you ever blamed another person for what you did?
  • Have you helped someone for personal gain?
  • Have you ever played pranks on your friends?
  • What experience can you call the most difficult but important in life?
  • Have you ever been in a car accident?
  • Have you ever been humiliated?
  • Have you ever helped a friend solve his problem?

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics 

  • Have you had to make a difficult decision in life?
  • Have you ever flooded a neighbor's house?
  • Has there ever been a person in your life who has changed it drastically?
  • Would you like to relive any of those days again?
  • Have you ever failed an exam?
  • What was the scariest moment in your life?
  • Have you ever been really sick?
  • Have you ever saved another person's life?
  • Have you ever worked up the courage to visit a haunted house?
  • Have you ever won a prize?
  • What was your first job in life?
  • Have you ever participated in educational student exchange programs ?
  • What do you do when you are all alone?
  • What was your first meeting with the police?
  • Have you ever been to the emergency room?

Personal Experience Narrative Essay Topics 

Here you can describe people or events that influenced you in one way or another.

  • How have you met a special person in your life?
  • The person you enjoy the most.
  • The best place in the neighborhood.
  • The place you'd like to live your whole life.
  • A productive art, you enjoy.
  • What is your first job search ?
  • Your biggest disappointment.
  • Do you remember your first birthday?
  • Narrative on Earthquake: An Earth-Shattering Experience.
  • Have you ever encountered a wild animal?
  • Tell about the first time you got home alone.
  • How did you cook food for the first time?
  • Tell how you helped someone.
  • How did you overcome your fear?
  • Narrative about Video Games.

Relationship Narrative Essay Topics

Relationship narrative stories ideas help to describe our relationship and how our experience has influenced certain events in life.

  • Have you ever fallen in love?
  • What advice would you give to a couple who are just starting their relationship?
  • How would you define family?
  • If you have a best friend, how did you meet?
  • Do you think that your parents are more sensitive than others?
  • What is your attitude towards marriage?
  • Have you ever experienced gender bias?
  • How do you remember deceased family members?
  • What do you know about the origins of your family?
  • Narrative about Friendship.
  • How did you meet your best friend?
  • What can make you end a romantic relationship?
  • Is the community in your area important?
  • Do you think hatred can destroy a relationship?
  • Have you ever experienced intergenerational conflict?
  • What does honesty mean in a relationship?

Childhood Memories

In this type of essay, you need to describe the events and memories of childhood.

  • What was my first pet?
  • What are my first memories?
  • Whom did I look up to as a child?
  • How did I first go to the hospital?
  • My first meeting with my uncle/aunt.
  • The Impact of a Funeral.
  • My first terrible incident.
  • What are my childhood fears?
  • What was the happiest day of my childhood?
  • My first time at the stadium.

Growing Up in High School 

Here you need to recall the most vivid impressions from high school.

  • What lessons were my favorites?
  • Who was my favorite teacher?
  • What role in the school theater did I remember the most?
  • How I lost a sports match.
  • Topics forbidden to me.
  • How did I feel when I failed the exam?
  • How did I feel when I passed the exam with excellent marks?
  • Is commuting to school a routine for me?
  • My best adventure in school.
  • What kind of extracurricular activities do I enjoy the most?

Moral & Ethical Dilemmas

In this type of essay, you have to describe the ideas of the complexity of moral choice.

  • What is your attitude towards pro-life movement: argumentative essay on abortion ?
  • How can we influence the fight against racism?
  • How should a work ethic deal with sexism?
  • Do you think euthanasia should be legal?
  • Why can't war be ethical?
  • What moral issues does workplace automation cause?
  • The Missing Climate Change Narrative Analysis.
  • Is it ethical to have a lot of money?
  • If drugs were legal, would their use be ethical?
  • Is it possible to justify eating meat in the modern world?

College Student Life

Try to describe events and memories from your student's life.

  • Narrative about Reading.
  • My last day with my schoolmates.
  • My favorite course.
  • Meeting my better half.
  • The story of my split-up.
  • My brightest high school moment.
  • How I met my old friend.
  • My favorite professor.
  • Narrative on a Trip: The Wonders of Rome.
  • The most symbolic episode from my college life.
  • The day I moved.
  • Narrative on a Road Trip to Remember.
  • My first impressions of the college campus.
  • How I met my roommate.
  • My first friends at college.

Narrative Essay Topics for Different Grades 

Let’s look at the narrative speech topics for different grades.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5

  • My first bicycle ride.
  • My dad is my hero.
  • A day with my grandmother.
  • My first day at school.
  • My best friend.
  • My favorite teacher.
  • A school trip to the zoo.
  • My grandpa’s hands.
  • The most exciting day of school.
  • The best summer vacation.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 6

  • A memorable teacher.
  • My first trip abroad.
  • A sad story from my childhood.
  • My favorite vacation with my family.
  • A fight with my best friend.
  • My best birthday party.
  • How we celebrate our parents’ wedding anniversary.
  • My first day at a new school.
  • Last Christmas was an interesting story.
  • How I lost my sister.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 7

  • Something that scared me the most.
  • The best day of my life.
  • Helping a stranger.
  • How I met my best friend.
  • My brother’s wedding.
  • How I got my first pet.
  • Once I called the dean's office.
  • Conflict with my father.
  • Unique family tradition.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 8

  • School trip to the museum.
  • My best day at school.
  • The most exciting day of summer vacation.
  • Worst day at school.
  • The day I got my first pet.
  • The hour we spent looking at our baby's album.
  • My first attempt at cooking.
  • My first Japanese pastry.
  • My first foreign friend.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 9

  • A visit to the countryside.
  • How I lost my faith in humanity.
  • A car accident.
  • My friend had an accident.
  • A trip I will never forget.
  • The most enjoyable Christmas.
  • A bad experience that completely changed my behavior.
  • How I used to spend my summer vacations.
  • My experience with a tornado.
  • I got lost in the streets of venus.

Narrative Essay Topics for O Levels

  • A special moment when I got my first bike.
  • A disappointing birthday party.
  • The most embarrassing thing that happened to me.
  • A disastrous date.
  • The moment of success.
  • Growing up in New York.
  • A sporting experience.
  • A random act of kindness.
  • The first six months of COVID-19.
  • The end of my relationship.

Narrative Essay Topics for High School Students

Personal narrative ideas in high school include the classic moments that are stereotypical of the secondary school experience.

  • Special homecoming court moment.
  • A friendship that started long before high school.
  • Prom dress shopping and your self-esteem.
  • Anticipation for graduation.
  • An award or scholarship you received.
  • Participating in a school musical.
  • Coming to America: A Narrative of a Journey of Hope.
  • Your first love.
  • A moment you stood up for what you believed in.
  • How your relationship with your parents changed for the better.

Narrative Essay Topics for Middle School

Middle school is a great time of self-discovery that’s filled with firsts and memorable moments. Use these milestones as the topic for your narrative essay.

  • Making an unlikely friend.
  • How bad relationships help you become a better person.
  • The first time you opened your locker.
  • The teacher that makes you feel smart.
  • Moving from elementary school to middle school.
  • A social media post that inspired you.
  • A news story about a kid/teen that was uplifting.
  • A comment from a teacher that made you feel good.
  • A comment from someone you’re not friends with that made you feel good.
  • Being yourself.

Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

College is another time in your life that’s wrought with self-discovery and seeing the world as it truly is.

  • Frederick Douglass Narrative.
  • Frame Narrative in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
  • Narrative on The Definition of Bravery in Beowulf.
  • A Critical Examination of Social Commentary and Narrative Execution.
  • Examples of community on campus.
  • A test experience that boosts your self-esteem.
  • The moment you realized you were going into the right field.
  • What does a college degree mean to you?
  • College is a microcosm of the world.
  • The feeling of independence.

Conclusion 

Teachers and students are very fond of narrative essay topics, as they are flexible enough that everyone can find a topic that is close to them. If you can’t decide on a topic yourself, then the list that we presented in our material will help you. We sincerely wish you good luck and inspiration for writing the best essay. And the topics we have suggested will help you with this!

abortion essay topics

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

narrative essay topics students

218 Narrative Essay Topics

218 narrative essay topics

When some high school students get a narrative essay for their homework, they believe they must air out their laundry, but that's rarely the case. Anyone can create a beautiful and captivating story that describes memorable events in fine detail.

Your narrative essay could also be about your role model. The first thing you must do to come up with a masterpiece is to take your time coming up with great narrative essay topics. You can find numerous ideas online but scroll on to find the best selection prepared by experts.

Before you rummage around old assignments for a topic idea, look at this list of interesting narrative essay topics. They will inspire you in unimaginable ways and get you on your way to writing that masterpiece. Without further ado, let's get to the best narrative essay topics for your assignment!

Woman holding up a light bulb drawing sign written narrative topics

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas • Narrative Essay Titles

The greatest responsibility you have when writing narrative essays is to make sure you are impressionable. This means writing great narrative essay topics. Let's get those juices flowing with some ideas for the essay.

  • The most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you
  • The most embarrassing experience in the Iraq war
  • An experience that gave you business acumen
  • Your most frightening experience as a child
  • An experience that showed you the value of trust
  • How you learnt to overcome fear
  • An unpleasant experience that showed you an important life lesson
  • A harrowing experience that taught you to appreciate life
  • One memorable day with a family member
  • A personal narrative concerning a success story

While some are pretty straightforward, others are a bit of a thinker. You have the liberty to experiment with these topics by conducting a bit of research. For example, you could come up with life lessons from a memorable trip with family members. Go try it out. We'll explore some more personalized essay topics in the next section.

Light bulb placed on blackboard written narrative essay topics

Best Narrative Essay Topics: Funny, Personal, Literacy, and Fictional Ideas

Are you looking for material for your research paper? Researching an engaging story is crucial to engaging high school students and faculty with your writing. Read this part for timely answers to questions on the best topic ideas for funny, literacy, personal, and fictional ideas.

  • My virgin flight to Asia
  • Best memories of my high school
  • My hopes upon completing college
  • A memorable trip to Mexico
  • A friend in disguise: sheep-in-wolf clothing
  • An accident I was involved in
  • The journey ahead: Living through end-stage capitalism
  • A life-changing event that happened in high school
  • An experience with cybercrime and its personal effects
  • Experiencing unequal employment opportunities as a teenager
  • My favorite meal: Barbequed meat with anything on top
  • Experiencing psychological torture as a teenage American
  • How I maintain an effective work-life balance
  • The most important life lesson I got from school
  • My realization of the existence of double-faced people
  • The most memorable people in my life
  • How I survived a shark attack
  • How do I keep my personal and professional lives separate?
  • My favorite teacher in grade school
  • My experience with Covid-19: physical, social, and economic issues
  • My most memorable punishment at home
  • My proudest moment in life

Woman hanging face masks next to a blackboard written personal narrative essay topics

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

Look at some of these personal narrative essay ideas that will hit home and spur up an idea or two about an experience you think would capture your audience.

  • The reason why I love my family
  • The toughest decision I ever made
  • My favorite meditation spot: outdoors
  • A complete day in the life of John Smith
  • The best moment of my entire life
  • The moment I will treasure in my life forever
  • The best decision I have ever made
  • How do I overcome my fears and turn them into strengths
  • Why I don't particularly appreciate going to college
  • My experience with racism as an international student
  • My neighborhood's experience with the 2009 market crash

That last one was a bit of a stretch. But you get the idea. The possibilities are endless; all you have to think about is an experience in your life, and personal narrative essay topics are all around us. You just need a hot cup of coffee, a notebook, and a pen. Brainstorm ideas from different experiences in your life, and you'll find tons of them if you dig a bit deeper.

Well, it's not an exact science, but it is a pretty good way to open your mind to ideas and develop different topics for your essay. If you're stuck, some help might, well, help. You can buy narrative essays online . You'll get a well written research paper on time. Now, let's see some fictional narrative essay topics and ideas to see further how you can create your unique one.

Woman holding Harry Potter book and text written, “writing a fictional narrative essay’ beside her

Fictional Narrative Essay Ideas

Now this is where things start to get interesting. You can come up with any number of these. A story you heard from your best friend? Or a narrative essay topic on the most embarrassing moment you can place a human being. Go nuts with this one. Let's give you some insights into what you can consider writing on.

  • Our worst "boys' trip" ever
  • Stuck in the middle of nowhere without gas
  • A terrible dream that morphed into reality
  • How your best friend turned into your enemy
  • How your friend was stuck in a foreign country
  • An exciting story about your day at the horse tracks
  • Personal stories from your grandpa
  • How your favorite teacher helped with your first job interview
  • A major turning point in your life
  • A significant challenge facing your community
  • Favorite childhood games that instilled adult character
  • A weird encounter with a stranger on a train
  • Dealing with a daunting task during the summer
  • A Christmas present you'll never forget
  • The first pet you owned
  • A random act that changed your perspective on life
  • The first person to start a community health center in your neighborhood

You could get a few tips from this list for your next fictional essay topics.

Concrete stairs next to text written, ‘good narrative essay topics for college students’

Good Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

Take a look at some narrative essay topic ideas that benefit university students.

  • My best memory when in college
  • My favorite unit in college
  • The most memorable incident in my life
  • My favorite professor in college
  • A reminder to my older self
  • My favorite author in business
  • A letter to future me
  • The best roommate I had in college
  • My best research project to date
  • The best team member I had for a research project
  • The best party I attended in college
  • A life-threatening escape during a summer trip
  • The best food I had in college
  • The best trip I had in college
  • How one event changed everything in my school
  • My final day in college

These are but a few of the many topics about college you could write a narrative essay on. Personal experiences are the best because you only have to rely on memory, but looking at it from an outsider's viewpoint helps relate to the reader. Now let's check out some narrative essay topics you can enjoy writing on as a high school student.

White paper written, 'once upon a time'

Narrative Essay Topics for High School Students

Use this guide as you come up with a narrative paper to generate essay ideas for your personal narrative topic. You are bound to come up with an interesting story if you immerse yourself in the experience. Here are some personal experiences to help you start writing narrative essay topics that'll guide you through high school.

  • My first day in junior high
  • A terrible experience with a movie character at my high school
  • How modern school environments almost gave me mental health issues
  • My favorite subject in high school
  • Interesting topics we learnt about in my literature unit
  • The most amazing farewell party
  • The best welcome party in high school
  • The best teacher in my high school
  • The two buddies in my high school
  • The best decision I made for college life in high school
  • The worst mistake I made in middle school
  • The best streets we visited in my high school days
  • The best teammate I met in high school
  • The most amazing thing I learnt in high school
  • The final exam in my high school
  • How my last day went at my high school

You can write tons of other topics on ideas, such as your best friend, or come up with narrative essay topics involving less personal narrative ideas that border more on fiction than reality. Let's now dive into some topics you could write about as a K-level student.

Image showing a child reading a story book with text written “narrative essay ideas for kids” at the top

Narrative Essay Ideas for Kids

As is the case with university students, writing narrative essays takes practice and depends on the level a student is on. Here's how we'll cover each of the narrative essay topics for each grade level.

Level: Grade 1

Level: grade 2, level: grade 3, level: grade 4, level: grade 5, level: grade 6, level: grade 7, level: grade 8, level: grade 9, level: grade 10, level: grade 11, level: grade 12.

Take a look at some essay writing topics for grade 1 kids.

  • A day at the beach
  • After-school games
  • An important person at school
  • A day in the library
  • Food I do not like at school
  • A day at the park with my family
  • Games we play at recess
  • My neighbor's dog, Butch
  • What makes plants grow
  • How to make my favorite snack
  • How to talk to new people
  • The reason I like summer
  • My favorite hobby for Saturdays
  • How I spend my weekend
  • How to ride a bike
  • My favorite toy in the world
  • A day in the summer heat
  • The best vacation last summer
  • A wonderful place to go
  • The best treehouse in our yard
  • A sport I'd like to continue playing
  • A trip on the train
  • Amazing facts about birds
  • The most amazing pony at the fair
  • A trip to the supermarket

Two children holding books on their heads

  • Activities resulting from outdoor fun
  • What you can do when you're indoors
  • Amazing facts about airplanes
  • An important person in the government
  • The tiger: an amazing animal
  • The best after-school games
  • A day at the public library
  • Dancing to music at home
  • Food I find odd and disgusting
  • How to make my favorite dinner
  • The best toy to own right now
  • A cartoon character that I like
  • A day in the Moroccan desert
  • A great place to visit in the summer
  • The best friend I never saw
  • The wooden treehouse in my backyard
  • The best place to visit in spring
  • A song that I like
  • A trip on an airship
  • An important time in history
  • A secret place I visit
  • A trip on a monorail
  • Why do I find spiders creepy?
  • Creatures that live in the desert
  • Why dumping plastic is bad for the environment
  • Going fishing with my father
  • Going to the dentist
  • Why I want to be famous
  • How to cure hiccups
  • I don't understand why we pollute the environment
  • What I use a computer to do
  • My best childhood games
  • A school trip to the zoo
  • A toy I have kept for many years
  • Is pollution reversible if we continue using coal?
  • What a new student to my school needs to know
  • The best dream I have ever had
  • The best trip I have ever taken
  • How I see myself five years from now
  • The impact of sharing with friends
  • What I would do if I were the principal for a day?
  • A big accident on the road
  • Can American farmers feed everyone?
  • How would I define the word honesty?
  • I am the president for the day. Here is what I would do
  • How can I change bad behaviors?
  • My favorite chores
  • My participation in tree planting outside the school
  • My bedroom, from the door to all four walls
  • The craziest hairstyle I have ever had
  • One thing I want to do after finishing the 8th grade
  • A big problem in the energy sector is...
  • A cool new store in our neighborhood
  • Dear governor
  • Discover nature in Singapore
  • My favorite teacher in gym class
  • My favorite band as a small child
  • Pet peeves that my best friend has
  • The worst meal I ever ate
  • The worst shave I ever had
  • The best picture day in my school
  • A day I will never forget
  • A friend I will always cherish
  • A project I am working on
  • A typical evening at my house
  • How Abraham Lincoln changed history
  • A great scientific breakthrough
  • An invention that transformed how we communicate
  • Causes of global warming in the world
  • Coping with many brothers and sisters
  • My Website on good etiquette
  • How a motorbike works
  • How a crankshaft works in an engine
  • A trip to the NASA space station
  • If I had superpowers, I would...
  • Is pollution a necessary evil?
  • My first encounter with a cyberbully
  • My dream car since I was a child
  • My dream house will have...
  • I admit it: I enjoy professional basketball
  • Overcoming health problems related to gymnastics
  • What did Americans make in Detroit?
  • What makes pollution a danger in Australia?
  • Environmentally-friendly ways to mine for petroleum
  • Is fracking bad for the environment?
  • What animals can teach people
  • Tools I will need for my future dream job
  • What if there were no school sports?
  • The best summer job in my existence
  • We all make mistakes
  • The hardest thing I have ever done
  • A funny thing that happened in 7th grade
  • Do not let obstacles keep you from your goal
  • The influence of greed in corporate America
  • Foods I love during a hot day
  • A change that would help you get better grades
  • The summer job that I regret most
  • Putting my foot in my mouth at the fair
  • The argument for alternative sources of energy
  • Something our community really needs is...
  • If it's a rule, it's right...right?

cartoon image of a man sited while pointing up at a light bulb and text written, ‘coming up with good topic ideas’ above him

Coming Up With Good Topic Ideas

The thought of writing sends a chill down many students' spines. Academic papers can be intimidating, but you only need to eliminate writer's block and unleash your writing potential. To this end, you may not have a clue about what you are writing about. You will likely have no problems flowing with a topic with which you have information ready. Use different strategies to come up with narrative essay topics that address your issues. Find what works best for you and which learning style suits you best.

Here are some steps you can follow to develop your narrative essay topics.

  • Understand your assignment
  • Determine the assignment's purpose
  • Use a provided list

1. Understand Your Assignment

You must understand the length of your narrative essay and what type is required for your assignment to score highly. You must also discern the research level needed to determine your research scope.

2. Determine the Assignment’s Purpose

Your assignment's purpose will help you determine the type of paper you are writing. For instance, writing an argumentative essay topic will differ from developing personal narrative essay topics. Learn to recognize terms like describe, contrast, analyze, compare, and synthesize to determine what your teacher wants.

3. Use a Provided List

Your instructor may provide you with a list. Occasionally, choose a topic from the given list that interests you. Your instructor will have checked the scope and breadth of the research and seen that such papers elicited great narrative essay topics in the past. When given a list, one good habit of writing narrative essay topics that appeal to your audience is to write the main argument and a thesis for the topics and compare them for scope and breadth.

Select a topic that comes naturally and where you have greater insight to develop a good narrative essay.

Recent Posts

narrative essay topics students

28 Oct, 2023

19 Oct, 2023

05 Oct, 2023

20 Sep, 2023

narrative essay topics students

18 Sep, 2023

narrative essay topics students

13 Sep, 2023

narrative essay topics students

12 Sep, 2023

11 Sep, 2023

21 Aug, 2023

29 Jul, 2023

28 Jul, 2023

25 Jul, 2023

narrative essay topics students

21 Jun, 2023

narrative essay topics students

15 Jun, 2023

narrative essay topics students

02 May, 2023

narrative essay topics students

24 Apr, 2023

narrative essay topics students

18 Apr, 2023

narrative essay topics students

12 Apr, 2023

narrative essay topics students

26 Mar, 2023

narrative essay topics students

24 Mar, 2023

narrative essay topics students

22 Feb, 2023

narrative essay topics students

17 Feb, 2023

narrative essay topics students

16 Feb, 2023

narrative essay topics students

24 Oct, 2022

narrative essay topics students

26 Sep, 2022

narrative essay topics students

25 Sep, 2022

  • #1 Nursing dissertation helpers
  • Marketing Dissertation Helpers
  • Buy Expository Essay
  • Buy Book Reports
  • Best MBA Essay Editing Service Providers
  • Essay Outline Writing Service
  • Chemical Engineering Assignment Help
  • Mechanical Engineering Assignment Helpers
  • Extended essay writing service
  • Buy case study
  • Buy personal statement online
  • Financial Report Writing Services
  • Buy Annotated Bibliography
  • Buy dissertation proposal
  • Professional Biology Essay Writers
  • Buy Response Essay
  • Write My Philosophy Paper for Me
  • Psychology Essay Writing Service
  • Buy Lab Report Online
  • Professional Article Review Writing Service
  • Need Graduate School Homework Help?
  • Buy High-Quality Reflective Essays
  • Buy Dissertation Chapters Online
  • Buy Movie Reviews
  • History Essay Writer
  • Buy a Persuasive Essay
  • Can I pay someone to do my chemistry homework?
  • Buy Critical Essay
  • Buy Coursework Online
  • Buy Narrative Essays Online
  • Buy Cheap Argumentative Essay
  • Do my final exam for me
  • Pay someone to take my ProctorU Exam
  • Hire someone to take GRE for me
  • Pay Someone to Take my Physics Exam
  • MBA Essay Writing Service

Hot 100+ Narrative Essay Topics to Jumpstart Your Next Paper

  • Essay Writing Guides

Narrative Essay Topics

Do you have a pending narrative essay and run out of narrative essay ideas to compose a compelling paper? What do you do when you need to generate quick narrative essay titles without messing up an essay’s overall quality? You don’t need to worry if you need appropriate topics for narrative papers. 

This post shares a list of narrative essay topics to inspire you. Keep reading to get more inspiration for future narrative assignments in 2024.

Tips on How to Choose the Best Topic for a Narrative Essay

Generating the right narrative essay ideas is critical because it can make or break narrative assignments. Choosing an appropriate title will help spark your readers’ attention and arrest their focus. Accurate topic selection also motivates your writing because you are least likely to enjoy researching or writing about a boring topic for a narrative essay . To help you excel in this area, we prepared tips to inspire you.

  • Flash Back on Personal Experiences: This method is necessary when handling a personal narrative paper. Here, you must focus on your life’s most impactful moments and how they affected you.
  • Determine a Clear Message or Idea: Determine the paper’s central idea based on the insights, lessons, and emotions you want to share with readers.
  • Engage Readers: Factor your target readers and what resonates best with them. So, select a topic that arrests their interest and engages them.
  • Use Various Perspectives: Incorporate various viewpoints. You can combine personal and external perspectives to make your narrative more engaging.
  • Test Ideas: It would be best for you and your readers to test an idea by getting valuable feedback from your trusted friends or classmates. Such assessment makes your selected topic resonate well with readers.
  • Maintain Your Voice: Maintain your audience by remaining authentic and letting your unique voice and storytelling style beam throughout an assignment. 

Top Ideas for Narrative Essay for 2024

We promised a long list of narrative essay ideas for future assignments. Here are sample narrative writing topics for consideration under different categories. 

10 Best Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

Do you want the best ideas for a narrative essay ? Here are sample narrative essay titles to consider. 

  • My journey to finding my life’s purpose.
  • My life-changing foreign study experience.
  • How a challenging decision transformed me.
  • Transitioning from college to the career world.
  • My memorable moment with my mentor.
  • How adversity shaped my personal growth and development.
  • The most transformative ethical dilemma I have faced in life.
  • How college encounters have shaped my worldview.
  • How technology shaped my college experience.
  • My personal reflection on my professional goals.

10 Top Narrative Essay Topics for University Students

You shouldn’t worry about finding good narrative essay ideas for university assignments when these narrative essay titles can assist. 

  • The transformation of my career objectives at university.
  • My most memorable internship experience.
  • My life-transforming encounter with poverty.
  • How I navigate the complexities of balancing my studies and social life. 
  • A challenging research project that shaped my academic development. 
  • An elaborate account of surmounting an academic challenge.
  • The most memorable leadership experience in my study life.
  • My journey of selecting university courses.
  • How peer relationships and networking have impacted my journey through university. 
  • Ways university exposure has shaped my perspective on life.

10 Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

Here are inspiring narrative essay prompts for consideration in future literacy assignments. 

  • The best book that made me love reading.
  • How a special teacher impacted my reading skills.
  • The impact of technology on my reading habits.
  • A memorable reflection on my writing journey.
  • Tops ways literature shaped my perspective.
  • How I overcome writer’s block.
  • Ways storytelling has impacted me.
  • How literacy helps me change my view of poverty.
  • Ways literacy changed my view of gender equality.
  • How digital technology shaped my experience of literacy. 

10 Best Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics

No more need to scratch your head to find appropriate topics for narrative essays . Here are evergreen narrative essay ideas . 

  • A serene day by the beach. 
  • The pain of living in a crime-prone neighborhood. 
  • My favorite high school moment. 
  • A visit to a haunted house.
  • The wedding celebration that never happened. 
  • My perfect winter experience.
  • My favorite summer hobby.
  • A visit to my favorite museum.
  • A memorable visit to an art exhibition. 
  • The most spectacular soccer match I attended.

10 Short Narrative Essay Topics

Need short narrative essay topic ideas for your next assignment? Look no further than these exciting samples.

  • My first flight.
  • The first cruise I enjoyed in the ocean.
  • My worst memories in high school.
  • The most memorable event in my primary school.
  • My biggest fear.
  • My first international vacation.
  • How I survived my worst loss.
  • My encounter with racial discrimination. 
  • My secret to a balanced life.
  • My most valuable people.

10 Funny Narrative Essay Topics

Do you love fun and would love to let it spice up your essays? Here are funny narrative topic ideas for inspiration. 

  • Why clever people always fail.
  • Why watching soap operas is harmful to your health.
  • Dirty secrets your primary teachers never told you about education. 
  • You can know what a pet is thinking.
  • Why Amazon isn’t my favorite brand.
  • Why I love it when my laptop freezes up.
  • The customer is not always right.
  • The seller is as right as the buyer.
  • Why teenagers don’t deserve well-paying jobs.
  • Why dressing up never changes people’s attitudes. 

Best 10 Fictional Narrative Essay Topics

Your search for fictional narrative topics ends here with these exciting samples. Read on to get inspired. 

  • Life in a city where people never sleep.
  • Experiencing life in a remote village where there are no sick people.
  • Your experience in a paradise where people never work and earn.
  • A school where all students score straight A’s in all subjects.
  • A kindergarten boy who hunts and kills lions.
  • A super-genius boy who hustles his way to become a billionaire before 12 years.
  • A remote village where everyone is a professor.
  • A girl who can read a thousand words per minute.
  • My visit to a city without poor people.
  • A visit to a city with golden streets.

10 Inspiring Cultural Narrative Essay Topics

Your cultural narrative paper can be a breeze if you focus it on one of these topics for narrative writing .

  • Narrate how your family’s unique culinary heritage influences your cultural identity.
  • Narrate a particular cultural artifact that your family values.
  • Discuss the challenges you faced trying to preserve traditional customs without trashing modern societal expectations.
  • Describe how a dominant culture has affected your upbringing.
  • Recount how your experience as an immigrant has shaped your perspective on cultural assimilation.
  • The lessons I learned from participating in interracial exchange programs.
  • Describe a unique cultural practice within your community that outsiders don’t understand.
  • Reflect on a personal journey of reconnecting with your cultural roots. 
  • Describe the role of storytelling in preserving cultural wisdom in your family.
  • Recount the day you challenged cultural stereotypes.

10 Controversial Narrative Essay Topics

Don’t let your inspiration for controversial topics run dry when these interesting narrative essay topics can inspire you. Read on to spice up your next paper.

  • Describe your feelings about the morality of euthanasia.
  • Narrate why you think animal testing is unethical and should be banned.
  • Describe how you felt when the death penalty was removed in your country. 
  •  Describe why you feel all vaccines should be voluntary. 
  • The negative impact of healthcare companies on people’s overall health.
  • Space exploration programs are totally misplaced priorities but politically correct. 
  • Describe your feelings, given that the climate change debate is more political than environmental.
  • Give your feelings on the deficiency of standardized testing. 
  • Nuclear energy is not sustainable and safe.
  • Sex education should be banned in schools. 

10 Nonfiction Narrative Essay Topics

Do you want good narrative topics to inspire your nonfiction assignments in 2024? Check out how these sample titles can help you.

  • Narrate how you conquered the fears that stood between you and your career dreams.
  • Describe the inner strengths you discovered about yourself when facing the biggest challenge in life.
  • Recount the most creative solution you formulated during your greatest financial difficulty. 
  • Recount the day you stood against injustice in society and the lessons you learned.
  • Narrate how you survived a life-threatening natural disaster and how it shaped your perspective on life’s brevity. 
  • How did your mingling with people of other cultures affect your view of the beauty of human diversity?
  • Narrate how unexpected kindness far away from home shaped your view of other people.
  • Describe one major decision that changed the direction of your career path.
  • What is the most important relationship that has contributed the most to your dreams in life?
  • Narrate the most important conversation you had with your most trusted mentor and how it affected you for the better.

Great narrative writing depends on the quality of the topics you choose. Selecting the correct titles makes your paper easier to research and write. It also engages readers more meaningfully. 

However, the selection isn’t always easy, but it’s still possible with a little help from our narrative essay writing service . That’s why we created this post to give you tips on how to select appropriate topics for narrative tasks. Moreover, we created a list of narrative essay topics for various categories to give you a good head start. 

It’s up to you to use these samples to fuel your topic search and choice. Don’t hesitate to contact us for any further assistance with all your academic writing and assignment needs. 

  • Academic Writing Guides
  • Citation Guides
  • Research Paper Writing Guides
  • Study Tips and Tricks

Featured articles

Narrative Essay Topics

Do you have a pending narrative essay and run out of narrative essay ideas to compose a compelling paper? What do you do when you need to generate quick narrative essay titles without messing up an essay’s overall quality? You don’t need to worry if you need appropriate topics for narrative papers.  This post shares […]

Author: Marina Kean

How to Title an Essay

How to Title an Essay? Everything an Essay Guru Should Know

As soon as you sit down to compose an academic paper, you may be troubled by how to name your essay so that it reveals the essence of your text and grabs the audience’s attention at first sight. Ideally, that’s what a good title should achieve – informing and engaging.  So, what’s the secret recipe […]

  • Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Letter of Recommendation

What I’ve Learned From My Students’ College Essays

The genre is often maligned for being formulaic and melodramatic, but it’s more important than you think.

An illustration of a high school student with blue hair, dreaming of what to write in their college essay.

By Nell Freudenberger

Most high school seniors approach the college essay with dread. Either their upbringing hasn’t supplied them with several hundred words of adversity, or worse, they’re afraid that packaging the genuine trauma they’ve experienced is the only way to secure their future. The college counselor at the Brooklyn high school where I’m a writing tutor advises against trauma porn. “Keep it brief , ” she says, “and show how you rose above it.”

I started volunteering in New York City schools in my 20s, before I had kids of my own. At the time, I liked hanging out with teenagers, whom I sometimes had more interesting conversations with than I did my peers. Often I worked with students who spoke English as a second language or who used slang in their writing, and at first I was hung up on grammar. Should I correct any deviation from “standard English” to appeal to some Wizard of Oz behind the curtains of a college admissions office? Or should I encourage students to write the way they speak, in pursuit of an authentic voice, that most elusive of literary qualities?

In fact, I was missing the point. One of many lessons the students have taught me is to let the story dictate the voice of the essay. A few years ago, I worked with a boy who claimed to have nothing to write about. His life had been ordinary, he said; nothing had happened to him. I asked if he wanted to try writing about a family member, his favorite school subject, a summer job? He glanced at his phone, his posture and expression suggesting that he’d rather be anywhere but in front of a computer with me. “Hobbies?” I suggested, without much hope. He gave me a shy glance. “I like to box,” he said.

I’ve had this experience with reluctant writers again and again — when a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously. Of course the primary goal of a college essay is to help its author get an education that leads to a career. Changes in testing policies and financial aid have made applying to college more confusing than ever, but essays have remained basically the same. I would argue that they’re much more than an onerous task or rote exercise, and that unlike standardized tests they are infinitely variable and sometimes beautiful. College essays also provide an opportunity to learn precision, clarity and the process of working toward the truth through multiple revisions.

When a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously.

Even if writing doesn’t end up being fundamental to their future professions, students learn to choose language carefully and to be suspicious of the first words that come to mind. Especially now, as college students shoulder so much of the country’s ethical responsibility for war with their protest movement, essay writing teaches prospective students an increasingly urgent lesson: that choosing their own words over ready-made phrases is the only reliable way to ensure they’re thinking for themselves.

Teenagers are ideal writers for several reasons. They’re usually free of preconceptions about writing, and they tend not to use self-consciously ‘‘literary’’ language. They’re allergic to hypocrisy and are generally unfiltered: They overshare, ask personal questions and call you out for microaggressions as well as less egregious (but still mortifying) verbal errors, such as referring to weed as ‘‘pot.’’ Most important, they have yet to put down their best stories in a finished form.

I can imagine an essay taking a risk and distinguishing itself formally — a poem or a one-act play — but most kids use a more straightforward model: a hook followed by a narrative built around “small moments” that lead to a concluding lesson or aspiration for the future. I never get tired of working with students on these essays because each one is different, and the short, rigid form sometimes makes an emotional story even more powerful. Before I read Javier Zamora’s wrenching “Solito,” I worked with a student who had been transported by a coyote into the U.S. and was reunited with his mother in the parking lot of a big-box store. I don’t remember whether this essay focused on specific skills or coping mechanisms that he gained from his ordeal. I remember only the bliss of the parent-and-child reunion in that uninspiring setting. If I were making a case to an admissions officer, I would suggest that simply being able to convey that experience demonstrates the kind of resilience that any college should admire.

The essays that have stayed with me over the years don’t follow a pattern. There are some narratives on very predictable topics — living up to the expectations of immigrant parents, or suffering from depression in 2020 — that are moving because of the attention with which the student describes the experience. One girl determined to become an engineer while watching her father build furniture from scraps after work; a boy, grieving for his mother during lockdown, began taking pictures of the sky.

If, as Lorrie Moore said, “a short story is a love affair; a novel is a marriage,” what is a college essay? Every once in a while I sit down next to a student and start reading, and I have to suppress my excitement, because there on the Google Doc in front of me is a real writer’s voice. One of the first students I ever worked with wrote about falling in love with another girl in dance class, the absolute magic of watching her move and the terror in the conflict between her feelings and the instruction of her religious middle school. She made me think that college essays are less like love than limerence: one-sided, obsessive, idiosyncratic but profound, the first draft of the most personal story their writers will ever tell.

Nell Freudenberger’s novel “The Limits” was published by Knopf last month. She volunteers through the PEN America Writers in the Schools program.

QuestBridge supports high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds on their path to a top college. This is your chance to dream big. 

We’re here to connect Scholars and Alumni to the people and opportunities you need to reach your full potential.

Our partnerships bridge the gap between the nation’s brightest minds and the opportunities they deserve.

Learn more about who we are and how we help students dream big on their path to, through, and beyond college.

How to Write a College Essay

Let QuestBridge help you with college essay writing tips. We cover what to write about, how to get feedback, and more!

The low-income lens in college essays

Students from low-income backgrounds may not realize that they have a unique perspective to present to admissions officers. If your identity has been shaped by financial difficulties and other obstacles, consider writing about these challenges in your college essays so that admissions officers understand the full context of your successes and academic accomplishments.

Bring us into your world. We want to know you. We want to know your truth.

Student challenges and extenuating circumstances

You may describe specific challenges that you have risen above in your college essays, such as:

  • You hold significant responsibilities in your household, such as providing care for an ill family member, babysitting siblings, or preparing family meals.
  • You have a part-time job to pay for school activities or household expenses.
  • You live with people other than your immediate family or have been in foster care.
  • You experienced homelessness or other temporary housing situations.
  • A parent has passed away or is not present in your life.
  • You commute a long distance to attend school.
  • Your family or community is not supportive of your educational goals.
  • You faced obstacles because English is not your first language.

Proper tone for college essays

If you choose to write about challenges in your life, be careful to avoid using overly critical or negative language when writing a college essay. This is a good opportunity to emphasize your emotional maturity and how challenges in your life have helped you grow as a person. You may compromise that impression if your tone is resentful or excessively dramatic.

College essay topic choice

Giving admissions officers a window into difficult experiences can present your story in your college application, but there are other topics that can also make for a strong essay (e.g. a favorite book, a community service project). Whichever angle you select to tell your story, highlight the most important things that have shaped and continue to shape your identity.

The writing process: brainstorm, outline, and draft

Writing a college essay can seem daunting at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Watch our webinar,  Write a College Essay that Stands Out , and download our worksheet as a template and foundation to help you craft a strong college essay. This college essay format may help you write your essay in a manner that goes beyond just a chronological explanation of your life or an expansion of your resume.

Essay feedback and revisions

Ask teachers, mentors, family, or friends for feedback on your essay. Reach out well in advance of any deadlines, and give them at least two weeks to provide feedback. Ask them in person if you can, but if you cannot, send them an email. If they agree to take a look, you can send them a message with your essay. Download a sample message below.

After receiving feedback, revise! You should plan on going through a few drafts. Here are some things to keep in mind: 

  • You do not have to incorporate all feedback. Accept what you think is most helpful. 
  • Edits and revisions should not remove your voice or completely alter your writing style. 
  • Pay attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and even formatting. 
  • It may help to read your essay out loud to catch mistakes you might otherwise skim over. 
  • Read your college essay from an admissions officer’s perspective.
  • For more college essay writing tips, continue reading the FAQs below.

Detailed FAQs about college admissions essays

Mechanics, structure, and content are vital parts of a successful essay. Our Detailed College Essays FAQs page covers each category in detail to give your essay a strong start and finish. Learn about how to write a college essay, how long a college essay should be, and more.

The Great Compromise: Shaping the Framework of the United States Constitution

This essay about the Great Compromise outlines the pivotal role it played during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It highlights the intense negotiations and political dynamics among delegates from diverse states as they sought to create a balanced federal legislature. The narrative appreciates Roger Sherman’s crucial contribution, emphasizing how his proposal for a bicameral legislature helped shape American democracy. The essay also reflects on the enduring legacy of compromise and cooperation in American political history.

How it works

In the historical tapestry of the United States, the tale of the Great Compromise emerges as an enthralling narrative, replete with figures from the original thirteen states engaging in a crucial battle of political acumen. Envision the setting: a stifling summer in Philadelphia, the atmosphere heavy with anticipation, the future of an emerging nation poised delicately in the balance.

Central to this narrative is a pivotal question: how can a collection of states, diverse in interests and goals, unite to build a stronger federation? The resolution was discovered through the art of negotiation—a nuanced interplay of concessions and agreements that ultimately sculpted the framework of the United States Constitution.

As representatives from more populous states advocated for representation based on population, their peers from less populated states insisted on equal representation. The atmosphere was charged, with neither side yielding, each fearing a loss of influence in the nascent government.

Into this charged environment stepped Roger Sherman, a figure marked by his resolute determination to bridge divides. A delegate from Connecticut, Sherman was acutely aware of the necessity to find a middle ground amidst stark differences. His ingenious solution, known as the Great Compromise, would leave an indelible mark on the convention.

Sherman’s proposal was elegantly straightforward: a bicameral legislature that would satisfy both large and small states. In the lower house, representation would be determined by population, honoring the principle of democratic majority. In the upper house, however, each state would have equal representation, protecting against the dominance of populous states.

The Great Compromise faced considerable opposition. Critics from various quarters saw it as an imperfect solution, one that didn’t fully reconcile the deep-seated issues threatening to derail the convention. Yet, it was this very act of finding a middle ground that enabled the delegates to progress and establish a durable agreement.

The legacy of the Great Compromise stands prominently in American history, underscoring the importance of dialogue and negotiation in achieving a more unified state. Its enduring lessons of bipartisanship, collaboration, and mutual respect continue to resonate, guiding contemporary leaders as they navigate their own political challenges and divisions.

Reflecting on the lasting impact of the Great Compromise, it is crucial to remember the ethos of collaboration and negotiation that drove its architects. In a world often divided, the legacy of these early American leaders shines as a beacon of hope, reminding us that unity and cooperation are the cornerstones of a successful nation.

owl

Cite this page

The Great Compromise: Shaping the Framework of the United States Constitution. (2024, May 21). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-great-compromise-shaping-the-framework-of-the-united-states-constitution/

"The Great Compromise: Shaping the Framework of the United States Constitution." PapersOwl.com , 21 May 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-great-compromise-shaping-the-framework-of-the-united-states-constitution/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Great Compromise: Shaping the Framework of the United States Constitution . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-great-compromise-shaping-the-framework-of-the-united-states-constitution/ [Accessed: 22 May. 2024]

"The Great Compromise: Shaping the Framework of the United States Constitution." PapersOwl.com, May 21, 2024. Accessed May 22, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/the-great-compromise-shaping-the-framework-of-the-united-states-constitution/

"The Great Compromise: Shaping the Framework of the United States Constitution," PapersOwl.com , 21-May-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-great-compromise-shaping-the-framework-of-the-united-states-constitution/. [Accessed: 22-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Great Compromise: Shaping the Framework of the United States Constitution . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-great-compromise-shaping-the-framework-of-the-united-states-constitution/ [Accessed: 22-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

owl

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

Our Services

College Admissions Counseling

UK University Admissions Counseling

EU University Admissions Counseling

College Athletic Recruitment

Crimson Rise: College Prep for Middle Schoolers

Indigo Research: Online Research Opportunities for High Schoolers

Delta Institute: Work Experience Programs For High Schoolers

Graduate School Admissions Counseling

Private Boarding & Day School Admissions

Online Tutoring

Essay Review

Financial Aid & Merit Scholarships

Our Leaders and Counselors

Our Student Success

Crimson Student Alumni

Our Reviews

Our Scholarships

Careers at Crimson

University Profiles

US College Admissions Calculator

GPA Calculator

Practice Standardized Tests

SAT Practice Test

ACT Practice Tests

Personal Essay Topic Generator

eBooks and Infographics

Crimson YouTube Channel

Summer Apply - Best Summer Programs

Top of the Class Podcast

ACCEPTED! Book by Jamie Beaton

Crimson Global Academy

+1 (646) 419-3178

Go back to all articles

100+ Excellent Topics for A Stellar Persuasive Speech

100+ Excellent Topics for A Stellar Persuasive Speech

What Makes a Truly Remarkable Speech?

The Ingredients of an Effective Topic

Ideas & Inspiration: 100+ Topics

Your Next Steps, Step-by-step

This comprehensive blog post serves as a vital resource for anyone looking to craft an impactful persuasive speech. It provides an extensive list of over 100 compelling topics tailored for a wide range of interests and academic fields. Additionally, it offers advanced guidance on selecting the perfect topic, structuring your arguments effectively, and employing persuasive techniques that captivate and convince your audience. Whether you're an academic achiever or an aspiring public speaker, this guide equips you with the insights to deliver a stellar persuasive speech.

Before You Pick the Perfect Topic...

If you’re struggling to find a strong topic for a persuasive speech , you’ll find 100+ ideas for subjects and topics below. Use one that grabs you, or simply find inspiration to get unstuck and come up with a topic about something you and your audience will find interesting.

To help you think about the big picture — your larger essay — we also review what makes a truly effective persuasive speech, all the ingredients of an effective topic, and how to pick the best topic for your circumstances.

Here's what's most essential as you consider your topic choices:

  • pick a topic that has the right scope, one aligned with your larger assignment
  • be sure the topic is one you're interested in researching, has meaning and relevance for your audience, and has the right level of complexity — both for your audience and for your level of speech writing prowess
  • remember your topic should align with themes and subjects related to your circumstances and the speech requirements

Finally, once you’ve picked your topic, and even if you know all the basics — which I’m guessing you do if you’re following posts from Crimson Education — you might still benefit from other advice in today's post, such as numerous speech writing tips and strategies designed to save you time and stress and improve the odds your final speech will exceed expectations.

Here's what you'll find:

  • What Makes a Truly Remarkable Persuasive Speech
  • The Ingredients of an Effective Topic, and Tips for Picking Your Topic
  • 100+ Topic Suggestions
  • How to Develop a Stellar Persuasive Speech — Step-by-Step!

Still feeling a bit hesitant or stuck?

Don’t worry. Once you've picked a really interesting and effective topic and start your research, you'll quickly become a subject-matter expert, regaining both motivation and confidence for all the remaining steps.

What Makes a Truly Remarkable Persuasive Speech?

A good persuasive speech will grab the audience’s attention, help them connect with the speaker (that’s you), and guide their reasoning process — giving the speech the power to persuade your audience why your point of view is logical and compelling, and also superior to the opposing viewpoints.

The 6 Most Essential Ingredients

  • A strong introduction that gets the audience engaged and provides context about the subject and topic, what’s at stake (why it matters), and what issues or concerns tend to be front and center
  • A clear thesis in the form of a specific point of view, opinion, or argument
  • An orderly progression of ideas and arguments, each argument or subtopic supported by logic and evidence
  • An anticipation of opposing viewpoints and arguments (the counterarguments to your opinion)
  • Your responses or ‘rebuttals’ to the opposing viewpoints , answering the anticipated objections and adding additional support for your point of view or thesis
  • A conclusion that highlights the most powerful persuasive elements in your speech and reminds listeners what's at stake, including, if suitable, a call to action

The Historical Roots of Persuasive Speech

Did you know that persuasive speech assignments may be testing your mastery of concepts that go back as far as ancient Greece?

The emergence of democracy in ancient Greece (the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.) created a space for the rule of law and political governance informed by the will of the people — making persuasive speech an essential element of social life.

From courtroom trials to political campaigns and democratic assemblies, persuasive speech emerged in 5th-century Athens as an essential tool of democracy.  Soon the brightest philosophers of the day became concerned with the principles of "rhetoric" — the study of orderly and effective persuasive speaking.

Now, thousands of years later, little has changed in Western democracies: "constructing and defending compelling arguments remains an essential skill in many settings" (Harvard U, Rhetoric ). In short, the principles of deliberation, free speech, and consensus building we use for governance, in school, extracurricular activities , at work, and sometimes our day-to-day life, still rely on persuasive speech.

In every free society individuals are continuously attempting to change the thoughts and/or actions of others. It is a fundamental concept of a free society.

- persuasive speaking, by r. t. oliver, ph.d..

Blog Banner

How The Rhetorical Triangle Can Turbo-charge Your Speech

The 5th-century B.C. Athenian philosopher Aristotle argued that your ability to persuade is based on how well your speech appeals to the audience in three different areas: logos, ethos, and pathos, sometimes referred to as the three points of the rhetorical triangle .

From observation and reflection Aristotle understood that humans are thinking animals (logos), social and moral animals (ethos), and emotional animals (pathos) — such that appealing to all three of these pillars of human understanding and action were essential parts of an effective persuasive speech .

1. Logos — Using clear, logical, and evidence-based reasoning and argumentation to add persuasive power to your speech.

For obvious reasons, audiences will typically expect strong arguments supported by evidence and clear reasoning and logic, all elements that are often prominent on grading rubrics for persuasive speeches.

Maybe you're thinking of speeches you've heard that utterly lacked logic and evidence? It's a reminder that persuasion as such is ultimately about points of view and not always about facts. Even without logic, a speaker can persuade, through effective uses of ethos and pathos , for example. In other instances social phenomena may underlie a lack of logic and evidence, such as "group think," for example , when people are swayed or swept up by a common point of view about an issue, instead of thinking critically about it.

2. Ethos — The component of persuasive speaking that spotlights the appeal, authority, credentials, and moral standing of the speaker .

Have you ever agreed with a speaker simply because you liked the person speaking, or rejected an argument because you disliked a speaker, responding to who the speaker is more than to their arguments? That may not be very logical, but it is very natural for us humans.

Aristotle understood this, that persuasion relies not solely on logical thinking but on relational factors too, including how much we trust a speaker, how much we believe in the integrity of their motives, and the knowledge and expertise they possess (or are perceived to possess).

Take law courts, for example. One common strategy lawyers use to undermine the force of witness testimony is to “discredit” or “taint” the witness , to undermine jurors' confidence in the veracity and motives of the witness. That's using ethos, rather than logic and facts, to impact an audience (the jury).

Likewise, when an audience has a high regard for the speaker's reputation, authority, and credibility, the more convincing that person's arguments are likely to be.

Suggestions for enhancing appeals to ethos in your speech:

  • Share a transformative journey where you shifted from an opposing perspective to your current stance due to overwhelming evidence. This approach can demonstrate your capacity for logic and open-mindedness, helping your audience see you as very rational and impartial, potentially strengthening your credibility.
  • Incorporate the viewpoints and expertise of respected authorities to bolster your arguments. Referencing reliable sources and experts boosts your credibility by showing you've grounded your arguments in established facts, perspectives, and ideas.
  • Foster a connection with your audience. For example, rather than overwhelming them with complex reasoning to showcase your intelligence, strive to comprehend and reflect their perceptions and potential biases regarding your topic. This should make your audience more receptive to your logic and perspectives as your speech progresses.
  • Employ personal anecdotes or lived experiences that unveil a deeper layer of understanding and wisdom. This personal touch not only humanizes you, the speaker, but makes your arguments more relatable and persuasive.

Depending on circumstances, you may think of additional ways to bolster your credibility and trustworthiness — enhancing your standing in the eyes of the audience in order to elevate the persuasive impact of your speech!

3. Pathos — This means injecting your speech with some powerful appeals to listeners' feelings and emotions , in addition to using logic and reason.

For example, if your speech entails persuading voters to increase foreign aide to combat world hunger, you wouldn’t just want to cite cold statistics. Painting a picture of ways malnutrition is affecting real individuals is likely to have a strong impact on listeners' emotions, appealing to their innate capacity for compassion towards others and helping them more deeply appreciate the urgency of the subject . This approach impacts listeners' emotions and highlights an urgent and universal moral imperative that adds conviction to your point of view.

In most academic settings, you'll be expected to present a speech with a strong line of evidence-based, logical reasoning, often making appeals to logos prominent in persuasive speeches in school settings. That said, by injecting and balancing appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos, based on what's most suitable for your topic, assignment, and approach, you'll add a significant measure of mastery to your persuasive writing method.

A Consistent Style and Tone

What style, voice, and tone best suit your personality, the occasion, the listeners, and your subject?

  • Consider adopting a straightforward, clear, and succinct style , reminiscent of a newspaper editorial or a no-nonsense argument in a voter guide. This approach works well for topics and settings requiring direct communication with clear insights and persuasive arguments free from subjectivity and unnecessary analysis and complexity.
  • For topics, interests, or assignments that naturally entail wading through broader philosophical and ethical debates — like debating justifications for euthanasia or arguments against the death penalty — a more introspective, contemplative voice may be expected . This style allows for a deeper exploration of moral dimensions and the broader implications of the issue at hand or the underlying logical principles involved.
  • If your inclination is towards something more unconventional, employing humor and wit could be a chance to take the road less traveled! Whether through irony or parody, for example, by showcasing a humorous topic from the outset, such as "why dog people outshine cat people," or cleverly presenting weaker arguments to underscore your point, this strategy, while offbeat, can captivate and entertain , making your speech stand out in a large class setting. Just be sure to balance the creativity with a clear demonstration of your persuasive speech skills and consider checking in with your teacher about possibilities and expectations beforehand.

With a broader understanding of what goes into a great persuasive speech, you’re better equipped for the important step of picking the topic that will guide your speech.

Picking Your Topic — Questions to Ask

Does it interest you.

Conveying passion for a topic is infectious, adding power to your speech. The more interested and invested you are in your subject and topic, the more likely you are to make your speech the best it can be.

Will the topic interest your audience?

Understanding your audience's values, interests, and views will help you make immediate connections with their own thought processes and attitudes. Try to pick a topic that will get your listeners to perk up and move to the edge of their seats.

Is the topic or point of view fresh and engaging?

Choosing a topic that's novel, contemporary, or presents a unique angle on a familiar issue should help you captivate your audience's attention. You also want the topic to be something that matters to your audience with a point of view that challenges their thinking, so you're not just "preaching to the choir."

Are there any "triggers" or otherwise "sensitive" or "inappropriate" themes?

You might not think there’s not any problem with a topic such as Should we build a wall to keep immigrants out of the country? Or, Should same sex marriage be legal? That said, topics that delve into identity politics or areas that are so controversial that they elicit anger or hostility rather than dialogue and debate may lead to emotional hurt and harm, even if not intended. If you have any doubts, check in with your teacher or a school counselor before settling on your topic!

Finding Subjects and Topics on Your Own

Before you jump ahead and grab a ready-made topic from the list below, remember that a quick brainstorming or online search could be your preferred method to find the best, most interesting topic for your audience, setting, and individual interests or class requirements. For example, an internet search with keywords such as “biggest problems or biggest issues in the world today” will quickly uncover a host of themes and subjects that are both timely and controversial.

Search Results for Keyword Phrase Contemporary World Problems and Issues

  • Water contamination
  • Human rights violation
  • Global health issues
  • Global poverty
  • Children's poor access to healthcare, education and safety
  • Access to food and hunger
  • Anti-corruption and transparency
  • Arms control and nonproliferation
  • Climate and environment
  • Climate crisis
  • Combating and crime
  • Countering terrorism
  • Cyber issues
  • Economic prosperity and trade policy
  • Technology and privacy

A General List vs. Time & Place Factors

Where you live and what’s timely for you and your audience is going to depend on your circumstances. Finding a “hot topic” in your specific time and place could be an effective way to get listeners' attention and address an issue that feels highly relevant.

  • Is there a big policy decision that’s a hot topic at your school?
  • Is there a ballot initiative your community will vote on soon that your audience has strong opinions about?
  • Is there a current events issue in your local news headlines that offers a compelling persuasive speech topic?
  • What’s before congress these days, or before the Supreme Court, or the United Nations — this week (any great topics there for your speech)?

More Inspiration: 100+ Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics for High School

If you haven’t already navigated your way to an interesting persuasive speech topic, use the list below for even more ideas and inspiration!

You can go from top to bottom, or you can jump the line and look for the themes that most interest you, such as Art and Culture or Recreation and Tourism.

Art and Culture

1. Is digital art really art?

2. Street art: vandalism or cultural expression?

3. Is there a place for censorship in the music industry?

4. Do museums promote culture or appropriate culture?

5. Should other countries have a minister of culture or similar government office, as they do in France?

6. Can schools, or art teachers, define good art vs. bad art? Should they?

7. Censorship in art: when is it justified or necessary?

8. Does creative freedom take precedence over cultural appropriation?

9. The impact of digital platforms on the consumption of art and the value of art.

10. Is there a role for public policy and public funding in arts and culture?

1. The pros and cons of minimum wage laws and policies.

2. Cryptocurrency: the future of finance or a scam?

3. Is student loan debt relief good policy?

4. Gender wage gap: are the concerns justified or unjustified?

5. Sustainable development: Is there a way to sustain economic growth and without an environmental catastrophe?

6. The role of small businesses in the economy, do they promote prosperity or undermine efficiencies?

7. Globalization: economic boon or bane?

8. Is consumerism in the general interest or a threat to the planet?

9. The economic effects of climate change, should they be paid now or later?

10. Universal Basic Income: a solution to poverty or a disincentive to work?

1. The case for and against school uniforms.

2. Should non-citizens be allowed to vote in school board elections?

3. The impact of technology on education.

4. Should college education be free?

5. The importance of teaching financial literacy in schools: promoting independent living or consumerism?

6. Should parents have the right to home school children against their will?

7. Is the grading system improving learning?

8. Is mandatory attendance a good policy for high school?

9. Addressing the mental health crisis in schools: is it an individual problem or a social one?

10. Arts education: valuable or a waste of time?

Environmental Issues

1. The urgency of addressing climate change and what to do about it.

2. Plastic pollution: are more stringent government regulations, policies, and laws the answer?

3. Should the government subsidize clean energy technologies and solutions?

4. The importance of water conservation, but whose responsible?

5. Should there be a global environmental tax? On what?

6. Should environmental costs be factored into everyday economic activity?

7. The impact of fast fashion on the environment.

8. The necessity of protecting endangered species.

9. Deforestation: Who's impacted? Who should have power (or not) to stop it?

10. Are electric cars truly better for the environment?

1. The changing dynamics of the modern family.

2. The role of the state in protecting children from parents and guardians.

3. Should adoption records be open or sealed?

4. How can employers, or employment laws, support healthy families?

5. Is there an age when euthanasia should become universally legal and accessible?

6. How to balance parental rights with child welfare.

7. Is your child's gender something they're born with, or something they should be free to choose?

8. The responsibilities of women vs. men in addressing an unplanned pregnancy.

9. Should parents restrict children's use of technology? What is too lax vs. what is too restrictive?

10. Balancing discipline and love in parenting.

Health, Nutrition, & Fitness

1. Should junk food advertising be regulated?

2. The dangers of fad diets: free market vs. consumer protection.

3. Should junk food be banned in schools?

4. Nutrition: are schools failing to teach it?

5. Should students be graded on their fitness and nutrition levels and habits?

6. Should sports programs be replaced by fitness education?

7. E-cigarettes: should they be regulated or not?

8. The obesity epidemic: a problem of individual responsibility, genetics, or social policy?

9. Are agricultural subsidies good for health and the environment?

10. Should teens have more options for balancing school attendance and individual sleep needs and preferences?

Media, Social Media, and Entertainment

1. The effects of social media on teenagers.

2. Should there be regulations on influencer marketing?

3. The impact of video games on behavior.

4. Fake news: Its impact and how to combat it.

5. The role of media in shaping public opinion.

6. Privacy concerns with social media platforms.

7. The influence of celebrities on youth culture: is there a role for rewards and consequences to impact celebrities public behaviors?

8. Digital detox: pros and cons.

9. Media portrayal of women and its societal impact.

10. Censorship in media: necessary or oppressive?

Politics and Society

1. The importance and limits of voting in a democracy.

2. Gun control laws: balancing safety and liberty.

3. The impact of immigration: universal human rights vs. national sovereignty.

4. The death penalty: justice vs. ethics?

5. The legalization of marijuana: the right policy?

6. The right to protest vs. public order.

7. Affirmative action: whose definition of "fairness" do we use?

8. The future of healthcare in America: market solutions or a public option?

9. Climate change policy: National vs. global approaches.

10. The role of the United Nations in today's world.

Recreation & Tourism

1. The benefits of outdoor recreation.

2. Sustainable tourism: protecting nature while promoting travel.

3. The impact of tourism on local cultures.

4. The future of space tourism.

5. The effects of recreational activities on mental health.

6. The importance of historical preservation in tourism.

7. Adventure tourism: reasonable or unreasonable risks vs. rewards proposition?

8. The effects of over-tourism on popular destinations and local communities.

9. Is eco-tourism the right way to promote environmental sustainability?

10. Does international tourism help or harm indigenous peoples, cultures, and communities?

1. Do the ethical downside of genetic engineering outweigh the potential benefits?

2. The potential and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in society.

3. Climate change denial: is it fully within the bounds of free speech?

4. Competing views of vaccine policies and individual rights in pandemics and other health emergencies.

5. Space exploration: is it worth the investment?

6. The use of affirmative action to diversify STEM education and workforce.

7. The impact of technology on job displacement and future employment: is a universal income the right answer?

8. Do renewable energy technologies offer a feasible substitute for eliminating fossil fuels?

9. Ocean pollution: is more government regulation the answer?

10. Protecting biodiversity vs. the right to economic prosperity.

Sports and School Athletics

1. The emphasis on athletic programs in high schools: is the hype benefiting students?

2. Should college athletes be compensated?

3. Do teamwork and group activities help or hinder academic and athletic development?

4. Should schools should require more physical education or less?

5. Should there be more emphasis on non-competitive formats in high school and college athletics?

6. The influence of professional athletes as role models: good or bad?

7. Doping in sports: are athletic programs teaching the wrong values?

8. The benefits and risks of contact sports in high schools athletics.

9. Should there be absolute gender equality in school athletics?

10. What should the educational goal of school athletics be?

These topics span a broad spectrum of interests and concerns — look for one that matters to you and your audience, is likely to prompt insightful dialogue or debate, and is challenging enough to put your individual persuasive speech skills to the test!

Blog Banner

1. Use Diligent Research to Make a Watertight Argument

To go from just any persuasive speech to a truly riveting one, you’ll want to dig around until you find compelling and authoritative research . Even if you're already knowledgeable about your topic, applying yourself with patience and perseverance at this early stage will usually pay off, allowing you to uncover some real gems when it comes to compelling facts and expert perspectives.

What to look for:

  • Facts, statistics, and surveys
  • An expert analysis of a policy or issue
  • Quotes from compelling experts, from books, editorials, or speeches
  • Anecdotal evidence in the form of isolated events or personal experiences that don’t have much statistical significance but can illustrate or capture something powerful that supports your point of view, or add emotional appeal
  • Graphs, tables, and charts

Riveting research will better position you to hit some home runs when you put together your speech. And remember, research is primarily to build a strong logical argument ( logos ), but citing and spotlighting reputable sources will also lend your speech greater persuasive credibility ( ethos ), just as experiential perspectives can add appeals to emotion ( pathos ).

Define Your Thesis

Clearly articulate your stance on the topic. This thesis statement will guide the structure of your speech and inform your audience of your central argument.

I like to create a "working thesis" as a planning tool, something that encapsulates and maps my point of view and essential supporting arguments, and as a way to uncover gaps in my reasoning or evidence early on. Later, it also gives me a ready guide for writing my outline.

Essential Elements of a ‘working thesis’ for a persuasive speech:

  • The subject (including how you'll frame the context for your topic and speech)
  • Your main point of view
  • List of principal arguments
  • The most important counterarguments
  • Key rebuttals to the counterarguments

As you can see, this kind of "working thesis" gives you a bird's eye view of your thesis along with all the key components of your speech and the reasoning you’ll deploy.

Marshaling Your Evidence

As you delve into researching your chosen topic, such as "Why space exploration is not worth the investment," you'll accumulate evidence, including data, anecdotes, expert opinions, and more. This evidence is vital for adding depth, credibility, and persuasion to your speech. You also need to strategically align the evidence with each of your supporting arguments , ensuring that each claim you make is substantiated.

You can use a simple table format to visually map out how you want to align your subtopics and evidence.

Here's an example using the topic Why space exploration is not worth the investment .

This table is just for illustration, and doesn't use real data and opinions, but you can see how organizing your evidence ahead of time can help you logically present and support your arguments and subtopics . It can also help you spot gaps, in case you need to do additional research, and gives you a head start on the next step: outlining your speech!

Make an Outline

Begin with a structured outline to ensure your speech flows logically from one point to the next. Your outline should include:

  • introduction elements
  • key subtopics and the relevant arguments and evidence, examples, anecdotes, or citations, all in sequential order
  • key wording for any important or challenging transitions from one line of thought to the next, or from one subtopic to the next
  • a section for responding to opposing arguments and viewpoints, with the specific rebuttals, all in sequential order
  • key points for your conclusion

Drafting Body Paragraphs, Your Introduction & Conclusion

Now you're making your first rough attempts of turning the key content of your speech into phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. So, this is a could point to refocus on the tone, style, and voice you want to use, and how to use it consistently.

Pro Tip: Write your introduction and conclusion after drafting all of your body paragraphs, because you these two sections to really capture the essence of the larger speech.

Introduction : Start with a strong hook—this could be a startling statistic, a compelling quote, or a relatable and captivating (or entertaining) anecdote— then briefly preview your main points to set the stage for your argument.

Conclusion : Reinforce your thesis with concise references to the the primary evidence you presented. End with a powerful closing statement that reminds your audience of why this topic is important. As suitable, you can also call your audience to action or leave them with something significant to ponder on their own.

Balancing Pathos, Logos, Ethos

Ensure a harmonious balance among logos (logical appeal), ethos (establishing your credibility and using evidence from credible sources and quotes or perspectives from credible authorities), and pathos (emotional appeal).

Checklist for Balancing Logos, Ethos, and Pathos

Here's a rubric, adapted from a real university writing rubric for persuasive speeches, that can help you elevate appeals to logos , ethos , and pathos in your speech.

  • Is the thesis clear and specific?
  • Is the thesis supported by strong reasons and credible evidence?
  • Is the argument logical and well organized?
  • What are the speaker’s qualifications?
  • How has the speaker connected him/herself to the topic being discussed?
  • Does the speaker demonstrate respect for multiple viewpoints, and respond to them with thoughtful arguments?
  • Are sources credible?
  • Are tone, style, and word choice appropriate for the audience/purpose?
  • Is the speech polished and written with care?
  • Are vivid examples, details and images used to engage the listeners' emotions and imagination?
  • Does the writer appeal to the values and beliefs of the listeners by using examples the audience can relate to or cares about?

Revise & Polish

Review your speech and revise for clarity, flow, sentence structure, and word choice.

Remember to use a voice and style consistent with making a speech, with the topic and subject matter, and the specific circumstances for your speech.

Remove any jargon or unnecessary details that might distract from your message.

Sharpen your arguments, making sure they are clear, concise, and compelling.

Practice the Delivery

Dedicate ample time to practicing what it will be like giving your speech. Focus on mastering the tone, pace, and volume of your delivery. If you have time limits on the speech, be sure to time your delivery as well, and make any needed adjustments. Consider body language, eye contact, and gestures, as these non-verbal cues can significantly impact your speech's effectiveness.

The more comfortable and familiar you are with your speech, the more confidently you'll present it.

Also, being nervous, for lots of people, is normal. Practice will help; with better command of your speech you'll feel more confident. Also, practicing your delivery with a friend who can listen and give you some feedback is good way to catch helpful adjustments.

Blog Banner

Final Thoughts

Finding a topic you like and one that your audience will be interested in is a critical foundation for an effective persuasive speech. It will also help you stay motivated and get more out of the experience!

Just remember that investing in some extra research, some thoughtful organization, anticipating counterarguments, and artfully weaving in ethos and pathos alongside a strong line of evidence-based arguments ( logos ) will help you elevate your speech and your learning experience.

With the insights we've just shared, you're more than ready to turn what is often a rote class exercise into something far more artful. In addition, your effort will help prepare you for college — for debating, editorial writing, legal argumentation, public policy advocacy, public speaking, and even running for ASB President!

If you're interested in taking on the challenge of more advanced research and persuasive writing, or even projects that involve scholarly publication, be sure to reach out to a Crimson Education Advisor for information on ways to get connected to advanced online courses and any number of cool capstone and research projects that will also connect you to networks of motivated young scholars and top-notch research and writing mentors.

About the Author

Keith Nickolaus

Keith Nickolaus

Keith Nickolaus is a former educator with a passion for languages, literature, and lifelong learning. After obtaining a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz and exploring university life in Paris, Keith earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and then worked for 16 years in K12 education before setting up shop as a freelance writer.

More Articles

What are the hardest a-levels in 2024.

What Are the Hardest A-Levels in 2024?

The AP Macroeconomics Exam: A Comprehensive Guide

The AP Macroeconomics Exam: A Comprehensive Guide

Your Guide to the AP Physics C Course and Exam

Your Guide to the AP Physics C Course and Exam

Crimson students are 7x more likely to gain acceptance to their dream college!

Remember, you don't have to navigate this journey alone. crimson provides a comprehensive suite of services, from academic mentoring and test prep to essay assistance, extracurricular guidance, and career mentoring, ensuring a holistic approach to your college preparation journey..

COMMENTS

  1. Narrative Essay Topics: TOP 200 Choices for Students

    Focus on a specific event or detail to make your narrative more focused and impactful. Look for universal themes like love or personal transformation that connect with readers on a deeper level. Brainstorm ideas and write freely to uncover compelling topics. Decide on storytelling techniques like flashbacks or foreshadowing and choose a topic ...

  2. 100 Narrative Essay Topics

    The list of 100 narrative essay topics that we've compiled is a versatile and expansive set designed to inspire students at various educational levels. The topics range from lighter, more relatable experiences like your "first job interview" or "a memorable birthday party," to deeper, more introspective themes such as "an experience ...

  3. 50 Narrative Essay Topics

    We've got 50 narrative essay topics designed to prompt students to craft memorable written narratives. These can be modified for students in elementary, middle and high school. Feel free to print the entire narrative essay topics list for plenty of inspiration for your next narrative essay assignment! Narrative Essay Topics. Your first day of ...

  4. 650 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing

    Here is a PDF of all 650 prompts, and we also have a related lesson plan, From 'Lives' to 'Modern Love': Writing Personal Essays With Help From The New York Times.. Below, a list that ...

  5. 150 Best Topic Ideas For Narrative Essay

    Good Narrative Essay Topics for College Students. Just like high schoolers, students at colleges and universities are fond of talking about their everyday matters. Whether a topic about students' affairs or reflection on new relationships, the most popular narrative topics for college students are collected here.

  6. 550 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing

    Update, Sept. 9, 2022: We published a new collection of 445 narrative and personal writing prompts. We've been posting fresh writing prompts every school day for over a decade now, and every so ...

  7. Narrative Essay Topics

    A narrative essay is a prose-written story that's focused on the commentary of a central theme. Narrative essays are generally written in the first-person POV, and are usually about a topic that's personal to the writer. Everything in a narrative essay should take place in an established timeline, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

  8. How to Write a Narrative Essay

    When applying for college, you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities. For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay. College application prompt. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure.

  9. 50 Engaging Narrative Essay Topics for High Schoolers

    A good narrative essay will begin with an attention-grabbing opening line. But make sure to avoid common clichés, such as "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.". Instead, come up with something original and specific to you and your situation. For example: "My pre-calc teacher was obsessed with circles.

  10. 150 Narrative Essay Topics

    An experience helping another student ‍ Personal narrative essay topics. Since narrative essays are often written in the first person and rely on the experiences and thoughts of the author, they can all be considered personal, but a personal essay asks you to specifically tell a story about a time that changed you in a meaningful way. Here ...

  11. 100+ Interesting Narrative Essay Topics For Your Next Paper

    Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5. My First Day at a New School. The Time I Learned to Ride a Bike. A Visit to a Haunted House. The Day I Met a Real-Life Superhero. My Most Memorable Family Vacation. A Surprising Encounter with an Animal. The Mystery of the Missing Homework. The Best Birthday Party I Ever Had.

  12. Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

    Narrative essays can be a challenging topic for college students as some shy away from sharing their personal experiences. However, the most emotionally-loaded topics can often provide the best ...

  13. Narrative Essays: Examples And Topic Ideas For Students

    7. An Act Of Kindness. Sharing an act of kindness you did with someone else—or a random act of kindness that someone did for you—can provide a warm, fuzzy topic for your narrative essay. When writing about an act of kindness, focus on how the act made you feel, whether you were the giver or the receiver of the act.

  14. 164 Narrative Essay Topics for School & College Students

    Take a look at the fictional narrative essay topics below: Write a narrative where a girl discovers her superpower. A story about a land that has 25 hours in a day. Describe your version of the future. Fiction narrative where a person discovers big city life. Come up with an apocalyptic story.

  15. Narrative Essay Topics: 120+ Ideas For Students

    Good Narrative Essay Topics. The Day Everything Changed: A Personal Turning Point. Unlikely Heroes: Stories of Everyday Acts of Kindness. Behind the Scenes: The Challenges of Pursuing a Passion. Lessons from the Playground: Childhood Wisdom Revisited. The Unforgettable Journey of a Handwritten Letter.

  16. 100 Greatest Narrative Essay Topics

    Here are 100 potential narrative essay topics: A time I overcame a fear. The day I met my best friend. A family vacation that went wrong. The experience of learning to ride a bike. Attending my first concert. My most difficult class in school so far. My proudest accomplishment. A time I failed at something.

  17. Narrative Essay Topics And Ideas For Students

    9. Imagine if…. A narrative essay topic starts with the words "Imagine If…" and usually requires you to create a story about an alternate universe, or what your life could be like in the future. This subtopic is one of the most popular among students because it allows us to make up anything.

  18. 220+ Narrative Essay Topics for All Academic Levels

    Narrative Essay Topics for Students. If you're a student, you probably have to write an essay at some point. Getting an interesting topic idea is not easy. We have gathered some essay topics for different academic levels to help you with the task. Let's dive right into the narrative essay topics list without any delay.

  19. Narrative Essay Topics That Help You Create a Masterpiece

    Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5. My first bicycle ride. My dad is my hero. A day with my grandmother. My first day at school. My best friend. My favorite teacher. A school trip to the zoo. My grandpa's hands. The most exciting day of school. The best summer vacation. Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 6. A memorable teacher. My first trip ...

  20. 150 Narrative Essay Topics To Impress Teacher in 2024

    An example of a personal narrative essay is sharing memory of a person the author saw in the childhood and who left a stark impression (e. g. due to exceptional qualities). Here is a little of 65, narrative essay topics for high school students and college/university attendants.

  21. 218 Narrative Essay Topics

    As is the case with university students, writing narrative essays takes practice and depends on the level a student is on. Here's how we'll cover each of the narrative essay topics for each grade level. Level: Grade 1. Level: Grade 2. Level: Grade 3.

  22. Creative Writing Examples │ A Level, GCSE and O Level

    Learn from the best with our extensive collection of IGCSE essay examples. Immerse yourself in successful narratives to understand the art of effective storytelling and elevate your writing to new heights. Stay up-to-date with the latest narrative essay topics for A level, O Level and IGCSE with our 2023 past paper questions.

  23. The Hottest Narrative Essay Topics to Inspire Your Writing in 2024

    10 Top Narrative Essay Topics for University Students. You shouldn't worry about finding good narrative essay ideas for university assignments when these narrative essay titles can assist. The transformation of my career objectives at university. My most memorable internship experience. My life-transforming encounter with poverty.

  24. 100+ Free Narrative essays

    Our website isn't just for students seeking narrative essays for exams. It's a hub for anyone seeking to master the art of storytelling. Explore various narrative essay topics, including personal experiences, friendship, family, love, travel, childhood memories, and more. 5. Tailor-Made Examples for Your Academic Needs.

  25. What's in a Narrative? Understanding the Elements and Impact of

    This essay about the fundamental aspects of storytelling explores its integral role in human culture, emphasizing how it serves as a crucial element of civilization. It details the key components of a narrative—protagonist, setting, plot, themes, and style—highlighting their contributions to creating meaningful, resonant stories.

  26. The Historical Context of "To Kill a Mockingbird"

    The narrative's locale in Maycomb, Alabama, serves as a pivotal stage Essay Example: Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" unfolds against the backdrop of the 1930s, an epoch marked by the profound societal upheavals of the Great Depression and entrenched racial segregation in the American South.

  27. What I've Learned From My Students' College Essays

    May 14, 2024. Most high school seniors approach the college essay with dread. Either their upbringing hasn't supplied them with several hundred words of adversity, or worse, they're afraid ...

  28. How to Write a College Essay

    Ask teachers, mentors, family, or friends for feedback on your essay. Reach out well in advance of any deadlines, and give them at least two weeks to provide feedback. Ask them in person if you can, but if you cannot, send them an email. If they agree to take a look, you can send them a message with your essay. Download a sample message below.

  29. The Great Compromise: Shaping the Framework of the United States

    Essay Example: In the historical tapestry of the United States, the tale of the Great Compromise emerges as an enthralling narrative, replete with figures from the original thirteen states engaging in a crucial battle of political acumen. Envision the setting: a stifling summer in Philadelphia

  30. 100+ Excellent Topics for A Stellar Persuasive Speech

    1. Logos — Using clear, logical, and evidence-based reasoning and argumentation to add persuasive power to your speech. For obvious reasons, audiences will typically expect strong arguments supported by evidence and clear reasoning and logic, all elements that are often prominent on grading rubrics for persuasive speeches.