narrative essay key points

How to Write a Perfect Narrative Essay (Step-by-Step)

By Status.net Editorial Team on October 17, 2023 — 10 minutes to read

Understanding a Narrative Essay Part 1
Typical Narrative Essay Structure Part 2
Narrative Essay Template Part 3
Step 1. How to Choose Your Narrative Essay Topic Part 4
Step 2. Planning the Structure Part 5
Step 3. Crafting an Intriguing Introduction Part 6
Step 4. Weaving the Narrative Body Part 7
Step 5. Creating a Conclusion Part 8
Step 6. Polishing the Essay Part 9
Step 7. Feedback and Revision Part 10

Part 1 Understanding a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is a form of writing where you share a personal experience or tell a story to make a point or convey a lesson. Unlike other types of essays, a narrative essay aims to engage your audience by sharing your perspective and taking them on an emotional journey.

To begin, choose a meaningful topic . Pick a story or experience that had a significant impact on your life, taught you something valuable, or made you see the world differently. You want your readers to learn from your experiences, so choose something that will resonate with others.
Next, create an outline . Although narrative essays allow for creative storytelling, it’s still helpful to have a roadmap to guide your writing. List the main events, the characters involved, and the settings where the events took place. This will help you ensure that your essay is well-structured and easy to follow.
When writing your narrative essay, focus on showing, not telling . This means that you should use descriptive language and vivid details to paint a picture in your reader’s mind. For example, instead of stating that it was a rainy day, describe the sound of rain hitting your window, the feeling of cold wetness around you, and the sight of puddles forming around your feet. These sensory details will make your essay more engaging and immersive.
Another key aspect is developing your characters . Give your readers an insight into the thoughts and emotions of the people in your story. This helps them connect with the story, empathize with the characters, and understand their actions. For instance, if your essay is about a challenging hike you took with a friend, spend some time describing your friend’s personality and how the experience impacted their attitude or feelings.
Keep the pace interesting . Vary your sentence lengths and structures, and don’t be afraid to use some stylistic devices like dialogue, flashbacks, and metaphors. This adds more depth and dimension to your story, keeping your readers engaged from beginning to end.

Part 2 Typical Narrative Essay Structure

A narrative essay typically follows a three-part structure: introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introduction: Start with a hook to grab attention and introduce your story. Provide some background to set the stage for the main events.
Body: Develop your story in detail. Describe scenes, characters, and emotions. Use dialogue when necessary to provide conversational elements.
Conclusion: Sum up your story, revealing the lesson learned or the moral of the story. Leave your audience with a lasting impression.

Part 3 Narrative Essay Template

1. Introduction : Set the scene and introduce the main characters and setting of your story. Use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture for your reader and capture their attention.
Body 2. Rising Action : Develop the plot by introducing a conflict or challenge that the main character must face. This could be a personal struggle, a difficult decision, or an external obstacle. 3. Climax : This is the turning point of the story, where the conflict reaches its peak and the main character must make a critical decision or take action. 4. Falling Action : Show the consequences of the main character’s decision or action, and how it affects the rest of the story. 5. Resolution : Bring the story to a satisfying conclusion by resolving the conflict and showing how the main character has grown or changed as a result of their experiences.
6. Reflection/Conclusion : Reflect on the events of the story and what they mean to you as the writer. This could be a lesson learned, a personal realization, or a message you want to convey to your reader.

Part 4 Step 1. How to Choose Your Narrative Essay Topic

Brainstorming ideas.

Start by jotting down any ideas that pop into your mind. Think about experiences you’ve had, stories you’ve heard, or even books and movies that have resonated with you. Write these ideas down and don’t worry too much about organization yet. It’s all about getting your thoughts on paper.

Once you have a list, review your ideas and identify common themes or connections between them. This process should help you discover potential topics for your narrative essay.

Narrowing Down the Choices

After brainstorming, you’ll likely end up with a few strong contenders for your essay topic. To decide which topic is best, consider the following:

Relevance : Is the topic meaningful for your audience? Will they be able to connect with it on a personal level? Consider the purpose of your assignment and your audience when choosing your topic.
Detail : Do you have enough specific details to craft a vivid story? The more detail you can recall about the event, the easier it’ll be to write a compelling narrative.
Emotional impact : A strong narrative essay should evoke emotions in your readers. Choose a topic that has the potential to elicit some emotional response from your target audience.

After evaluating your potential topics based on these criteria, you can select the one that best fits the purpose of your narrative essay.

Part 5 Step 2. Planning the Structure

Creating an outline.

Before you start writing your narrative essay, it’s a great idea to plan out your story. Grab a piece of paper and sketch out a rough outline of the key points you want to cover. Begin with the introduction, where you’ll set the scene and introduce your characters. Then, list the major events of your story in chronological order, followed by the climax and resolution. Organizing your ideas in an outline will ensure your essay flows smoothly and makes sense to your readers.

Detailing Characters, Settings, and Events

Taking time to flesh out the characters, settings, and events in your story will make it more engaging and relatable. Think about your main character’s background, traits, and motivations. Describe their appearance, emotions, and behavior in detail. This personal touch will help your readers connect with them on a deeper level.

Also, give some thought to the setting – where does the story take place? Be sure to include sensory details that paint a vivid picture of the environment. Finally, focus on the series of events that make up your narrative. Are there any twists and turns, or surprising moments? Address these in your essay, using vivid language and engaging storytelling techniques to captivate your readers.

Writing the Narrative Essay

Part 6 step 3. crafting an intriguing introduction.

To start your narrative essay, you’ll want to hook your reader with an interesting and engaging opening. Begin with a captivating sentence or question that piques curiosity and captures attention. For example, “Did you ever think a simple bus ride could change your life forever?” This kind of opening sets the stage for a compelling, relatable story. Next, introduce your main characters and provide a bit of context to help your readers understand the setting and background of the story.

Part 7 Step 4. Weaving the Narrative Body

The body of your essay is where your story unfolds. Here’s where you’ll present a series of events, using descriptive language and vivid details.

Remember to maintain a strong focus on the central theme or main point of your narrative.

Organize your essay chronologically, guiding your reader through the timeline of events.

As you recount your experience, use a variety of sensory details, such as sounds, smells, and tastes, to immerse your reader in the moment. For instance, “The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room as my friends and I excitedly chattered about our upcoming adventure.”

Take advantage of dialogue to bring your characters to life and to reveal aspects of their personalities. Incorporate both internal and external conflicts, as conflict plays a crucial role in engaging your reader and enhancing the narrative’s momentum. Show the evolution of your characters and how they grow throughout the story.

Part 8 Step 5. Creating a Conclusion

Finally, to write a satisfying conclusion, reflect on the narrative’s impact and how the experience has affected you or your characters. Tie the narrative’s events together and highlight the lessons learned, providing closure for the reader.

Avoid abruptly ending your story, because that can leave the reader feeling unsatisfied. Instead, strive to create a sense of resolution and demonstrate how the events have changed the characters’ perspectives or how the story’s theme has developed.

For example, “Looking back, I realize that the bus ride not only changed my perspective on friendship, but also taught me valuable life lessons that I carry with me to this day.”

Part 9 Step 6. Polishing the Essay

Fine-tuning your language.

When writing a narrative essay, it’s key to choose words that convey the emotions and experiences you’re describing. Opt for specific, vivid language that creates a clear mental image for your reader. For instance, instead of saying “The weather was hot,” try “The sun scorched the pavement, causing the air to shimmer like a mirage.” This gives your essay a more engaging and immersive feeling.

Editing for Clarity and Concision

As you revise your essay, keep an eye out for redundancies and unnecessary words that might dilute the impact of your story. Getting to the point and using straightforward language can help your essay flow better. For example, instead of using “She was walking in a very slow manner,” you can say, “She strolled leisurely.” Eliminate filler words and phrases, keeping only the most pertinent information that moves your story forward.

Proofreading for Typos

Finally, proofread your essay carefully to catch any typos, grammatical errors, or punctuation mistakes. It’s always a good idea to have someone else read it as well, as they might catch errors you didn’t notice. Mistakes can be distracting and may undermine the credibility of your writing, so be thorough with your editing process.

Part 10 Step 7. Feedback and Revision

Gathering feedback.

After you’ve written the first draft of your narrative essay, it’s time to gather feedback from friends, family, or colleagues. Share your essay with a few trusted people who can provide insights and suggestions for improvement. Listen to their thoughts and be open to constructive criticism. You might be surprised by the different perspectives they offer, which can strengthen your essay.

Iterating on the Draft

Once you have collected feedback, it’s time to revise and refine your essay. Address any issues or concerns raised by your readers and incorporate their suggestions. Consider reorganizing your story’s structure, clarifying your descriptions, or adding more details based on the feedback you received.

As you make changes, continue to fine-tune your essay to ensure a smooth flow and a strong narrative. Don’t be afraid to cut out unnecessary elements or rework parts of your story until it’s polished and compelling.

Revision is a crucial part of the writing process, and taking the time to reflect on feedback and make improvements will help you create a more engaging and impactful narrative essay.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i create an engaging introduction.

Craft an attention-grabbing hook with a thought-provoking question, an interesting fact, or a vivid description. Set the stage for your story by introducing the time, place, and context for the events. Creating tension or raising curiosity will make your readers eager to learn more.

What strategies help develop strong characters?

To develop strong characters, consider the following:

Give your characters distinct traits, strengths, and weaknesses.
Provide a backstory to explain their actions and motivations.
Use dialogue to present their personality, emotions, and relationships.
Show how they change or evolve throughout your story.

How can I make my story flow smoothly with transitions?

Smooth transitions between scenes or events can create a more coherent and easy-to-follow story. Consider the following tips to improve your transitions:

Use words and phrases like “meanwhile,” “later that day,” or “afterward” to signify changes in time.
Link scenes with a common theme or element.
Revisit the main characters or setting to maintain continuity.
Introduce a twist or an unexpected event that leads to the next scene.

What are some tips for choosing a great narrative essay topic?

To choose an engaging narrative essay topic, follow these tips:

Pick a personal experience or story that holds significance for you.
Consider a challenge or a turning point you’ve faced in your life.
Opt for a topic that will allow you to share emotions and lessons learned.
Think about what your audience would find relatable, intriguing, or inspiring.

How do I wrap up my narrative essay with a strong conclusion?

A compelling conclusion restates the main events and highlights any lessons learned or growth in your character. Try to end on a thought-provoking note or leave readers with some food for thought. Finally, make sure your conclusion wraps up your story neatly and reinforces its overall message.

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The Ultimate Narrative Essay Guide for Beginners

A narrative essay tells a story in chronological order, with an introduction that introduces the characters and sets the scene. Then a series of events leads to a climax or turning point, and finally a resolution or reflection on the experience.

Speaking of which, are you in sixes and sevens about narrative essays? Don’t worry this ultimate expert guide will wipe out all your doubts. So let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Everything You Need to Know About Narrative Essay

What is a narrative essay.

When you go through a narrative essay definition, you would know that a narrative essay purpose is to tell a story. It’s all about sharing an experience or event and is different from other types of essays because it’s more focused on how the event made you feel or what you learned from it, rather than just presenting facts or an argument. Let’s explore more details on this interesting write-up and get to know how to write a narrative essay.

Elements of a Narrative Essay

Here’s a breakdown of the key elements of a narrative essay:

A narrative essay has a beginning, middle, and end. It builds up tension and excitement and then wraps things up in a neat package.

Real people, including the writer, often feature in personal narratives. Details of the characters and their thoughts, feelings, and actions can help readers to relate to the tale.

It’s really important to know when and where something happened so we can get a good idea of the context. Going into detail about what it looks like helps the reader to really feel like they’re part of the story.

Conflict or Challenge

A story in a narrative essay usually involves some kind of conflict or challenge that moves the plot along. It could be something inside the character, like a personal battle, or something from outside, like an issue they have to face in the world.

Theme or Message

A narrative essay isn’t just about recounting an event – it’s about showing the impact it had on you and what you took away from it. It’s an opportunity to share your thoughts and feelings about the experience, and how it changed your outlook.

Emotional Impact

The author is trying to make the story they’re telling relatable, engaging, and memorable by using language and storytelling to evoke feelings in whoever’s reading it.

Narrative essays let writers have a blast telling stories about their own lives. It’s an opportunity to share insights and impart wisdom, or just have some fun with the reader. Descriptive language, sensory details, dialogue, and a great narrative voice are all essentials for making the story come alive.

The Purpose of a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is more than just a story – it’s a way to share a meaningful, engaging, and relatable experience with the reader. Includes:

Sharing Personal Experience

Narrative essays are a great way for writers to share their personal experiences, feelings, thoughts, and reflections. It’s an opportunity to connect with readers and make them feel something.

Entertainment and Engagement

The essay attempts to keep the reader interested by using descriptive language, storytelling elements, and a powerful voice. It attempts to pull them in and make them feel involved by creating suspense, mystery, or an emotional connection.

Conveying a Message or Insight

Narrative essays are more than just a story – they aim to teach you something. They usually have a moral lesson, a new understanding, or a realization about life that the author gained from the experience.

Building Empathy and Understanding

By telling their stories, people can give others insight into different perspectives, feelings, and situations. Sharing these tales can create compassion in the reader and help broaden their knowledge of different life experiences.

Inspiration and Motivation

Stories about personal struggles, successes, and transformations can be really encouraging to people who are going through similar situations. It can provide them with hope and guidance, and let them know that they’re not alone.

Reflecting on Life’s Significance

These essays usually make you think about the importance of certain moments in life or the impact of certain experiences. They make you look deep within yourself and ponder on the things you learned or how you changed because of those events.

Demonstrating Writing Skills

Coming up with a gripping narrative essay takes serious writing chops, like vivid descriptions, powerful language, timing, and organization. It’s an opportunity for writers to show off their story-telling abilities.

Preserving Personal History

Sometimes narrative essays are used to record experiences and special moments that have an emotional resonance. They can be used to preserve individual memories or for future generations to look back on.

Cultural and Societal Exploration

Personal stories can look at cultural or social aspects, giving us an insight into customs, opinions, or social interactions seen through someone’s own experience.

Format of a Narrative Essay

Narrative essays are quite flexible in terms of format, which allows the writer to tell a story in a creative and compelling way. Here’s a quick breakdown of the narrative essay format, along with some examples:

Introduction

Set the scene and introduce the story.

Engage the reader and establish the tone of the narrative.

Hook: Start with a captivating opening line to grab the reader’s attention. For instance:

Example: “The scorching sun beat down on us as we trekked through the desert, our water supply dwindling.”

Background Information: Provide necessary context or background without giving away the entire story.

Example: “It was the summer of 2015 when I embarked on a life-changing journey to…”

Thesis Statement or Narrative Purpose

Present the main idea or the central message of the essay.

Offer a glimpse of what the reader can expect from the narrative.

Thesis Statement: This isn’t as rigid as in other essays but can be a sentence summarizing the essence of the story.

Example: “Little did I know, that seemingly ordinary hike would teach me invaluable lessons about resilience and friendship.”

Body Paragraphs

Present the sequence of events in chronological order.

Develop characters, setting, conflict, and resolution.

Story Progression : Describe events in the order they occurred, focusing on details that evoke emotions and create vivid imagery.

Example : Detail the trek through the desert, the challenges faced, interactions with fellow hikers, and the pivotal moments.

Character Development : Introduce characters and their roles in the story. Show their emotions, thoughts, and actions.

Example : Describe how each character reacted to the dwindling water supply and supported each other through adversity.

Dialogue and Interactions : Use dialogue to bring the story to life and reveal character personalities.

Example : “Sarah handed me her last bottle of water, saying, ‘We’re in this together.'”

Reach the peak of the story, the moment of highest tension or significance.

Turning Point: Highlight the most crucial moment or realization in the narrative.

Example: “As the sun dipped below the horizon and hope seemed lost, a distant sound caught our attention—the rescue team’s helicopters.”

Provide closure to the story.

Reflect on the significance of the experience and its impact.

Reflection : Summarize the key lessons learned or insights gained from the experience.

Example : “That hike taught me the true meaning of resilience and the invaluable support of friendship in challenging times.”

Closing Thought : End with a memorable line that reinforces the narrative’s message or leaves a lasting impression.

Example : “As we boarded the helicopters, I knew this adventure would forever be etched in my heart.”

Example Summary:

Imagine a narrative about surviving a challenging hike through the desert, emphasizing the bonds formed and lessons learned. The narrative essay structure might look like starting with an engaging scene, narrating the hardships faced, showcasing the characters’ resilience, and culminating in a powerful realization about friendship and endurance.

Different Types of Narrative Essays

There are a bunch of different types of narrative essays – each one focuses on different elements of storytelling and has its own purpose. Here’s a breakdown of the narrative essay types and what they mean.

Personal Narrative

Description : Tells a personal story or experience from the writer’s life.

Purpose: Reflects on personal growth, lessons learned, or significant moments.

Example of Narrative Essay Types:

Topic : “The Day I Conquered My Fear of Public Speaking”

Focus: Details the experience, emotions, and eventual triumph over a fear of public speaking during a pivotal event.

Descriptive Narrative

Description : Emphasizes vivid details and sensory imagery.

Purpose : Creates a sensory experience, painting a vivid picture for the reader.

Topic : “A Walk Through the Enchanted Forest”

Focus : Paints a detailed picture of the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings experienced during a walk through a mystical forest.

Autobiographical Narrative

Description: Chronicles significant events or moments from the writer’s life.

Purpose: Provides insights into the writer’s life, experiences, and growth.

Topic: “Lessons from My Childhood: How My Grandmother Shaped Who I Am”

Focus: Explores pivotal moments and lessons learned from interactions with a significant family member.

Experiential Narrative

Description: Relays experiences beyond the writer’s personal life.

Purpose: Shares experiences, travels, or events from a broader perspective.

Topic: “Volunteering in a Remote Village: A Journey of Empathy”

Focus: Chronicles the writer’s volunteering experience, highlighting interactions with a community and personal growth.

Literary Narrative

Description: Incorporates literary elements like symbolism, allegory, or thematic explorations.

Purpose: Uses storytelling for deeper explorations of themes or concepts.

Topic: “The Symbolism of the Red Door: A Journey Through Change”

Focus: Uses a red door as a symbol, exploring its significance in the narrator’s life and the theme of transition.

Historical Narrative

Description: Recounts historical events or periods through a personal lens.

Purpose: Presents history through personal experiences or perspectives.

Topic: “A Grandfather’s Tales: Living Through the Great Depression”

Focus: Shares personal stories from a family member who lived through a historical era, offering insights into that period.

Digital or Multimedia Narrative

Description: Incorporates multimedia elements like images, videos, or audio to tell a story.

Purpose: Explores storytelling through various digital platforms or formats.

Topic: “A Travel Diary: Exploring Europe Through Vlogs”

Focus: Combines video clips, photos, and personal narration to document a travel experience.

How to Choose a Topic for Your Narrative Essay?

Selecting a compelling topic for your narrative essay is crucial as it sets the stage for your storytelling. Choosing a boring topic is one of the narrative essay mistakes to avoid . Here’s a detailed guide on how to choose the right topic:

Reflect on Personal Experiences

Significant Moments:

Moments that had a profound impact on your life or shaped your perspective.

Example: A moment of triumph, overcoming a fear, a life-changing decision, or an unforgettable experience.

Emotional Resonance:

Events that evoke strong emotions or feelings.

Example: Joy, fear, sadness, excitement, or moments of realization.

Lessons Learned:

Experiences that taught you valuable lessons or brought about personal growth.

Example: Challenges that led to personal development, shifts in mindset, or newfound insights.

Explore Unique Perspectives

Uncommon Experiences:

Unique or unconventional experiences that might captivate the reader’s interest.

Example: Unusual travels, interactions with different cultures, or uncommon hobbies.

Different Points of View:

Stories from others’ perspectives that impacted you deeply.

Example: A family member’s story, a friend’s experience, or a historical event from a personal lens.

Focus on Specific Themes or Concepts

Themes or Concepts of Interest:

Themes or ideas you want to explore through storytelling.

Example: Friendship, resilience, identity, cultural diversity, or personal transformation.

Symbolism or Metaphor:

Using symbols or metaphors as the core of your narrative.

Example: Exploring the symbolism of an object or a place in relation to a broader theme.

Consider Your Audience and Purpose

Relevance to Your Audience:

Topics that resonate with your audience’s interests or experiences.

Example: Choose a relatable theme or experience that your readers might connect with emotionally.

Impact or Message:

What message or insight do you want to convey through your story?

Example: Choose a topic that aligns with the message or lesson you aim to impart to your readers.

Brainstorm and Evaluate Ideas

Free Writing or Mind Mapping:

Process: Write down all potential ideas without filtering. Mind maps or free-writing exercises can help generate diverse ideas.

Evaluate Feasibility:

The depth of the story, the availability of vivid details, and your personal connection to the topic.

Imagine you’re considering topics for a narrative essay. You reflect on your experiences and decide to explore the topic of “Overcoming Stage Fright: How a School Play Changed My Perspective.” This topic resonates because it involves a significant challenge you faced and the personal growth it brought about.

Narrative Essay Topics

50 easy narrative essay topics.

Learning to Ride a Bike
My First Day of School
A Surprise Birthday Party
The Day I Got Lost
Visiting a Haunted House
An Encounter with a Wild Animal
My Favorite Childhood Toy
The Best Vacation I Ever Had
An Unforgettable Family Gathering
Conquering a Fear of Heights
A Special Gift I Received
Moving to a New City
The Most Memorable Meal
Getting Caught in a Rainstorm
An Act of Kindness I Witnessed
The First Time I Cooked a Meal
My Experience with a New Hobby
The Day I Met My Best Friend
A Hike in the Mountains
Learning a New Language
An Embarrassing Moment
Dealing with a Bully
My First Job Interview
A Sporting Event I Attended
The Scariest Dream I Had
Helping a Stranger
The Joy of Achieving a Goal
A Road Trip Adventure
Overcoming a Personal Challenge
The Significance of a Family Tradition
An Unusual Pet I Owned
A Misunderstanding with a Friend
Exploring an Abandoned Building
My Favorite Book and Why
The Impact of a Role Model
A Cultural Celebration I Participated In
A Valuable Lesson from a Teacher
A Trip to the Zoo
An Unplanned Adventure
Volunteering Experience
A Moment of Forgiveness
A Decision I Regretted
A Special Talent I Have
The Importance of Family Traditions
The Thrill of Performing on Stage
A Moment of Sudden Inspiration
The Meaning of Home
Learning to Play a Musical Instrument
A Childhood Memory at the Park
Witnessing a Beautiful Sunset

Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

Discovering a New Passion
Overcoming Academic Challenges
Navigating Cultural Differences
Embracing Independence: Moving Away from Home
Exploring Career Aspirations
Coping with Stress in College
The Impact of a Mentor in My Life
Balancing Work and Studies
Facing a Fear of Public Speaking
Exploring a Semester Abroad
The Evolution of My Study Habits
Volunteering Experience That Changed My Perspective
The Role of Technology in Education
Finding Balance: Social Life vs. Academics
Learning a New Skill Outside the Classroom
Reflecting on Freshman Year Challenges
The Joys and Struggles of Group Projects
My Experience with Internship or Work Placement
Challenges of Time Management in College
Redefining Success Beyond Grades
The Influence of Literature on My Thinking
The Impact of Social Media on College Life
Overcoming Procrastination
Lessons from a Leadership Role
Exploring Diversity on Campus
Exploring Passion for Environmental Conservation
An Eye-Opening Course That Changed My Perspective
Living with Roommates: Challenges and Lessons
The Significance of Extracurricular Activities
The Influence of a Professor on My Academic Journey
Discussing Mental Health in College
The Evolution of My Career Goals
Confronting Personal Biases Through Education
The Experience of Attending a Conference or Symposium
Challenges Faced by Non-Native English Speakers in College
The Impact of Traveling During Breaks
Exploring Identity: Cultural or Personal
The Impact of Music or Art on My Life
Addressing Diversity in the Classroom
Exploring Entrepreneurial Ambitions
My Experience with Research Projects
Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in College
The Importance of Networking in College
Finding Resilience During Tough Times
The Impact of Global Issues on Local Perspectives
The Influence of Family Expectations on Education
Lessons from a Part-Time Job
Exploring the College Sports Culture
The Role of Technology in Modern Education
The Journey of Self-Discovery Through Education

Narrative Essay Comparison

Narrative essay vs. descriptive essay.

Here’s our first narrative essay comparison! While both narrative and descriptive essays focus on vividly portraying a subject or an event, they differ in their primary objectives and approaches. Now, let’s delve into the nuances of comparison on narrative essays.

Narrative Essay:

Storytelling: Focuses on narrating a personal experience or event.

Chronological Order: Follows a structured timeline of events to tell a story.

Message or Lesson: Often includes a central message, moral, or lesson learned from the experience.

Engagement: Aims to captivate the reader through a compelling storyline and character development.

First-Person Perspective: Typically narrated from the writer’s point of view, using “I” and expressing personal emotions and thoughts.

Plot Development: Emphasizes a plot with a beginning, middle, climax, and resolution.

Character Development: Focuses on describing characters, their interactions, emotions, and growth.

Conflict or Challenge: Usually involves a central conflict or challenge that drives the narrative forward.

Dialogue: Incorporates conversations to bring characters and their interactions to life.

Reflection: Concludes with reflection or insight gained from the experience.

Descriptive Essay:

Vivid Description: Aims to vividly depict a person, place, object, or event.

Imagery and Details: Focuses on sensory details to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind.

Emotion through Description: Uses descriptive language to evoke emotions and engage the reader’s senses.

Painting a Picture: Creates a sensory-rich description allowing the reader to visualize the subject.

Imagery and Sensory Details: Focuses on providing rich sensory descriptions, using vivid language and adjectives.

Point of Focus: Concentrates on describing a specific subject or scene in detail.

Spatial Organization: Often employs spatial organization to describe from one area or aspect to another.

Objective Observations: Typically avoids the use of personal opinions or emotions; instead, the focus remains on providing a detailed and objective description.

Comparison:

Focus: Narrative essays emphasize storytelling, while descriptive essays focus on vividly describing a subject or scene.

Perspective: Narrative essays are often written from a first-person perspective, while descriptive essays may use a more objective viewpoint.

Purpose: Narrative essays aim to convey a message or lesson through a story, while descriptive essays aim to paint a detailed picture for the reader without necessarily conveying a specific message.

Narrative Essay vs. Argumentative Essay

The narrative essay and the argumentative essay serve distinct purposes and employ different approaches:

Engagement and Emotion: Aims to captivate the reader through a compelling story.

Reflective: Often includes reflection on the significance of the experience or lessons learned.

First-Person Perspective: Typically narrated from the writer’s point of view, sharing personal emotions and thoughts.

Plot Development: Emphasizes a storyline with a beginning, middle, climax, and resolution.

Message or Lesson: Conveys a central message, moral, or insight derived from the experience.

Argumentative Essay:

Persuasion and Argumentation: Aims to persuade the reader to adopt the writer’s viewpoint on a specific topic.

Logical Reasoning: Presents evidence, facts, and reasoning to support a particular argument or stance.

Debate and Counterarguments: Acknowledge opposing views and counter them with evidence and reasoning.

Thesis Statement: Includes a clear thesis statement that outlines the writer’s position on the topic.

Thesis and Evidence: Starts with a strong thesis statement and supports it with factual evidence, statistics, expert opinions, or logical reasoning.

Counterarguments: Addresses opposing viewpoints and provides rebuttals with evidence.

Logical Structure: Follows a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs presenting arguments and evidence, and a conclusion reaffirming the thesis.

Formal Language: Uses formal language and avoids personal anecdotes or emotional appeals.

Objective: Argumentative essays focus on presenting a logical argument supported by evidence, while narrative essays prioritize storytelling and personal reflection.

Purpose: Argumentative essays aim to persuade and convince the reader of a particular viewpoint, while narrative essays aim to engage, entertain, and share personal experiences.

Structure: Narrative essays follow a storytelling structure with character development and plot, while argumentative essays follow a more formal, structured approach with logical arguments and evidence.

In essence, while both essays involve writing and presenting information, the narrative essay focuses on sharing a personal experience, whereas the argumentative essay aims to persuade the audience by presenting a well-supported argument.

Narrative Essay vs. Personal Essay

While there can be an overlap between narrative and personal essays, they have distinctive characteristics:

Storytelling: Emphasizes recounting a specific experience or event in a structured narrative form.

Engagement through Story: Aims to engage the reader through a compelling story with characters, plot, and a central theme or message.

Reflective: Often includes reflection on the significance of the experience and the lessons learned.

First-Person Perspective: Typically narrated from the writer’s viewpoint, expressing personal emotions and thoughts.

Plot Development: Focuses on developing a storyline with a clear beginning, middle, climax, and resolution.

Character Development: Includes descriptions of characters, their interactions, emotions, and growth.

Central Message: Conveys a central message, moral, or insight derived from the experience.

Personal Essay:

Exploration of Ideas or Themes: Explores personal ideas, opinions, or reflections on a particular topic or subject.

Expression of Thoughts and Opinions: Expresses the writer’s thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on a specific subject matter.

Reflection and Introspection: Often involves self-reflection and introspection on personal experiences, beliefs, or values.

Varied Structure and Content: Can encompass various forms, including memoirs, personal anecdotes, or reflections on life experiences.

Flexibility in Structure: Allows for diverse structures and forms based on the writer’s intent, which could be narrative-like or more reflective.

Theme-Centric Writing: Focuses on exploring a central theme or idea, with personal anecdotes or experiences supporting and illustrating the theme.

Expressive Language: Utilizes descriptive and expressive language to convey personal perspectives, emotions, and opinions.

Focus: Narrative essays primarily focus on storytelling through a structured narrative, while personal essays encompass a broader range of personal expression, which can include storytelling but isn’t limited to it.

Structure: Narrative essays have a more structured plot development with characters and a clear sequence of events, while personal essays might adopt various structures, focusing more on personal reflection, ideas, or themes.

Intent: While both involve personal experiences, narrative essays emphasize telling a story with a message or lesson learned, while personal essays aim to explore personal thoughts, feelings, or opinions on a broader range of topics or themes.

5 Easy Steps for Writing a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is more than just telling a story. It’s also meant to engage the reader, get them thinking, and leave a lasting impact. Whether it’s to amuse, motivate, teach, or reflect, these essays are a great way to communicate with your audience. This interesting narrative essay guide was all about letting you understand the narrative essay, its importance, and how can you write one.

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What is a Narrative Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)

Narrative essays are a type of storytelling in which writers weave a personal experience into words to create a fascinating and engaging narrative for readers. A narrative essay explains a story from the author’s point of view to share a lesson or memory with the reader. Narrative essays, like descriptive essays , employ figurative language to depict the subject in a vivid and creative manner to leave a lasting impact on the readers’ minds. In this article, we explore the definition of narrative essays, list the key elements to be included, and provide tips on how to craft a narrative that captivates your audience.

What is a narrative essay, choosing narrative essay topics, key elements in a narrative essay, creating a narrative essay outline, types of narrative essays, the pre-writing stage, the writing stage, the editing stage, narrative essay example, frequently asked questions.

Narrative essays are often based on one’s personal experience which allows the author to express himself/herself in compelling ways for the reader. They employ storytelling elements to convey the plot and captivate the reader while disclosing the story’s theme or purpose. The author must always have a purpose or theme in mind when writing a narrative essay. These essays may be assigned to high school students to assess their ability to create captivating stories based on personal experiences, or they may be required as part of a college application to assess the applicant’s personal traits. Narrative essays might be based on true events with minor tweaks for dramatic purposes, or they can be adapted from a fictional scenario. Whatever the case maybe, the goal is to tell a story, a good story!

In narrative essays, the emphasis is not so much on the narrative itself as it is on how you explain it. Narrative essay topics cover a range of experiences, from noteworthy to mundane, but when storytelling elements are used well, even a simple account can have weight. Notably, the skills required for narrative writing differ significantly from those needed for formal academic essays, and we will delve deeper into this in the next section.

You can talk about any narrative, but consider whether it is fascinating enough, has enough twists and turns, or teaches a lesson (It’s a plus if the story contains an unexpected twist at the end). The potential topics for a narrative essay are limitless—a triumphant story, a brief moment of introspection, or a voyage of self-discovery. These essays provide writers with the opportunity to share a fragment of their lives with the audience, enriching both the writer’s and the reader’s experiences. Narrative essay examples could be a write-up on “What has been your biggest achievement in life so far and what did it teach you?” or “Describe your toughest experience and how you dealt with it?”.

While narrative essays allow you to be creative with your ideas, language, and format, they must include some key components to convey the story clearly, create engaging content and build reader interest. Follow these guidelines when drafting your essay:

Tell your story using the first person to engage users.
Use sufficient sensory information and figurative language.
Follow an organized framework so the story flows chronologically.
Include interesting plot components that add to the narrative.
Ensure clear language without grammar, spelling, or word choice errors.

Narrative essay outlines serve as the foundational structure for essay composition, acting as a framework to organize thoughts and ideas prior to the writing process. These outlines provide writers with a means to summarize the story, and help in formulating the introduction and conclusion sections and defining the narrative’s trajectory.

Unlike conventional essays that strictly adhere to the five-paragraph structure, narrative essays allow for more flexibility as the organization is dictated by the flow of the story. The outline typically encompasses general details about the events, granting writers the option to prioritize writing the body sections first while deferring the introduction until later stages of the writing process. This approach allows for a more organic and fluid writing process. If you’re wondering how to start writing a narrative essay outline, here is a sample designed to ensure a compelling and coherent narrative:

Introduction

Hook/Opening line: The introduction should have an opening/hook sentence that is a captivating quote, question, or anecdote that grabs the reader’s attention.
Background: Briefly introduce the setting, time, tone, and main characters.
Thesis statement: State clearly the main theme or lesson acquired from the experience.
Event 1 (according to occurrence): Describe the first major event in detail. Introduce the primary characters and set the story context; include sensory elements to enrich the narrative and give the characters depth and enthusiasm.
Event 2: Ensure a smooth transition from one event to the next. Continue with the second event in the narrative. For more oomph, use suspense or excitement, or leave the plot with cliffhanger endings. Concentrate on developing your characters and their relationships, using dialog to bring the story to life.
Event 3: If there was a twist and suspense, this episode should introduce the climax or resolve the story. Keep the narrative flowing by connecting events logically and conveying the feelings and reactions of the characters.
Summarize the plot: Provide a concise recap of the main events within the narrative essay. Highlight the key moments that contribute to the development of the storyline. Offer personal reflections on the significance of the experiences shared, emphasizing the lasting impact they had on the narrator. End the story with a clincher; a powerful and thought-provoking sentence that encapsulates the essence of the narrative. As a bonus, aim to leave the reader with a memorable statement or quote that enhances the overall impact of the narrative. This should linger in the reader’s mind, providing a satisfying and resonant conclusion to the essay.

There are several types of narrative essays, each with their own unique traits. Some narrative essay examples are presented in the table below.

How to write a narrative essay: Step-by-step guide

A narrative essay might be inspired by personal experiences, stories, or even imaginary scenarios that resonate with readers, immersing them in the imaginative world you have created with your words. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide on how to write a narrative essay.

Select the topic of your narrative

If no prompt is provided, the first step is to choose a topic to write about. Think about personal experiences that could be given an interesting twist. Readers are more likely to like a tale if it contains aspects of humor, surprising twists, and an out-of-the-box climax. Try to plan out such subjects and consider whether you have enough information on the topic and whether it meets the criteria of being funny/inspiring, with nice characters/plot lines, and an exciting climax. Also consider the tone as well as any stylistic features (such as metaphors or foreshadowing) to be used. While these stylistic choices can be changed later, sketching these ideas early on helps you give your essay a direction to start.

Create a framework for your essay

Once you have decided on your topic, create an outline for your narrative essay. An outline is a framework that guides your ideas while you write your narrative essay to keep you on track. It can help with smooth transitions between sections when you are stuck and don’t know how to continue the story. It provides you with an anchor to attach and return to, reminding you of why you started in the first place and why the story matters.

Compile your first draft

A perfect story and outline do not work until you start writing the draft and breathe life into it with your words. Use your newly constructed outline to sketch out distinct sections of your narrative essay while applying numerous linguistic methods at your disposal. Unlike academic essays, narrative essays allow artistic freedom and leeway for originality so don’t stop yourself from expressing your thoughts. However, take care not to overuse linguistic devices, it’s best to maintain a healthy balance to ensure readability and flow.

Use a first-person point of view

One of the most appealing aspects of narrative essays is that traditional academic writing rules do not apply, and the narration is usually done in the first person. You can use first person pronouns such as I and me while narrating different scenarios. Be wary of overly using these as they can suggest lack of proper diction.

Use storytelling or creative language

You can employ storytelling tactics and linguistic tools used in fiction or creative writing, such as metaphors, similes, and foreshadowing, to communicate various themes. The use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense is encouraged in narrative essays.

Follow a format to stay organized

There’s no fixed format for narrative essays, but following a loose format when writing helps in organizing one’s thoughts. For example, in the introduction part, underline the importance of creating a narrative essay, and then reaffirm it in the concluding paragraph. Organize your story chronologically so that the reader can follow along and make sense of the story.

Reread, revise, and edit

Proofreading and editing are critical components of creating a narrative essay, but it can be easy to become weighed down by the details at this stage. Taking a break from your manuscript before diving into the editing process is a wise practice. Stepping away for a day or two, or even just a few hours, provides valuable time to enhance the plot and address any grammatical issues that may need correction. This period of distance allows for a fresh perspective, enabling you to approach the editing phase with renewed clarity and a more discerning eye.

One suggestion is to reconsider the goals you set out to cover when you started the topic. Ask yourself these questions:

Is there a distinct beginning and end to your story?
Does your essay have a topic, a memory, or a lesson to teach?
Does the tone of the essay match the intended mood?

Now, while keeping these things in mind, modify and proofread your essay. You can use online grammar checkers and paraphrase tools such as Paperpal to smooth out any rough spots before submitting it for publication or submission.

It is recommended to edit your essay in the order it was written; here are some useful tips:

Revise the introduction

After crafting your narrative essay, review the introduction to ensure it harmonizes with the developed narrative. Confirm that it adeptly introduces the story and aligns seamlessly with the conclusion.

Revise the conclusion and polish the essay

The conclusion should be the final element edited to ensure coherence and harmony in the entire narrative. It must reinforce the central theme or lesson outlined initially.

Revise and refine the entire article

The last step involves refining the article for consistent tone, style, and tense as well as correct language, grammar, punctuation, and clarity. Seeking feedback from a mentor or colleague can offer an invaluable external perspective at this stage.

Narrative essays are true accounts of the writer’s personal experiences, conveyed in figurative language for sensory appeal. Some narrative essay topic examples include writing about an unforgettable experience, reflecting on mistakes, or achieving a goal. An example of a personal narrative essay is as follows:

Title: A Feline Odyssey: An Experience of Fostering Stray Kittens

Introduction:

It was a fine summer evening in the year 2022 when a soft meowing disrupted the tranquility of my terrace. Little did I know that this innocent symphony would lead to a heartwarming journey of compassion and companionship. Soon, there was a mama cat at my doorstep with four little kittens tucked behind her. They were the most unexpected visitors I had ever had.

The kittens, just fluffs of fur with barely open eyes, were a monument to life’s fragility. Their mother, a street-smart feline, had entrusted me with the care of her precious offspring. The responsibility was sudden and unexpected, yet there was an undeniable sense of purpose in the air , filling me with delight and enthusiasm.

As the days unfolded, my terrace transformed into a haven for the feline family. Cardboard boxes became makeshift cat shelters and my once solitary retreat was filled with purrs and soothing meows. The mother cat, Lily, who initially observ ed me from a safe distance, gradually began to trust my presence as I offered food and gentle strokes.

Fostering the kittens was a life-changing , enriching experience that taught me the true joy of giving as I cared for the felines. My problems slowly faded into the background as evenings were spent playing with the kittens. Sleepless nights turned into a symphony of contented purring, a lullaby filled with the warmth of trust and security . Although the kittens were identical, they grew up to have very distinct personalities, with Kuttu being the most curious and Bobo being the most coy . Every dawn ushered in a soothing ritual of nourishing these feline companions, while nights welcomed their playful antics — a daily nocturnal delight.

Conclusion:

As the kittens grew, so did the realization that our paths were destined to part. Finally, the day arrived when the feline family, now confident and self-reliant, bid farewell to my terrace. It was a bittersweet moment, filled with a sense of love and accomplishment and a tinge of sadness.

Fostering Kuttu, Coco, Lulu, and Bobo became one of the most transformative experiences of my life. Their arrival had brought unexpected joy, teaching me about compassion and our species’ ability to make a difference in the world through love and understanding. The terrace, once a quiet retreat, now bore the echoes of a feline symphony that had touched my heart in ways I could have never imagined.

The length of a narrative essay may vary, but it is typically a brief to moderate length piece. Generally, the essay contains an introductory paragraph, two to three body paragraphs (this number can vary), and a conclusion. The entire narrative essay could be as short as five paragraphs or much longer, depending on the assignment’s requirements or the writer’s preference.

You can write a narrative essay when you have a personal experience to share, or a story, or a series of events that you can tell in a creative and engaging way. Narrative essays are often assigned in academic settings as a form of writing that allows students to express themselves and showcase their storytelling skills. However, you can also write a narrative essay for personal reflection, entertainment, or to communicate a message.

A narrative essay usually follows a three-part structure: – Introduction (To set the stage for the story) – Body paragraphs (To describe sequence of events with details, descriptions, and dialogue) – Conclusion (To summarize the story and reflect on the significance)

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What is a Descriptive Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)

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How to write a narrative essay step-by-step, tips and examples, carla johnson.

June 14, 2023
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Learn How to write a Narrative Essay Step-by-Step, Tips and Examples

Narrative essays are a type of academic writing in which the writer tells a story from their own experience or point of view. Other types of essays require a lot of research and analysis, but narrative essays are more about telling a story to get a point across. Students and writers like them because they let them express their ideas in a more creative and personal way.

The goal of this article is to help you learn how to write a narrative essay by giving you tips, examples, and ideas for topics . We’ll look at the most important parts of a narrative essay, talk about the different ways to write one, and give you some useful writing tips that will help you create a compelling story. Whether you’re a student who wants to get better grades or a writer who wants to get better at what you do, this article will give you the tools you need to write great narratives.

Learning how to write a narrative essay is important because it helps you improve your writing skills and find a more interesting and meaningful way to say what you want to say. You can connect with your readers on a personal level in a narrative essay by taking them on a journey through your experiences and feelings. By learning how to write a compelling story, you can not only do better in school, but you can also make it easier for people to understand what you are trying to say. So, let’s jump into the world of narrative essays and find out how to tell a good story.

Understanding Narrative Essays

A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story from the author’s point of view. It often uses the author’s own experiences and feelings to make a story that is interesting to read. Narrative essays are different from argumentative or analytical essays because they focus more on the art of telling a story than on making a convincing argument or analysis.

There are different kinds of narrative essays, such as personal narratives, fictional narratives, and autobiographical narratives. Most essays are personal narratives, which are often used in creative writing classes or as part of essays for college admissions. Fictional narratives, on the other hand, use fictional characters and settings to tell a story , while autobiographical narratives focus on the author’s own experiences and are often found in memoirs or personal essays.

The most important parts of a narrative essay are a clear introduction that sets the scene for the story, a well-developed plot with a beginning, middle, and end, vivid descriptions that help the reader picture the setting and characters, and a conclusion that ties everything together and leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

Choosing a Topic for Your Narrative Essay

The success of your narrative essay depends on your choice of topic. The first step is to know why you are writing your essay and what you want your readers to learn from it. Are you trying to make them laugh, teach them something, or move them? Once you know what you want to do with your essay, you can start coming up with ideas for it.

One way to choose a topic is to pick something that is meaningful to you. Think about things you’ve done in your life that have changed you in a big way or taught you something important. These experiences can be good or bad, but they should have some meaning for you.

You can also use brainstorming to come up with ideas for your narrative essay. Freewriting is a common method in which you write down everything that comes to mind about a certain subject. This can help you come up with ideas and get your mind working . You can also organize your ideas and find links between them with mind mapping or clustering.

Examples of narrative essay topics include:

1. A significant event in your life that changed your perspective

2. A memorable trip or vacation

3. A childhood memory that had a lasting impact on you

4. Overcoming a personal challenge or adversity

5. A significant achievement or accomplishment

6. An experience that taught you an important life lesson

7. A meaningful relationship or friendship

8. A time when you had to make a difficult decision

9. An experience that challenged your beliefs or values

10. A humorous or embarrassing moment from your life.

By choosing a topic that is meaningful to you and using brainstorming techniques to generate ideas , you can create a compelling narrative essay that engages your readers and helps you achieve your writing goals.

Planning and Preparing to Write a Narrative Essay

You should plan and get ready before you start writing your narrative essay. This means making an outline of the essay , coming up with a thesis statement, developing the plot and characters, setting the scene, and choosing the right point of view.

An important part of planning for a narrative essay is making an outline. The outline should have the beginning, middle, and end of the story, as well as any important points or events you want to include. This will help you stay on track and make sure that the structure of your essay is clear and makes sense. It’s also important to write a thesis statement . This sentence should tell the reader what the story is about and what the main point of the essay is. It should be easy to understand, short, and interesting.

Creating the story and the people in it is another important step. Your narrative essay should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, as well as a central problem or conflict that the main character must solve. The characters should be well-rounded and easy to understand, with clear goals and reasons for what they do.

Creating atmosphere and setting the scene are also important parts of a good narrative essay. Setting should be described in detail, using sensory details to paint a clear picture in the reader’s mind . Care should be taken to make the setting fit the story’s mood and tone.

It’s also important to choose the right point of view. Most narrative essays are written in the first person because it lets the writer use personal experiences and feelings to make the story more real and interesting. But there are also narrative essays that are written from a third-person point of view, which can give a more objective and detached view.

Narrative Essay Outline

I. Introduction Hook: Start with an intriguing question, a thought-provoking quote, or a vivid description to capture the reader’s interest. Background information: Provide relevant background details about the time, place, and circumstances surrounding the story you’re about to tell. Thesis statement: Clearly state the main idea, purpose, or lesson you want to convey through your narrative essay.

II. Body Paragraph A. Paragraph 1 1. Topic sentence: Introduce the beginning of your story by setting the scene and introducing the main characters. 2. Details and descriptions: Describe the setting in vivid detail, using sensory language to help the reader visualize the environment. Introduce the characters and their personalities, providing physical descriptions and relevant background information. 3. Use descriptive language and figurative devices (e.g., similes, metaphors) to paint a clear picture in the reader’s mind.

B. Paragraph 2 1. Topic sentence: Smoothly transition to the next sequence of events in your story. 2. Details and descriptions: Narrate the unfolding events, providing specific details about the actions, thoughts, and emotions of the characters involved. 3. Use dialogue and action to create a sense of movement and progress in the story.

C. Paragraph 3 (and more, if needed) 1. Topic sentence: Introduce the climax or the most crucial part of your story. 2. Details and descriptions: Provide vivid descriptions and sensory details to heighten the tension and build towards the climax. 3. Use techniques like foreshadowing, suspense, and dramatic irony to keep the reader engaged and invested in the story.

III. Conclusion A. Restate the thesis statement: Remind the reader of the main idea, purpose, or lesson you aimed to convey through your narrative essay. B. Summarize the key points: Briefly recap the most significant events or details from your story, highlighting their importance or impact. C. Closing thoughts: Share any final reflections, insights, or lessons learned from the experience you narrated. You can also discuss the broader implications or significance of your story.

Remember, this outline is a flexible guide, and you can adjust it to suit your specific narrative essay. The key is to engage the reader with a well-structured, descriptive, and meaningful story that leaves a lasting impression.

Writing the Narrative Essay

After you’ve thought about and planned your narrative essay, it’s time to start writing. A narrative essay has three main parts: the introduction, the body, and the end.

In the beginning, you hook the reader’s attention and set the scene for the story. You can do this by starting with a quote, a question, or a vivid description of the setting. The thesis statement should also be in the introduction. It tells the reader what the main point of the essay is and what to expect from the rest of the story.

In the main part of the essay , you tell the story. This means describing what happens, who is involved, and what the problem or conflict is that the main character has to solve. The main part of the story should be well-organized, with each paragraph focusing on a different event or part of the story. It should also include details that the reader can feel and dialogue that brings the story to life.

In the ending, you wrap up the story and leave the reader with something they’ll remember. This can be done by thinking about what the main character learned or how the event changed him or her. The ending should also be well-written and give the reader a feeling of completion .

To sum up, to master the art of writing narrative essays, you need to know the different types of narrative essays, how to choose a topic that interests you, and how to plan and get ready to write. It also involves developing the plot and characters, setting the scene, and making the right atmosphere to draw readers into the story. It’s important to start a narrative essay with a strong introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and has a clear thesis statement. The body should be well-organized and include sensory details and dialogue to bring the story to life.

Last, the ending should wrap up the story and leave a lasting impression on the reader. By using these tips and tricks, you can learn how to write great narrative essays and tell great stories.

How to Edit, Proofread and Revise Your Narrative Essay to improve storytelling

Editing and revising are important steps in the writing process that can help you improve the quality and effectiveness of your narrative essay. Here are some tips for editing and revising your work:

– Take a break: Step away from your essay for a few hours or even a day or two to gain a fresh perspective.

– Check for coherence and clarity: Make sure that your ideas are presented in a logical and organized manner, and that your writing is clear and easy to understand.

– Eliminate unnecessary words: Look for any words or phrases that don’t add value to your writing and eliminate them.

– Check for spelling and grammar errors: Use a spell-checker and proofread your work carefully to ensure that there are no errors.

– Read your essay aloud: This can help you catch any awkward phrasing or sentences that need to be revised.

Common mistakes to avoid when editing and revising your narrative essay include:

– Overusing adjectives and adverbs: While descriptive language can help bring your story to life, too much of it can be distracting and take away from the overall impact of your writing.

– Failing to show, not tell: Instead of simply telling readers what happened, show them by using sensory details and vivid descriptions.

– Neglecting to revise the ending: The ending of your narrative essay is just as important as the beginning, so make sure that it wraps up the story effectively and leaves a lasting impression on the reader

Getting feedback from others is also an important part of the editing and revising process . Ask a trusted friend or family member to read your essay and provide feedback. You can also seek feedback from a writing tutor or instructor, or join a writing group to receive constructive criticism and support.

Narrative Essay Examples

To help you better understand the art of narrative essays, here are ten fascinating examples of narrative essays:

1. The Last Day of Her Life” by Robin Marantz Henig

2. “The Fourth State of Matter” by Jo Ann Beard

3. The Death of My Father” by Steve Martin

4. “The Fourth of July” by Audre Lorde

5. “The Chase” by Annie Dillard

6. “The Fourth State of Matter” by Jo Ann Beard

7. “The Best Day of My Life” by Tameka Cage Conley

8. The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

9. “The Fourth State of Matter” by Jo Ann Beard

10. “The Night” by Maxine Hong Kingston

Each of these narrative essays is effective in its own unique way, using vivid descriptions, sensory details, and compelling characters to create a powerful story. By analyzing these examples and understanding what makes them effective, you can gain a better understanding of how to write a successful narrative essay.

Narrative Essay Topics

If you’re struggling to come up with a topic for your narrative essay, here are 50 ideas that can help get you started:

1. The first day of college

2. A life-changing event

3. A memorable vacation

4. An experience that taught you a valuable lesson

5. A moment of personal growth or self-discovery

6. Overcoming a fear or phobia

7. A significant accomplishment

8. A time when you faced a difficult decision

9. A childhood memory

10. A relationship that had a significant impact on your life

11. A day you will never forget

12. A moment of true happiness

13. A time when you felt lost or alone

14. A time you had to stand up for yourself or someone else

15. A time when you had to overcome a setback or failure

16. A moment of courage or bravery

17. An experience that changed your perspective on life

18. A time when you had to make a sacrifice

19. A moment of true friendship

20. A time when you felt truly inspired

21. A significant romantic relationship

22. A moment of cultural exchange or immersion

23. An experience that taught you the value of hard work

24. A time when you had to adapt to a new situation

25. A moment of unexpected kindness

26. A time when you had to confront your fears

27. A moment of triumph over adversity

28. A time when you had to make a difficult ethical decision

29. A moment of realization or epiphany

30. A significant family event

31. A time when you had to learn to forgive

32. A moment of unexpected humor

33. A moment of deep sadness or loss

34. A time when you had to confront a personal challenge

35. A moment of true love

36. A time when you had to take a risk

37. An experience that taught you the importance of perseverance

38. A moment of clarity or understanding

39. A time when you had to learn to trust yourself

40. A moment of spiritual or religious significance

41. A time when you had to reconcile with someone

42. A moment of true beauty

43. A time when you had to confront a personal flaw or weakness

44. A moment of inspiration from nature

45. A time when you had to confront a social issue

46. A moment of unexpected grace

47. A time when you had to overcome a physical challenge

48. A moment of true bravery

49. A significant achievement in your life

50. A moment that changed your life forever .

Tips for College Narrative Writing

Writing a narrative essay can be a daunting task for college students, but with the right tips and techniques, you can craft an engaging and memorable piece. A narrative essay is an essay that tells a story, often from a personal experience. It’s a type of essay that allows you to express yourself creatively while still adhering to academic writing standards.

Narrative Essay Definition

Before we dive into the tips, let’s first understand what’s a narrative essay.

A narrative essay is an essay that tells a story from beginning to end. It’s usually written in the first-person point of view and follows a chronological order. The purpose of a narrative essay is to engage the reader and provide a vivid, descriptive account of an experience or event.
A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story. It’s a personal essay that allows you to share your experiences, thoughts, and emotions with the reader. Narrative essays are often used in college admissions or as part of a personal statement.

Tips for Writing a Narrative Essay

Now that you understand what a narrative essay is, let’s dive into some tips to help you craft a compelling and engaging piece.

1. Choose a Captivating Topic

The first step in writing a narrative essay is to choose a topic that is engaging and meaningful to you. Pick an experience or event that left a lasting impression or taught you an important lesson. A captivating topic will not only make the writing process more enjoyable, but it will also help engage your readers.

2. Show, Don’t Tell

One of the most important tips for narrative writing is to show, rather than tell, your story. Instead of simply stating what happened, use vivid descriptions, sensory details, and dialogue to bring your story to life. This will help your readers feel like they are experiencing the events themselves.

3. Use a Clear Structure

Like any other essay, a narrative essay should have a clear structure, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and set the scene for your story. The body paragraphs should follow a chronological order and provide the details of your experience. The conclusion should bring your story to a satisfying end and tie everything together.

4. Incorporate Literary Devices

To make your narrative essay more engaging and impactful, consider incorporating literary devices such as metaphors, similes, and imagery. These devices can help you convey emotions, create vivid mental pictures, and add depth to your writing.

5. Proofread and Edit

Once you’ve finished writing your narrative essay, it’s important to proofread and edit your work. Check for spelling and grammar errors, as well as clarity and coherence. You may also want to have someone else read your essay and provide feedback.

Writing a narrative essay can be a rewarding and creative experience for college students. By following these tips and using the techniques mentioned, you can craft a compelling and engaging story that not only showcases your writing skills but also provides a glimpse into your personal experiences and growth.

Example of a Narrative Essay

FAQs about Narrative Essays

Here are some frequently asked questions about narrative essays:

1. What is a narrative essay?

A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story from the author’s perspective, often drawing on personal experiences and emotions to create a compelling narrative.

2. What are the elements of a narrative essay?

The elements of a narrative essay include a clear introduction that sets the stage for the story, a well-developed plot with a beginning, middle, and end, vivid descriptions that help the reader visualize the setting and characters, and a conclusion that ties everything together and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

3. How do I choose a topic for a narrative essay ?

Choosing a topic for a narrative essay involves understanding the purpose of your essay, choosing a topic that resonates with you, and using brainstorming techniques to generate ideas.

4. What is the structure of a narrative essay?

The structure of a narrative essay typically includes an introduction, body, and conclusion, with each part serving a distinct purpose in telling the story.

5. What is the difference between a narrative essay and a descriptive essay?

While both narrative and descriptive essays use vivid language to create a compelling story, the main difference is that a narrative essay tells a story from the author’s perspective, while a descriptive essay focuses on describing a particular person, place, or thing in detail.

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How to write a narrative essay [Updated 2023]

A narrative essay is an opportunity to flex your creative muscles and craft a compelling story. In this blog post, we define what a narrative essay is and provide strategies and examples for writing one.

What is a narrative essay?

Similarly to a descriptive essay or a reflective essay, a narrative essay asks you to tell a story, rather than make an argument and present evidence. Most narrative essays describe a real, personal experience from your own life (for example, the story of your first big success).

Alternately, your narrative essay might focus on an imagined experience (for example, how your life would be if you had been born into different circumstances). While you don’t need to present a thesis statement or scholarly evidence, a narrative essay still needs to be well-structured and clearly organized so that the reader can follow your story.

When you might be asked to write a narrative essay

Although less popular than argumentative essays or expository essays, narrative essays are relatively common in high school and college writing classes.

The same techniques that you would use to write a college essay as part of a college or scholarship application are applicable to narrative essays, as well. In fact, the Common App that many students use to apply to multiple colleges asks you to submit a narrative essay.

How to choose a topic for a narrative essay

When you are asked to write a narrative essay, a topic may be assigned to you or you may be able to choose your own. With an assigned topic, the prompt will likely fall into one of two categories: specific or open-ended.

Examples of specific prompts:

Write about the last vacation you took.
Write about your final year of middle school.

Examples of open-ended prompts:

Write about a time when you felt all hope was lost.
Write about a brief, seemingly insignificant event that ended up having a big impact on your life.

A narrative essay tells a story and all good stories are centered on a conflict of some sort. Experiences with unexpected obstacles, twists, or turns make for much more compelling essays and reveal more about your character and views on life.

If you’re writing a narrative essay as part of an admissions application, remember that the people reviewing your essay will be looking at it to gain a sense of not just your writing ability, but who you are as a person.

In these cases, it’s wise to choose a topic and experience from your life that demonstrates the qualities that the prompt is looking for, such as resilience, perseverance, the ability to stay calm under pressure, etc.

It’s also important to remember that your choice of topic is just a starting point. Many students find that they arrive at new ideas and insights as they write their first draft, so the final form of your essay may have a different focus than the one you started with.

How to outline and format a narrative essay

Even though you’re not advancing an argument or proving a point of view, a narrative essay still needs to have a coherent structure. Your reader has to be able to follow you as you tell the story and to figure out the larger point that you’re making.

You’ll be evaluated on is your handling of the topic and how you structure your essay. Even though a narrative essay doesn’t use the same structure as other essay types, you should still sketch out a loose outline so you can tell your story in a clear and compelling way.

To outline a narrative essay, you’ll want to determine:

how your story will start
what points or specifics that you want to cover
how your story will end
what pace and tone you will use

In the vast majority of cases, a narrative essay should be written in the first-person, using “I.” Also, most narrative essays will follow typical formatting guidelines, so you should choose a readable font like Times New Roman in size 11 or 12. Double-space your paragraphs and use 1” margins.

To get your creative wheels turning, consider how your story compares to archetypes and famous historical and literary figures both past and present. Weave these comparisons into your essay to improve the quality of your writing and connect your personal experience to a larger context.

How to write a narrative essay

Writing a narrative essay can sometimes be a challenge for students who typically write argumentative essays or research papers in a formal, objective style. To give you a better sense of how you can write a narrative essay, here is a short example of an essay in response to the prompt, “Write about an experience that challenged your view of yourself.”

Narrative essay example

Even as a child, I always had what people might call a reserved personality. It was sometimes framed as a positive (“Sarah is a good listener”) and at other times it was put in less-than-admiring terms (“Sarah is withdrawn and not very talkative”). It was the latter kind of comments that caused me to see my introverted nature as a drawback and as something I should work to eliminate. That is, until I joined my high school’s student council.

The first paragraph, or introduction, sets up the context, establishing the situation and introducing the meaningful event upon which the essay will focus.

The other four students making up the council were very outspoken and enthusiastic. I enjoyed being around them, and I often agreed with their ideas. However, when it came to overhauling our school’s recycling plan, we butted heads. When I spoke up and offered a different point of view, one of my fellow student council members launched into a speech, advocating for her point of view. As her voice filled the room, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. I wondered if I should try to match her tone, volume, and assertiveness as a way to be heard. But I just couldn’t do it—it’s not my way, and it never has been. For a fleeting moment, I felt defeated. But then, something in me shifted.

In this paragraph, the writer goes into greater depth about how her existing thinking brought her to this point.

I reminded myself that my view was valid and deserved to be heard. So I waited. I let my fellow council member speak her piece and when she was finished, I deliberately waited a few moments before calmly stating my case. I chose my words well, and I spoke them succinctly. Just because I’m not a big talker doesn’t mean I’m not a big thinker. I thought of the quotation “still waters run deep” and I tried to embody that. The effect on the room was palpable. People listened. And I hadn’t had to shout my point to be heard.

This paragraph demonstrates the turn in the story, the moment when everything changed. The use of the quotation “still waters run deep” imbues the story with a dash of poetry and emotion.

We eventually reached a compromise on the matter and concluded the student council meeting. Our council supervisor came to me afterward and said: “You handled that so well, with such grace and poise. I was very impressed.” Her words in that moment changed me. I realized that a bombastic nature isn't necessarily a powerful one. There is power in quiet, too. This experience taught me to view my reserved personality not as a character flaw, but as a strength.

The final paragraph, or conclusion, closes with a statement about the significance of this event and how it ended up changing the writer in a meaningful way.

Narrative essay writing tips

1. pick a meaningful story that has a conflict and a clear “moral.”.

If you’re able to choose your own topic, pick a story that has meaning and that reveals how you became the person your are today. In other words, write a narrative with a clear “moral” that you can connect with your main points.

2. Use an outline to arrange the structure of your story and organize your main points.

Although a narrative essay is different from argumentative essays, it’s still beneficial to construct an outline so that your story is well-structured and organized. Note how you want to start and end your story, and what points you want to make to tie everything together.

3. Be clear, concise, concrete, and correct in your writing.

You should use descriptive writing in your narrative essay, but don’t overdo it. Use clear, concise, and correct language and grammar throughout. Additionally, make concrete points that reinforce the main idea of your narrative.

4. Ask a friend or family member to proofread your essay.

No matter what kind of writing you’re doing, you should always plan to proofread and revise. To ensure that your narrative essay is coherent and interesting, ask a friend or family member to read over your paper. This is especially important if your essay is responding to a prompt. It helps to have another person check to make sure that you’ve fully responded to the prompt or question.

Frequently Asked Questions about narrative essays

A narrative essay, like any essay, has three main parts: an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Structuring and outlining your essay before you start writing will help you write a clear story that your readers can follow.

The first paragraph of your essay, or introduction, sets up the context, establishing the situation and introducing the meaningful event upon which the essay will focus.

In the vast majority of cases, a narrative essay should be written in the first-person, using “I.”

The 4 main types of essays are the argumentative essay, narrative essay, exploratory essay, and expository essay. You may be asked to write different types of essays at different points in your education.

Most narrative essays will be around five paragraphs, or more, depending on the topic and requirements. Make sure to check in with your instructor about the guidelines for your essay. If you’re writing a narrative essay for a college application, pay close attention to word or page count requirements.

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A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story about a particular experience or event, often from the writer's own perspective. The purpose of a narrative essay is to engage the reader and create an emotional connection through a well-crafted storyline.

Today we will learn how to write a narrative essay fast and easy. This type of paper requires you to share your experiences in an entertaining and creative way. A writer has to tell the original story and make it interesting to the reader. This task is not that complicated if you know the key points and the logic of the text. In the present blog, we will learn how to write a truly powerful narrative paper starting from the initial concept and ending with a fabulous conclusion. So, let’s get down to business right away!

What Is a Narrative Essay

According to narrative essay definition, it is a type of writing that requires telling a personal story. It can be either about your personal experiences, funny incident, or any other notable event. Teachers assign such tasks to test students' abilities in storytelling. Firstly, a good story has to be interesting for a potential reader. Secondly, it has to be understandable to the general audience. Finally, it has to follow the regular structure of essay . In many other regards, it can be very creative and even experimental. Unlike many other essay types, narrative essays are action-driven. The main goal is to tell the story in a creative way. In view of its purpose, a great essay requires the following elements:

An intriguing personal story to tell
The right choice of words to highlight key points
Good hook to get the reader’s attention
Smooth flow and original style
Truly valuable experience to share

A narrative essay is widely regarded as one of the most creative writing essay types. A writer can afford more expressive language and a more unusual style of writing. Use some metaphors, figurative language, dialog or bold examples. Also, the first-person perspective is appreciated in narrative writing. Which is not really typical for academic writing, as you probably know. However, it is not obligatory and you can tell a story from a third-person perspective as well. You may need a step-by-step guide for explanatory writing for your future assignments. You will find it in our database.

Narrative Essay Outline

A narrative essay structure is very similar to that of other academic papers. It features 3 major parts - introduction, body and conclusion. Regularly, this essay is about five paragraph essay long - one for intro, 3 paragraphs in body and one to sum up your thoughts.

Introduction - introduces the story, explains the purpose of the story and attracts reader’s attention
Body paragraph #1 - developing action, raising the tension
Body paragraph #2 - the climax of the story
Conclusion - in which way this story was cautionary and useful

However, this number of paragraphs is not fixed, and you can expand it if you want. Still, do not fill your essay with watery text, it will be regarded as a negative factor during the review.

How to Write a Narrative Essay Step by Step

Essay structure is an important thing to keep in mind when you are thinking over the outline of your future work. So it will be definitely helpful to see what it will be for the narrative essay format. So, let’s see how it should be done!

How to Start a Narrative Essay

Narrative essay introduction is where you describe the setting, the characters and introduce the mood of the story. A good introduction always deserves a good hook in essay or even several good hooks. You can ask theoretical questions and outline the mystery that will be uncovered further in your story. Just like in other essay types, narrative essay thesis statements are featured in the intro section.

Thesis Statement

Many professional writers believe that a thesis statement is the first thing you need to come up when writing an essay. Your paper thesis always has to sum up the main points of your writing, so this writing tip actually makes sense. Make your working thesis clear, informative and short. The finest thesis can be no longer than a single sentence. Make it brief, attractive and meaningful. Sounds a bit mind-boggling? Buy personal narrative essay done for you from scratch to avoid any hassle.

Create Main Body

All the action in a good narrative paper happens in the body part. In most essays, you uncover your key points in the classic three body paragraphs. However, a more action-driven paper of this kind is more about facts, and emotions. That’s why it’s a rare essay type where your body part would probably require chronological order of narration. Think well about how to separate your story into logical segments and don’t get too much into detail. An essay is not about length but always about the quality of writing .

How to End a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay conclusion is very similar to any other paper ending. In this part, you sum up your experiences and the outcomes of the story. Indicate what exactly had changed in your life during its course. Because if nothing had changed, then it’s not an essay-worthy story after all. Feel free to use quotations and examples to compare your experience. A narrative essay is a metaphor-friendly and figurative language-friendly format. So don’t miss your chance to enrich your text with additional expression.

Tips to Writing a Narrative Paper

Now, when you know how to write a personal narrative paper, you are almost there. However, there are also several tips that we wanted to give you to facilitate success. So, here they are:

Read various personal narrative ideas .
Choose the best story that you got - choice of the story is essential to the success.
Think over how you spread facts and arguments along the paper.
Write an introduction with a strong hook and clear thesis statement.
Write an action-driven body part.
Make sure your conclusion includes really valuable experiences and implications.
Review and rewrite the parts that you don’t like.
Proofread the text, use special tools to save your time and effort.

If you follow all the steps mentioned above, it will be much easier to maintain control over your writing and create a powerful text. Also, we have prepared several great writing tips. If you have some stylistic questions or you are puzzled about how reliable you need to be as a narrator, consider the following tips:

Alter the story a little if it will make it more entertaining. Don’t stick to the facts so hard.
Write from a first-person perspective first. Change it if you want later.
Be a reader-oriented writer, don’t make it too subjective and personal.
Check out such texts by famous writers for inspiration.

This type of paper is a fun and creative form of academic writing. If you have enough time, you can easily enjoy this assignment and even learn something new about yourself. Just in case, a site that writes essays would also do great for your GPA.

Narrative Essay Examples

A good narrative essay example may be hard to find. Luckily, we have prepared it for you in advance. It will help you understand the style and flow of narrative writing and give some inspiration for your own masterpiece. Check out the top-notch narrative essay sample below.

Narrative Essay: Bottom Line

Now you know how to write narrative essays. This type of paper is easy to write when you know the main aspects of it. So use this guide to make the essay writing process fast, interesting and fun! However, sometimes there is just not enough time to meet the deadlines. Many students face this issue on a daily basis looking for fast and practical solutions. Hiring a narrative writer is perhaps the optimal choice.

Our professional academic writing service may be a great idea! If you need some help with a paper, order a narrative essay or any other kind of academic writing from our finest writing team.

FAQ about Narrative Essay

1. how to write a personal narrative essay.

A personal narrative essay is written from the first-person perspective. It should contain strong personal opinions and stories of the narrator. This type of writing is predominantly action-driven and narrates the writer’s personal experiences.

2. How to write a literacy narrative essay?

In a literacy narrative paper, you need to share your personal experience of language, reading and writing. In this paper type, the narrator has to detail the personal experiences and attitude towards language. It can be dedicated to a certain book, writer or part of the language.

3. How long is the narrative paper?

A regular narrative essay is between 500 and 1000 words. It features a standard 3-part, 5-paragraph paper structure.

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

Narrative Essay - A Complete Writing Guide with Examples

16 min read

What Is a Narrative Essay?

A narrative essay is a written account of an experience or event that impacted you in some way. It's just like storytelling, but it’s written in an essay format rather than a traditional short story.

It is very different from other kinds of academic essays, such as the analytical and argumentative essays. For instance, unlike other types of essays , it allows you more creativity of style and language, could be written in the first-person point of view, and has to be more personal and engaging.

In terms of structure, these essays often have a clear beginning, middle, and end, just like a good story. Their purpose could be to evoke emotions, provoke thought, or share lessons learned from an experience.

Purpose of a Narrative Essay

The purpose of a narrative essay extends beyond simply recounting a story. It serves various objectives, such as:

To Entertain and Engage

These essays are inherently engaging because they read like a well-told story. They can captivate and entertain your audience while conveying a message or theme.

To Convey a Message or Theme

A narrative essay is not just about storytelling; it's also a means to communicate a message or a theme. You can convey life lessons, moral dilemmas, or insights drawn from your experiences.

To Motivate or Inspire

Narrative essays have the power to persuade or inspire readers. Through your narrative, you can make a persuasive argument or motivate your audience to take action or see a situation from a different perspective.

To Reflect on Growth

Narrative essays often focus on personal growth and self-discovery. They allow you to reflect on your own experiences, decisions, and how they have shaped you as an individual.

To Preserve Memories

Writing about significant life events helps preserve memories. It captures moments in time, creating a record that can be revisited by both you and your readers.

To Educate and Inform

Narrative essays can educate readers about different cultures, historical events, or personal challenges. They provide a window into worlds and experiences they might not otherwise encounter.

Types of Narrative Essays

There are several types of narrative essays, each with its unique focus and purpose. Here are the most common ones:

Descriptive Narrative Essay

A descriptive narrative essay is used to describe an experience, situation, or memory in vivid detail. The main goal is to show the reader what is happening, not tell.

In this essay, the emphasis is on creating a vivid picture for the reader. You describe a scene, a place, or an event in intricate detail, making the reader feel like they are right there with you. Sensory details play a crucial role in making your narrative come alive.

Descriptive writing is all about engaging the senses. Learn more about writing a descriptive essay in our guide.

Personal Narrative Essay

A personal narrative essay is a form of writing that tells a story from the author's own life experiences.

This type is all about sharing a personal experience. It can be a life-changing moment, a significant event, or even an everyday occurrence that left a lasting impression. The primary goal is to offer readers insight into your perspective and emotions.

Autobiographical Narrative Essay

These essays delve into your life story. They are broader in scope and often cover a series of events or experiences throughout your life. It's like writing your autobiography in a condensed form.

An autobiographical narrative essay aims to outline your own life in light of a message you want to convey.

The Features of a Narrative Essay

It usually has these five elements: plot, characters, setting, conflict, and theme.

The plot is the incident you intend to share in the story. It is about the sequence of events that occurred in your story.

The setting is the location where the event occurred. It can be your house, your school, or any other place where you were at the time of the event.

Characters are the people involved in the incident. You have to mention everyone involved, whether the main or a side character.

Conflict is the problem faced by the characters during the incident. A moment of tension in the plot is considered a conflict that needs to be resolved.

The essay’s theme elaborates on the story’s overall purpose and the writer’s reasons for choosing the topic.

Narrative Essay Structure

A well-structured essay is essential for conveying your story effectively. The narrative essay format consists of the following elements:

Here’s how the structure of a narrative essay can be conceptualized:

Now that you’ve learned about the features and structure of a narrative essay, let’s move on to the step-by-step writing process.

How to Write a Narrative Essay?

Starting the essay writing process can be overwhelming, but you will find it much easier with these steps. Here is how to start a narrative essay and finish it effectively:

Step 1: Choose a Topic

Sometimes, you will be assigned a topic or prompt for your essay by your instructor. But other times, you need to choose a topic yourself.

Select a personal experience or event that is meaningful to you and has a clear message or theme. It could be a moment of triumph, a challenge you overcame, a lesson learned, or a journey you embarked on.

Ensure it's a story you can vividly recall to make the writing process more natural. You need a topic that interests you and is also appealing enough to your audience.

Step 2: Plan Your Story

Once you've chosen your topic, it's crucial to plan your narrative.

Make a narrative essay outline , mentioning the key events in a logical structure. Think about the characters, plot points, climax, and resolution of your story.

Here’s how an outline may look like:

Creating a rough timeline of events will help you maintain a coherent narrative flow. This planning phase ensures that you have a clear vision of the story's direction before you start writing.

Step 3: Craft an Introduction

The introduction of your narrative essay serves as a gateway to your story. Once you have an outline, you can begin writing the first draft.

Begin with a captivating hook that grabs your readers' attention. Here are some ways to make your start engaging:
Start with a mystery.
Use a quote from someone famous to catch your reader’s attention.
Add a funny or moving anecdote.
Ask questions; this way, your writing will feel more direct and personal.
Start with a shocking statement or statistics that makes readers curious.
Introduce the setting and characters, giving readers a glimpse of the central theme or message. Your introduction should provide a clear preview of what the narrative will entail.
End your introduction with the theme and the thesis statement of your essay. The thesis statement should capture the central message you intend to convey.

Step 4: Write Your Main Body Paragraphs

The main body of your narrative essay will contain the sequence of events that make up your story. Here’s what to do while writing your paragraphs:

Build a Vivid Setting: Create a sense of time and place by using descriptive details. Engage the reader's senses to transport them into the world of your narrative.
Narrate the Sequence of Events: Tell your story in chronological order, ensuring a clear timeline that your readers can follow. Use transition words and phrases to guide your readers through the narrative, keeping the flow smooth.
Include Dialogue: Use dialogue to reveal character traits, emotions, and interactions. Describe the characters' actions and interactions as the story progresses, maintaining a balance between showing and telling.
Introduce Conflict: Every narrative needs some form of conflict to drive the story forward. Explain the conflict clearly and highlight its significance.
Build Toward a Climax: As you narrate the events, build tension and suspense leading to the climax—the high point of your story where the conflict is resolved or faced head-on.

Step 5: Craft a Conclusion

A well-crafted conclusion is vital to wrap up your narrative effectively. Here’s what to include in your conclusion:

Your conclusion should offer closure, reflecting on how the events have affected the characters and the broader context of your story.
Summarize the key points of your essay, reiterating the central message or theme.
Leave your readers with a lasting impression or something to ponder.

Step 6: Revise Your First Draft

After completing your first draft, take a step back and review your work. Here’s how to improve upon your first draft:

Revise for clarity, coherence, and narrative flow. Ensure that each paragraph logically follows the previous one, creating a seamless story.
Ensure that you’ve included the points you mentioned in your outline.
Look for any inconsistencies in your timeline or character development and address them. This is the stage where you fine-tune your narrative's structure.

Step 7: Proofread and Edit

The final step in the process is proofreading and editing . This ensures that your final draft is the best version of your essay. Here are the final steps you need to follow:

Carefully review your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
Make sure your writing is clear and concise. Edit for consistency in style and tone throughout the essay.
Seek feedback from others to gain a fresh perspective on your narrative. Their insights can help you make improvements and refine your storytelling.

Tips To Make Your Narrative Essays More Engaging

Follow these narrative essay writing tips to write effectively.

Select a Meaningful Topic: Choose a topic that has personal significance, whether it's a life-changing event, a lesson learned, or an experience that left a lasting impression. Your enthusiasm for the topic will shine through in your writing.
Create a Clear Message: Define the central message or theme of your narrative essay. What do you want readers to take away from your story? Having a clear message ensures your essay has a purpose.
Use Descriptive Details: Paint a vivid picture for your readers by including sensory details. Engage the five senses – sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell – to make your narrative come alive.
Show, Don't Tell: Instead of simply telling your readers what happened, show them through your descriptions and dialogue. Let your readers experience the story as if they were there.
Use a consistent point of view: Choose a consistent point of view, such as first-person or third-person, and stick with it throughout your narrative essay. This will help your readers better understand your perspective and connect with your story.

The Don’ts of Narrative Writing

Following the tips above may not be enough for writing a great essay, especially if you are making. Here are some things to avoid in a narrative essay:

Don't Overwhelm with Detail: While details are essential, avoid overloading your narrative with excessive descriptions, which can bog down the story.
Don't Rush the Climax: Build up to the climactic moment of your story rather than rushing through it. Give it the attention and anticipation it deserves.
Avoid Being Predictable: While narratives often have conventional structures, try to avoid overly predictable storylines. Surprise your readers and keep them engaged.
Don't Forget the Central Message: Ensure that your narrative conveys a clear message or theme. It should have a purpose beyond storytelling.
Don't Neglect Editing: Skipping the editing process can lead to grammar, spelling, or structural issues. Take the time to revise and improve your work.
Don't Overcomplicate the Plot: A narrative should have a clear and understandable plot. Avoid introducing too many elements or convoluted storylines that may confuse readers.
Avoid Clichés: Strive to create a unique and original narrative. Avoid clichés or overused storytelling devices.

Narrative Essay Examples

Reading example essays is a good way to start learning about narrative writing. Here are some example essays that will help you craft a perfect essay in no time.

Literacy Narrative Essay Example

Narrative Essay Example About Life

Personal Narrative Essay Example

Want to read more examples? Check out our narrative essay examples blog to read expertly written narrative essays.

Narrative Essay Topics

Here are a few best narrative essay topics and ideas for your successful narrative writing.

The most embarrassing event of my life.
The most valuable childhood possession.
An unpleasant personal experience.
An unpleasant experience that helped me grow.
Your first experience with love and its impact on you.
The most difficult decision I had to make.
A rebellious act from your life.
A time when you got lost somewhere.
A random act of kindness.
A conflict with another person.

Need more topic ideas for your narrative essay. Head to this narrative essay topics list to get engaging and interesting ideas!

In conclusion, mastering the art of narrative essay writing opens the door to sharing your experiences, emotions, and insights with the world. Remember to choose your words carefully and develop your story's conflict to captivate your readers.

Do you need more help writing your narrative essay? Contact MyPerfectWords.com to hire a highly qualified and expert writer to help you out. Our narrative essay writing service ensures high quality essays with timely livery.

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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.

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Narrative Essay

Definition of narrative essay.

A narrative essay is a type of essay that has a single motif , or a central point, around which the whole narrative revolves. All incidents, happenings, and characters revolve around a single motif presented in the narrative. A narrative essay is similar to a simple five-paragraph essay, in that it has the same format. It is only different in that it is a narrative, having characters, incidents, and dialogues.

Difference Between a Narrative Essay and a Short Story

A narrative essay has a specific format, specific aspects to discover, and a specific motif. It revolves around that motif set by the writer prior to writing the essay. A short story , however, is different from a narrative essay in that it does not revolve around a pre-set motif, and that it does not have a specific format. Also, a short story always leaves readers at a critical juncture with the desire to discover more. In contrast , a narrative essay ends when the readers are fully satisfied. They do not wish to read anymore or do not want to discover anymore.

Elements of a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay has three required elements: character , theme , and dialogue :

Characters are an important part of a narrative essay. Even if the essay is autobiographical in nature, the person writing the essay is a character involving some other characters who act, behave, and do like all other characters presented in stories and novels .

Theme or Motif

A narrative essay revolves around a theme or a motif. This theme or motif is presented in its thesis statement, which breaks it down into three distinct pieces of evidence . These three distinct pieces of evidence are then further elaborated through characters in body paragraphs .

Dialogue is used to capture the conversation between characters. In a narrative essay, dialogue is the third important element, without which the characters lose their worth and liveliness.

How to Choose a Topic for Narrative Essay

There are four major steps to choosing the topic of a narrative essay:

Choose a theme or thematic strand around which to weave a story.
Outline the character, events, and happenings.
Think about the conversation of the characters and place them in a setting and plot
Synchronize the characters with the plot and the setting to see if they integrate with each other.

MLA and APA Formats in Narrative Essay

MLA and APA are used in all types of essays. However, APA is mostly used in social sciences, while MLA is used in humanities. Whereas the application of MLA in a narrative is concerned, it is used in the format, intext citation , and in the Works Cited page. The first page comprises the student’s name, class, tutor’s name, and date with the topic of the essay given after all of them. However, in APA, all this information appears on the cover page. Similarly, both MLA and APA differ in intext citation, with MLA having only the author’s name and page without any comma. In contrast, APA has the author’s name as well as page number with a comma and ‘p’ with a period before the number of the page, such as (Hardy, p. 45). Regarding the sources, MLA shows Works Cited page at the end, while APA shows Reference at the end.

Reflective Narrative Essay

As the name suggests, a reflection narrative is an essay that presents the reflections of a person who is writing that essay. He takes an incident from his life and gives it an organization on the pattern of an essay with a narrative having a beginning, middle, and an end. The essay may or may not have moral lessons, which does not make a lot of difference if the experiences carry the deeper meaning. What matters is that the writer reflects on his own life, taking out some significant moment to make it a storied essay or a narrative essay with a theme in it.

Examples of Narrative Essays in Literature

Example #1: new directions (by maya angelou).

“Annie, over six feet tall, big-boned, decided that she would not go to work as a domestic and leave her “precious babes” to anyone else’s care. There was no possibility of being hired at the town’s cotton gin or lumber mill, but maybe there was a way to make the two factories work for her. In her words, “I looked up the road I was going and back the way I come, and since I wasn’t satisfied, I decided to step off the road and cut me a new path.” She told herself that she wasn’t a fancy cook but that she could “mix groceries well enough to scare hungry away and keep from starving a man.”

This paragraph is an example from a narrative essay of Maya Angelou. She has described how a girl looks, and how she behaves. She has also written direct dialogues to show that it is a narrative.

Example #2: Saturday Evening Post (by Russell Baker)

“When I burst in that afternoon she was in conference with an executive of the Curtis Publishing Company. She introduced me. He bent low from the waist and shook my hand. Was it true as my mother had told him, he asked, that I longed for the opportunity to conquer the world of business? My Mother replied that I was blessed with a rare determination to make something of myself. ‘That’s right,’ I whispered. ‘But have you got the grit, the character, the never-say-quit spirit it takes to succeed in business?’ My Mother said I certainly did.”

In this piece from a narrative essay by Russell Baker of the famed Saturday Evening Post , the author has fully described the efforts of his mother by her dialogue. Both character and dialogue are very clear.

Example #3: Only Daughter (by Sandra Cisneros)

“Once several years ago, when I was just starting out my writing career, I was asked to write my own contributor’s note for an anthology I was part of, I wrote: ‘ I am the only daughter in a family of six sons. That explains everything.’ “Well, I’ve thought about that ever since, and yes, it explains a lot to me, but for the reader’s sake I should have written: ‘I am the only daughter in a Mexican family of six sons.’ Or even: ‘I am the only daughter of a Mexican father and a Mexican-American mother.’ Or: ‘I am the only daughter of a working-class family of nine.’ All of these had everything to do with who I am today.”

In this essay, the author has given a full description of a daughter – how she looks and how she behaves.

Function of Narrative Essay

A narrative essay describes people, presents their conversations, and narrates their experiences to teach lessons to readers. In fact, it is like a story, but different in that it is weaved around a motif. A motif is given before the incidents of the essay. Readers become aware of this single theme, central idea, or motif once they go through the essay. Its major aim is to provide information about life experiences and lessons learned from those experiences.

Synonyms of Narrative Essay

Some of the words closely related to the narrative essay are reflective account, chronicle, chronology , and historical narrative. However, these words cannot be interchangeably used to replace this title.

Narrative Poem
Elements of an Essay
Definition Essay
Descriptive Essay
Types of Essay
Analytical Essay
Argumentative Essay
Cause and Effect Essay
Critical Essay
Expository Essay
Persuasive Essay
Process Essay
Explicatory Essay
An Essay on Man: Epistle I
Comparison and Contrast Essay

How to Write a Narrative Essay

Essay writing comes in many forms, not all of which require extensive research. One such form is the narrative essay, which blends personal storytelling with academic discussion. Authors of these essays use their own experiences to convey broader insights about life.

This genre offers writers a unique chance to connect with readers on a personal level. By sharing experiences and reflections, authors engage their audience emotionally while conveying important messages or lessons. In the following sections, our custom term paper writing experts will explore various aspects of narrative writing, from choosing a topic to effectively structuring your essay!

What Is a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is a piece of writing that tells a story, often based on personal experiences. Unlike academic or journalistic writing, which sticks to facts and a formal style, narrative essays use a more creative approach. They aim to make a point or impart a lesson through personal stories. These essays are commonly assigned in high school or for college admissions. An effective narrative essay typically follows a chronological order of events and has three main traits:

Has one main idea.
Uses specific facts to explain that idea.
Follows a clear order of events.

A narrative essay resembles short stories in structure, with vivid illustrations, plots, characters, and discussion. However, there are key differences. These essays are focused on a central theme or argument and conclude decisively, while short stories often have a more abstract moral or message.

A narrative essay is usually written in the first person and follows a standard structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Short stories, on the other hand, can take various formats.

What is the Purpose of a Narrative Essay

When tasked with writing, you might wonder what the exact purpose of a narrative essay is. Here are various scenarios where you might need to write one:

School Assignments: Teachers often assign them to help students improve their writing and storytelling skills. Sharing personal experiences lets students get feedback and improve.
Reflective Writing: They offer a chance to think about personal achievements. Whether it's winning an award or reaching a goal, writing about these experiences helps people understand their importance and share them with others. Meanwhile, if you wish to describe your life in greater depth, you might look at how to write an autobiography .
Application Requirements: They're often needed for job, internship, or scholarship applications. These essays let applicants show their experiences and goals, standing out from others.
Literary Analysis : In literature classes, you might write them to analyze stories or poems. You'll explore themes, characters, and how the story is told.
Historical Reflection : In history or social studies, you'll use these essays to think about events in the past. By imagining the experiences of people in different times, you can understand history better.
Cultural Exploration : These essays help you explore different cultures. In classes like anthropology or sociology, you might write about your own culture or learn about others by telling their stories.

How to Write a Narrative Essay in 5 Steps

Crafting a narrative essay is a whole different ball game compared to other school essays. Instead of analyzing topics, it's about sharing personal experiences through storytelling. By walking through a few easy steps below, you can turn your ideas into a gripping narrative. And, if sharing your personal stories is not your cup of tea, you can buy essays online from our expert writers, who will customize the paper to your particular writing style and tone.

Step 1: Start with a Topic Selection

When writing a narrative essay, start by choosing a topic that either relates to your own experiences or matches a given prompt. If there's a prompt, think about what it asks for and brainstorm ideas that fit.

As you brainstorm, write down key points or moments you want to include. Think about how each point fits into your essay's structure and if it meets any word count limits.

Consider the tone and style you want for your writing. Will it be reflective or humorous? Are there specific stylistic choices you want to use, like repeating phrases or leaving cliffhanger endings? These choices shape your narrative and keep your reader engaged. And, stay flexible as you explore ideas. You can always tweak your topic, tone, and style as you write.

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Step 2: Make a Clear Outline

Once you've picked your topic, make a narrative essay outline. It acts as a roadmap for telling your story effectively. Identify the key points you want to cover, like important events or lessons learned, and assign each to a paragraph, ensuring a logical flow of ideas.

The outline will plan the progression of your narrative, letting you map out events and decide how much detail to give each point. For example, if you're writing about overcoming a challenge, your outline might have a paragraph for background, then paragraphs detailing your perseverance and the obstacles you faced. Finally, if you're wondering how to write an essay conclusion , you'll just summarize the experience and its lessons.

Step 3: Write Your Narrative Essay

Now, it's time to start writing a narrative essay! Use your outline as a guide, and write each section with clear and engaging language.

Remember, narrative essays are about expressing yourself creatively, so don't worry about sticking to formal academic writing rules. Focus on captivating your reader and bringing your story to life.

Tip 💡 Use first-person : Write from your perspective using pronouns like 'I' and 'me' to make your narrative essay personal and engaging.

Tip 💡 Employ storytelling techniques : Use techniques from fiction and creative nonfiction, like dialogue and symbolism, to enhance your narrative and engage readers.

Tip 💡 Show, don't tell : Instead of just stating facts, use vivid descriptions and sensory details to let the reader experience the story with you.

Tip 💡 Be authentic : Stay true to your own voice and experiences. Share your thoughts and feelings honestly to make your narrative essay genuine and relatable.

Step 4: Don't Forget to Revise

After finishing your essay, it's crucial to revise and refine it. But first, take a break after your first draft to return with fresh eyes and a clear mind. This is one of the most important tips for writing a narrative essay, making it easier to identify areas that need improvement.

When you return, read through your essay carefully to ensure logical flow and coherence. Check for any inconsistencies or gaps in the narrative and make revisions as needed to improve clarity. Pay attention to details such as tense, point of view, and narrative voice throughout your essay.

Step 5: Proofread Your Writing

As you consider ending a narrative essay, it's important to carefully proofread it for any remaining errors or typos. Pay attention to details such as formatting and citation style, if necessary. Sharing your essay with trusted friends, family, or teachers and seeking their feedback can provide valuable insights and help you identify areas for improvement that you may have overlooked. Based on the feedback received and your own observations during the revision process, make changes to strengthen the impact and effectiveness of your essay. Remain open to making significant changes if necessary to enhance the quality of your narrative.

Narrative Essay Format

The narrative essay format is crucial for captivating readers and creating memorable stories. Whether it's a personal essay or fiction, these guidelines will help you take readers on a journey, making them feel immersed in the action:

Introduction : Set the scene and introduce the characters and setting. Use a hook to grab readers' attention.
Plot : Have a clear beginning, middle, and end, with each part building on the last. Include a conflict or problem for the protagonist to overcome.
Characters : Develop well-rounded characters with distinct personalities and motivations. Ensure the protagonist has a clear goal, and the antagonist provides a challenge.
Setting : Describe the time and place effectively to set the mood and support the story's themes.
Dialogue : Use realistic dialogue to reveal characters' traits and move the plot forward.
Climax : Reach the highest point of tension or conflict, leading to resolution.
Resolution : Provide a satisfying conclusion that ties up loose ends.

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Narrative Essay Examples

If you need inspiration for your next essay, check out these excellent samples from our essay writer . Use them as a guide to craft your own narrative, and let your unique voice and experiences shine.

Narrative Essay Example for College

College professors search for the following qualities in their students:

the ability to adapt to different situations,
the ability to solve problems creatively,
and the ability to learn from mistakes.

Your work must demonstrate these qualities, regardless of whether your narrative paper is a college application essay or a class assignment. Additionally, you want to demonstrate your character and creativity. Describe a situation where you have encountered a problem, tell the story of how you came up with a unique approach to solving it, and connect it to your field of interest. The narrative can be exciting and informative if you present it in such fashion.

Narrative Essay Example for High School

High school is all about showing that you can make mature choices. You accept the consequences of your actions and retrieve valuable life lessons. Think of an event in which you believe your actions were exemplary and made an adult choice. A personal narrative essay example will showcase the best of your abilities. Finally, use other sources to help you get the best results possible. Try searching for a sample to see how others have approached it.

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General Education

A narrative essay is one of the most intimidating assignments you can be handed at any level of your education. Where you've previously written argumentative essays that make a point or analytic essays that dissect meaning, a narrative essay asks you to write what is effectively a story .

But unlike a simple work of creative fiction, your narrative essay must have a clear and concrete motif —a recurring theme or idea that you’ll explore throughout. Narrative essays are less rigid, more creative in expression, and therefore pretty different from most other essays you’ll be writing.

But not to fear—in this article, we’ll be covering what a narrative essay is, how to write a good one, and also analyzing some personal narrative essay examples to show you what a great one looks like.

What Is a Narrative Essay?

At first glance, a narrative essay might sound like you’re just writing a story. Like the stories you're used to reading, a narrative essay is generally (but not always) chronological, following a clear throughline from beginning to end. Even if the story jumps around in time, all the details will come back to one specific theme, demonstrated through your choice in motifs.

Unlike many creative stories, however, your narrative essay should be based in fact. That doesn’t mean that every detail needs to be pure and untainted by imagination, but rather that you shouldn’t wholly invent the events of your narrative essay. There’s nothing wrong with inventing a person’s words if you can’t remember them exactly, but you shouldn’t say they said something they weren’t even close to saying.

Another big difference between narrative essays and creative fiction—as well as other kinds of essays—is that narrative essays are based on motifs. A motif is a dominant idea or theme, one that you establish before writing the essay. As you’re crafting the narrative, it’ll feed back into your motif to create a comprehensive picture of whatever that motif is.

For example, say you want to write a narrative essay about how your first day in high school helped you establish your identity. You might discuss events like trying to figure out where to sit in the cafeteria, having to describe yourself in five words as an icebreaker in your math class, or being unsure what to do during your lunch break because it’s no longer acceptable to go outside and play during lunch. All of those ideas feed back into the central motif of establishing your identity.

The important thing to remember is that while a narrative essay is typically told chronologically and intended to read like a story, it is not purely for entertainment value. A narrative essay delivers its theme by deliberately weaving the motifs through the events, scenes, and details. While a narrative essay may be entertaining, its primary purpose is to tell a complete story based on a central meaning.

Unlike other essay forms, it is totally okay—even expected—to use first-person narration in narrative essays. If you’re writing a story about yourself, it’s natural to refer to yourself within the essay. It’s also okay to use other perspectives, such as third- or even second-person, but that should only be done if it better serves your motif. Generally speaking, your narrative essay should be in first-person perspective.

Though your motif choices may feel at times like you’re making a point the way you would in an argumentative essay, a narrative essay’s goal is to tell a story, not convince the reader of anything. Your reader should be able to tell what your motif is from reading, but you don’t have to change their mind about anything. If they don’t understand the point you are making, you should consider strengthening the delivery of the events and descriptions that support your motif.

Narrative essays also share some features with analytical essays, in which you derive meaning from a book, film, or other media. But narrative essays work differently—you’re not trying to draw meaning from an existing text, but rather using an event you’ve experienced to convey meaning. In an analytical essay, you examine narrative, whereas in a narrative essay you create narrative.

The structure of a narrative essay is also a bit different than other essays. You’ll generally be getting your point across chronologically as opposed to grouping together specific arguments in paragraphs or sections. To return to the example of an essay discussing your first day of high school and how it impacted the shaping of your identity, it would be weird to put the events out of order, even if not knowing what to do after lunch feels like a stronger idea than choosing where to sit. Instead of organizing to deliver your information based on maximum impact, you’ll be telling your story as it happened, using concrete details to reinforce your theme.

3 Great Narrative Essay Examples

One of the best ways to learn how to write a narrative essay is to look at a great narrative essay sample. Let’s take a look at some truly stellar narrative essay examples and dive into what exactly makes them work so well.

A Ticket to the Fair by David Foster Wallace

Today is Press Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, and I’m supposed to be at the fairgrounds by 9:00 A.M. to get my credentials. I imagine credentials to be a small white card in the band of a fedora. I’ve never been considered press before. My real interest in credentials is getting into rides and shows for free. I’m fresh in from the East Coast, for an East Coast magazine. Why exactly they’re interested in the Illinois State Fair remains unclear to me. I suspect that every so often editors at East Coast magazines slap their foreheads and remember that about 90 percent of the United States lies between the coasts, and figure they’ll engage somebody to do pith-helmeted anthropological reporting on something rural and heartlandish. I think they asked me to do this because I grew up here, just a couple hours’ drive from downstate Springfield. I never did go to the state fair, though—I pretty much topped out at the county fair level. Actually, I haven’t been back to Illinois for a long time, and I can’t say I’ve missed it.

Throughout this essay, David Foster Wallace recounts his experience as press at the Illinois State Fair. But it’s clear from this opening that he’s not just reporting on the events exactly as they happened—though that’s also true— but rather making a point about how the East Coast, where he lives and works, thinks about the Midwest.

In his opening paragraph, Wallace states that outright: “Why exactly they’re interested in the Illinois State Fair remains unclear to me. I suspect that every so often editors at East Coast magazines slap their foreheads and remember that about 90 percent of the United States lies between the coasts, and figure they’ll engage somebody to do pith-helmeted anthropological reporting on something rural and heartlandish.”

Not every motif needs to be stated this clearly , but in an essay as long as Wallace’s, particularly since the audience for such a piece may feel similarly and forget that such a large portion of the country exists, it’s important to make that point clear.

But Wallace doesn’t just rest on introducing his motif and telling the events exactly as they occurred from there. It’s clear that he selects events that remind us of that idea of East Coast cynicism , such as when he realizes that the Help Me Grow tent is standing on top of fake grass that is killing the real grass beneath, when he realizes the hypocrisy of craving a corn dog when faced with a real, suffering pig, when he’s upset for his friend even though he’s not the one being sexually harassed, and when he witnesses another East Coast person doing something he wouldn’t dare to do.

Wallace is literally telling the audience exactly what happened, complete with dates and timestamps for when each event occurred. But he’s also choosing those events with a purpose—he doesn’t focus on details that don’t serve his motif. That’s why he discusses the experiences of people, how the smells are unappealing to him, and how all the people he meets, in cowboy hats, overalls, or “black spandex that looks like cheesecake leotards,” feel almost alien to him.

All of these details feed back into the throughline of East Coast thinking that Wallace introduces in the first paragraph. He also refers back to it in the essay’s final paragraph, stating:

At last, an overarching theory blooms inside my head: megalopolitan East Coasters’ summer treats and breaks and literally ‘getaways,’ flights-from—from crowds, noise, heat, dirt, the stress of too many sensory choices….The East Coast existential treat is escape from confines and stimuli—quiet, rustic vistas that hold still, turn inward, turn away. Not so in the rural Midwest. Here you’re pretty much away all the time….Something in a Midwesterner sort of actuates , deep down, at a public event….The real spectacle that draws us here is us.

Throughout this journey, Wallace has tried to demonstrate how the East Coast thinks about the Midwest, ultimately concluding that they are captivated by the Midwest’s less stimuli-filled life, but that the real reason they are interested in events like the Illinois State Fair is that they are, in some ways, a means of looking at the East Coast in a new, estranging way.

The reason this works so well is that Wallace has carefully chosen his examples, outlined his motif and themes in the first paragraph, and eventually circled back to the original motif with a clearer understanding of his original point.

When outlining your own narrative essay, try to do the same. Start with a theme, build upon it with examples, and return to it in the end with an even deeper understanding of the original issue. You don’t need this much space to explore a theme, either—as we’ll see in the next example, a strong narrative essay can also be very short.

Death of a Moth by Virginia Woolf

After a time, tired by his dancing apparently, he settled on the window ledge in the sun, and, the queer spectacle being at an end, I forgot about him. Then, looking up, my eye was caught by him. He was trying to resume his dancing, but seemed either so stiff or so awkward that he could only flutter to the bottom of the window-pane; and when he tried to fly across it he failed. Being intent on other matters I watched these futile attempts for a time without thinking, unconsciously waiting for him to resume his flight, as one waits for a machine, that has stopped momentarily, to start again without considering the reason of its failure. After perhaps a seventh attempt he slipped from the wooden ledge and fell, fluttering his wings, on to his back on the window sill. The helplessness of his attitude roused me. It flashed upon me that he was in difficulties; he could no longer raise himself; his legs struggled vainly. But, as I stretched out a pencil, meaning to help him to right himself, it came over me that the failure and awkwardness were the approach of death. I laid the pencil down again.

In this essay, Virginia Woolf explains her encounter with a dying moth. On surface level, this essay is just a recounting of an afternoon in which she watched a moth die—it’s even established in the title. But there’s more to it than that. Though Woolf does not begin her essay with as clear a motif as Wallace, it’s not hard to pick out the evidence she uses to support her point, which is that the experience of this moth is also the human experience.

In the title, Woolf tells us this essay is about death. But in the first paragraph, she seems to mostly be discussing life—the moth is “content with life,” people are working in the fields, and birds are flying. However, she mentions that it is mid-September and that the fields were being plowed. It’s autumn and it’s time for the harvest; the time of year in which many things die.

In this short essay, she chronicles the experience of watching a moth seemingly embody life, then die. Though this essay is literally about a moth, it’s also about a whole lot more than that. After all, moths aren’t the only things that die—Woolf is also reflecting on her own mortality, as well as the mortality of everything around her.

At its core, the essay discusses the push and pull of life and death, not in a way that’s necessarily sad, but in a way that is accepting of both. Woolf begins by setting up the transitional fall season, often associated with things coming to an end, and raises the ideas of pleasure, vitality, and pity.

At one point, Woolf tries to help the dying moth, but reconsiders, as it would interfere with the natural order of the world. The moth’s death is part of the natural order of the world, just like fall, just like her own eventual death.

All these themes are set up in the beginning and explored throughout the essay’s narrative. Though Woolf doesn’t directly state her theme, she reinforces it by choosing a small, isolated event—watching a moth die—and illustrating her point through details.

With this essay, we can see that you don’t need a big, weird, exciting event to discuss an important meaning. Woolf is able to explore complicated ideas in a short essay by being deliberate about what details she includes, just as you can be in your own essays.

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin

On the twenty-ninth of July, in 1943, my father died. On the same day, a few hours later, his last child was born. Over a month before this, while all our energies were concentrated in waiting for these events, there had been, in Detroit, one of the bloodiest race riots of the century. A few hours after my father’s funeral, while he lay in state in the undertaker’s chapel, a race riot broke out in Harlem. On the morning of the third of August, we drove my father to the graveyard through a wilderness of smashed plate glass.

Like Woolf, Baldwin does not lay out his themes in concrete terms—unlike Wallace, there’s no clear sentence that explains what he’ll be talking about. However, you can see the motifs quite clearly: death, fatherhood, struggle, and race.

Throughout the narrative essay, Baldwin discusses the circumstances of his father’s death, including his complicated relationship with his father. By introducing those motifs in the first paragraph, the reader understands that everything discussed in the essay will come back to those core ideas. When Baldwin talks about his experience with a white teacher taking an interest in him and his father’s resistance to that, he is also talking about race and his father’s death. When he talks about his father’s death, he is also talking about his views on race. When he talks about his encounters with segregation and racism, he is talking, in part, about his father.

Because his father was a hard, uncompromising man, Baldwin struggles to reconcile the knowledge that his father was right about many things with his desire to not let that hardness consume him, as well.

Baldwin doesn’t explicitly state any of this, but his writing so often touches on the same motifs that it becomes clear he wants us to think about all these ideas in conversation with one another.

At the end of the essay, Baldwin makes it more clear:

This fight begins, however, in the heart and it had now been laid to my charge to keep my own heart free of hatred and despair. This intimation made my heart heavy and, now that my father was irrecoverable, I wished that he had been beside me so that I could have searched his face for the answers which only the future would give me now.

Here, Baldwin ties together the themes and motifs into one clear statement: that he must continue to fight and recognize injustice, especially racial injustice, just as his father did. But unlike his father, he must do it beginning with himself—he must not let himself be closed off to the world as his father was. And yet, he still wishes he had his father for guidance, even as he establishes that he hopes to be a different man than his father.

In this essay, Baldwin loads the front of the essay with his motifs, and, through his narrative, weaves them together into a theme. In the end, he comes to a conclusion that connects all of those things together and leaves the reader with a lasting impression of completion—though the elements may have been initially disparate, in the end everything makes sense.

You can replicate this tactic of introducing seemingly unattached ideas and weaving them together in your own essays. By introducing those motifs, developing them throughout, and bringing them together in the end, you can demonstrate to your reader how all of them are related. However, it’s especially important to be sure that your motifs and clear and consistent throughout your essay so that the conclusion feels earned and consistent—if not, readers may feel mislead.

5 Key Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Narrative essays can be a lot of fun to write since they’re so heavily based on creativity. But that can also feel intimidating—sometimes it’s easier to have strict guidelines than to have to make it all up yourself. Here are a few tips to keep your narrative essay feeling strong and fresh.

Develop Strong Motifs

Motifs are the foundation of a narrative essay . What are you trying to say? How can you say that using specific symbols or events? Those are your motifs.

In the same way that an argumentative essay’s body should support its thesis, the body of your narrative essay should include motifs that support your theme.

Try to avoid cliches, as these will feel tired to your readers. Instead of roses to symbolize love, try succulents. Instead of the ocean representing some vast, unknowable truth, try the depths of your brother’s bedroom. Keep your language and motifs fresh and your essay will be even stronger!

Use First-Person Perspective

In many essays, you’re expected to remove yourself so that your points stand on their own. Not so in a narrative essay—in this case, you want to make use of your own perspective.

Sometimes a different perspective can make your point even stronger. If you want someone to identify with your point of view, it may be tempting to choose a second-person perspective. However, be sure you really understand the function of second-person; it’s very easy to put a reader off if the narration isn’t expertly deployed.

If you want a little bit of distance, third-person perspective may be okay. But be careful—too much distance and your reader may feel like the narrative lacks truth.

That’s why first-person perspective is the standard. It keeps you, the writer, close to the narrative, reminding the reader that it really happened. And because you really know what happened and how, you’re free to inject your own opinion into the story without it detracting from your point, as it would in a different type of essay.

Stick to the Truth

Your essay should be true. However, this is a creative essay, and it’s okay to embellish a little. Rarely in life do we experience anything with a clear, concrete meaning the way somebody in a book might. If you flub the details a little, it’s okay—just don’t make them up entirely.

Also, nobody expects you to perfectly recall details that may have happened years ago. You may have to reconstruct dialog from your memory and your imagination. That’s okay, again, as long as you aren’t making it up entirely and assigning made-up statements to somebody.

Dialog is a powerful tool. A good conversation can add flavor and interest to a story, as we saw demonstrated in David Foster Wallace’s essay. As previously mentioned, it’s okay to flub it a little, especially because you’re likely writing about an experience you had without knowing that you’d be writing about it later.

However, don’t rely too much on it. Your narrative essay shouldn’t be told through people explaining things to one another; the motif comes through in the details. Dialog can be one of those details, but it shouldn’t be the only one.

Use Sensory Descriptions

Because a narrative essay is a story, you can use sensory details to make your writing more interesting. If you’re describing a particular experience, you can go into detail about things like taste, smell, and hearing in a way that you probably wouldn’t do in any other essay style.

These details can tie into your overall motifs and further your point. Woolf describes in great detail what she sees while watching the moth, giving us the sense that we, too, are watching the moth. In Wallace’s essay, he discusses the sights, sounds, and smells of the Illinois State Fair to help emphasize his point about its strangeness. And in Baldwin’s essay, he describes shattered glass as a “wilderness,” and uses the feelings of his body to describe his mental state.

All these descriptions anchor us not only in the story, but in the motifs and themes as well. One of the tools of a writer is making the reader feel as you felt, and sensory details help you achieve that.

What’s Next?

Looking to brush up on your essay-writing capabilities before the ACT? This guide to ACT English will walk you through some of the best strategies and practice questions to get you prepared!

Part of practicing for the ACT is ensuring your word choice and diction are on point. Check out this guide to some of the most common errors on the ACT English section to be sure that you're not making these common mistakes!

A solid understanding of English principles will help you make an effective point in a narrative essay, and you can get that understanding through taking a rigorous assortment of high school English classes !

Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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The Art of Narrative

Learn to write.

How to Write a Narrative Essay: Step by Step

A narrative essay is a captivating form of storytelling that allows writers to convey personal experiences or fictional tales in a compelling manner. Whether recounting real-life events or weaving imaginative narratives, the essence of a narrative essay lies in its ability to entertain, inform, or persuade the reader. Let’s learn how to write a narrative essay!

What is a Narrative Essay?

A narrative essay is a form of writing that conveys a story, whether fictional or based on authentic experiences. It allows the writer to share a sequence of events, weaving together the plot, characters, setting, and theme elements. The primary purpose of a narrative essay can vary, as it can aim to entertain, inform, or persuade the reader.

The writer often draws inspiration from personal experiences or observations when writing a narrative essay. It is an opportunity for the writer to share a slice of their life, explore their emotions, and connect with the reader on a personal level. The story can revolve around a specific event, a journey, a turning point, or a significant relationship in the writer’s life.

The structure of a narrative essay typically follows the traditional narrative arc, beginning with an engaging introduction that establishes the setting, introduces the main characters, and hints at the central conflict or theme. The body paragraphs gradually unravel the story, presenting events chronologically or employing flashbacks and foreshadowing techniques to create suspense. The writer uses vivid language, imagery, and sensory details to immerse the reader in the story and evoke emotions.

The writer’s style is crucial in crafting a captivating narrative essay. To enhance the storytelling experience, they may employ different narrative techniques, such as dialogue, incorporating symbolism, or alternating between first-person and third-person perspectives. Using literary devices and figurative language adds depth and richness to the writing, helping the writer convey complex emotions and create a lasting impression on the reader.

In terms of purpose, a narrative essay can be written to entertain the reader by providing an engaging and enjoyable story. It can also be informative by sharing knowledge or experiences that educate or enlighten the reader. Additionally, a narrative essay can aim to persuade the reader by presenting a particular viewpoint or argument, using storytelling to convey a message or influence the reader’s thoughts and emotions.

Narrative essays offer writers a versatile and compelling way to connect with their audience. They allow writers to explore the human experience, share their perspectives, and evoke emotions in the reader. Whether it’s a personal anecdote, a historical account, or a work of fiction, a well-crafted narrative essay can transport the reader to different worlds, inspire reflection, and leave a lasting impact.

Features of a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story or recounts a sequence of events from the author’s personal experiences or imagination. Here are some key features of a narrative essay:

Storytelling: The essay is structured around a central story or narrative thread. Writers may base their narrative on real-life experiences, anecdotes, or fictional events.
Point of View : The narrative is usually told in the first person, using “I” to convey the author’s personal involvement or observation in the events described.
Plot: Like any story, a narrative essay typically has a beginning, middle, and end. It may include exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Characters: The essay may feature characters who play roles within the narrative. These characters could be real people, fictional creations, or even representations of abstract concepts.
Descriptive language often engages the reader and creates a vivid picture of the events. This includes sensory details such as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures.
Dialogue: Dialogue can add authenticity and bring characters to life. It helps advance the plot and reveal character traits or motivations.
Conflict: A narrative essay often involves some form of conflict or tension, whether internal (within the protagonist) or external (between characters or with external circumstances). Resolving this conflict is often central to the narrative’s arc.
Theme: Narrative essays primarily tell a story but may also explore broader themes or ideas. These themes could include love, friendship, loss, resilience, growth, or any other topic relevant to the narrative.
Emotional Impact: Effective narrative essays evoke emotions in the reader, whether it’s joy, sadness, excitement, empathy, or reflection. This emotional connection helps to make the story memorable and impactful.
Reflection or Moral: Many narrative essays conclude with a reflection or insight gained from the experiences. This reflection offers a lesson learned, a moral drawn from the story, or a deeper understanding of the events described.

A narrative essay aims to entertain, inform, and sometimes even persuade the reader by presenting a compelling story with a clear narrative arc and emotional resonance.

How to write a Narrative Essay Thesis Statement:

Writing a thesis statement for a narrative essay involves summarizing the main point or theme of the story you will tell. Here’s how to craft a strong thesis statement for a narrative essay:

Identify the Main Theme or Message : Reflect on the central idea or lesson that your narrative essay will convey. This theme could be a personal experience that taught you something valuable, a moment of realization, or a significant event in your life.
Consider the Narrative Arc: Consider the key events and turning points in your story. What is the journey or trajectory of your narrative? Your thesis statement should capture the essence of this narrative arc.
Be Specific and Concise: Your thesis statement should clearly state the main point of your narrative essay in a single sentence. Avoid vague language or overly general statements.
Make it Relevant: Your thesis statement should directly relate to the story you’re telling. It should capture the unique perspective or insight that your narrative offers.
Use Action Verbs and Descriptive Language: Infuse your thesis statement with vivid language that conveys the energy and emotion of your narrative. This language will help grab the reader’s attention and set the tone for your essay.
Provide a Preview: Your thesis statement can also hint at the direction of your essay and what readers can expect to learn or experience by reading it.

Here’s an example of a thesis statement for a narrative essay about a transformative travel experience:

Narrative Essay Thesis Statement Example:

“Through the challenges of navigating unfamiliar cultures and confronting my preconceptions, my journey to Orlando taught me the true meaning of resilience, empathy, and cultural understanding.”

This thesis statement succinctly summarizes the central theme (personal growth through travel), previews the narrative arc (challenges and lessons learned), and provides insight into the story’s significance.

How to Write a Narrative Essay Step by Step:

Writing a narrative essay involves several steps to convey your story and engage your readers effectively. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you write a narrative essay:

Choose a Topic : Choose a personal experience or event to narrate. It could be a significant moment in your life, a memorable trip, a challenging situation you overcame, or any other story that has impacted you.
Brainstorm Details: Take some time to brainstorm the details of your chosen topic. Consider the characters involved, the setting, the sequence of events, and any significant dialogue or interactions.
Outline Your Narrative : Create an outline to organize your thoughts and plan the structure of your essay. Include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Outline the main events of your story and any key points you want to emphasize.
Write a Compelling Introduction: Begin your essay with a strong hook that grabs the reader’s attention and introduces your narrative’s main idea or theme. Provide some background information to set the context for your story, and end your introduction with a clear thesis statement.
Develop the Body Paragraphs: In the body of your essay, narrate the events of your story in chronological order. Use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture for your readers and bring your story to life. Include details that engage your audience’s senses and emotions.
Include Dialogue and Reflection: Incorporate dialogue to add realism and depth to your narrative. Use quotation marks to indicate when characters are speaking. Additionally, intersperse moments of reflection throughout your essay to provide insight into your thoughts and feelings at different points in the story.
Maintain Narrative Flow: Your narrative should flow smoothly from one event to the next. Use transitional phrases and sentences to connect your ideas and guide your readers through the story.
Create a Memorable Conclusion: End your essay with a conclusion that ties up any loose ends and leaves a lasting impression on your readers. Reflect on the events’ significance and reiterate your narrative’s central message or lesson.
Revise and Edit: Once you’ve written a draft of your narrative essay, take the time to revise and edit it. Check for grammar and punctuation errors, clarify confusing passages, and refine your language for clarity and impact. Consider seeking feedback from peers or instructors to improve your essay further.
Finalize Your Essay: After making revisions, read through your essay to ensure it meets your standards. Make any necessary changes, and then finalize your narrative essay for submission or publication.

By following these steps, you can effectively write a compelling narrative essay that captures the attention of your readers and communicates your story with clarity and impact.

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How to write a Narrative Essay Conclusion:

Writing a conclusion for a narrative essay involves wrapping up the story you’ve told while leaving a lasting impression on your readers. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write a narrative essay conclusion:

Revisit the Thesis Statement: Start your conclusion by revisiting your essay’s thesis statement or central idea. Remind your readers of the central theme or message that your narrative has explored.
Summarize the Journey: Briefly summarize the events and experiences you’ve narrated throughout your essay. Highlight the key moments that contributed to the story’s development and the characters involved.
Reflect on the Significance: Consider the significance of your story. Consider your narrative about the human experience, personal growth, or the broader context of the events described.
Offer Insight or Reflection: Share your personal insights or reflections on the narrative’s events. Discuss what you’ve learned, how you’ve changed, or any new perspectives you’ve gained as a result of the experiences you’ve described.
Provide Closure: Resolve any unresolved conflicts or questions to offer closure to your narrative. Tie up loose ends and ensure that your readers feel a sense of completion at the end of the essay.
End with Impact: End your conclusion with a memorable statement or thought-provoking insight that leaves a lasting impression on your readers. Consider how you want your audience to feel or what message you want them to take away from your narrative.
Maintain Consistency: Ensure that your conclusion’s tone and style match the rest of your essay. Maintain consistency in your voice and narrative style to provide a cohesive reading experience.
Avoid Introducing New Information: In your conclusion, avoid introducing new information or events. Instead, wrap up the story you’ve already told and reinforce its significance.
Keep it Concise: Your conclusion should be concise, clear, and to the point, avoiding unnecessary repetition or wordiness.

To craft a captivating conclusion for your narrative essay, follow these steps. This will allow you to effectively wrap up your story and leave a lasting impact on your readers:

Narrative Essay Outline:

Here’s a basic outline structure for a narrative essay:

I. Introduction

A. Hook : Start with an attention-grabbing opening sentence or anecdote that sets the stage for your story.

B. Background Information: Provide some context or background information to orient your readers to the narrative.

C. Thesis Statement: Present your narrative essay’s main idea or theme.

II. Body Paragraphs

A. First Event : Describe the first event or experience in your narrative. Use descriptive language to create a vivid picture for your readers.

1. Introduction of Characters/Setting: Introduce any relevant characters or the setting where the event occurs.

2. Description of Events: Provide a detailed description of what happens during this event.

3. Reflection: Reflect on the event’s significance and impact on the narrative and characters.

(Continue pattern for subsequent events)

III. Climax

A. Build-up: Describe the peak of the narrative, where tension or conflict reaches its highest point.

B. Resolution: Describe how the conflict is resolved or how the story reaches its climax.

C. Reflection: Reflect on the significance of the climax and its impact on the narrative and characters.

IV. Conclusion

A. Summary: Summarize the key events and moments of your narrative.

B. Restate: Restate your thesis and how it relates to your overall narrative.

C. Closing Statement: End with a memorable closing statement or insight that leaves a lasting impression on your readers.

If you want to write a narrative essay that will have your readers hooked from the start, this outline is your go-to guide. It’s like a solid foundation that you can build on and customize to fit your assignment or the unique details of your story. It’s all about structuring your essay in a way that keeps your readers engaged from beginning to end.

Download your Narrative Essay Example PDF

Narrative essay example: .

Title: A Day at the Amusement Park

Introduction:

It was a sunny Saturday morning when my family and I decided to spend the day at the local amusement park. The excitement was palpable as we packed our bags with sunscreen, snacks, and anticipation. Little did I know this day would be filled with thrills, laughter, and a few surprises.

Body Paragraph 1:

As soon as we arrived at the amusement park, I could hear the sounds of joyful screams and carnival music filling the air. We started our day by hopping on the roller coaster, where the adrenaline rush left me breathless. The wind whipped through my hair as we soared through loops and twists, and for a moment, I felt like I was flying.

Body Paragraph 2:

Next, we ventured to the water park section of the amusement park to cool off from the summer heat. The lazy river provided a relaxing escape, allowing us to float along peacefully while soaking up the sun. We also dared to tackle the towering water slides, plunging into the refreshing pools below with exhilarating splashes.

Body Paragraph 3:

As the day progressed, we explored the various attractions and games scattered throughout the park. From carnival games to arcade challenges, there was no shortage of entertainment to keep us occupied. We laughed and competed with each other, creating memories that would last a lifetime.

Body Paragraph 4:

However, our day took an unexpected turn when we stumbled upon a magician’s performance near the main stage. Mesmerized by his illusions and sleight of hand, we eagerly volunteered to participate in his act. I’ll never forget the look of amazement on my family’s faces as he made objects disappear and reappear before our very eyes.

Conclusion:

As the sun began to set on our day at the amusement park, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the unforgettable experiences we shared together. From the heart-pounding rides to the magical moments, each memory forever holds a special place in my heart. As we made our way home, tired but content, I knew that this day would be one that I would cherish forever.

Learn how to write conclusion!

Download your Narrative Essay Example PDF

Tips on How to Write a Narrative Essay

Choose a Compelling Story: Select a personal experience, event, or memory that is meaningful and has the potential to resonate with your readers.
Identify the Theme or Message: Determine the central theme or message you want to convey through your narrative and ensure that it is woven throughout the essay.
Create a Strong Narrative Arc: Your story should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The beginning should introduce the setting, characters, and conflict; the middle should develop the plot and build tension; and the end should resolve the conflict and leave a lasting impression.
Use Descriptive Language: Engage the senses of your readers by using vivid and descriptive language that brings the story to life. Paint a picture in their minds and immerse them in the narrative.
Develop Memorable Characters: Create relatable and well-developed characters that readers can empathize with—flesh out their personalities, motivations, and conflicts.
Show, Don’t Tell: Instead of simply stating facts or emotions, use sensory details and actions to show readers what is happening. This will make the story more immersive and believable.
Maintain Narrative Consistency: Your narrative’s tone, style, and point of view should remain consistent throughout the essay. Avoid sudden shifts that may confuse or disengage your readers.
Incorporate Dialogue: Use dialogue to add realism and depth to your narrative. Dialogue can reveal character traits, advance the plot, and create tension.
Pace Yourself: Control the pacing of your narrative to create suspense and build anticipation. Vary the length and intensity of your paragraphs to maintain reader interest.
Proofread and Revise: After writing your first draft, proofread and revise your essay. Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Polish your language and refine your ideas to enhance the overall quality of your narrative.

How to Write a Narrative Essay with Dialogue

Writing a narrative essay with dialogue can add depth and authenticity to your story, allowing your readers to feel more immersed in the narrative. Here are some tips on how to effectively incorporate dialogue into your narrative essay:

Check out our definitive guide to dialogue!

Set the Scene: Before introducing dialogue, provide some context to set the scene for your readers. Describe the setting, introduce the characters involved, and establish the mood or atmosphere of the scene.
Use Quotation Marks: When writing dialogue, enclose the spoken words within double quotation marks (” “). This helps to distinguish dialogue from other narrative elements clearly.
Attribute Dialogue Appropriately: Use dialogue tags to attribute spoken words to specific characters. Common dialogue tags include “said,” “asked,” “replied,” “responded,” etc. For example:
“I can’t wait to go to the beach,” said Sarah excitedly.
“What time are we leaving?” asked Mark.
Punctuate Dialogue Correctly: When writing dialogue, pay attention to punctuation rules. Place commas or periods inside the quotation marks, and use a comma, question mark, or exclamation point to end the dialogue before the closing quotation mark.
“I love this movie,” she said.
“Are you coming with us?” he asked.
“Stop right there!” shouted the officer.
Show, Don’t Tell: Use dialogue to reveal character traits, emotions, and relationships. Instead of telling the reader how a character feels, show it through their words and interactions with others.
“I’m so nervous,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back,” he reassured her.
Keep Dialogue Natural: Write dialogue that sounds natural and reflects how people actually speak. Avoid overly formal or stilted language, and use contractions and colloquialisms to make the dialogue more realistic.
“I can’t believe you did that!” instead of “I cannot believe you did that!”
Use Dialogue to Advance the Plot: Use dialogue to move the story forward and convey important information or developments. Dialogue can reveal plot points, conflicts, resolutions, or character motivations.
“I saw him leave the party with someone else,” she whispered to her friend, her eyes wide with shock.
Edit and Revise: After writing your narrative essay with dialogue, carefully review and revise it to ensure

A narrative essay is a powerful form of storytelling that can entertain, inform, or persuade readers. Its unique features, such as storytelling, point of view, plot, characters, descriptive language, conflict, theme, emotional impact, and reflection or moral, can create a memorable and impactful experience for the reader.

By following the step-by-step guide for crafting a narrative essay thesis statement and writing your essay, you can create a compelling narrative that effectively conveys your story and engages your readers. So, go ahead and start writing your narrative essay, and let your story inspire, educate, and entertain your readers. It flows smoothly and serves its purpose within the story. Check for consistency, clarity, and relevance.

Purdue OWL – Narrative Essays

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How to Write a Good Narrative Essay: Tips, Examples, & Step-by-Step Guide

How to write a narrative essay? To do that, you need to know what a narrative essay is. It is an academic text usually written as a story and containing all the usual elements of a story. Narrative essays are often personal, experiential, and creative. Still, they should be made according to the rules of academic writing.

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Want to know how to write a good narrative essay for college or middle school? In this guide by Custom Writing experts, you’ll find a step-by-step guide, narrative essay examples, advice on choosing a topic, outlining and writing your text, as well as useful narrative essay tips.

❔ What Makes a Good Narrative Essay?

👣 Narrative Writing Guide
💡 Writing Tips

🔗 References

A narrative essay is usually a story about your own or somebody’s experience. We tell stories every day. So, when you ask “How to write a narrative essay,” you should think of a story you want to write about. Stories don’t need to be very accurate. They should be engaging, that is their most important quality. If written as a story, your narrative essay should contain all the necessary parts of it: an introduction, a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a denouement.

Check out information below to learn what each part of a good narrative essay includes:

📌 Introduction

The introduction of a narrative essay consists of exposition and conflict:

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The exposition presents the setting (time and place), characters, and mood.
The conflict is the main problem that drives the plot. It is an internal or external challenge the main character faces.

📌 Rising action

The rising action includes the events that lead up to the climax. They usually make the issue worse.

The climax is a turning point in the plot. It is the moment when opposing forces confront each other, make significant decisions, or take action.

📌 Falling action

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The falling action refers to the events that occur after the climax, such as character development, answers to key questions, etc.

📌 Denouement

The denouement, also known as resolution, reveals how things turn out in the end, leaving readers with questions, answers, frustration, or satisfaction.

👣 How to Write a Good Narrative Essay

Below are five simple writing steps for a narrative essay. Here are simple things you should do before you start writing your story:

Think about your narrative essay topic and how your life experience correlates with it. Even a small fact, idea, or goal can become a good story idea.
Think about your emotions. The more passionate you will be – the more effective your assignment.
Recall your story’s details : people and objects, setting, and season. Think about the sequence of events and remember; no detail is too small. Remember: the small details reveal big ideas!

Step 1. Choose Your Narrative Essay Topic

If you are free to select your own topic for a narrative essay, you still need to read what is expected from you carefully and to follow the requirements stated in the assignment. These are the most common characteristics of a narrative essay for college students to mind when choosing a topic:

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A challenge or conflict: an exciting or dangerous incident that creates suspense.
A protagonist: a character facing the challenge or conflict as mentioned above. If you are not the protagonist and the story is a third-person, it is better to choose a relatable character.
Evolution, growth, and change: when protagonists live through a conflict or challenge, their personality changes. Difficulties spark insights that may be used as a moral of the story.

To come up with a successful narrative topic, brainstorm the following directions of thought:

Think of a problem that bothers you and you’d like to share
Have you had any memorable experiences that have changed your view on life?
What kind of stories raises your interest? You can invent something similar.

Step 2. Make Your Narrative Essay Outline

A narrative essay is a less formal kind of academic paper. Still, it shall also conform with arrangement rules. This outline template will help you structure a narrative essay according to the traditional format.

Narrative Essay Outline

Background information about the protagonist
Thesis statement
Setting (place and time)
Preceding events
Secondary characters
Action and culmination
Outcome or morale
Summary of main events
Thesis restatement

Narrative Essay Introduction

The components of an introduction are:

Hook. Your narration needs to be moving, personal, and reflective. But in the first place, you shall engage your reader with the story. A hook sets the necessary tone from the beginning. An intriguing revelation or confession is the best choice here.
Background. Who is the protagonist of your story? Additional information helps the reader to put themselves into your shoes.
Thesis . It is an argumentative sentence where you specify the point of the piece of writing.

Narrative Essay Body

The components of a body are:

Setting. Make a visual and emotional description that suggests what experiences you will share. State when and where the action takes place.
Preceding events. In continuation of the previous point, sketch the circumstances under which the scenario unfolds.
Characters. Describe the secondary characters of your story.
Action and climax. Use the chronological order format throughout the main part. All the events shall culminate with a climax, the most emotional point of the plot.
Morale. What was the result of everything described above? What lessons can be learned from your story?

Narrative Essay Conclusion

The components of a conclusion are:

Summarizing paragraph . List the key points of your narration.
Thesis restatement. Reiterating your purpose in different words relating to the content of the main body finalizes your paper.

Step 3. Write Your Narrative Essay Introduction

Well, you have chosen the topic of your future writing and created your narrative essay outline. What’s next? Start writing your narrative essay with an introduction.

The introduction is an important part of your essay paper as it grabs the reader’s attention. And here are some basic guidelines for a narrative essay introduction.

Start with an introductory phrase. It has to be short and catchy. An unexpected point of view is always interesting to get acquainted with.
State the thesis. It doesn’t need to be as formal as in other types of academic papers. However, it’s worth saying a couple of words on why you decided to tell this particular story to the reader.
Write supporting sentences. Give reasons why the story you are sharing is significant.
Remember that the reader was not there when the story happened. He (or she) is trying to catch up with it while reading. Be polite and thoughtful, don’t get into useless details or get swept away by the story, leaving your reader wondering and wandering.

Step 4. Create Your Narrative Essay Body

Your entire story is concentrated in body paragraphs: from three to as many as you wish.

Check the general guidelines on how to write a good narrative body!

Provide one idea per paragraph. Don’t try to put too many details in each of the logical parts.
Follow some logical pattern when presenting your narrative. Chronological is the easiest one.
Search for your personal writing style. It can be philosophical (careful! That requires specific knowledge), ironical, critical, romantic. Whatever you choose, it has to be you from top to bottom. The writing style is like an autograph. Work on it.

Step 5. Make a Narrative Essay Conclusion

You’re almost there. You just need to write good concluding sentences for your essay.

The conclusion is as important as an introduction. It leaves the aftertaste. Here you should make some final comments about your narrative. Restate some of the essential ideas and details and mention the most important lessons learned from your shared experience.

How to End a Narrative Essay?

Summarize. If you don’t like summarizing, or it doesn’t fit the style of the story, wrap it up with a rhetorical question or plans for the future.
Give your readers an idea. Think about the central message of the story and remind them of it.
Leave your readers experiencing a pleasant aftertaste. Give them a feeling that they need to sit back and think about the problems you brought up.

Step 6. Revise & Format Your Narrative Essay

Huh! You’ve done it. You finished the assignment. Now take a deep breath, go for a walk, or have some sleep. And then revise it. Here are some questions you should keep in mind when you review, reorganize, and modify your narrative essay to make it the best possible.

If you have any questions on how to format your narrative essay in MLA or APA, use our complete citation style guidebook .

Narrative Essay Checklist

Does the reader easily understand the progression of events? Do the transitions confuse or facilitate your readers?
Do I involve my readers in my experience? Should I add some details or remove extraneous ones that distract the attention?
How adequately did I convey the primary message of the essay? Does the experience described and its significance to me have a connection?

By the way, do you know which part of the writing process is usually the most underestimated? Proofreading . At this point, you should check and correct punctuation and grammar mistakes, improve clarity, and writing style. Ask your friend to read your narrative paper. You’ll get a fresh look at your writing.

📚 Narrative Essay Topics

If you need specific ideas to write your story about, explore the following narrative essay topics:

The most exciting day of your life.
A serious life lesson you learned.
A rebellious act that made a change .
A revelation that made you a different kind of person .
A moment you took a stand for yourself.
A situation when you protected someone.
An exciting discovery.
A moment when you had to overcome fear .
A dangerous situation you managed to escape.
What type of learner are you?
Detail how you used to handle stress at high school.
Describe the situation that helped you to understand the notion of race and ethnicity.
Discuss your experience of keeping to a financial plan .
Outline the day you attended court and how it influenced you.
Describe your experience of riding a bicycle .
Detail the parenting style of your parents and its impact on your personality.
Tell about the day you or your friend tried challenging gender norms.
Discuss your experience with writing.
Describe your traveling experience and the lessons you learned thanks to it.
Narrate how getting a degree changed your life.
Give details about your visit to a jazz concert .
What was the most embarrassing episode in your life?
Describe the peculiarities of the celebration of the traditional Thai New Year .
Tell a story that illustrates the influence of culture on human life.
Discuss the challenges you’ve faced when buying your first laptop .
Specify the situation when you faced racism.
What was the most memorable event in your childhood?
Write about your experience of trying dance movement therapy and its results.
Describe the case when you had a conflict and how you managed to resolve it.
Your experience of learning English.
Tell about your high school challenges and how you overcame them.
Give details about your experience of a cover conflict .
Recall and describe the moment of happiness .
Depict the last live concert you visited and the impression it made.
Write about your job experience.
Describe your visit to Australia and what you’ve learned from it.
Detail your experience of starting college and how it changed your life.
Tell about your first date .
Explain how a vacation in Mexico City added to your life experience.
Discuss the effect of the logic course on your life.
Describe your experience of bullying and its impact on your life.
Give details about your experience of global lockdown and how it changed your life values.
Tell a story that shows the role of technology in your life.
How was your first day at college?
Describe the most memorable event that had a positive impact on your life .
Narrate the story that happened to you on Christmas .
How did you meet your best friend ?
Write about the case of jealousy in friendship and how you managed to cope with it.
Describe your experience of adopting a cat from Humane Society.
Tell the story that shows how practicing mindfulness changed your life.

😸 Narrative Essay Examples

Example #1: live-saving experience.

In this essay, I would like to narrate a story that occurred with me and my friend when we were visiting a large shopping mall. It was the weekends, and our meeting in the café was planned in advance, but my friend suggested that we can go to the mall as she needed a new dress. I agreed with her and arrived a little earlier than it was arranged. I took a seat on the bench near the mall, sipping my cappuccino and looking around while waiting for my friend. The next 20 minutes were one of the most stressful and important in my life as I significantly contributed to saving a human life.

Example #2: Creating a Business with a Friend

I have been in business for more than ten years. I have seen crises, success, failures, tears, sweat, and hard work everywhere. Nevertheless, each time it was also about opportunities to grow both as an individual and as an entrepreneur. But I had one that was particularly memorable emotionally. This is a story about creating a business with a friend. I worked in various fields, and I started four of my companies with friends.

💡 Narrative Essay Tips

Do you need more tips for narrative writing? Keep reading!

Keep it clear. Avoid complex words and syntax.
Search for the balance when describing details . Don’t go into them too deeply. At the same time, even a single lost detail can skew the reader’s understanding.
Use the first-person narrative . Good narrative stories are usually written in the first person. When you use “I”, you’re engaging your readers with an immediacy of the story.
Use dynamic words and active voice . Think about your writing as it was the speech: what words, idioms, slang, and turns of phrase would you use? Try not to sound too clinical – no passive constructions.
Limit references . When you look through citation style guides, you’ll find the recommendations to include citations into your assignment. But not in a narrative essay – it is disruptive. When you find a useful piece of content, just cite it in the reference list after the essay.

Thank you for reading! Whenever you feel that you could use some help in writing your paper, take a closer look at these tips – you’ll definitely be able to develop your own signature style once you start following them. Keep up the good work!

Essay Writing: Purdue Online Writing Lab
How to Write an Making an Argument: Creating a Thesis (BMCC Writing Center)
Beginning the Academic Essay: Harvard College Writing Center
Conclusions: University of North Carolina Writing Center
Editing and Revision Tips: Indiana University Northwest
Narrative Essays // Purdue Writing Lab
Narrative Essay: Definition, Examples & Characteristics
Narrative Essays – National Geographic Learning – Cengage
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I will comment as soon as i finish reading your samples

Thanks guys it helped alot. i have my exam in 2 hours!

Thanks for sharing this 🙂

Thanks alot

Thank u so much… your tips have really helped me to broaden my scope on the idea of a narrative. This is so thoughtful of you… Thanks again!❤

This passage is really good, it helps me a lot. I think I can get a good result in my next exam if I follow these tips. I hope you can give some more other examples of essay writing. Thank you.

Thanx for the tips. Tomorrow I’m writing p3 pre-exam n ur tips are superb

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Mastering Narrative Essay Outlines: A Guide to Captivating Storytelling

Crafting a winning narrative essay outline: a step-by-step guide.

Stories have a unique ability to captivate, inspire, and resonate with audiences on a deeply personal level. From childhood bedtime tales to gripping novels, storytelling is ingrained in human culture, serving as a vehicle for sharing experiences, conveying emotions, and imparting wisdom. In academic settings, narrative essays harness this innate power, allowing students to weave their own narratives and engage readers through personal anecdotes, reflections, and insights.

Importance of a Narrative Essay Outline

Crafting a compelling narrative essay requires more than just a captivating story; it demands careful planning and organization. This is where the narrative essay outline steps in as a crucial tool for success. Much like the skeleton of a body provides structure and support, an outline serves as the framework upon which the narrative unfolds, guiding the writer through the storytelling process with clarity and purpose.

An outline not only helps students map out the trajectory of their narratives but also ensures coherence, cohesion, and logical progression from start to finish. It serves as a roadmap, delineating key plot points, character developments, and thematic threads, thereby streamlining the writing process and minimizing the risk of digression or confusion. Additionally, an outline serves as a reference point for revision and refinement, enabling students to fine-tune their narratives for maximum impact and resonance.

Overview of the Article

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the art of crafting a winning narrative essay outline, providing step-by-step instructions, practical tips, and illustrative examples to empower students in their writing endeavors. From understanding the fundamentals of narrative essays to mastering the intricacies of outlining techniques, this article aims to demystify the process and equip students with the tools and insights needed to produce compelling narratives that leave a lasting impression.

Join us on this journey as we explore the power of storytelling, unravel the nuances of narrative essay outlines, and embark on a quest to unleash the full potential of your narrative writing skills. Whether you’re a seasoned storyteller or a novice wordsmith, this guide promises to be a valuable resource in your academic arsenal, empowering you to craft narratives that captivate, inspire, and resonate with readers.

Understanding Narrative Essays

Definition and Purpose

At its core, a narrative essay is a form of writing that recounts a personal experience or anecdote in a structured and engaging manner. Unlike other types of essays that may focus on presenting arguments or analyzing data, narrative essays prioritize storytelling, allowing writers to share their own perspectives, insights, and emotions with readers. Whether recounting a childhood memory, reflecting on a life-changing event, or exploring a moment of personal growth, narrative essays offer a platform for self-expression and reflection.

The primary purpose of a narrative essay is to entertain, inform, or persuade readers by immersing them in the writer’s narrative world. Through vivid descriptions, compelling characters, and evocative language, narrative essays aim to evoke emotions, provoke thought, and create a sense of connection between the writer and the audience. Ultimately, a well-crafted narrative essay should leave a lasting impression, leaving readers with a deeper understanding of the writer’s experiences, perspectives, and values.

Elements of a Narrative Essay

A successful narrative essay is built upon several key elements that contribute to its effectiveness and impact. These elements work together to create a cohesive and engaging narrative that resonates with readers on both intellectual and emotional levels.

Characters: Central to any narrative essay are the characters who populate the story. These may include the writer themselves, as well as other individuals who play significant roles in the narrative. Effective characterization brings characters to life, providing readers with insights into their personalities, motivations, and relationships.

Setting: The setting of a narrative essay encompasses the time, place, and circumstances in which the story unfolds. A well-described setting helps to establish the mood, atmosphere, and context of the narrative, immersing readers in the writer’s world and enhancing the overall storytelling experience.

Plot: The plot refers to the sequence of events that comprise the narrative, including the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. A compelling plot captivates readers’ attention, drawing them into the narrative and keeping them engaged from beginning to end.

Conflict: Conflict is the driving force behind any narrative, presenting obstacles, challenges, or dilemmas that characters must overcome. Whether internal or external, physical or emotional, conflict adds tension and suspense to the narrative, propelling the story forward and heightening its dramatic impact.

Theme: Theme refers to the central message, idea, or moral lesson conveyed by the narrative. Themes may explore universal truths, societal issues, or personal insights, offering readers deeper layers of meaning and resonance beyond the surface-level plot. Themes often emerge organically from the narrative’s events, characters, and conflicts, inviting readers to reflect on their own lives and experiences.

Examples of Narrative Essays

To illustrate these elements in action, let’s consider a few examples of narrative essays:

“The Moment of Truth” – In this narrative essay, the writer recounts their experience of facing a difficult decision that tested their integrity and moral values. Through vivid descriptions and introspective reflections, the writer explores the inner conflict and external pressures they faced, ultimately revealing a deeper understanding of themselves and their principles. “A Journey Home” – This narrative essay follows the writer’s physical and emotional journey as they travel back to their childhood home after many years away. Through evocative imagery and sensory details, the writer vividly captures the sights, sounds, and sensations of the familiar landscape, while also reflecting on the passage of time and the changes that have occurred since their departure. “Lessons Learned” – In this narrative essay, the writer reflects on a formative experience that taught them valuable life lessons and shaped their perspective on the world. Through candid self-examination and introspective analysis, the writer explores the challenges they faced, the mistakes they made, and the insights they gained along the way, offering readers a glimpse into their personal growth and development.

These examples demonstrate how narrative essays can encompass a wide range of experiences, emotions, and themes, each uniquely crafted to engage and resonate with readers. By harnessing the power of storytelling and leveraging the elements of character, setting, plot, conflict, and theme, writers can create compelling narratives that leave a lasting impression and evoke a meaningful response from their audience.

Pre-Writing Phase

Before diving into the writing process, it’s essential to spend time in the pre-writing phase, laying the groundwork for your narrative essay. This phase involves brainstorming ideas, selecting a compelling topic, and defining a clear thesis statement to guide your writing. By investing time and effort in this initial stage, you’ll set yourself up for success and streamline the writing process.

1. Brainstorming Ideas

Brainstorming is a creative process that involves generating a multitude of ideas, concepts, and potential topics for your narrative essay. This stage is all about exploration and experimentation, allowing your imagination to run wild and uncovering hidden gems amidst the brainstorming process. Here are some techniques to kickstart your brainstorming session:

Freewriting: Set a timer for a few minutes and write continuously without worrying about grammar, structure, or coherence. Let your thoughts flow freely and explore different ideas as they come to mind.
Mind Mapping: Create a visual diagram or mind map to visually organize your thoughts and ideas. Start with a central topic or theme and branch out into subtopics, related concepts, and potential storylines.
Listing: Make a list of potential topics, experiences, or anecdotes that resonate with you or have left a lasting impression. Consider moments of personal growth, challenges overcome, or significant events that have shaped your life.
Reflective Journaling: Take some time to reflect on your own experiences, emotions, and insights. Explore moments of triumph, moments of failure, or moments of profound realization that have had a meaningful impact on your life.

As you brainstorm ideas, don’t censor yourself or judge your thoughts prematurely. Allow yourself to explore a wide range of possibilities and trust your instincts to lead you towards promising narrative avenues.

2. Choosing a Compelling Topic

Once you’ve generated a list of potential ideas and topics, it’s time to narrow down your options and choose a compelling topic for your narrative essay. Consider the following factors when selecting a topic:

Personal Significance: Choose a topic that holds personal significance or emotional resonance for you. Writing about something that you’re passionate about or deeply invested in will not only make the writing process more enjoyable but also allow you to convey authenticity and sincerity in your narrative.
Relevance: Select a topic that is relevant to your intended audience or the overarching theme of your narrative essay. Consider the themes, motifs, or messages you wish to explore and choose a topic that aligns with these overarching themes.
Narrative Potential: Assess the narrative potential of each topic and consider whether it offers rich opportunities for storytelling, character development, and thematic exploration. Look for topics that present challenges, conflicts, or moments of transformation that lend themselves to engaging narratives.
Uniqueness: Aim for originality and uniqueness when choosing a topic for your narrative essay. Avoid clichés, overused tropes, or topics that have been extensively covered in other works. Instead, strive to offer a fresh perspective or a unique angle that sets your narrative apart from the rest.

Ultimately, the best topic for your narrative essay is one that resonates with you personally, aligns with your thematic goals, and offers ample opportunities for storytelling and exploration.

3. Defining the Thesis Statement

Once you’ve chosen a topic for your narrative essay, it’s crucial to define a clear and concise thesis statement that encapsulates the central message or overarching theme of your narrative. Unlike traditional academic essays where the thesis statement presents an argument or analysis, the thesis statement in a narrative essay serves to establish the focus, purpose, and significance of your narrative. Here are some tips for crafting an effective thesis statement:

Be Specific: Clearly articulate the main idea or central theme of your narrative in a specific and focused manner. Avoid vague or broad statements that lack clarity or precision.
Reflect the Narrative Arc: Ensure that your thesis statement reflects the narrative arc of your essay, including key plot points, conflicts, and resolutions. Consider how your thesis statement encapsulates the journey or transformation experienced by the protagonist (which may be yourself) throughout the narrative.
Convey Significance: Communicate the broader significance or implications of your narrative, highlighting the lessons learned, insights gained, or universal truths revealed through your experiences. Your thesis statement should offer readers a glimpse into the deeper meaning and resonance of your narrative.
Maintain Tone and Voice: Ensure that your thesis statement reflects the tone and voice of your narrative essay, capturing the mood, atmosphere, and perspective of your storytelling. Whether serious, reflective, or whimsical, your thesis statement should set the tone for the narrative that follows.

Crafting a thesis statement may require multiple iterations and revisions as you refine your narrative essay. Be prepared to revisit and revise your thesis statement as needed to ensure that it accurately reflects the essence of your narrative and guides your writing effectively.

By investing time and effort in the pre-writing phase, you’ll lay a solid foundation for your narrative essay, setting yourself up for success in the writing process. Through brainstorming ideas, selecting a compelling topic, and defining a clear thesis statement, you’ll clarify your narrative vision, streamline your writing process, and ultimately produce a compelling and impactful narrative essay that resonates with readers.

Structure of a Narrative Essay Outline

I. Introduction A. Captivating Opening B. Thesis Statement II. Body Paragraphs A. Developing the Plot B. Characterization and Setting C. Building Tension and Conflict III. Conclusion A. Resolving the Conflict B. Reflection and Insight

I. Introduction

Captivating Opening:

Start with a gripping hook that captures the reader’s attention and sets the tone for the narrative. This could be a vivid description, a compelling question, or a thought-provoking anecdote.

Example: “The forest whispered secrets as I stepped into its embrace, each rustle of leaves a promise of adventure and mystery waiting to unfold.”

Thesis Statement:

Introduce the central theme or message of the narrative essay, providing readers with a preview of what to expect. The thesis statement should encapsulate the main idea and purpose of the narrative.

Example: “In this essay, I will explore the transformative power of nature, as experienced through a journey of self-discovery in the heart of the wilderness.”

II. Body Paragraphs

Developing the Plot:

Outline the sequence of events that comprise the narrative, focusing on key plot points, transitions, and developments. Provide details and descriptions that immerse readers in the story and propel the narrative forward.

Example: “As I ventured deeper into the forest, each step brought new challenges and revelations, from unexpected encounters with wildlife to moments of quiet introspection beneath the canopy of trees.”

Characterization and Setting:

Introduce the central characters and describe the setting in which the narrative takes place. Use vivid language and sensory details to bring characters and settings to life, allowing readers to visualize and empathize with the protagonists.

Example: “Amidst the towering trees and dappled sunlight, I encountered a cast of characters as diverse as the forest itself – from wise old oaks to mischievous squirrels, each leaving its mark on my journey.”

Building Tension and Conflict:

Heighten the drama and suspense by introducing conflicts, obstacles, or challenges that the protagonist must overcome. Explore the internal and external forces at play, building tension and anticipation as the narrative unfolds.

Example: “As night fell and shadows danced among the trees, I found myself confronting not only the dangers of the wilderness but also the doubts and fears lurking within my own heart, each step forward a battle against uncertainty and self-doubt.”

III. Conclusion

Resolving the Conflict:

Bring the narrative to a satisfying resolution by resolving conflicts, addressing challenges, or reaching a moment of clarity and understanding. Tie up loose ends and provide closure for the reader, allowing them to reflect on the journey and its significance.

Example: “In the end, it was not the destination but the journey itself that proved transformative, as I emerged from the depths of the forest with a newfound sense of purpose and direction, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.”

Reflection and Insight:

Reflect on the lessons learned, insights gained, or personal growth experienced throughout the narrative. Offer readers a glimpse into the protagonist’s inner thoughts and emotions, providing depth and resonance to the narrative’s conclusion.

Example: “As I stood on the edge of the forest, gazing out at the world beyond, I realized that the true adventure had only just begun – armed with newfound courage and resilience, I was ready to embrace the unknown and chart my own path forward.”

By following this outline structure, you can effectively organize your narrative essay, ensuring coherence, clarity, and impact from start to finish. Each section of the outline serves a specific purpose, guiding the reader through the narrative journey and leaving a lasting impression that resonates long after the final words are read.

Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting an Outline

Step 1: Identify the Main Event

Begin by pinpointing the central event or experience that will serve as the focal point of your narrative essay. This event should be significant, impactful, and ripe with potential for exploration and reflection.

Example: “The day I lost my way in the forest during a solo hiking trip.”

Step 2: Develop Characters and Setting

Introduce the main characters involved in the narrative, including the protagonist (yourself) and any other individuals who play a role in the story.
Describe the setting in which the narrative takes place, providing details about the time, place, and atmosphere.

Example: “Character: The protagonist, a young hiker eager to explore the wilderness. Setting: A dense forest teeming with wildlife, bathed in the golden light of early morning.”

Step 3: Establish Conflict and Resolution

Identify the primary conflict or challenge faced by the protagonist during the course of the narrative. This conflict should create tension, drive the plot forward, and provide opportunities for growth and development.
Outline how the protagonist resolves the conflict or confronts the challenges encountered, leading to a resolution or conclusion.

Example: “Conflict: The protagonist becomes lost in the forest and must find a way to navigate back to safety. Resolution: Through perseverance, resourcefulness, and inner strength, the protagonist overcomes obstacles and eventually finds their way home.”

Step 4: Incorporate Theme and Message

Explore the overarching themes or messages that emerge from the narrative, delving into deeper layers of meaning and significance.
Consider how the events of the narrative shed light on broader truths, lessons, or insights about life, resilience, or self-discovery.

Example: “Theme: The transformative power of adversity and the resilience of the human spirit. Message: Even in moments of uncertainty and fear, one can find strength and courage within themselves to overcome obstacles and emerge stronger on the other side.”

Step 5: Arrange Chronological Order

Organize the events of the narrative in chronological order, ensuring a logical progression of events from beginning to end.
Use transitions and temporal markers to guide readers through the narrative timeline and maintain clarity and coherence.

Example: “Chronological Order: 1. Setting out on the hiking trip. 2. Getting lost in the forest. 3. Navigating through the wilderness. 4. Confronting inner fears. 5. Finding the way home.”

By following these steps, you can craft a well-structured outline for your narrative essay, laying the groundwork for a compelling and impactful narrative that resonates with readers. Each step in the process contributes to the development of a cohesive and engaging narrative, guiding you through the storytelling journey with clarity, purpose, and direction.

Sample Outline Walkthrough

Introduction: “Lost in the Woods”

Begin with a captivating opening that sets the scene and captures the reader’s attention.

Example: “The dense canopy overhead blocked out the sunlight, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor as I ventured deeper into the heart of the woods. With each step, the familiar trails faded into obscurity, leaving me disoriented and alone in a labyrinth of towering trees and tangled undergrowth.”

Introduce the main event of the narrative: getting lost in the woods during a solo hiking trip.

Example: “It was supposed to be a simple trek through the wilderness, a chance to reconnect with nature and escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But as dusk descended and the forest grew silent around me, I realized with a sinking feeling that I had lost my way.”

Body Paragraph 1: Encounter with a Mysterious Figure

Describe the protagonist’s encounter with a mysterious figure in the forest.

Example: “As I stumbled through the underbrush, my heart pounding with fear and uncertainty, I caught sight of a shadowy figure looming ahead. Frozen in place, I watched as the figure emerged from the shadows, its features obscured by the dim light filtering through the trees.”

Explore the protagonist’s initial reactions and emotions upon encountering the mysterious figure.

Example: “Fear gripped me as I braced myself for the worst, expecting the figure to be a harbinger of danger or menace. But as it drew closer, I sensed a strange aura of calm and reassurance emanating from its presence, dispelling my apprehension and filling me with curiosity.”

Body Paragraph 2: Navigating Through the Wilderness

Detail the protagonist’s efforts to navigate through the wilderness and find a way back to safety.

Example: “With the mysterious figure’s guidance, I set out on a journey of exploration and discovery, following hidden trails and forgotten pathways through the labyrinthine forest. Each step brought new challenges and obstacles, from treacherous terrain to unexpected obstacles blocking my path.”

Highlight moments of perseverance, resourcefulness, and resilience as the protagonist navigates through adversity.

Example: “Despite moments of doubt and despair, I refused to succumb to the overwhelming sense of hopelessness that threatened to engulf me. Drawing on inner reserves of strength and determination, I pressed onward, driven by an unwavering belief that I would find my way home.”

Body Paragraph 3: Confronting Inner Fears

Explore the protagonist’s inner journey of self-discovery and personal growth as they confront their inner fears and insecurities.

Example: “As night fell and shadows danced among the trees, I found myself grappling with inner demons that had long lain dormant within me. Fears of failure, inadequacy, and loneliness surfaced, threatening to overwhelm me with their insidious whispers of doubt and despair.”

Reflect on moments of introspection and revelation as the protagonist confronts their fears and finds inner strength.

Example: “In the depths of darkness, I discovered a reservoir of courage and resilience that I never knew existed within me. Embracing the unknown with a newfound sense of purpose and determination, I forged ahead, guided by the flickering light of hope that burned bright within my heart.”

Conclusion: Finding Direction Amidst Chaos

Summarize the protagonist’s journey and the lessons learned along the way.

Example: “In the end, it was not the destination but the journey itself that proved transformative, as I emerged from the depths of the forest with a newfound sense of purpose and direction. Through adversity and uncertainty, I discovered the strength and resilience to navigate life’s twists and turns, guided by the unwavering light of hope that illuminates the darkest of paths.”

Offer reflections on the broader significance of the narrative and its themes.

Example: “Lost in the woods, I found more than just my way home—I found myself. In the wilderness of uncertainty, amidst the chaos of fear and doubt, I discovered the power of resilience, the beauty of perseverance, and the enduring strength of the human spirit. And though the path ahead may be uncertain, I walk it with confidence, knowing that I carry within me the lessons learned and the wisdom gained from my journey through the forest of life.”

This sample outline provides a structured framework for crafting a narrative essay that follows the protagonist’s journey from being lost in the woods to finding direction amidst chaos. Each section of the outline outlines key events, emotions, and themes, guiding the narrative from beginning to end with clarity, coherence, and impact.

Tips for Effective Narrative Essay Outlines

Crafting a compelling narrative essay outline requires careful attention to detail and a keen understanding of storytelling techniques. Here are some tips to help you create an outline that engages readers and brings your narrative to life:

Maintain Consistency in Tone and Perspective:

Ensure that the tone and perspective of your narrative essay remain consistent throughout the outline. Whether you’re adopting a first-person perspective or a third-person omniscient viewpoint, consistency is key to maintaining narrative coherence and immersing readers in the story.

Use Vivid Language and Descriptive Details:

Infuse your narrative essay outline with vivid language and descriptive details that appeal to the senses and evoke imagery in the reader’s mind. Paint a rich tapestry of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures to create a sensory experience that transports readers to the heart of your narrative world.

Incorporate Dialogue and Action Scenes:

Bring your narrative essay to life by incorporating dialogue and action scenes that propel the plot forward and reveal character dynamics. Dialogue adds authenticity and depth to character interactions, while action scenes inject energy and excitement into the narrative, keeping readers engaged and invested in the story’s progression.

Balance Show and Tell Techniques:

Strike a balance between “showing” and “telling” in your narrative essay outline, allowing readers to experience the story firsthand while also providing necessary exposition and insight. Show scenes through vivid description, action, and dialogue to immerse readers in the moment, but also utilize tell techniques to provide context, background information, and internal reflections that deepen the narrative’s meaning and resonance.

By incorporating these tips into your narrative essay outline, you can create a compelling roadmap for your storytelling journey, guiding readers through the twists and turns of your narrative with clarity, coherence, and impact. Whether you’re crafting a personal anecdote, a fictional tale, or a reflective essay, these tips will help you craft an outline that captivates readers and leaves a lasting impression.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Narrative Essay Outlines

Crafting a narrative essay outline requires careful attention to detail and a strategic approach to storytelling. To ensure the effectiveness of your outline and the success of your narrative essay, it’s essential to avoid common pitfalls that can detract from the clarity, coherence, and impact of your storytelling. Here are some pitfalls to watch out for:

Lack of Clear Direction:

One of the most significant pitfalls in narrative essay outlines is a lack of clear direction or purpose. Without a clear sense of where the narrative is heading, readers may become disengaged or confused, leading to a disjointed and unsatisfying reading experience. To avoid this pitfall, ensure that your outline outlines a clear trajectory for the narrative, with a well-defined beginning, middle, and end. Clearly articulate the central event or conflict, establish character motivations and goals, and map out the key plot points and developments that drive the narrative forward.

Overwhelming the Reader with Details:

While vivid descriptions and sensory details are essential for bringing your narrative to life, overloading your outline with excessive details can overwhelm readers and detract from the main storyline. Avoid the pitfall of overwhelming readers with unnecessary or extraneous details by focusing on the most essential elements of the narrative. Selectively choose details that advance the plot, develop characters, or evoke mood and atmosphere, and omit any information that does not contribute to the overall narrative arc. Remember that less is often more, and prioritizing quality over quantity will result in a more impactful and immersive reading experience.

Ignoring the Importance of Revision:

Perhaps the most critical pitfall to avoid in narrative essay outlines is ignoring the importance of revision. Even the most well-crafted outlines can benefit from careful review, refinement, and revision to ensure clarity, coherence, and effectiveness. Failing to revise your outline thoroughly can lead to inconsistencies, logical gaps, and missed opportunities for improvement in the final narrative essay. Take the time to review your outline critically, solicit feedback from peers or instructors, and make necessary revisions to strengthen the narrative’s structure, pacing, and impact. By embracing the revision process, you can transform a good outline into a great one and ultimately produce a narrative essay that resonates with readers and leaves a lasting impression.

By avoiding these common pitfalls in your narrative essay outline, you can create a roadmap for storytelling success, guiding readers through a compelling and immersive narrative experience. With clarity of direction, judicious use of details, and a commitment to revision, your narrative essay outline will serve as a solid foundation for crafting a memorable and impactful narrative essay that resonates with readers long after they’ve turned the final page.

In crafting a narrative essay outline, it’s crucial to avoid common pitfalls that can detract from the clarity, coherence, and impact of your storytelling. By maintaining a clear direction, avoiding overwhelming readers with unnecessary details, and embracing the importance of revision, you can create a roadmap for storytelling success.

A well-crafted narrative essay outline serves as a blueprint for your narrative journey, guiding readers through the twists and turns of your story with clarity, purpose, and resonance. From the captivating opening to the reflective conclusion, each section of the outline plays a vital role in shaping the narrative’s structure, pacing, and impact.

As you embark on your narrative writing journey, remember to stay true to your voice, vision, and storytelling style. Whether you’re recounting a personal anecdote, exploring a fictional world, or reflecting on a life-changing experience, let your passion, creativity, and authenticity shine through in your narrative essay outline.

In the end, crafting a compelling narrative essay is not just about telling a story—it’s about creating an immersive, engaging, and meaningful experience for readers. By avoiding common pitfalls, embracing revision, and staying true to your narrative vision, you can create a narrative essay that resonates with readers, leaving a lasting impression long after they’ve finished reading.

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Narrative Essay | Elements, Tips and Outline of a Narrative Essay

Narrative Essay: A narrative essay is a way to tell a story about your personal experience in a clear and interesting way. In a narrative essay, you have to imagine where your story begins and ends, and how to describe it with eye-catching language. To write a narrative essay you have to put yourself in that story.

It is a type of essay that has a main point around which the whole narrative revolves. All incidents, happenings, and characters are related to the same point. A narrative essay has characters, incidents, and dialogues which are written in a proper format.

Narrative essays tell a story, usually from one person’s personal point of view. A narrative essay has all the story elements — a beginning, middle and ending, as well as plot, characters, setting and climax all brought together to complete the story.

You can read more Essay Writing about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Elements of a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay mainly consists of three required elements: character, theme, and dialogue.

Character: Characters are an important element of a narrative essay. It is the lead role as the story revolves around the character. The person writing the essay is a character itself. It also involves some other characters who act, behave, and do like all other characters presented in stories and novels.

Theme or Motif

A narrative essay is not a type of an attractive story but it has a theme or a motif. Narrative essays teach a lesson to the reader.

It narrates people’s personal experiences to teach lessons to readers. In fact, it is like a story, but revolves around a motif. The main motif of the narrative essay is to make the readers aware of this single theme, central idea, or motif once they go through the essay. The major aim of narrative essays is to provide information about life experiences and lessons learned from those experiences.

Dialogue is used for the conversation between characters. In a narrative essay, dialogue is the third important element, which is used to develop an interest in the story.

Dialogue is very important in narrative essays without which the characters lose their worth and liveliness. Dialogues give life to the character in the essay.

Narrative Essay Outline

To write a good essay, the first thing you need is to create a proper outline. Creating an outline means it is half the way you go and it is an important part of a good essay.

Divide your essay into three parts.

Introduction

Start with something amazing. Add a detailed explanation of your topic and tell about what you are going to discuss in the main body. State a good story but you should have a motif or a good theme.

Follow these points for writing a great introduction.

Introduce the topic
Include supporting sentences
State the thesis statement

Once you have attracted your readers, now you can start your story. If the introduction is good enough then only the readers move towards the body. Now start writing your story chronologically in a proper format.

The main body is the section where your entire essay is created. Add the following points in it:

Try to keep your story in chronological order so that the reader can understand the storyline easily.
Narrate the incidents in an order leading to the final conclusion.
The beginning and the concluding lines must be related to the main part of the events described in the story.
Write one idea in each paragraph

Make sure that your essay serves the main motif. Conclude your essay with your message. The conclusion must be strong enough to reach the heart of the readers.

Summarize the key points of your essay
Repeat your message so that your readers get reminders about the central message
Try to leave the prints on the minds of the readers.

Easy Tips on Writing a Narrative Essay

When writing a narrative essay, remember that you are sharing personal and emotional details with the reader.

Before writing a narrative essay it is very important to decide the motive behind it.
The use of clear and concise language throughout the essay is necessary.
Your words and sentences need to be attractive and heart-touching to help the reader feel the same feelings that you felt.
Elements of the story must be used in the proper format..
You may use flashbacks and flash-forwards to build the climax in the story so that the readers are interested In your story.
Narrative essays are usually written in the first person, but the third-person view may also be used.

FAQ’s on Narrative Essay

Question 1. How is a Narrative Essay different from a Short Story?

Answer: A narrative essay has a specific motif, specific format and specific aspect to discover. It revolves around that motif or a theme set by the writer prior to writing the essay. Whereas a short story is different from a narrative essay in that it does not revolve around a specific motif, and also it does not have a specific format. Also, a short story always leaves readers in suspense with the desire to discover more. Whereas, a narrative essay ends when the readers are fully satisfied.

Question 2. How to begin a Narrative Essay?

Answer: Start the essay with an attractive statement followed by sensory details. You must use easy and attractive language from the beginning to grab the readers’ attention.

Following are different ways to start the essay:

Start with a famous quote written by someone to catch your reader’s attention
Use a mystery in the story.
Make use of statements so that the reader can feel the same pain as if you..
Be more precise so that the readers don’t find it messy.
Your motif should be clearly highlighted.

Narrative Essays: Types, Features, Format, and Writing Tips

A narrative essay is a story told from a personal point of view. Narrative essays test your creativity and ability to tell a story in an interesting manner. You are not merely expected to narrate your experience; rather, you should narrate it in a way that will engage your audience. The aim is to move the audience and arouse their emotions, ensuring that they laugh, empathize, get annoyed, afraid, or happy, among others.

1 What is a Narrative Essay?
2 Our Sample Narrative Essays
3 Why Write a Narrative Essay?
4.1 Three Main Sections
4.2 Use of Sensory Language
4.3 Use of Dialogue
4.4 Chronological Order
4.5 Historical Present Tense
5.1 Autobiographical Narrative Essay
5.2 Descriptive Narrative Essay
6.1 Choose a topic
6.2 Start writing
6.3 Edit your essay
6.4 Proofread your final essay
6.5 Prices Starting At:
7.1 Introduction
7.3 Conclusion
8 Tips for Writing a Good Comparative Essay
9 Narrative Essay Topics

What is a Narrative Essay?

A narrative essay is a real or imagined story. Real narrative essays are based on personal experiences. Imagined narrative essays are based on the writer’s thoughts, creativity, and ability to create a lifelike experience. Since this type of essay is based on personal experience, writers are allowed to write in the first person (use of the pronoun ‘I’).

Our Sample Narrative Essays

Before you place your order, you may want to sample some of the example narrative essays written by our experienced narrative essay writers to gauge the quality of our writing.

From Strangers to Lovers (Format: APA 7)

The End of the World (Format: MLA)

Why Write a Narrative Essay?

Unlike other essay types, the main idea behind narrative essays is to tell a story. Writers are not required to analyze facts, provide evidence, make critiques, or persuade readers. It is up to the readers to make their own conclusions.

Narrative essays allow writers to exercise their creativity fully. Sometimes, the challenge is compressing an entire story into a few words. Most narrative essays have a word count of approximately 500 words.

Features of a Narrative Essay

Three main sections.

Like other essay types, narrative essays have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. What sets narrative essays apart from other essays is that the body has several parts. The body must have a clear plot, the story’s characters, setting, conflict, and the story’s climax/conflict resolution. The essay must also have the author’s point of view.

Use of Sensory Language

Narrative essay writers aim to create lifelike experiences in the story. This calls for the use of sensory language, which allows the reader to visualize the author’s ideas. The writer needs to consider which sensory details are important for a particular story. For instance, when writing about a haunted house, the writer should ensure that their choice of words appeals to ears and eyes. When writing about an experience they had in a restaurant, the sensory details to focus on would be taste and smell.

Use of Dialogue

Dialogue is a sure way of capturing your readers’ attention. Dialogue makes the story real and interesting. It enables the reader to immerse themselves in the story and momentarily forget that they are reading it. The story’s characters are the main drivers of dialogue in a narrative essay. Dialogue adds variety to the story since it allows the writer to shift from narrating the story to taking the readers to the story’s actual setting, albeit imaginary.

Chronological Order

It is easy for your reader to follow your story when you organize events in the order in which they occurred. This calls for the use of transition words, such as first, second, next, then, and finally. These words make it easy for the reader to follow the story.

Sometimes, writers choose to employ flashbacks or foreshadowing. This means that they do not necessarily narrate the story’s events in the order in which they occurred. These techniques are deliberate shifts in the story’s chronology with the aim of piquing the reader’s interest and creating suspense.

Narrative essays that stick to the story’s order of events are known as linear narratives. Contrarily, those that shift the story’s chronology are referred to as non-linear narratives.

Historical Present Tense

A narrative essay recounts past events as if they were happening in the present. As such, the use of the historical past and present tenses is important. The historical present describes past events as if they were happening now. Like other essays, the present and past tenses are also ordinarily used in narrative essays.

Types of Narrative Essays

Autobiographical narrative essay.

Just like an autobiography, autobiographical essays are real. The writer gives an account of what actually happened in their life. This type of narrative essay places great emphasis on the actual occurrences and not the little details that would be captured in a descriptive narrative essay.

Descriptive Narrative Essay

The author uses vivid descriptions to relay their experience or memory with the aim of evoking the reader’s various senses. With descriptive narrative essays, the writer also seeks to tell their story in the simplest words possible. The story can be real or imagined, which allows the writer to exercise a lot of creativity.

How to Start Writing a Narrative Essay

Choose a topic.

Settle on a topic and then collect information about it. The topic should not be mundane or one that is overly done. A good starting point would be drawing inspiration from a real-life experience and crafting a captivating story out it. Ensure you stick to a specific theme and remain coherent.

Tips for Choosing a Good Topic

When asked to write a narrative essay, you will enjoy the flexibility that this essay type offers since you can write about almost any aspect of life, real or imagined.

Sometimes, your professor will assign you a specific topic to write about. Other times, you will be given an essay prompt that allows you to choose a topic you prefer.

Specific topics include writing about:

A life-changing experience.
Your discovery of a cure for a disease.

Prompts can be open-ended, such as writing about:

Your first teacher.
Your first time on a plane.

Interesting stories take unexpected turns along the way, which compels your audience and sustains their interest. Narrative essays are also an opportunity to showcase your personality and what you think about life. When writing a narrative essay for admission into school, ensure your story illustrates your qualities, such as empathy, hard work, resilience, and motivation, among others.

Choosing a topic is a mere starting point. Often, you will think of new ideas along the way that you did not anticipate. The story may take a different but interesting turn, which often sees students changing their essay topic eventually.

Start writing

This entails drafting an essay outline. Essentially, your story should have a three-part plot that has a setting, central point and focus of the essay (climax), and a conclusion. An outline helps you foresee where to incorporate twists and turns, where to add more details, where to add more spice, and where to end the story, among others.

Edit your essay

The editing stage looks out for structure, style, and content errors. As such, ensure your essay has a smooth flow, is void of repetitions, is simple, and is easy to understand.

Proofread your final essay

This stage focuses on the small details such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

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Format of a Narrative Essay

Introduction.

The first paragraph of a narrative essay is the introductory paragraph. It gives the essay’s background information as well as the writer’s main purpose for writing the essay. This paragraph sets the essay’s scene. The reader should be able to tell the essay’s setting, be it geographical, cultural, or historical setting, among others. The introductory paragraph also carries the essay’s thesis statement (e.g., I never attached so much value to online learning until the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world). A thesis statement gives the reader a brief overview of the essay’s key argument. It should not discuss the details; instead, it should give the reader a general idea in such a way that their interest in the topic is aroused. Ensure your introductory paragraph also has a hook that will capture the reader’s attention right from the start. A hook can be a famous quote related to your topic, an intriguing statement, or a question.

The essay’s body should have at least three paragraphs, although they can be more.

Body paragraph 1: the rising action (i.e., what leads to the main events in the story).

Body paragraph 2: the actual occurrence/essay’s climax

Body paragraph 3: the falling action/what happens after the actual occurrence.

The conclusion is a summary of the essay’s main points. Be careful not to repeat everything already discussed. Only focus on the major points to avoid redundancy. Remember to restate your essay’s statement (e.g., institutions, teachers, and parents should embrace online learning since it allows for the continuity of education in the wake of pandemics).

Tips for Writing a Good Comparative Essay

Involve your audience : A narrative essay must engage the audience as much as possible. As a writer, you should go beyond telling the story and recreate what actually happened. This requires the use of words that appeal to the reader’s sensory and visual senses.

A clear plot : Ensure you have a clear plot. The reader should be able to tell who the characters are and what the story’s setting is. Besides the plot, a narrative essay should have a climax.

Keep it simple : The simpler the wording, the easier it is for the reader to understand your story. Avoid complex word choices and focus on telling your story in the simplest words possible.

Leave out unnecessary details : Narrative essays require writers to use vivid descriptions. However, do not overuse vivid descriptions. Focus on describing what is important and leave out unnecessary details.

Minimize references : Narrative essays are often stories from personal experience. As such, the use of references is not necessary. However, you still need to credit sources if you used them in your essay.

Use the first person : Avoid writing in the second person. As mentioned earlier, the use of the first-person pronoun ‘I’ is acceptable when writing narrative essays. Strive to write the story from your own point of view.

The thesis statement does not have to be concrete : Your introductory paragraph should have a thesis statement, just like most essays. However, the thesis statement does not need to be concrete for this type of essay. At this point, you may be wondering if a thesis statement is necessary. Yes, it is! As much as the story is about you, the audience should be able to learn something from it. The narrative should have a universal meaning that the reader can relate with.

Narrative Essay Topics

Sometimes, your professor will give you a topic for your narrative essay. However, you might need to pick your own topic sometimes.

You can get essay topic ideas by:

Thinking about personal experiences
Searching the internet
Watching the news on TV
Thinking about your hobbies, favorite movies, novels, et cetera
Taking a walk where you can brainstorm and come up with ideas

If you cannot think about a good topic, you can place an order on WritingElites.net and we will save the day for you!

Below are some good essay topics you can consider for your narrative essay:

My first day at school
The day you watched your favorite football team play live
An embarrassing moment
A blind date
An encounter with racism
Getting lost in a new city
A life-changing experience
A day you lived in another planet
Your discovery of a cure for a disease
Life in a remote village that has 30 hours in a day

Great Cause and Effect Essay Topics and Writing Format.

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COMMENTS

How to Write a Narrative Essay
The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself. ... The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.
How to Write a Perfect Narrative Essay (Step-by-Step)
Part 1 Understanding a Narrative Essay. A narrative essay is a form of writing where you share a personal experience or tell a story to make a point or convey a lesson. Unlike other types of essays, a narrative essay aims to engage your audience by sharing your perspective and taking them on an emotional journey. To begin, choose a meaningful ...
A Complete Narrative Essay Guide
Here's a breakdown of the key elements of a narrative essay: Plot. A narrative essay has a beginning, middle, and end. It builds up tension and excitement and then wraps things up in a neat package. ... Different Points of View: Stories from others' perspectives that impacted you deeply. Example: A family member's story, a friend's ...
What is a Narrative Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)
0 comment 2. Narrative essays are a type of storytelling in which writers weave a personal experience into words to create a fascinating and engaging narrative for readers. A narrative essay explains a story from the author's point of view to share a lesson or memory with the reader. Narrative essays, like descriptive essays, employ ...
Narrative Essay
Written in the first-person point of view, the narrative essay shares several similarities with a short story. These include a clear plot structure with a beginning, middle, and end, vivid and detailed settings, a climactic point or peak, dialogues, and a key takeaway or moral. ... A. Summarize the key points of your essay, and what you have ...
Learn How To Write A Narrative Essay Step-By-Step
Conclusion. A. Restate the thesis statement: Remind the reader of the main idea, purpose, or lesson you aimed to convey through your narrative essay. B. Summarize the key points: Briefly recap the most significant events or details from your story, highlighting their importance or impact.
How To Write a Narrative Essay in 5 Steps (With Definition)
Follow these steps to develop ideas for a narrative and translate them into your essay: 1. Choose a topic. The first step is to decide what you want your narrative essay to discuss. Choose a topic that can deliver a story that reflects positively on you as a student or candidate.
How to write a narrative essay [Updated 2023]
1. Pick a meaningful story that has a conflict and a clear "moral.". If you're able to choose your own topic, pick a story that has meaning and that reveals how you became the person your are today. In other words, write a narrative with a clear "moral" that you can connect with your main points. 2.
How to Write a Narrative Essay (Step-By-Step Guide and Examples)
Regularly, this essay is about five paragraph essay long - one for intro, 3 paragraphs in body and one to sum up your thoughts. Introduction - introduces the story, explains the purpose of the story and attracts reader's attention. Body paragraph #1 - developing action, raising the tension. Body paragraph #2 - the climax of the story.
How to Write a Narrative Essay
Summarize the key points of your narrative essay and reiterate the central message or theme. Leave your readers with a lasting impression or something to ponder. End your essay by sharing any insights or lessons derived from your experience. Offer your readers something to think about or an idea they can carry with them.
Narrative Essay
A narrative essay is a type of essay that has a single motif, or a central point, around which the whole narrative revolves. All incidents, happenings, and characters revolve around a single motif presented in the narrative. A narrative essay is similar to a simple five-paragraph essay, in that it has the same format.
Narrative Essay
Step 1: Start with a Topic Selection. When writing a narrative essay, start by choosing a topic that either relates to your own experiences or matches a given prompt. If there's a prompt, think about what it asks for and brainstorm ideas that fit. As you brainstorm, write down key points or moments you want to include.
3 Great Narrative Essay Examples + Tips for Writing
A narrative essay is one of the most intimidating assignments you can be handed at any level of your education. Where you've previously written argumentative essays that make a point or analytic essays that dissect meaning, a narrative essay asks you to write what is effectively a story.. But unlike a simple work of creative fiction, your narrative essay must have a clear and concrete motif ...
How to Write a Narrative Essay: Step by Step
Here are some key features of a narrative essay: Storytelling: ... Point of View: The narrative is usually told in the first person, using "I" to convey the author's personal involvement or observation in the events described. Plot: Like any story, a narrative essay typically has a beginning, middle, and end. It may include exposition ...
How to Write a Good Narrative Essay: Tips, Examples, & Step-by-Step Guide
The more passionate you will be - the more effective your assignment. Recall your story's details: people and objects, setting, and season. Think about the sequence of events and remember; no detail is too small. Remember: the small details reveal big ideas! Step 1. Choose Your Narrative Essay Topic.
PDF Personal Narrative Essays
Personal Narrative Essays, Spring 2015. 1 of 5 Personal Narrative Essays This handout will help you begin your personal narrative essay assignment with key points and questions to prompt story development. What is a personal narrative essay? A personal narrative essay is a story you choose to share with readers, for it communicates your
Mastering Narrative Essay Outlines: A Guide to Captivating Storytelling
Reflect the Narrative Arc: Ensure that your thesis statement reflects the narrative arc of your essay, including key plot points, conflicts, and resolutions. Consider how your thesis statement encapsulates the journey or transformation experienced by the protagonist (which may be yourself) throughout the narrative.
6 Tips on How to Write a Narrative Essay
Choose a topic that you can comfortably tell within that limit. Too broad a topic and you start to cram, too specific and you'll quickly run out of details to tell. 2. Plan the story. While narrative essays aren't strict about structure, they must still be organized in a cohesive and easy-to-read way.
Elements, Tips and Outline of a Narrative Essay
Narrative essays tell a story, usually from one person's personal point of view. A narrative essay has all the story elements — a beginning, middle and ending, as well as plot, characters, setting and climax all brought together to complete the story. ... Summarize the key points of your essay; Repeat your message so that your readers get ...
Narrative Essays: Types, Features, Format, and Writing Tips
A narrative essay is a story told from a personal point of view. Narrative essays test your creativity and ability to tell a story in an interesting manner. You are not merely expected to narrate your experience; rather, you should narrate it in a way that will engage your audience. The aim is to move.
What Is A Narrative Essay? Narrative Essay Examples And Writing Tips
A narrative essay is written in the form of a story and clearly gives a point of view on the subject-most often that of the author. The idea of this type of essay is to engage the reader in a sensory and emotional way which will allow them to connect with that is being written about. A narrative essay will use characters, plots and themes and ...
Narrative Essay
Written in the first-person point of view, the narrative essay shares several similarities with a short story. These include a clear plot structure with a beginning, middle, and end, vivid and detailed settings, a climactic point or peak, dialogues, and a key takeaway or moral. ... A. Summarize the key points of your essay, and what you have ...

How to Write a Perfect Narrative Essay (Step-by-Step)

Part 1 Understanding a Narrative Essay

Part 2 Typical Narrative Essay Structure

Part 3 Narrative Essay Template

Part 4 Step 1. How to Choose Your Narrative Essay Topic

Narrowing Down the Choices

Part 5 Step 2. Planning the Structure

Detailing Characters, Settings, and Events

Writing the Narrative Essay

Part 7 Step 4. Weaving the Narrative Body

Part 8 Step 5. Creating a Conclusion

Part 9 Step 6. Polishing the Essay

Editing for Clarity and Concision

Proofreading for Typos

Part 10 Step 7. Feedback and Revision

Iterating on the Draft

Frequently Asked Questions

What strategies help develop strong characters?

How can I make my story flow smoothly with transitions?

What are some tips for choosing a great narrative essay topic?

How do I wrap up my narrative essay with a strong conclusion?

The Ultimate Narrative Essay Guide for Beginners

Everything You Need to Know About Narrative Essay

Elements of a Narrative Essay

Conflict or Challenge

Theme or Message

Emotional Impact

The Purpose of a Narrative Essay

Sharing Personal Experience

Entertainment and Engagement

Conveying a Message or Insight

Building Empathy and Understanding

Inspiration and Motivation

Reflecting on Life’s Significance

Demonstrating Writing Skills

Preserving Personal History

Cultural and Societal Exploration

Format of a Narrative Essay

Introduction

Thesis Statement or Narrative Purpose

Body Paragraphs

Different Types of Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative

Descriptive Narrative

Autobiographical Narrative

Experiential Narrative

Literary Narrative

Historical Narrative

Digital or Multimedia Narrative

How to Choose a Topic for Your Narrative Essay?

Reflect on Personal Experiences

Explore Unique Perspectives

Focus on Specific Themes or Concepts

Consider Your Audience and Purpose

Brainstorm and Evaluate Ideas

Narrative Essay Topics

Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

Narrative Essay Comparison

Narrative Essay vs. Argumentative Essay

Narrative Essay vs. Personal Essay

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What is a Narrative Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)

Table of Contents

How to write a narrative essay: Step-by-step guide

Related Reads:

What is a Descriptive Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)

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Learn How to write a Narrative Essay Step-by-Step, Tips and Examples

Understanding Narrative Essays

Choosing a Topic for Your Narrative Essay

Examples of narrative essay topics include:

Planning and Preparing to Write a Narrative Essay

Narrative Essay Outline

Writing the Narrative Essay

How to Edit, Proofread and Revise Your Narrative Essay to improve storytelling

Common mistakes to avoid when editing and revising your narrative essay include:

Narrative Essay Examples

Narrative Essay Topics

Tips for College Narrative Writing

Narrative Essay Definition

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