The term “essay” incorporates a wide range of different writing styles, each coming with its unique features and expectations. Different types of questions require being met with the style of writing most appropriate to the task. Students need to be familiar with all these different writing styles and learn when it’s best to use each one.
One of the unique forms of essay writing is the narrative essay. Unfamiliar students wondering what a narrative essay is, yet have to encounter one of the most interesting and entertaining writing styles out there. The best narrative essay definition is that of a piece of writing that offers points of information and tells a story. The kind of story you will often be asked to tell in a narrative essay will be a personal experience. Students writing in this style then have the opportunity to lay out an argument or make a specific point from a very personal narrative essay perspective.
What a narrative essay offers students that many other forms of writing don’t is the ability to write both personally and creatively. Often in an academic setting, there can be little opportunity for students to get creative with their writing. However, the narrative writing style challenges students to make a good point and tell an engaging tale. There are some key pieces of advice you need to bear in mind when approaching writing a narrative essay. Here you can find a comprehensive guide on how to write a personal narrative essay and some tips for inspiration.
How to write a narrative essay?
When looking to write a narrative essay, you need to look out for questions and prompts that serve as narrative essay topics. Most often, narrative essay examples center around a prompt. This prompt can either be highly specified in nature or else more open-ended.
A very specific narrative essay example prompt would be to “write about what you did this morning”. A more open-ended prompt, however, could be to “write about an interesting morning you had.” In both situations, you should immediately recognize that the question is looking for you to tell a story with your answer. Usually, the question will ask for you to provide an answer that is not too far from the truth. What makes your essay special is your unique voice, style, and experience. This is what makes the narrative essay the most expressive style of academic writing and a large part of why so many students have a particular affinity for writing them.
The key to making sure your ideas are clearly communicated through our storytelling is approaching your question with a strong understanding of the subject and structure. One of the most important steps in how to write a narrative essay is picking the right subject matter for your question. Especially if the given topic is rather open-ended, it’s worth putting serious consideration into what exactly you choose to write about.
Creating a mind map is a great way to explore all the possible approaches from which you could tackle your question. For every experience you may wish to use to write your personal essay, write a set of bullet points that outline both the experience and the reasons for which it’s an appropriate answer to the essay question. Once you’ve weighed up the different options for which story you wish to tell, you can move on to planning how to make this experience fit within the narrative essay format. Getting to grips with the format example of a narrative essay will make embarking on the writing process a whole lot easier!
Writing an essay outline
As is the case with any paper-writing assignment, all actual writing should be prefaced by creating a strong and well-structured narrative essay outline. The outline can be broken down into different sections, guiding both form and content as you embark on writing.
A great tip when putting together your paper outline is to write the question in bold at the top of the page. It’s important not to get sucked into the storytelling aspect of a narrative-style paper to the point where you forget the question you’re supposed to be giving an answer to!
Think about Statement
Arguable thesis means that it can be argued. It must either state or refute an argument about your topic.To be debateable, a thesis must have some possibility of being true.However, the thesis should not be universally accepted as true. Instead, it should be something that people can disagree with.A thesis can be both an observation or an opinion.
observation + opinion (the "why") = thesis
Seeing if your thesis creates a powerful antithesis is an excellent approach to determine how strong it is.
Common thesis pitfalls:
A thesis in the form of a fragment.
A thesis that is overly broad.
A thesis that is phrased as a question. (The thesis is usually derived from the solution to the question.)
Extraneous information is included in a thesis.
A thesis that begins with the words "I believe" or "In my opinion."
Narrative Essay Examples
What is a personal narrative?
Narrative Essay. A Day of Mixed Happiness and Sadness
My Summer Narrative Essay
What is narrative essay structure?
As any expert will tell you, a well-defined structure is key to writing narrative essay pieces that truly leave an impact on your readers. While the content and style of a narrative essay may differ significantly from other forms of academic writing, the overall structure is thankfully fairly recognizable. As with most other forms of essay, the best way to divide up your writing is into an introduction, main body section, and a conclusion.
The introduction
Writing a gripping introduction is crucial when it comes to how to start a narrative essay. The introduction is where you have the opportunity to reel in your readers and give them a clear outline of the experience your essay will be dealing with. A good introduction has a strong sense of focus on the subject matter and will begin to relate this subject matter back to the question or prompt.
Your goal should be for your readers to finish the introduction section already both engaged and with a clear set of expectations surrounding the question your essay is attempting to answer. Consulting your pre-written essay outline will help to rid your introduction of any diversions or fluff.
The body section
Once you’ve completed your introductory section of the essay and clearly introduced the themes, places, and characters that will be central to your story, it’s time to move onto the body section of the text. Every good narrative essay example will have a body section that provides its readers with the meat of the story at hand. Here is where you get to let your creative side shine through!
The body paragraphs of a literacy narrative essay allow for students to tackle academic questions with a sense of prose. The key to writing a good body section is taking into account the information that you share and the stylistic features of how you do so. Giving your essay a unique voice and providing your audience with rich descriptions are central to creating a captivating body section.
A body section should also possess a sense of flow within it. This is where the majority of the story’s action should take place and offer your readers a sense of tension or excitement that results in a climax. This will set you up to provide them with that much-needed sense of narrative closure offered by the conclusion section.
Concluding your essay
Once you’ve taken your readers through the highs and lows of your story, it’s time to give them a sense of closure and resolution in the conclusion section of your paper. One important to remember in how to end a narrative essay is to drive home a sense of finality to the story you have told.
Making sure your readers feel like they’ve understood the main “point” or “moral” of your story is at the heart of whether or not you will have successfully answered the prompt question. Go over your writing to check that you haven’t open any plot holes or forgotten resolutions to ensure your readers a satisfying ending!
Outline and format of a narrative essay
The outline of a narrative essay should, like with all writing assignments, utilise the aforementioned introduction, body, conclusion structure. However, beyond this structure, there are many other formal and stylistic elements to consider when writing a narrative essay that doesn’t usually factor into other academic writing styles. Some of these elements to bear in mind include:
Rhythm
Perspective (first-person versus third-person)
Setting
Characterisation
Style
Keeping a note of these elements next to you while you write will help keep your attention focused on the different facets of storytelling that your readers will be most affected by.
Proofreading is a key step along the narrative writing process. It’s always a good idea to re-read and edit your work before handing it in. Consulting trusted peers is another great way of getting reliable feedback to help finesse your narrative writing.
Do you need a narrative essay sample? You’re at the right place
Curious students looking to dig deep into a personal narrative essay example and further their understanding of how storytelling can be used to answer academic questions, need to look no further than here. There are tons of useful writing resources on our site, including outlines, study guides, and handy sample papers. Essay samples like these can serve as an invaluable guide along your own writing process and can serve as inspiration for writing your own grade A work.
Our resources offer an insight into approach, format, and style, — covering all the most important aspects of the writing process. With these personal narrative essay examples in hand, you can write your next paper with a sense of confidence!
Also, check out the narrative essay topics
The possibilities for narrative essay topics are truly endless. Students excited to flex their storytelling skills can turn to some of the wonderful writing prompts below to get them started on their next top-notch paper!
Tell an embarrassing story.
Tell the story of uncovering a secret.
How have you helped somebody in your life?
What was the scariest experience you’ve ever had?
Tell the story of how you learned a new skill.
What was the worst injury you’ve ever had?
A day you wish to relive.
The biggest mistake you’ve ever made.
The moment when your best friend had an accident
The day your father caught you smoking
A mistake that taught you something significant
An action you thought would help the person but got you in trouble.
The moment when someone else’s experience saved your life
The time when you underestimated a junior
How has practicing helped you become a professional?
The time when your beliefs were shaken
An event that made you feel sorry about a person
Frightening memory of your childhood
Why you chose a specific major
What studying in a dream college feels like?
The most healthy part of your routine
The time you inspired someone
What should you tell your younger self?
Your favorite author and his work that you most relate to
A moment when your joke offended your friend
Your favorite activities in your leisure time
Your favourite Professor
First Day at College
Last day of High School
Meeting a Significant Other
Ending a Relationship
Your most memorable incident from High School
Most memorable incident in college
A fun incident on Campus
Your first time at your college campus
Your first day of school.
Your most exciting day of school
A field trip that your class took.
Creativity and freedom to express yourself are two of the biggest benefits of the narrative assignment writing style. With this comprehensive guide to writing, you can join the many students who are enjoying telling their most interesting stories in the narrative essay style!
Hills Like White Elephants is a story that is set in a valley of Spain at a train station. Ernest Hemingway has done something known as the “Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory.” Because of this, it gives the reader the want to dive deeper into the story and go beyond the words written on paper. This narrative is forged around the idea of abortion and whether or not a couple shall go through with it. Hemingway is one of the most popular…...
The passage focuses on the conversation between Elizabeth and Jane days after they received news about the departure of the Bingleys and Darcy. In this essay, I will explore the themes, the narrative techniques used and the tone of the involved characters. Austen’s dramatic form of writing is an attractive feature of Pride and Prejudice. The novel is ‘dialogic’ in nature; the dialogue between Jane and Elizabeth is a representation of their personalities and characters and Austen has purposefully juxtaposed…...
Goal/Dream: Why I want to become a History Teacher In the words of Marva Collins, “the good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior. When our students fail, we as teachers have failed.” History teachers enlighten students of all ages about the way different societies have changed over time as a result of religion, the economy, and needs for exploration. There are three main reasons why I am trying to reach my dream of becoming a…...
DreamGoalsHistory
Save Time On Research and
Writing
Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper.
In writing The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald aimed to "write something new - something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned". (1) This desire is mirrored in the narrative approach in The Great Gatsby where the simplicity of the first person narrative contrasts with the complexity of aspects of its structure, the subtlety of its subtext and originality. The first person narrative form has certain qualities and constraints which an author must successfully balance in order to achieve a convincing…...
Rat, is a small but clever boy who really does live up to his name. He is fast but sneaky, dirty but charming and is friendly. Rat is always getting things from the mission school as he appears to be sweet and useless. He saves the money that he is giving so, surprisingly is one of the riches people on the dump. Quotes about/by Rat: "Rat is a boy- three or four years younger than me. His real name is…...
Throughout this essay I will identify “Caleb Meyer” as a rhetorical narrative, criticize its form and function, and evaluate its effectiveness. In order to criticize “Caleb Meyer” using Rowand’s method of narrative criticism, I must first establish that it meets all of the criteria of a narrative according to Sonja Foss. The first criteria Foss requires is that the artifact contain two events. The song in fact includes multiple events, but for explanative purposes we will assign those two events…...
When students learn that they have been assigned a narrative essay, they often rejoice for one simple reason: it requires no real outside research, a thesis statement that needs to be supported, or the conventional parts of an essay such as the introduction, the body containing supporting arguments, and the conclusion. Instead, the objective of a narrative essay is to tell a story to the reader based on personal experiences and understandings. However, just because you don't have to spend…...
Narrative Essay It was a hot summer day in the year 2002 when I went camping with my family in Savannah, Georgia. I will never forget this day because it’s the day I learned the lesson that if I don’t obey my parents the consequences will be large. I was only about six years old when we first pulled into the campground. Of course being a young child the first thing I noticed was this extravagant playground out near the…...
There had been only a couple days left till the very first football game of my senior year. The team we are playing was the Haywood County Spurs, and the game we had been preparing and practicing for since our sophomore year. The sun was blistering hot, shining down on my shoulder pads, baking me in my uniform like a freshly made apple pie on a summer day. This only made practice worse as I put all effort into it…...
The first argument that arose out of the video game world was the debate of video game violence. Still unresolved, this debate has actually allowed for the video game industry to come fully into the main stream. As the din over violence quieted the fans of the game society began to focus on issues more akin to their own style. So then began the debate of game play vs. the video game narrative. The question arose; can a game also…...
A narrative should be able to tell a story, whether it relates to fiction or non-fiction ideas. In writing any form of literary narrative, several steps should be followed to arrive at a coherent and consistent whole. The first step involves the identification of an appropriate topic, that which stirs the best interest of the target reader. It is in this first step that the attention of the reader will be established. Secondly, the major details that will be interwoven…...
When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to get a job. Sure, it would be a good way to make friends and learn how to prepare myself for the real world, but for me, it was mostly about making my own money. Having to ask my parents for cash every time I needed some annoyed me, mostly because they’d always say no. Every time they did, I would always whine and complain about how…...
Hello my names Michael and My girlfriend Kate and I have lived next door to our rival neighbors for about a year and a half now. Never known why they don’t like us but it has gone back all the way to high school. Now meet our neighbors. First there Steve, he was a jock in high school, becoming a 2 time all American and being the jerk that always got the girl. Now as for me, I was just…...
Personal narrative writing is writing about a discovery. Write a story about how you discovered something new about yourself, a specific family member or your family in general. The point is to make sure that your story has a lesson learned and that it’s something deeper than the following: • I learned that moving is difficult • I learned that playing with matches is a bad idea • I learned that big sisters are annoying • I discovered that when…...
Often times we find ourselves thinking about the past only to try to force the memories away and return to our current delusion. We can never erase the past, but if the past is who we are, then should we just welcome pain back into our lives? Embarrassment, guilt, and pride betray us as we choose to bury our darkest memories in our head and look to a positive future without ever having to readdress them and acknowledge that they…...
“An unreliable narrator can draw you into his or her worldview and perhaps even make you take sides before a writer reveals a broader perspective, one that he/she has missed or omitted. Even if a story is written so you doubt the narrator from the beginning, an unreliable narrator is still the one taking you through the story, so you hang on to their words. Perhaps a certain dialogue or an event will uncover details the narrator does not realize…...
One thing I remember from when I was young, is Two little dicky birds sitting on a wall One called Peter, one called Paul, Fly away Peter, fly away Paul, Come back Peter, come back Paul. Two little caterpillars sitting on a leaf, One called Brian, one called Keith, Two little butterflies flying through the air One called Brenda, one called Blair. There actually is a distinction between reading a article and telling a story. Most mature individuals employed with…...
When considering short stories, it is very important to realize that the little things make a big difference in how a piece is perceived. Each piece must be in sync to really help convey the short story in the way that was meant. Different literary elements are integrated in different short stories. For Kate Chopin, her piece The Story of an Hour, symbolism and point of view play very strongly into the story. To understand the significance of these elements,…...
It was a near to ending day in Ikebukuro. The sun was gradually beginning to rest on the horizon as the hustle and bustle still continued. It was a really city-like atmosphere as always and though it might be considered as a lot of noises being originated from automobiles, people and a great deal of other things, to one specific informant who was walking down the streets of this said city, it was his paradise. This male liked human beings,…...
Personal Narrative Stress is something that I hate in life. I have this stress of my grades in school and scared they might drop. In addition, I also have stress of thinking of my future and what I am going to do when I’m done with high school. However, if the stress becomes too much, I go to the mall or somewhere else and get a massage so I can relax and push all that stress that I had. Well…...
Introduction: Educational Tour gives us ideas likewise opportunities to visit prestigious agencies that may help us visualize what we are learning at school. This activity helps us develop our personality since social graces and etiquette are learned too by experience. Moreover, important to every student since it is a part of our learning process to acquire more knowledge through actual exposure to the different agencies. Educational Tour: A Narrative. A great way to explore and gain experience, the Junior Bankers…...
As an OJT practicumer I learned lots of knowledge by doing my assigned task. I was assigned in Concierge Department, in Concierge Department we are responsible in taking care of the baggage and other things of our guest. In 38 days of staying and having an OJT in Mariott Hotel and Resorts, I learned the importance of great impression. Because in our industry which is the Tourism Industry, our impression to our guest is very important. Just “show simple smile,…...
In kissing Kate’s narrative, she used to make delicious and sweet peach jam. In Stanley and Zero’s narrative, they found and ate kissing Kate's peach jam ( sploosh ) In Stanley Yelnats III’s narrative, his invention smells like peaches. God’s thumb In Sam’s narrative, Sam had his onion fields on top of God't thumb. In Stanley Yelnats I narrative, He was left stranded in the desert, found his way to God's Thumb and the spring. When Stanley Yelnats VI escaped…...
I, the island, all alone in the sea, Have been invaded by humanity. A plane crashed while escaping war, And left several schoolboys upon my shore. In my jungle, a scar their tube did make, And simultaneously, my peace it did take. Two boys blew into a shell from my beach. All came to whom the sound did reach. They decided that they needed a chief, And Ralph was chosen, to Jack's grief. The boys thought that survival would be…...
Mother enters the room with takeaway from KFC and places it on the dining table. Subhaan (3:5) is the first child to approach the table and sit down on the seat. While aunt takes out food from the carrier bags, she asks Subhaan, "Is that your plate?" Subhaan replies "Yeah" and right before the aunt is about to put the food on his plate he immediately says"No, is that mine?. Aunt replies, "Yes" and places his meal on the plate.…...
NOTE: Make an outline and write a COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY (2500-3500 words) on any ONE of the given topics. Make sure you use different forms of discourses, e. g. , exposition, argumentation, description and narration. Credit will be given for organization, relevance and clarity. 1. Literature as a great cultural artifact. 2. Language is a fit data for research in humanities and social sciences. 3. Privatizing higher education-generating knowledge or making more money for the opulent. 4. Women sportspersons as new ambassadors…...
Captivity Narratives were commonly popular in the 1700’s by both European and American populations. Captivity narratives in America portrayed either whites enslaved by savages or the African enslaved by the white slave owner. Captivity narratives were written to show the reader of one’s experiences while being in captivity. Two authors who wrote a couple of these narratives are Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano. Mary Rowlandson’s narrative is entitled, “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. The…...
“Seminar – Forum on Goal Setting, Self-Assessment, Spiritual and Moral Development for Better Career Opportunities Cum Job Fair 2015” All the students and faculties in LSPU Siniloan (HOST) Campus and even the Nagcarlan Campus were attended in a seminar-forum that helps a lot to be a competitive applicant in finding jobs and even the preparation for it. As early as 6:00 o’clock in the morning, participants were already at the LSPU Gymnasium for the registration. Mr. Gio and Mrs. Mercedita…...
Over the years, my interest and awareness regarding reading and writing have varied from time to time. I remember my mother reading bedtime stories to me as a child and actually painting my personal pictures to what she was saying. Once I was old enough to read the stories myself, I would go back and compare my mental pictures with those that were in the book. During my elementary days, I found the novice level of reading and writing to…...
I had actually simply graduated from high school; a common Santa Barbara regional, with aspirations of attending SBCC. I constantly did relatively well in school, but was definitely more concerned with how the waves were breaking, instead how of my grades were. That all changed on June 15th. I got a call from a family pal asking if I would be interested in a summertime job at a shipping warehouse in Carpinteria. My parents had actually been unpleasant me day…...
The narrator’s influence plays a fundamental role in a novel that every reader takes into account when getting involved in the story . In Francis S. Fitzgerald’s literary work ‘’The Great Gasby ‘’ the function of Carraway’s narrative voice brought up several controversies among readers and critics for it deals with 3 different attitudes from the part of the narrator through whom ‘’Fitzgerald is able to achieve the aesthetic distance ‘’. (76 Donaldson) The purpose of the essay is to…...
Society often influences the identity of an individual through different factors, one of which is language. “The power of language can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth” (FYR: 84). Language is used daily in our lives, and therefore plays a significant role in shaping our identity. The narrative “Mother Tongue” depicts the variations of the English language, and the nature of talk. Amy Tan also shares the story of her mother’s “broken” English…...
It was the day of my graduation and the alarm clocks, spread across the dorm room, awoke me from my sleep. I rolled over to the other side of my twin sized bed to get a glance out the window. The suns radiance became too strong for my sleepy eyes. Ring! Ring! Ring! Anna’s alarm clock still ranged for about seven minutes. She was never great at slapping her snooze button to its finale, but in that very moment I…...
Narrative Poems are poems that tell stories. There is a start, which presents the background to the story, a middle, which informs the action of the event, and an end, which concludes and sums up the story. What are the origins of Narrative Poetry? Stories are the earliest form of poetry. Long prior to there was paper to write on or ink to write with, long prior to the invention of the printing press, people typically shared stories as a…...
The Joseph narrative can be found in the book of Genesis chapters 37-50. It is a little cut off "by the story of Judah and Tamar (Gen. 38) and by the so-called True blessing of Jacob (Gen. 49:1 -28)" (Skinner, 438). The story of Joseph is seen as distinct because it has various attributes than its equivalents in Genesis. Other writings in Genesis seem to be short, short events, about family and tribal affairs. The Joseph narrative, on the other…...
I am a product of a jealous goddess. I once was a beautiful maiden with beautiful, long, golden hair and golden wings. I am the youngest of the gorgons and my two older sisters are Stheno and Euryale. My mother was Ceto. My father was Phorcys. When I met Poseidon, he took advantage of me and took me to Athena’s temple. She was enraged by what I was doing with Poseidon. So she turned me into the monstrous Medusa who…...
In Annie Dillard’s autobiography “The Chase”, she emphasizes and uses great detail in her different writing techniques to make the scenes in the story feel more alive or realistic. The attention of detail can be seen with her intense use of transitions and active descriptions in the actual chase scene. Dillard also uses tone and language of the characters to make the story feel more like actual real time events. In the first paragraph of “The Chase”, the narrator of…...
In my life I've learned that true happiness comes from giving. Helping others along the way makes you evaluate who you are. Being able to help is a privilege for us students for it teaches us how to become concerned to those who are in need, it helps us to understand the spirit of compassion and to share what we have to and abolish the selfishness hidden deep within us. As part of the NSTP Class’ annual activity, we conducted…...
Often, man resorts to story-telling as a way of reconciling with a formidable incident in the past. By re-telling the story to another party, he comes to accept that this is a reality to be faced. He realizes that acceptance, rather than denial, is the best way of going about this trouble. Aside from the rehabilitating ability of story-telling with its contributory effect in dealing with a painful memory, others simply do this as a way of remembering. Concretizing the…...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave GirlKindredKindred By Octavia Butler
Daisy Buchanan was mad. It was 18. 30, and the celebration Daisy and her other half Tom were invited to had actually already started. Daisy had actually been waiting on Tom for an hour and a half already, sitting all dressed, with her perfect cosmetics on the couch in the living-room, and staring on the big clock above the fireplace. Minutes lapsed into hours, and with each move of the arrow-shaped pointer Daisy's mood became lower. "Damn, he assured to…...
...We figured in personal narrative essay that they wanted to tie us up and leave us there till however long. So we decided to use it against them. Kate and I put on the Bigfoot outfits and scared them instead of the other way around. And when they tr...
Still don't know where to start with
your assignment?
