How to write a Narrative essay
Other essays in the field of academic writing seeks to present or persuade the reader on a specific topic or concept. Unlike these essays, a narrative essay aims to tell a story. Narrative essays are common assignments in classrooms across various levels of education. They allow students to showcase their creativity and ability to use their personal experiences to propagate lessons. In this blog, we will take you through the process of creating a compelling narrative essay that’s engaging to your audience.
What is the definition of a narrative essay?
A narrative essay is a genre of writing that involves telling a story. It could be your own individual experience or something you observed. The main purpose of these essays is to use storytelling to convey lessons. The author usually engages their emotions, thoughts, and ideas to recount what happened and the lessons learned. Though a narrative essay still follows the basic essay structure that includes the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, its approach is normally more flexible and creative.
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Purpose of Narrative Essays
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| · Enhances writing, creativity and storytelling skills.
· They offer a platform to reflect on personal experiences and achievements. · They are usually required in job applications to showcase your experiences and accomplishments. · They are used in literature classes to analyze themes and characters in poems and stories. · They aid in understanding history and other people past experiences. · They help explore different cultures through storytelling.
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Characteristics of a compelling narrative essay
An engaging narrative essay usually has the following traits;
- It follows a chronological order.
- It involves real events i.e. it is nonfiction.
- It is written from the author’s point of view.
- It may use dialogue to boost the plot and increase the genuineness of the story.
- It should have an emotional impact on the reader.
- It should vividly describe the setting in which the events occurred, as this enhances the readers understanding.
- It should end with a description of lessons learnt.
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How to write a Narrative essay |
| 1. Pick a topic
2. Create an outline 3. Draft your essay 4. Revise your essay 5. Edit and proofread your essay |
- Pick a topic
The first step while commencing writing a narrative essay is topic selection. In some cases, the instructor provides the topic but in cases where it’s not provided, students are expected to choose a topic for themselves. Here are a few tips to follow when selecting a narrative essay topic;
- Set time aside to brainstorm on the topic
- Select a topic that aligns with your experiences and the assignment prompts.
- Choose a topic that you are familiar with.
- Contemplate the tone you want for your essay.
- The topic should relate to a particular moment in your life.
- Take into consideration the significance of the topic to the reader.
- Make an outline
The main purpose of an essay outline is to organize your thoughts and idea. It also serves to ensure that you do not omit any significant detail in your essay. Discussed below is the layout of a narrative essay;
- Introduction
- Your essay should start with a captivating hook to grasp the attention of the reader.
- Provide the events or your story’s background information.
- State your thesis statement. A thesis in your narrative essay carries the main idea of your story or experience.
- Body paragraphs
- Describe the events that happened.
- Give a description of when and how the events occurred.
- Describe the challenges you came across and how you fixed them.
- Share the lessons learnt and how they affected your personal wellbeing.
- Describe how they impacted your life.
- Conclusion
- Summarize the main ideas.
- Review your thesis statement.
- Reflect on the lessons.
- Provide the reader with a thought to reflect on.
- Write your essay
Put your essay in writing. Your outline comes in handy in this section. It is also important to note that though narrative essays follow a basic essay structure, it focuses more on your creativity and ability to engage your audience.
- Edit and proofread your essay
Our experts highly advise to first take a break before embarking on this last step of your narrative essay writing journey. Go through your essay to check for any grammatical, punctuation or spelling mistakes. You can also request another person to help read and review your essay and give you the feedback.
You can also read How To Write An Autobiography Essay which you might come across it in your coursework.
Examples of Narrative essay topics
Below are ideas of narrative essay topics to inspire you;
- Discuss an inevitable difficult decision you had to make.
- What is the most terrifying situation you have ever experienced?
- How has your relationship with your parents impacted your life?
- How did your greatest fear come to be?
- Can you recall a moment you felt like you didn’t belong?
- How can you describe the moment you discovered you had a unique talent?
- Describe a time you got lost in the city.
- Which is your most unforgettable memory from your childhood?
- Describe a how you survived heavy rains and floods that occurred in your area
- How can you describe your spiritual life and how it had impacted your life?
- What is the worst mistake you have ever done and what did you learn?
- What does studying your dream course feel like?
- How does climate change affect the society?
- How should we address mental health stigma in the society?
- How did you overcome your biggest challenge in your academic studies?
- How was your first day in the university?
- What is your best experience with a stranger?
Narrative essay format
Despite being more informal than formal, narrative essays still follow the required essay format. Here are tips and insights on how to format your essay;
- The introduction: Start your essay with a hook, aimed to grab the attention of your audience. Provide contextual information on the events and setting. Don’t forget to include your thesis statement.
- Plot: Use vivid descriptions to describe your story as you progress. This creates an idea in the reader’s mind.
- Characters: Ensure the protagonist in your story presents an objective while the antagonist presents an obstacle.
- Events: Give a clear description of how and where the events unfolded.
- Dialogue: Employ dialogues to bring out the behaviours and traits of your characters and enhance your plot.
- Climax and the turning point: Describe the climax of the events and the resolution.
- Conclusion: End with a reflection or a mind-provoking closing statement.
You can also read Poem Analysis Essay Guide. This is the guide that you should be following when working on analysing a poem.
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Important Tips to help you write a compelling Narrative essay |
| · Select a topic that resonates with your personality.
· Share your experience from a personal perspective. · Use dialogues and motivations to give life to your characters. · Use vivid descriptions to evoke emotions and engage the audience. · Use literary devices to enhance your narrative essay. · Share honest thoughts and feeling to enhance the authenticity of your essay. · End with reflections on the relevance of your experience and lessons learnt. |
Conclusion
As we conclude, we hope this detailed guide has equipped you with invaluable skills on the art of creating a compelling narrative essay. However, in case you are still having problems creating an engaging narrative essay, our academic writing services experts at Skilled Tutorials are always on standby waiting to offer you the professional help you need. If your a nurse we have nursing assignment help services and we can handle all kind of academic assignments that you might have irrespective of the course your undertaking.
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