How to Write a Narrative Essay?
Narrative essay is probably the kind of writing that we learn about from a very young age. Children’s books, fairy-tales, legends, and short stories are all examples of narration. In the academic world, narrative essays also represent the form of writing a story with a certain structure.
However, narrative pieces of writing do not end with childhood readings and university works; in fact, further life has a number of spheres where this kind of writing can be used. For instance, such activities as writing articles, books, blog posts, or even telling stories to people involve advanced skills in narration. Clearly, in order to be good at all that, one first needs to learn how to write narrative essays well.
Just like any other kind of academic writing, narrative essay has a defined structure. In order to follow it and take into consideration all the key elements, you might consider taking the following steps:
- Think about the topic
The point is to write about something that you feel related to, something that bothers you, or something that you have gone through. In this case, your paper will be personal, which is always beneficial for the reader’s perception.
- Prepare a draft
This will allow to plan out your narration and rearrange the ideas later if needed. In some cases, it is better to start with an outline of the future story.
- Include elements of the story
This implies developing unique characters, describing the setting, and building up an involving plot.
- Take a position
What is your attitude to the events described in the story? How do you feel about the characters? The answers to these questions will define the mood of your essay.
- Support your ideas
Explore your topic widely and try to provide the supporting ideas for each of the points you express. Brainstorming is a great tool for coming up with additional arguments and points of view.
- Avoid the needless lengthy descriptions
Unlike novels, narrative essays do not allow to include too many unrelated details. Also, remember to stick to the word limit set by your instructor.
- Master your written language
It must be appropriate for your target audience and engaging for further reading. In addition, you need to avoid clichés and find new ways for presenting same old concepts.
- Follow the chronology of events
Narrative essays usually present the story in chronological order. This ensures clarity of plot and subsequence of events.
- Find decent examples
Reading the narrative essays of successful writers or fellow students will set a high standard for you. Thus, you can use their approaches and language tools to advance your own paper.
- Stick to your professor’s instructions
Each school and each subject may have different requirements for narrative essays, and your paper should comply with these rules. Remember to double-check if you followed the guidelines properly.
- Proofread your essay
Make sure the format is correct and no grammatical errors or types were overlooked. Online checking tools could come in handy at this stage. Also, it helps to take some break and read the whole essay from the beginning to the end, giving it a fresh look and noticing the moments that may need to be changed or rearranged.
- Outline the key points
For the readers to understand the plot better, make sure to define the major events in your story.
Writing a narrative essay does not require much research, but the ground rules still must be followed. If all of the aspects mentioned above are addressed, your work will definitely score an A in class. Furthermore, with practice, your writing skills will improve, and your essays will become more professional, allowing you to proceed to the larger pieces of writing and publishing your works in the future.
How to Do a Narrative Essay? Common Narrative Writing Tips
Below, you will find a few techniques that will help you turn a good narrative essay into the amazing one. Follow our suggestions, and you will be able to understand how to write a narrative essay:
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Usually, narrative essays follow the story format. In means that they should follow the format of a story and include an introduction, a plot, characters, a climax, and a conclusion;
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Your essay should make a relevant point. It means that your reader should clearly understand the relation of the story and its author;
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Your writing should be clear, straightforward, and concise. Do not be afraid of using the first person as it is totally acceptable in narrative writing;
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Remember that a good narrative essay is always appealing. Thus, you need to use vivid and descriptive language appealing to the hearts and minds of your readers;
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Keep the flow of your ideas organized perfectly. Do not forget about using the transition words.
Follow the Common Narrative Essay Structure
As well as any other academic paper, a narrative essay requires following the classic structure. We highly recommend you to create a simple outline that will help you not to miss the important details and focus on the relevant information only. As such, there are three major parts of your essay. Let us provide you with a detailed explanation of each of these parts:
Common Narrative Essay Format
Introduction
good introduction will include the following items:
- A hook that will engage the reader;
- A strong thesis statement;
- The description of what makes this topic important for you.
Main Body
- Paragraph 1
Topic Sentence
Details
Closing - Paragraph 2
Topic Sentence
Details
Closing - Paragraph 3
Topic Sentence
Details
Closing
Conclusion
Restate your thesis and address the main arguments.
How to Write a Narrative Paper Thesis?
You probably know that a thesis statement is the main idea of your paper. It is always arguable, clear, and straightforward. A good essay is always thesis-driven as all the arguments and ideas suggested by the author should prove the thesis given in the introduction. Keep in mind that a thesis statement is not a question, recommendation, or suggestion. Also, it cannot be a common truth. Let us provide you with an example. For instance, you are writing your narrative essay from the position of a person, who takes care of the surrounding environment. The thesis like “The global warming causes ice melting and humanity cannot stop it” is not a good one. A good thesis statement for such a paper can be as follows: “Even though many people do not fully recognize the danger, global warming is a serious threat to flora and fauna on Earth.” As you can see, the second thesis outlines the problem and states the negative outcomes.
You may be interested: How to Write an Informative Essay
Want to Learn More Narrative Essay Tips? Keep Reading!
So what is a narrative essay? It is not only a summary of your previous experience. Along with the brief description of events, a good narrative essay provides the reader with your feelings and emotions allowing them to make the right conclusions. Following the suggestions given below, you will be able to write a truly great masterpiece that will bring you the expected outcome.
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Keep your writing clear. Avoid complicated words and syntax constructions;
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Avoid including irrelevant information. At the same time, pay attention that every lost detail will compromise the understanding of your essay;
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Do not use the second person. All good narrative essays should be written in the first person;
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Use the active voice. Think about your narrative essay as a speech. Be very careful about your words. When using some joke or slang, make sure it is appropriate;
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Do not use extra references. Writing a personal narrative does not require using any extra references. However, if your professor asks you to use some, make sure to follow your prompt.
Top 5 Narrative Writing Tips
The ability to write a narrative essay is a very useful one and it is a necessary talent for field research. In contrast with a rhetorical essay, which simply sums up certain points for your reader, a narrative essay gives readers an opportunity to make their own conclusions about the research object. Here are our top 5 tips for you to use to write smart narrative essays.
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Clarity. Usage of difficult words and constructions reduces the clarity of what you want to say, therefore it should be avoided. The ideas that you’re putting up for the essay should be very clear and logical.
Bad one: I haven’t seen superhero movies because I thought they’re all stupid, but Dr. Strange totally transformed my obsolete perceptions and now I’m looking forward to the continuation of this great piece of art.
Good one: I used to avoid superhero movies. I thought they were stupid, but Dr. Strange changed my opinion. Now, I’m looking for the continuation of the series.
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Don’t describe every move.
Bad one: I entered the cinema hall and looked on the right. It was dark and I looked on the screen, which was quite bright. Then, I studied the numbers of seats to find mine.
Good one: I entered the cinema hall, looked around, and quickly found my place in the hall. -
Avoid the second-person narrative. Narrative essays should be written from the point of view of the author and his personal experience.
Good one: When you enter the room, you will turn on the TV. You will also notice some psychedelic posters on the wall.
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Use dynamic words. Creative writing ideas should include this one. Don’t use passive constructions and avoid academic style. Use idioms, slang, and phrases that you use in your day-to-day speech.
Bad one: I was literally disgusted when these young men showed me their ribald works of art.
Good one: Pictures that these guys showed to me were horrible!
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Limit references. Mention references after the essay, because if you mention them in the essay it will have a disruptive effect.
Falling into these five traps will reduce the quality of your narrative essay, while using the good examples will allow you to improve writing skills and start writing outstanding narrative essays.
Writing a narrative essay can be a very fascinating process as it makes you think about your previous experiences and recollect your memories. When writing a narrative essay, you will be able to reconsider your values, beliefs, and aspirations. At the same time, being plagiarized or poorly written, this essay may bring you a lot of problems. If you want to avoid them, we highly recommend you to read your narrative essay prompt carefully and pay attention to your grammar. Even if the content of your essay is incredible, the obvious grammar mistakes and typos will not allow you to get the highest grade.
Thank you for reading our guide! We do hope that our suggestions will help you create a wonderful essay! Applying enough time and effort, you will be able to create a masterpiece that will bring you the anticipated outcome! Good luck!
