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- How to write a narrative essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips
Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 6, 2021.
A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .
Table of contents
What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.
When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.
A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.
These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.
Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.
- Write a story about your first day of school.
- Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.
You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.
- Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
- Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?
In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.
For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.
Narrative essays in college applications
When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.
For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.
In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.
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An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.
Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.
Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.
Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.
A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.
The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.
If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?
The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.
Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. 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.
Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.
When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.
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.
Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.
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Caulfield, J. (2021, December 06). How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/narrative-essay/
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Essay on My First Day at School
( Essay on my first day at school for classes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, in English after summer vacation, 200-250 words, for the exam. )
A school is a place of learning. Here he forms new associations that comes in contact with boys of different temperaments and forms new ideas and habits. It is here that he prepares himself for the struggle of life.
I was put to school at the age of five. It was a primary school. The memory of my first day at school is still fresh in my mind. It was a small school with eight rooms. There were ten teachers including the physical instructor. The school had a compound with a grassy lawn and a few flower beds.
My father took me to the headmaster’s office and got me admitted to K.G.’s class. He gave me a packet of toffees for distribution among my class-masters.
My class teacher was a gentleman. He encouraged me and treated me kindly. It felt a bit nervous in a new environment. The boys looked at me with wonder and smiled. I had with me the EnglishPrimer ‘Akshar Mala’ and got my first lesson of alphabets.
The bell of the interval rang. The boy rushed out of their rooms. Some of them gathered around me. They laughed at me and made fun of me. Some of them sympathised with me and saved me from rowdy boys. Yet, I was nervous all the time.
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Home — Essay Samples — Education — First Day of School — My First Day Of High School

My First Day of High School
- Subject: Education
- Category: Educational System
- Essay Topic: First Day of School , High School
- Words: 1179
- Published: 14 May 2021
- Downloads: 260
Table of contents
Introduction, preparing for school, first day of school.
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Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with. Specific prompts Write a story about your first day of school. Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.
Answer 1: We usually remember the first day of school because it is a new experience for us completely. It is the first time we step out from the comfort of our home as kids, so it will be memorable. Question 2: Does everyone have a good first day at school? Answer 2: Not necessarily.
The first day of middle school for me was both terrifying and exciting. I made a lot of new friends within the year. I remember the first day very well. I had woke up at 5;30 a.m. I was extremely tired. All i wanted was to throw my alarm clock across the room and sleep for the rest of the day.
I was put to school at the age of five. It was a primary school. The memory of my first day at school is still fresh in my mind. It was a small school with eight rooms. There were ten teachers including the physical instructor. The school had a compound with a grassy lawn and a few flower beds.