How to Write a Narrative Essay
A narrative essay is one of the most commonly assigned forms of academic writing. Starting from school, students of various educational facilities face this type of task quite often, which is why knowing how to handle it is vital for their success.
The main purpose of the narrative style of writing is to tell a compelling story. It doesn't sound like too big of a deal, right? You couldn't be more wrong. Even if it might seem easy at first sight, telling an engaging story can be rather challenging. To help you overcome this challenge, our custom term paper writing service compiled a comprehensive guide on how to write a narrative essay step by step.
What Is a Narrative Essay?
A narrative essay is a form of academic writing that aims to tell a story. As the author, your goal is to create the right atmosphere and a lifelike experience for your readers.
As a rule, this type of paper is written from the first-person perspective. Therefore, you have to put readers at the epicenter of the plot and keep them engaged. To do this and to ensure the right atmosphere, narrative writing uses plenty of vivid details, descriptive techniques, etc.
The biggest challenge in writing a narrative essay is that it is always limited in length. Thus, your task is to take a complex story and narrow it down to incorporate its key points to fit into a short essay while at the same time providing enough detail to keep readers engaged. You can always get help from our research paper writing service .
Purpose of a Narrative Essay
This form of writing is about sharing stories—that's the key purpose. As for an essay writer , your task is to tell readers about a real-life experience and, simultaneously, to make a clear point of why you are suggesting that particular story and why it matters.
What makes it different from other types of essays? In a narrative essay, all you do is guide readers through the story; you don't make arguments, criticize, or attempt to persuade them. Instead, you are just telling a story, letting readers draw their own conclusions. That's the most distinctive feature of such papers.
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Types of Narrative Essays
There are two types of custom writing essays to be put into narrative form:
Descriptive Narrative Essay
This is the most creative form of this task. The main goal of a descriptive narrative essay is to describe an experience, situation, or memory using vivid details. ‘Show, don't tell’ is the main credo of writing a descriptive narrative paper. The author's goal is to evoke the readers' different senses and paint a clear picture of an event.
A well-written descriptive narrative paper is usually straightforward. It takes a complicated story and narrows it down—allowing the reader to infer the rest. Great writers avoid over-exaggeration and stick to their purpose. There are always some limits to the amount of content you can provide to your readers; keep this in mind when choosing what to include in your work.
Autobiographical
This task requires you to share a true story throughout your life. Note that this type of assignment should focus on one specific event. Unlike a descriptive essay, an autobiographical one places a bigger focus on the story itself and its purpose, not details.
Narrative Essay Characteristics
Here are the basic characteristics that define this type of writing:
- Non-fiction – written about events that happened;
- Written from the author's viewpoint (1st person);
- Includes elements of a story but is written with a basic structure;
- Provides information in chronological order;
- Uses lots of details to describe an event, person, or scene;
- Strives to inform readers of something, not argue or teach.
Video Guide on How to Write a Narrative Essay
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10 Good Narrative Essay Topics and How to Pick One
When choosing a good narrative essay topic, there are a few things to remember. First of all, you should start by carefully studying the given requirements. Typically, teachers will specify exactly what you are expected to do.
Some of the basic characteristics a teacher may be looking for in your paper are:
- A Conflict/Challenge: An inciting incident that creates the tone and sets the story in motion.
- A Protagonist: A relatable character that faces a conflict or challenge against overwhelming odds.
- Change or Growth: Overcoming the conflict or challenge sparks some change in the protagonist. A realization may have sparked this change. This realization can also be an after-effect of the character's development throughout the story.
To come up with a brilliant topic for a narrative essay, you will need to take some time to brainstorm. To get on the right track, try using the following techniques:
- Think of your past experiences and memories, and try to find something truly exciting.
- Think of what bothers you and what stories you'd want to share with others.
- Take a walk to refresh and generate some good ideas.
- Use the Internet to your benefit – social media, online magazines, blogs, and other resources can help you discover your peers' stories, what they are interested in, and what they discuss. This can also help you find a few ideas.
- Try freewriting – this very handy technique can help you get your story flowing. To try it, all you need is to get a pen and paper and start writing your thoughts down.
Follow these tips to generate some great ideas, and then pick one that looks the most compelling. The final information is to choose something interesting to you and appealing enough to engage your audience.
Here are some narrative essay ideas to help you brainstorm:
- Overcoming Fear
- Facing a Challenge
- A New Experience or Discovery
- A Moment of Excitement
- Learning a Tough Lesson
- A Thrilling Moment of Adrenaline
- The Moment You Stood Up for Yourself
- A Relationship Experience
- A Discovery That Changed Your Life
- A Rebellious Act
These are a few typical examples that students tend to explore. Next, consider making a story based on your personal life experiences. The most vivid memories are usually the ones that tell a great story.
Narrative Format and Structure
The narrative essay format and structure are standard. Like other assignments, this type of paper normally follows a 5 paragraph essay outline: one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and the last narrative paragraph is the conclusion. However, unlike other types of essays, a narrative paper's paragraphs have specifically designated purposes:
- Introduction – makes an insight into the story, states the purpose of writing, and includes an engaging element to hook the reader;
- Main body paragraph 1 – rising action;
- Main body paragraph 2 – climax;
- Main body paragraph 3 – falling action;
- Conclusion – lessons learned from the story.
In the next section of this article, we will look at each element more closely.
Narrative Essay Outline
Let's look at how to start a narrative essay. When writing this type of academic task, we recommend that you follow this specific sequence of actions.
- Brainstorm ideas
- Pick the right topic
- Define your purpose for writing
- Plan your story – it should have rising action, climax, and falling action, and you should be able to draw logical conclusions from it
- Create an outline
If you approach your writing step by step, as described above, the whole process will become less stressful and much quicker. So now, let's get back to the narrative essay outline.
Introduction
The opening clause of your story has to accomplish 3 goals:
- Engage readers in the story with the help of a hook. To create a powerful hook, you can use a question, fact, quote, or an intriguing statement that will make readers want to read further.
Example: “I’m not quite sure whether it is a real memory or just some false belief that grew stronger and more convincing in me over time, but I remember my sister once trying to kill me...”
- Set the scene and give readers an idea of what is happening. However, it shouldn’t tell the entire story yet, just give a glimpse into it; don’t give it all away, and keep your readers intrigued.
Example: “It was another warm summer day when we were making our way back home from the beach. The next thing I remember was a loud bang and a pounding ache in my head.”
- Define the purpose of your writing. Finally, your narrative introduction should provide some insight into what the story is all about. Give readers a sneak peek of what’s to come, but don’t state the lessons you’ve learned from the situation yet. Keep them engaged!
Example: “Our memory can be a tricky thing sometimes. Just switch the point of view for a situation and you will get a completely different picture.”
As a rule, your introduction should contain a thesis statement.
Narrative Essay Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is another important element of your paper. It should be placed in the introductory paragraph and can later be restated in your conclusion to empower the effect of the essay.
A thesis statement is your main argument. Its main goal is to introduce the problem or conflict you will investigate in your paper and to spark the readers' interest.
A good thesis statement should not be a fact or general truth, and it also shouldn't be a suggestion, recommendation, or question. Instead, it should give a sneak peek into the problem, explain it briefly, and provide some hints about the outcome.
The main body of your paper is the most important part. This is where you tell the story, share facts and details, and guide readers through the plot.
The body of a narrative essay can consist of 3 or more paragraphs, and its length depends on the general word count of your paper.
Here are 4 important points to consider in the body paragraphs of your narrative essay:
- Include vivid and relevant detail: A narrative essay is about creating a scene and a mood to follow. Even the best essay writers can spend hours writing and meticulously including details. However, make sure to spam your sentences with literary symbols. You are good to go as long as each sentence serves a purpose.
- Incorporate dialogue: Throwing the reader into dialogue is an effective way to refresh their attention. Dialogue is a great way to give a story life and support the story's atmosphere. Again, use this technique constructively.
Example: If you have two New Yorkers talking to each other, using British slang won’t be a great choice.
- Write chronologically: It's easier for readers to understand the timeline of events in a paper if the author is blunt. Keeping things sequential is the best way to keep your writing organized.
- Avoid narration deviation: The first-person voice will work best if you are talking about a personal experience. If this is a story you heard from a friend, writing in the third person will make more sense.
To find a compelling narrative paragraph example, keep on reading.
In the conclusion part, you are expected to give some final comments about your story. This is where you can restate some of the key details and ideas mentioned in the body. In addition, you should stress the lessons you've learned from a particular situation and leave readers with something to think about.
Example: “As I go through these events over and over in my head, I realize how much it has taught me. Everything that happens in our lives has at least two sides. To see the real image, it is necessary to collect all of the details piece by piece—to see both sides. And, not all memories should be trusted. Sometimes, it is just our brains that try to make up false stories, isn’t it?”
Narrative Essay Examples
The content of narrative essays can vary depending on the requirements of your institution. Leave us a notice if you need dissertation help . We have decided to provide you with narrative essay examples in case you have a problem.
New York, New York. The city that never sleeps. With a population of over 8.5m people, someone's always bound to be awake! And so many sights to see, hear, and experience across this sprawling metropolis. A visitor could spend a lifetime there and see something new every day. I recently traveled to New York, my first time in fact, and spent four days in this iconic city of the world. I visited some of the best known landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and of course, the Top of the Rock down in central Manhattan.
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.
There is an ability to identify the traits that characterise a person by looking at their immediate environment. My identity can be explained by my personality and the continuous interactions in the environments I have been in since I was young. Finding an identity is not a one-time phenomenon. I believe that identifying myself is a lifelong endeavor. After all, psychologists argue that one’s identity orients and changes over time. I find it essential to understand my self so that I can live well, interact smoothly with others, and pursue my goals. I realize that there are plenty of things to identify with: my family, gender, college, community, race, religion, and even the choices that I make every single day. Both the choices, and the factors I have no control over, eventually help define who I am and therefore, the role I have in life. Life is a broad term, and I can realize the role I play in various environments, such as home, church, school, and my community.
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 narrative essay to see how others have approached it.
I was just listening to some music in my car as I rested and waited for my grandmother to finish up so that we could drive off. From the other side of the road there were some kids playing football, and I had not given it much thought since they were just playing—a regular activity. For a moment, I thought I had heard a sound made by a hard-kicked ball, followed by some noise from the children. Then, I decided to look through the window to see how far the ball had gone. Before I could even move an inch, another even louder sound, which shook my car, came from the playground. That is when I felt fear all throughout my body and I started sweating profusely, even though I was still not quite sure enough about what had just happened.
General Advice
Writing a narrative essay should be a positive experience. It does not restrict you to a linear format with no allowance for variation. This is one of the most free-spirited and original essays to write. That doesn't mean that rebelling against all rules and writing something absurd is appropriate, though.
If you are still struggling to decide what to write about – think of your story as a coming-of-age tale. An event that transformed you into the person you are today.
Your primary goal is to take the readers on a journey. Have them share your experience and take something away from it. The best stories are always the ones that teleport the readers out of their comfort zones.
Now, let us give you a few more tips on how to write a flawless narrative story:
- Keep It Clear. Your narrative writing should be easy to read and understand. Thus, try to avoid phrasing and syntax that is too complex. Keep your language clear and simple.
- Refrain from Overusing Details. A narrative essay should tell a story in vivid detail. However, it is important to use details sparingly. As mentioned, your word count will be limited, and you still need to have enough space to let your story unfold fully. Thus, describe only some things, focus on things that matter, and add value.
- Use the First-Person Narrative. As a rule, narrative writing describes real events and experiences in the author's life. That's why you should avoid writing in the second-person perspective.
- Use Dynamic Words. A narrative story should be engaging and dynamic. Make it simple and use passive voice sparingly.
- Limit References. Most papers in MLA format have to include in-text citations and, thus, many references. This is, however, a better practice for a narrative essay. Essentially, this type of assignment is much more personal, so it would be great if you could use your thoughts and feelings to write it. If you still used other helpful resources while writing, cite them on a ‘Works Cited’ page.
You can always buy essays online on EssayPro.
Do’s and Don’ts of Narrative Writing
To make the writing process less stressful, keep the following do’s and don’ts in mind:
- Preferably write your story in the first-person point of view (or third-person if necessary).
- Begin with a hook in the form of a fact, quote, question, definition, etc., to grab the readers' attention.
- Make a clear statement of your point: What will you say with this paper?
- Follow the proper narrative format.
- Spice up your story with some conflict.
- Try to address all five senses simultaneously – tell the readers what the characters of a story saw, what they smelled, heard, felt, etc.
- Follow a logical presentation sequence – ideally, move from one event to another in chronological order.
- Keep your language clear and easy to read.
- Don't hesitate to use different descriptive techniques such as power words, transitions, etc.
- Do not write a narrative essay in the second-person perspective.
- Don’t create fictional stories, write about events that really happened.
- Don’t use exceedingly formal language, arguments, slang, etc.
- Don’t write about everything – too many details are also not good, so be sure to be specific only about the main ideas and details that drive the plot of your story.
- Don’t tell a story, show it!
Get a Perfect Narrative Essay from Pros!
Storytelling is a skill that doesn’t come naturally. It takes time and effort to acquire it, which is why writing a good narrative essay can be so challenging sometimes. Hopefully this guide will help you get a better idea of how to write a good narrative paper. And if you still have any concerns, contact our service and find the perfect author.
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How To Write A Narrative Essay: General Guidelines
08 May 2022
Quick Navigation
❔What Is A Narrative Essay?
📑Purpose Of A Narrative Essay
🖇️Elements Of A Narrative Essay
✒️ Types Of A Narrative Essay
🗒️ Length Of A Narrative Essay
✍️Guidelines For Writing A Narrative Essay
Essays come in several forms. Some are descriptive in nature and others can be more persuasive. In this guide, the focus is on the narrative essay. This is a particular type of work that involves the use of narration or telling a story.
We’ll give you a further explanation of what this type of essay is. As well as this, we’ll show you how to write narrative essay, so you’re more confident about writing your own. Our guide also goes over at narrative format and the different essay types you can write.
A Narrative Essay Explained
To define this type of essay, we should look at what narrative writing is. This is a type of writing whose purpose is to tell the reader a story. It involves characters, settings and a plot that ends up getting resolved. If it’s fictional, everything’s made up. Novels are a good example of fictional narrative writing. On the other hand, if the writing is factual, everything is based on real-life events.
Academic assignments that involve narrative essay writing nearly always require you to write factual content. The bulk of your work should therefore be a story that’s true and whose details can be backed up by facts.
If you’re wondering how to write narrative writing, just imagine you’re telling a story to someone you know. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning sets the scene and the end concludes everything. The middle consists of the story’s most important parts; it can be as short or long as you need. However long your narrative text is, you should keep in mind that you’re telling a story and it should flow well.
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Specific Prompts
- Write about the time you met your best friend.
- Write a story about your first trip to the beach.
Open-ended Prompts
- Write about something you did that you are very happy for.
- Write a story about what you’d like your future life to be.
The Narrative Essay and the Short Story: Key Differences
This type of essay and the short story have some similarities but also some differences. It’s important to understand what structures the two have so your own piece of work sticks to the required format.
When writing a narrative essay for a college or university assessment, you’ll have to rely on facts. Your writing should give the reader a clear summary of what happened. You’ll also have to stick to a word count, if there is one, and follow the general narrative essay structure that markers are looking for. There should be a thesis statement in the opening section that summarises your paper’s key argument.
As for a short story, this is fictional and what happens is the product of the writer’s imagination. It doesn’t require a thesis statement and its structure is a lot more fluid than that of a narrative essay. There’s no set way to approach one and you can be as creative as you like with the content.
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A Narrative Essay’s Aim
If you’re not sure how to start a narrative essay, ask yourself why you want to tell people this particular story; what’s your purpose in sharing it with others. When someone writes a story, no matter what genre it is, they want it to have an impact on those who read it; they want their readers to react to it in a particular way. If someone writes a horror story, for example, their purpose will be to make their readers feel afraid and frightened.
You should want readers to be engaged with your story. The more closely someone reads your work, the more likely they will be to take it in and react to it. To make the story more compelling and effective, you have to write it in the best possible way. This involves using the right language, having a clear structure and making sure your writing is clear.
- Write about the moment you overcame your biggest concern.
- Write a story about your thoughts on what courage is.
- Write about a trip you will never forget.
- Write a story about starting a relationship.
What Makes a Good Narrative Essay?
A good narrative essay should draw readers in, tell them a story that leaves an impression on them and finish with a definitive conclusion. It includes all the familiar elements of a story but without being as long as one. It should also let the reader know what you make of the story and what your thoughts about it are.
What’s also crucial is structure and format for narrative essay. These make your work presentable and readable. We’ll discuss both of these later on.
Elements of Narrative Essays
There are several key components, or elements, that make up this type of essay. These include characters, speech and theme.
- Characters are the backbone of any story and are, therefore, very significant in narrative essays. Not only do they drive the plot forward, but they also interact with one another. Each one has a personality and background; sometimes, one or both of these may directly influence the story’s action.
- More often than not, the story part will include some speech. This reflects the conversations that characters have with one another or thoughts they may have.
- The theme is the main idea or meaning behind the story. It’s a concept that a writer can express to the reader through the story’s plot, setting and characters. The thesis statement should mention the theme and provide a summary of what it is.
Common Narrative Essay Types
There are multiple types of narrative essays. Most college and university assignments require your work to be factual. For some courses, such as creative writing, your work will be fictional. You’ll find some of the main types below:
- Factual. When you’re writing a factual (or nonfiction) narrative essay, you’re retelling real-life events for other people. To put the story together, you’ll look at evidence from one or more sources.
- Fictional. For fictional narrative essays, you can be creative and come up with any sort of story you want. Since it’s for an academic assignment, it should still have some purpose and meaning.
- Autobiographical. An autobiographical essay involves writing down a story you’re directly involved in. This is a factual piece of academic writing where you’re sharing with the reader something you’ve experienced. You’ll use the first person and can, if you want, inject your telling of the story with thoughts and opinions.
- Write about an experience that put you in danger.
- Write a story about a time when you discovered a secret.
- Write about a day you experienced that was unlike any other.
- Write a story about a memorable summer vacation.
Types of Narrative Writing
When thinking of how to start a narrative essay for college, you should try to decide on the type of writing you’ll be using. Below are some types to consider:
- Linear. When taking a linear approach to the writing, you’ll describe the story’s events in the order they happened in. One event will follow from the previous one and lead into the next one.
- Non-linear. Should you take a non-linear approach, you’ll tell the events of the story out of sequence. This may include flashbacks or even flashforwards.
- Quest. Some stories are a sequence of events taking place and characters reacting to these. Others are more like a quest where a person actively tries to complete a goal and this becomes their entire purpose.
- Viewpoint. With a viewpoint type of narration, the main character narrates the events from their own point of view. Instead of it being just about the plot, it’s just as much about the opinions, ideas and feelings of the narrator.
- Descriptive. For this type of narrative writing, you should be very descriptive and use vivid details throughout. Readers should be able to picture the story’s setting and visualise what the characters in it look like.
Your story should make sense, whatever type of narrative writing you choose. The paragraphs should connect to one another in a clear and logical way. If you choose a non-linear style, the reader should be able to tell that the events aren’t in the right order.
If you’re stuck on how to write a narrative paragraph, remember that it should be concise. It should also connect with the one before it and the one after it. Your work ideally won’t have any blocks of text that stand out or are separate from the rest of the writing. For your essay to read well, there should be links from one paragraph to the next.
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The Length of a Narrative Essay
When it comes to writing a narrative essay, there’s no set length. The required word count will vary depending on who’s setting the work and what institution is running your course. Some narrative essays can be as short as 500 words, whereas others may have a few hundred more. Sometimes, your narrative essay guidelines may require at least 1,000 words.
If you’re given a word count, e.g., 500-600 words, obviously, you will have to stick to it. If there’s no restriction, it’s up to you how long your work should be. An ideal narrative essay should be at least a few hundred words in length. It should have a clear beginning and conclusion, with three or more body sections.
However long your assignment is, it should be direct and to the point. An essay that’s narrative should retell the key points of a story without necessarily going into detail. You should only include the most important characters, locations and events. By all means, have some descriptive language, but don’t overdo it.
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Guidelines for Writing a Narrative Essay
If you’re wondering how to write a good narrative essay, we’ll cover some of the most important guidelines in this section. Follow these and you should find your work much easier to approach and complete. Use our guidelines and you should have a better idea of how to write narrative essays.
How Do You Start a Narrative Essay?
First, you’ll receive a prompt from your lecturer/tutor. This is the instruction your lecturer/tutor gives you when setting the assignment. When you have this, you should start gathering ideas about what you’ll be writing. Come up with a title - unless your essay has a set title - and consider how you’re going to approach the story aspect of your writing.
When coming up with your story, think about how you would tell it to someone else. Break it down into a number of events that follow one another. When writing it, you should try to draw the reader in by using descriptive language and adding plenty of relevant details. The aim is to interest whoever’s reading your work but not to bore them. They should want to keep reading and find out what the conclusion of the story is.
Here are some prompts that you can use:
- Write about the best birthday party you had.
- Write a story about the first time you cooked a meal by yourself.
- Write about a life lesson you have learned.
- Write a story about your best childhood memory.
How to Choose an Essay Topic?
The topic you’ll be writing about will depend on your prompt. This can fall under two categories: specific and open-ended.
If you have a specific prompt, you’re going to be writing about a particular event or series of events. If it’s an open-ended one, you don’t have to write about something specific and you have a lot more choice in your topic.
The number and range of narrative writing topics are endless. The benefit of having a specific prompt is that it’s easier for you to determine what you’ll be writing about. All you’ll have to do is think about what the prompt is directing you toward and tell the story it’s asking of you.
If your prompt is open-ended, choosing a topic to write about can be tricky because there can be many possibilities. You should settle on one that the reader will find interesting, engaging and relevant.
- Write about an old friend you’ve lost touch with and why it happened.
- Write a story about your observation of a cowardly act.
- Write about a hobby you like.
- Write a story about the first time in your life you took a trip abroad.
How to Format and Structure a Narrative Essay?
The structure of narrative essay is straightforward. There are four key parts: the introduction, the thesis statement, the body and the conclusion.
- The introduction provides the reader with an overview of your essay. The thesis statement is a brief summary of your work’s main points.
- The body is where you tell the story. After introducing your characters and establishing the setting, you’ll narrate the events of the story and move the plot forward. Most narrative essays have a minimum of three body paragraphs.
- The conclusion is where you bring the story’s plot to an end. You should also comment on it, explaining why it’s significant and what benefits it may have.
It’s important for you to stick to the standard structure of a narrative essay. Doing so helps you present the story in a logical way. It also makes your piece of writing easier to read.
As for the format of narrative essay, this should be professional. The final piece of work you submit should look just like any other type of academic essay. The writing should have an appropriate font and size. As well as this, things like indentation, spacing and paragraph sizing should all be consistent. Your narrative essay format is just as important as the content because academic submissions require formatting of a certain standard.
The exact type of narrative writing format you use will depend on the college or university you’re at. Some institutions will have a set formatting style that all academic writing submissions will have to follow.
Narrative Essay Outline
An outline is a general sort of plan that you’ll use to write your essay. When putting one together, you should think about not only the content of your work but also how you’re going to present this to the reader. It’s a good idea to consider the language you’ll be using, how long your sentences and paragraphs will be, how often you’ll use speech and so on.
The introduction should do two things: catch the attention of the reader; make them want to carry on reading. It should also make them intrigued about your essay’s topic and curious to find out what you have to say about it. Once you’ve written one, it’s a good idea to let others read it and see if it makes them want to find out more about your work.
The body is the bulk of your essay and is where most of the storytelling takes place. The first paragraph should set the scene, introduce at least one character and establish the basics of the plot. Over the next few paragraphs, you should develop everything that you previously introduced. Once the reader is done with the body section, they should know your characters and plot quite well.
The conclusion is very important because it’s where you conclude the story and reflect on it. This final section should sum up what you’ve learnt and how you want the story to affect others. It should also link back to your thesis statement in some way.
For more information and help with writing, read our narrative essay outline example article. This includes a full step-by-step guide that you may find useful.
Narrative Essay Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is a short sentence in the introduction that sums up what your essay is about. It gives the reader a clear idea of what the paper’s key argument is, but without revealing too much about the story. If you’re wondering how to structure a narrative essay, a rule of thumb is to place the thesis statement at the end of the introduction. This way, it naturally leads into the main part of your paper.
Here are some examples of a good thesis statement:
I have only one life and I will use every opportunity to be happy.
Love has changed my whole life and made me a new person, here’s why.
Writing a good thesis statement is vital for any essay type. If yours reads well, it can help the reader engage with your work more. If you’re struggling to write a thesis statement, buy narrative essays online and see some examples from our team. By reading other people’s work, you’ll get a better idea of how to write things yourself.
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- The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples
The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples
Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 6, 2021.
An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.
Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type.
In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.
Table of contents
Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, frequently asked questions about types of essays.
An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.
Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.
The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:
- The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
- The body presents your evidence and arguments
- The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance
The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.
A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.
An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.
Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.
The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.
A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.
The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.
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A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.
Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.
A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.
Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.
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.
A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.
Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.
A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.
Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.
On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.
My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.
With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…
Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.
Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.
Rhetorical analysis
A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.
The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.
The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.
The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.
King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.
Literary analysis
A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.
Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.
The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.
Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.
At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.
Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”
The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.
Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:
- In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
- In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
- In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory
An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.
An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.
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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- Writing Paragraphs
How to Write a Narrative Paragraph
Last Updated: November 29, 2022 References
This article was co-authored by Grant Faulkner, MA . Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story, a literary magazine. Grant has published two books on writing and has been published in The New York Times and Writer’s Digest. He co-hosts Write-minded, a weekly podcast on writing and publishing, and has a M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 225,692 times.
A narrative paragraph tells a story, either real or fictional, by introducing a topic, giving more details, and then ending with a reflection or transition to another paragraph. Being able to properly write a narrative paragraph is an essential skill for anyone who wants to write or tell stories, from authors to journalists to advertisers and beyond. Learning the essential elements (an introduction, necessary details, and a conclusion) and how to put them together concisely will enable you to craft brief but complete stories for any audience. Plus, you'll become a better, more confident writer, too!
Introducing Your Story
- You could relate something that happened to someone else, even a fictional person.
- The exception would be if you were switching between the current discussion of the story’s meaning (in present tense) and the narrative of the story’s events (past tense).
- A good first-person topic sentence might be, “I’ll never forget the time I picked out my new puppy.” If you were using third person, the same topic sentence would be written, “He would never forget the time he picked out his new puppy.”
- For the first-person example about picking out a new puppy, you might continue, “My mom drove me to the breeder, which was 45 minutes away.”
- You might say: “I was 11, so the car ride seemed like an eternity. We lived in Wisconsin at the time, and the breeder was in Chicago.”
- All background information after the topic sentence, such as other characters and where the story takes place, should be approximately 1-4 sentences long.
- While the length of your paragraph will vary based on the content, a standard 5-sentence paragraph likely will not provide enough detail to tell a complete narrative.
Providing Narrative Details
- You could say, ”When we arrived at the breeder, I felt dismayed. I didn’t see any puppies at all.”
- You might continue, ”The breeder whistled. I was relieved when the puppies bounded around a corner and into the entryway. I saw a puppy in my favorite color—white—with two black spots. ‘Mom, can we keep him?’ I asked hopefully. She paused for a minute, seeming to reconsider getting a puppy at all.”
- You could end, “Then, mom smiled. ‘Only if we can name him Oreo.’ I hugged her, and Oreo gave me a lick of approval.”
- Resolution could be as brief as 1 sentence or as many as 3.
Concluding Your Story and Proofing Your Paragraph
- Regarding the puppy story, you might say, ”It was the happiest day of my life.”
- The nature of your conclusion will depend greatly on the tone and content of your story as well as the perspective the story is told from.
- Reading your story out loud is a great way to listen for grammar problems and other spots that don’t quite flow.
- Don’t rely on spell-check, as it won’t catch everything!
Expert Q&A
- To make your narrative paragraph engaging, bounce story ideas off a friend before you begin writing. It’s best to focus on a moment that was special and transformative for you or your narrator rather than simply relating day-to-day events. [12] X Research source ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
- The sentence parameters outlined here are simply guidelines rather than hard rules. When needed, narrative paragraphs can run slightly shorter or longer to suit their content. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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- ↑ https://www.mtsac.edu/writingcenter/dlas/narrative_and_descriptive_paragraphs_dla_09-03-19.pdf
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/verb_tenses/verb_tense_consistency.html
- ↑ https://k12.thoughtfullearning.com/lessonplan/writing-narrative-paragraph
- ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/paragraphs/paragraph-development-examples/
- ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/writingforsuccess/chapter/10-1-narration/
- ↑ https://opentextbc.ca/buildingblocks/chapter/narrative-paragraphs/
- ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Proofreading.html
- ↑ Grant Faulkner, MA. Professional Writer. Expert Interview. 8 January 2019.
- ↑ https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/chapter/chapter-12-peer-review-and-final-revisions/
About This Article
A narrative paragraph tells a chronological story that can either be real or fictional. A good narrative starts with a strong topic sentence that draws the reader in and introduces the tale you’re going to tell. For example, you might start your paragraph with "I'll never forget the day I picked out my new puppy." Once you hook your reader, introduce any major characters involved in the tale. After you set the scene, introduce the main conflict in the story, which you'll want to resolve by the end. For instance, you might write "When we arrived at the breeder's, I was disappointed. There weren't any puppies in sight. But then I heard a whistle and saw a bunch of puppies race around the corner." Your narrative paragraph should be around 9 sentences long. For tips on how to proofread your narrative paragraph, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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How To Write A Narrative Essay?
Lily writes a narrative essay with the hope of developing writing skills.
But she is terrified and getting goosebumps while writing. She used her complete knowledge in writing, and after that, she went to the kitchen to make a cake. She comes and revises it later.
She comes back and starts revising, but she feels it’s not up to the mark. It’s too dull. She thinks about how to write a narrative essay impressively. How can I impress the audience with the story?
Are you also one of those students assigned to write a narrative essay in your college or high school? Remember, it is a good opportunity to improve your storytelling skills. For most students writing a narrative essay is so much fun. In this blog post, we will be discussing “how to write a narrative essay.”
What is a narrative essay?
Table of Contents
A narrative essay is an essay that tells us a story. These are commonly assigned in high schools and colleges. It also contains a plot, characters, conflicts, etc., like stories. Most of the time, students are told to write essay for me about their personal experiences in the form of a story. It is done so that class or readers can connect with it.
Since everyone likes stories, so these essays got so many readers. Hence it is very important to work on its content and format. Writing a narrative essay can be fun if you do it properly. Movies and some YouTube videos are also narrative essays, but they are in the form of videos.
Apart from this, the narrative essay is one of the essays assigned to the students as an academic writing paper. That is why its quality depends on the technique you used to write it. There is a specific structure for this essay type, and it is as follows:
- Introduction: It consists of an overview of your narrative essay that allows the readers to understand your story’s motive. Don’t forget to include a thesis statement of 3-4 lines to easily direct your essay in a proper direction to the readers.
- Main Body: Try to gather all the relevant facts, details, and supporting arguments to support your story. Logically write each idea and place them in a sequence. If your main body of the essay is 3-4 paragraphs, go for it. But remember to include a new idea in each paragraph.
- Conclusion/Summary: Here, students have to sum up their ideas that have been included in the main body of the essay. Writing 3-5 lines in it is sufficient to end up your essay writing. Do not put a new idea here, as it can lead the readers to misguide your narrative essay.
Purpose of Narrative Essays
This essay is all about telling stories to the readers. It is their main purpose. As a writer, you have to mention personal experience, but you have to make sure you mention your point clearly so the reader understands. Explain why your story is worth sharing.
Many students have confused regarding the persuasive essay and narrative essay. They considered them the same. Are they the same?
No, that’s not right. Let’s compare both of them-
What are the narrative essay examples?
- Meeting a famous person.
- Playground Memory.
- My first job.
- Traveling to the US for the first time.
- Little leader.
- Ultimate cricket match.
- My secret place.
- Living a dream.
- Near-death experience.
- Best vacation with my family.
Step-by-step guide On How to write a narrative essay
If you are searching for how to write a narrative essay then you should know about some important steps for writing a narrative essay that are as follows-
Step 1:- Choose A Good Topic
It is the first step toward writing a narrative essay. First, you should have a good topic to write about. Choose your topic in such a way that you can convert it into a story of yours. A good topic connects with people’s minds immediately. Always select such topics which are relatable to the majority of your readers.
Step 2:- Choose Your Story
After choosing a topic, you need to choose a good story. The story must be related to the topic or theme you choose. It should not hurt anyone’s sentiments, and it must relate to the reader so that they can enjoy the narrative essay more. The story must be realistic, it should not contain any exaggeration. More realistic the story is, the more relatability people will feel.
Step 3:- Research If Required
Writing a narrative essay does not need much research. It is because it is related to your personal experiences. But some topics are there, which require research to add extra information to the content. Research is must, if you want to represent the story properly you need to add thorough information. Research helps you to have in depth knowledge about the topic.
Step 4:- Write The Draft
Now outline the plot before you begin. Make a list of all the incidents systematically so that you will not miss any points during writing. This will let you know where the story starts, its main incidents, and where it ends. Remember, you are writing an essay, not a novel. So, your story must be fairly contained and concise. While making the draft, make sure your story is in flow so that it does not seem like in different pieces. Your story must convey as a whole and with full connectivity.
Step 5:- Describe Important Characters
While writing a narrative essay , you must describe all the important characters. Describe them about how they look, what they wear, age, height and also mention some interesting facts about them.
For example: “My grandmother was sharpening her pencil with a razor blade and unpacking her watercolor paint and paintbrushes from their special travel box. She was wearing a loose green cardigan with her floral printed skirts. Her white hairs were combed neatly and tied in a bun”.
Step 6:- Find The Antagonist Of The Story
It is very important to find the story’s antagonist and the conflict. Without this, it will be boring. In most of the stories, the protagonist is the writer himself. The antagonist is always the person who stops the protagonist from achieving what he wants. This counter-character will bring people’s interests into your story. Without any antagonists, your story will be bland, and people will find it boring.
Step 7:- Describe The Scene
You also need to describe the scene in detail. It is important because by this you can make readers imagine the scene properly. The most common mistake every narrative essay writer makes is not explaining the scene in detail. Detailing enhances the imagination and the essay is not a success until any imagination is involved.
Step 8:- Omit Unnecessary Details
You do not need to provide any unnecessary details. Omit those details or topics that are not relevant to your story. Keep the story within the storyline. Crossing the storyline makes your narrative essay confusing and boring. Exclude all the unnecessary details and focus on the main details.
Step 9:- Write Events Chronologically
It is very important to write all the events chronologically. If not done so, your story will not make sense. So what happened first must be written.
Step 10:- Revise Your Essay
After making the first draft of your narrative essay:
- Check whether the theme, title, and story are related.
- Proceed with editing and proofreading.
Step 11:- Make The Final Draft
Now make the final draft of your narrative essay. After all the alterations, make the final draft to do the final touch-up.
Quick Links
- Tips For Structuring An Essay
- How To Write An Essay
- Fruitful Ways Of How To Write An Autobiography Essay
10 Best Narrative Essay Topics Ideas
These are the following narrative essay ideas below.
Narrative Essay Examples
You can take the narrative essay example about life or others’ personal life or work too. These are the list of narrative essay examples.
Personal Narrative Essay
Do you know what a personal narrative essay is? How to write a personal narrative essay? If not, a personal narrative essay is a narrative or story based on your personal experience that you share with readers.
6 Steps For Writing Personal Narrative Essays
These are the steps to write a personal narrative essay.
Step 1:- Write Your Narrative as a Story
In the first steps, you must write your experience narrative as a story. Also, include in your story a proper heading, starting with a good introduction, adding plot, setting, anti-climax (if any), climax, and conclusion too.
Step 2:- Give Your Narrative a Clear Goal
Secondly, you will give your narrative for a clear purpose. Your narrative essay should remember your amazing viewpoint on life. This is more difficult than it displays.
Step 3:- Show, Don’t Tell
The narrative should create a visual for readers rather than simply informing them of what happened. The author should not only tell the story but also portray one of the characters.
Step 4:- 4. Use “I,” But Don’t Overuse It
As the author, you are in control of the narrative, so the personal pronoun “I” is frequently used. However, it’s best to use it sparingly as too much may make you sound self-absorbed and repetitive.
Step 5:- Pay Attention To The Tenses
Also, use the correct tenses in your overall narrative essay. Tense is the most important to grasp. Personal narratives mainly describe the story of circumstances that occurred in the past, so many authors prefer to use the past tense.
Step 6:- Make Your Conclusion Satisfying
Lastly, give your narrative essay readers a satisfactory conclusion by giving them a remembered scene.
How To Start A Narrative Essay?
If you want to know “how to start a narrative essay,” follow the below-given format, structure, and technique to write the essay within a specific period.
- At first, write the introduction in your narrative essay.
- Secondly, use a body paragraph and use the proper narrative essay outline in your essay.
- In the end, also add the conclusion of your overall essay.
Literacy Narrative Essay
The literacy narrative essay is one of the best autobiographical essays. “The Art of Eating Spaghetti” is included in the best literacy narrative essay examples.
Things to remember while writing a narrative essay: Do’s and Don’ts
- Keep your essay concise. Do not over-explain unnecessary things, people and plots.
- Always outline events before you start writing
- Do not describe every character in detail. For non-important characters, a brief description is enough.
- Add vibrant details. You can add some details to spice up the story. But try to stay as true as possible.
- Always stay consistent. Narrative essays are always written in the past tense. Do not mix up tenses.
- These are generally written in the first person, i.e. making use of “I” statements.
- Take care of your grammar. Do not make any grammatical mistakes.
- Always highlight the important moments of your story. This enables the readers to remember those points.
- Get assistance if you are not able to do it well.
Additional tips for writing an effective narrative essay
- The words and sentences of your narrative essay must be clear. Use different colors to highlight the main points.
- Factors in your essay must be supported with relevant details and mention the references for each point.
- If there is a need to write the conflict, put it without hesitation as it makes your narrative essay more realistic.
- Flash-forwards and flashbacks can help you to direct the narrative story to an exciting ending.
- Besides the first person, you can use the third person perspective also.
Bonus point: How to choose the narrative essay topics?
Following these points while selecting the narrative essay topics-
1. Understand the assignment-
It is best to go through them carefully to understand what your professor expected from you. Also, see if there is any question you require to answer. Sometimes students interpret wrong meanings which the teacher asks them to do. Whole assignment is wrong now. To remove this error you must properly understand the assignment.
2. Brainstorming session –
Do brainstorm and find out possible story ideas for your narrative essay. Firstly, add the ideas freely. After that, choose whether you want to write fiction or a personal narrative. Once you have got the appropriate topic, then choose the one that is useful for you.
3. Narrow down your ideas –
Check the list of your ideas and think about which fits your assignment. Narrow down the list of your ideas and come to the appropriate one.
We have discussed all the important aspects of writing a narrative essay. But still, if you find any difficulty in writing it, feel free to seek our help.
Here at CallTutors, we have a team of experts who can help you in completing your assignment before the deadline, and that too at very reasonable prices. We are 24*7 available to help you out. Submit your requirements now.
FAQs Related To How To Write A Narrative Essay
What’s the difference between a narrative essay and a descriptive essay.
A narrative essay is meant to narrate a whole story, whereas a descriptive essay communicates a description of a specific object, place, or concept.
How do I write a narrative essay plan?
Step 1. Brainstorm your ideas and organizing them systematically Step 2. Research your topic Step 3. Write an engaging Thesis Statement Step 4. Write the Introduction, Main Body, and the conclusion of the essay Step 5. Proofread the narrative essay once or twice Step 6. Make necessary changes if required.
How many paragraphs are in a narrative essay?
Students require to write a narrative essay as per the norms of academic writing. Try to use a usual 5-paragraph narrative essay format that starts from writing an introduction. Don’t neglect to include a thesis statement, a hook, and a description of the topic.
How long does it take to write an essay?
When it comes to estimating the time a narrative essay will need to write even an introductory essay, students have to examine research time and various other factors. Almost a 1200 word paper might take from four to five hours to complete the narrative essay.
Is a plagiarism-free narrative essay helps in scoring good grades?
Yes, it is. As any of the tutors does not support plagiarism narrative essays; therefore, it becomes necessary to write a plagiarism-free essay. This helps the students to score good grades in their narrative essay writing papers.
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Narrative Essay
Narrative Essay Examples
Narrative Essay Examples: Free Examples to Help You Learn
Published on: Jun 23, 2018
Last updated on: Feb 27, 2023
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Narrative essay examples are great to help you understand how to write high-quality and effective narrative essay. This blog has included several narrative essay examples that will help you understand how to write A-worthy narrative essay.
A narrative essay is a form of storytelling where you have to provide sensory details of your personal experience. However, when writing a narrative essay , you will have to follow a set pattern and the guidelines closely.
Besides learning these basics, skimming through essay examples is also a great way of learning. In this blog, we will explain the basics to write a narrative essay with the help of narrative essay examples.
The examples given here will help you understand how to explain the plot, characters, setting, and the entire theme effectively.
Before writing your essay, make sure you go through a sufficient number of narrative essay examples. These examples will help you in knowing the dos and don’ts of a good narrative essay.
It is always a better option to have some sense of direction before you start anything. Below, you can find important details and a bunch of narrative essay examples. These examples will also help you build your content according to the format.
Sample Narrative Essay
The examples inform the readers about the writing style and structure of the narration. The essay below will help you understand how to create a story and build this type of essay in no time.
Introduction
The villagers had lost a few goats and poultry to a mystery. The mystery of the missing farm animals spread like a wildfire in the village. Many speculated there were thieves in the village while others suggested a wild beast was on the run. Despite several speculations, the mystery of the disappearances remained unsolved. The whole village was in a state of dismay when the tiger appeared and launched another attack on the village.
The prey was not any farm animal this time, it was a young child playing by the barn. The villagers had had enough, they had to put a stop to it once and for all. They organized a group of the bravest men from the village, armed them with shotguns and knives, and planned to attack the tiger. They also took a goat to lure to the tiger in our trap.
The plan was to trap the tiger and later kill him. I was amongst the members of the group who left for the jungle late at night. For hours we did not hear anything except the mosquitoes and crickets around us. Then we found paw prints on the muddy ground which assured us of the tiger’s usual trail. Thereupon, as the sun rose we set up a trap using a goat as bait. We were assured that this would catch the tiger immediately.
We had almost given up when suddenly around daybreak we heard the bushes rustle and the leaves crackle. All of us shivered to our spines and saw the mystery east coming towards us. We changed our guns and pointed it towards the wild beast. We steadied our guns towards the tiger as he jumped to grab the goat. He fell into the trap. One of the members shot the tiger dead and we rescued the goat safely back to our village.
The mission was accomplished. We had killed the wild beast and had emerged successful. It was an amazing hunting trip. One that would always remain in my memory for all time to come.
Narrative Essay Example For High School
The narrative essay example for high school will help you build your own essay in an easy to understand manner. They also help you achieve your aim of explaining the main idea with deep analysis and detail.
Narrative Essay Example For College
The transition from high school to college demands better essay writing skills, to analyze and narrate subjects.
Go through the following example and learn how to formulate your ideas and explain them in words.
Personal Narrative Essay Examples
Personal narrative essay samples given below will help you make a difference between the third and first-person accounts.
Literacy Narrative Essay Example
When we talk about essays related to literacy, these essays contemplate all kinds of issues. From simple daily life events to more complex social issues, they cover them all.
Descriptive Narrative Essay Example
In descriptive narrative essays, the writer explains everything with vivid details. This could be something visual also, like a photo or a painting and the writer narrates it.
3rd Person Narrative Essay Example
As seen in the above examples, a narrative essay is usually written to share a personal experience.
The 3rd person narrative essay example shows how these essays are written from a protagonist’s point of view.
Narrative Essay Example for 3rd Person
The Essentials of Narrative Essays
Let's start with the basics. The four types of essays are argumentative essays, descriptive essays, expository essays, and narrative essays.
The goal of a narrative essay is to tell a compelling tale from one person's perspective. A narrative essay incorporates all of the story components, such as a beginning, middle, and conclusion, as well as plot, characters, setting, and climax.
The narrative essay's goal is the plot, which should be detailed enough to reach a climax. Here's how it works:
- It's usually presented in chronological order.
- It has a function. This is typically evident in the thesis statement's opening paragraph.
- It may include speech.
- It's told with sensory details and vivid language, drawing the reader in. All of these elements are connected to the writer's major argument in some way.
How to Write a Narrative Essay in 10 Minutes or Less
Remember that you're giving the reader sensory and emotional information when crafting a narrative essay.
- Your writing should be vivid and colorful to help the reader put themselves in your shoes.
- The best way to do that is by using words and phrases from the story. You should also place a reference to it in the first sentence of your essay.
- You should utilize conflict and sequence, as you would in any other narrative.
- You can utilize flashbacks and flash-forwards to advance the plot toward its conclusion.
- It's generally written in the first person, but third-person is also acceptable.
Hire A Highly Qualified Narrative Essay Writer
Do you need help with your narrative essay? If so, our narrative essay writing service is the solution for all your ‘write my essay’ requests.
Narrative essay writers at MyPerfectWords.com are always here to help you with your essays. Our customer support is exceptional and we are available round the clock to answer all of your essay writing needs. With our essay writing service , you will get the best deals for the best essays!
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Caleb S. (Literature, Marketing)
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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How Many Paragraphs in an Essay?
As a rule, you’ll write your essay in three main parts. First, you’ll introduce your topic to your reader. Next, you will have body text in which you discuss the topic in more detail, and finally, you’ll have a conclusion that tells your reader what you were able to see after looking into the facts or thinking through the topic.
In its simplest form, an essay can consist of three paragraphs with one paragraph being devoted to each section. Proponents of the five paragraph essay say that the body text should consist of three paragraphs, but in reality, it’s fine to write more or fewer paragraphs in this section.
Guessing How Many Paragraphs Before You Begin
This is a rule of thumb, which means it won’t always work quite that way, but it’s handy all the same. In academic work, your paragraphs are likely to be a bit longer than most of the ones you see in this blog post. On average, there are usually 100 to 200 words in a paragraph . So if you’d like a guesstimate, you can assume that a 1,000-word essay will have between five and ten paragraphs.
What Points Do You Have to Cover?
Another, less limiting and more accurate way to work out how many paragraphs you need to cover your topic is to look at the main points you have to cover in the body text. A paragraph contains all the ideas that support or explain a single concept.
When you are planning your essay, you will think of or research the main elements that are needed in the body text. It would be safe to assume you need at least one paragraph for each of these. Of course, if there is a lot of information to cover in order to explore each area, you may need more.
For example, if you are writing an essay on childhood development and exposure to technology, you will want to look into the physical, psychological and cognitive developmental effects of tech on kids. When you research this topic, you will find that there are contrasting points of view and researchers have identified several physical, developmental, and psychological effects of technology use in children.
Assuming five psychological effects have been identified, you can assume you’ll need to write five paragraphs if you are going to write a relatively in-depth essay. But if both those who say technology is bad for kids and those who say it can be good have done a great deal of work on the sub-topic, you might want to make that ten paragraphs so that you can cover both sides of the argument and look into how earlier authors reached their conclusions.
Of course, if you have been set a relatively short word limit , you may not be able to go in-depth at all, in which case a paragraph for each of the main sub-topics (psychology, physical development, and cognitive development) will likely be adequate.
Essay Content Is More Important Than the Number of Paragraphs
Ultimately, your essay will be evaluated on the information you present, not on the number of paragraphs in the essay. Early in your academic life, teachers and lecturers may give you both a structure for your essay and a guideline on how long each part of the essay should be. I have seen essay instructions say how many marks are allocated for each section, and my trick is to take the total word count and allocate a percentage of words to each section based on the percentage of marks you can get for it. After all, if the teacher is allocating 80 marks for content in total and you can see 50% of the mark relates to a certain part of the essay, then 50% of your essay’s words should be devoted to that section.
Sometimes, you’ll just be given a topic and told to air your opinion. This gives you more freedom, but it’s a tad more difficult. The research will show you how many angles you should look at, and it’ll help you to find information that both supports and contradicts your point of view. To make a strong argument, you need to look at both supporting and contradictory information.
To avoid getting tangled up in one aspect of the discussion, you’ll have to decide how long it should be. If it’s the most important aspect informing your conclusion, you can spend a little more time (and words) on that particular point. It could run into several paragraphs rather than just one or two.
Always Remember the Purpose of Paragraphs
Paragraphs structure information into sub-topics, and they make your work easier to read and understand thanks to the structure they provide. With careful advance planning, you’ll be able to work out more or less how many paragraphs you need to complete your essay.
How many paragraphs is…
For those looking for a general rule-of-thumb, below are some estimates on the number of paragraphs there would be in an essay of different lengths based on an average length of 150 words per paragraph. Of course, the number of paragraphs for your essay will depend on many different factors. You can use the following information for a general reference, but don’t take these numbers as literal. .
Basic Essay Word to Paragraphs Conversions
- A 100 word essay is 3 paragraph. (minimum for an essay)
- A 200 word essay is 3 paragraphs. (minimum for an essay)
- A 250 word essay is 3 paragraphs. (minimum for an essay)
- A 300 word essay is 3 paragraphs. (minimum for an essay)
- A 400 word essay is 3 paragraphs. (minimum for an essay)
- A 500 word essay is 3 to 4 paragraphs.
- A 600 word essay is 4 paragraphs.
- A 700 word essay is 4 to 5 paragraphs.
- A 750 word essay is 5 paragraphs.
- A 800 word essay is 5 to 6 paragraphs.
- A 900 word essay is 6 paragraphs.
- A 1,000 word essay is 6 to 7 paragraphs.
- A 1,250 word essay is 8 to 9 paragraphs.
- A 1,500 word essay is 10 paragraphs.
- A 1,750 word essay is 11 to 12 paragraphs.
- A 2,000 word essay is 13 to 14 paragraphs.
- A 2,500 word essay is 16 to 17 paragraphs.
- A 3,000 word essay is 20 paragraphs.
- A 4,000 word essay is 26 to 27 paragraphs.
- A 5,000 word essay is 33 to 34 paragraphs.
- A 6,000 word essay is 40 paragraphs.
- A 7,000 word essay is 46 to 37 paragraphs.
- A 7,500 word essay is 50 paragraphs.
- A 8,000 word essay is 53 to 54 paragraphs.
- A 9,000 word essay is 60 paragraphs.
- A 10,000 word essay is 66 to 67 paragraphs.
I don’t understand, How can a 100, 200, 300 and 400 word essay all have 3 paragraphs if a paragraph is 100 to 200 words long? A 100 word essay should be 1 paragraph or 1/2 a paragraph, not 3 paragraphs. Can someone explain this too me?
A sentence is an idea. A paragraph is a group of ideas that relate to one another. That’s the most important point. The second most important one is remembering that your text consists of introduction, body, conclusion with at LEAST one paragraph for each. While teachers like 100 to 200 word paragraphs, you can’t always apply that. Call it a guideline rather than a rule!
the general rule is that 3 paragraphs are minimum for an essay. So, no matter how short your essay is, you should still need 3 paragraphs. If you are really for some reason writing a 100 word essay, then you should have one short sentence for both your introduction and conclusion.
I was always taught an essay has five paragraphs by my teachers. Did they lie to me? If an essay only needs three paragraphs, why would my teachers tell me that they should have five?
I think the five paragraphs for an essay is more of a rule-of-thumb number that is easy to teach students when they are first learning to write. Your teacher was just trying to make sure you understood how to write, not give you a rule you had to always obey.
I think five paragraphs is a good number to shoot for when writing, but it isn’t a hard-fast rule you need to hit every time. Each essay is different and require more or less paragraphs depending on the information you need to provide in the writing.
yes and no.. i would say a good on as 4 paragraph. Intro, 2 body P, and a conclusion.
My teachers always taught by eight paragraph essays, but five-paragraph essays normally lie precedent to the more advanced or larger essays.
I was taught essays should be 7 paragraphs long, not 5. My teacher said 3 central paragraphs never gives enough detail to the topic, so we should write 5. It makes sense to me and that is how I’ve always done it.
What you’re taught is often a general rule to shoot for, not a rule set in concrete. That’s the case with this. Your teacher felt that 7 paragraphs was a good number for the essays you wrote for her, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. it’s a general rule, not a concrete one.
How many sentences if we don’t know how many sentences we need to write?
The average paragraph contains 5-6 sentences. If you’re feeling a little extra, paragraphs can be 7-10 sentences.
It also depends on whether or not you are bringing outside information into the paragraph as well. Using quotes makes a paragraph longer than not doing so.
I think the length of a paper depends mainly on the instructions given by the instructor. Secondly, I would decide a paper length on the basis of the grading rubric.
I already knew an essay has three paragraphs
Inilividual project: follow all steps and develop a paragraph of your choice and write all expository essay with not less than 500 words of the povoloped paragraph?
On average for a five-paragraph essay, I write around 1,000-1300 words. For an eight paragraph essay, I write around 2,000-2,600 words on the document. Keep in mind your quotes too, you should have one quote per paragraph (expected) or two (recommended). It really is up to the person though, I have a buddy who writes considerably less than I do, but is able to get his point across. It is really up to the person.
Student A: Sir, do we have to write a long essay?
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How Many Paragraphs Does A Narrative Essay Have
How Many Paragraphs Does A Narrative Essay Have . Jun 09, · there is no actual amount of paragraphs, but 5 would be. Our experts proofread and edit your project with a detailed eye and with complete knowledge of all writing and style conventions/10() narrative essay have some people may be.
They are often assigned in. This, therefore, is the recommended number of. The introduction usually has one paragraph, the body has three paragraphs, and the conclusion to has one paragraph.
This, Therefore, Is The Recommended Number Of.
The body of a narrative essay can consist of 3 or more paragraphs, and its length depends on the general word count of your paper. Childhood love essay, essay about india in french have many paragraphs narrative essay does how a essay on exams are a part of growing up. Does a pile of essay writing prevent you from sleeping at night?
An Essay How Many Paragraphs.
How do i start a narrative essay? Don’t forget to add a hook, a thesis statement, and a. How many paragraphs does a personal narrative essay have to be.
The Introduction, 3 Body Paragraphs Presenting A Point Each, And The Conclusion Paragraph.
What happened before the main thing i want to tell you about, what the main thing is, and what happened as a result of it. A standard essay helper is an expert we assign at no extra cost when your order is placed. First, what led up to the accident.
How Many Paragraphs Does A Short Story Have Story Guest From Storyguest.blogspot.com.
The five paragraph format is a great option fоr those who are not very good at writing. The introduction usually has one paragraph, the body has three paragraphs, and the conclusion to has one paragraph. (minimum for an essay) a 300 word essay is 3 paragraphs.
Introduction This Part Of The Essay Includes Your Thesis Statement, Introduces Your Reader To Your Topic Or Point Of View, And Lays.
How many paragraphs does an essay have: How many paragraphs are in a narrative essay? A 200 word essay is 3 paragraphs.
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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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How to Write a Narrative Essay?
24 May, 2020
11 minutes read
Author: Tomas White
Understanding how to write a narrative essay means that you have to be "in the know" about the steps of the writing process. In this article, we will walk you through the process and help you not only learn the theory but also utilize this knowledge in practice.
What is a Narrative Essay?
A narrative essay tells a story. Personal pronouns and experience from the writer’s life are crucial aspects of this essay type. The purpose is to connect with the audience with the help of the narrative – a story with a point. Unlike other essays which may focus on research or argument, the narrative essay relies on carefully crafted details. Narrative essays take the format of a memoir – they should have a clear beginning, middle, and an end.
Let’s start by choosing a good topic.
How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?
Before choosing your topic, you can try to read other narrative essays for inspiration. This helps you gain a better understanding of the genre and receive ideas for your own topic and how to organize it.
Once you understand how the finished essay should look like, you can start to think about your topic in more detail. Think of a topic that could be interesting to both you and your audience. Since the narrative essay should draw from your own experiences, there is usually no need to use data from outside sources. Try to choose a personal topic that is not so widely covered on the web. It’s a good strategy to focus on a more narrow topic that is unique enough to catch the readers’ attention and encourage them to continue reading.
Your narrative essay should contain a story and some analysis of that story. Your goal is to illustrate your chosen issue through a personal story. The function of this personal story is to provide some evidence for the point you’re trying to make. Occasionally, you may choose to enhance your point with research in case you want to use additional details but this is not required. In most cases, a personal story will be enough to engage your audience.
Personal Narrative Essay: From Outline to a Refined Piece
Like all good narratives, whether a novel or a short story, this form should contain characters, a climax, and a resolution. You should introduce the characters in the introduction paragraph, reveal the climax in the last body paragraphs, and finally offer a resolution in the conclusion part, a unique insight or meditative reflection upon a lesson learned through the experience.
This is the universal story arc of a narrative essay that includes a beginning, a middle, and an end. In the beginning, you establish the setting and characters of your narrative. The middle presents a problem that your character is facing and trying to solve until a solution is revealed at the end.
While many other essays follow the typical five paragraph format, the narrative essay enjoys much more freedom.
An A-level narrative essay requires a student to outline, draft, and revise the story to ensure that it not only flows; but fully develops the main idea with specific details. Supporting all the ideas with vivid examples from real life experiences is a must, just like in an illustration essay .
It is more personal than any other essay, and some students struggle with this aspect. Our professional essay writers love narrative essays and have put together this guide to help you craft a unique assignment.
Here are the main parts of the narrative essay:
Introduction paragraph.
Related Posts: What is a Thesis statement | How to write an Essay introduction
In narrative essays, the introduction section is typically shorter than most and ultimately works to set the stage for the personal story about to unfold. While the story itself will be personal, it should link to larger ideas.
For example, the loss of one’s first goldfish could trigger a reflection on life, or the act of losing one’s car keys could morph into an essay on all different kinds of loss.
Within this paragraph, the writer should introduce him or herself and provide any important background the reader requires to immerse themselves within the narrative essay thoroughly.
Just like with any good novel or short story, the opening paragraph or chapter doesn’t always reveal what is coming next; this structure compels the reader to continue reading to enjoy the conclusion of the narrative fully.
Body Paragraphs
Since narrative essays are more creative than conventional academic essays, the minimum three paragraph rule may not apply.
While some narrative essays will be five paragraphs, others may be two or eight or more. It really depends on how the narrative within the essay needs to progress to communicate the writer’s goal sufficiently. Just as the persuasive essay ’s goal is to persuade and the informative essay is to inform, the narrative essay’s goal is to entertain, or perhaps to contemplate.
The body paragraphs should cover all the ideas you are about to unravel to the reader.
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While a narrative essay lacks heavy research components, it will follow a typical body paragraph format:
- Topic sentence
- Background sentence(s)
- Detail sentences
While other essays frown upon relying on personal anecdotes, narrative essays thrive on them. Additionally, this essay format can include dialogue as well. Recounting key conversations can strengthen the narrative text. However, including dialogue means that the writer should pay attention to dialogue rules.
Be sure that you know how to use both single and double quotation marks when writing about a conversation between two or more people.
Usually, the conclusion paragraph exists to review the major points within the body paragraphs. However, in a narrative essay, the conclusion is sometimes the most important paragraph; it serves to bring the narrative to an end.
This section’s purpose is to share how the conflict was resolved or how a resolution was reached. Similar to the definition essay , the point here is not to review the ideas of the body paragraphs and reveal what you have been working towards since the opening sentence.
Many narrative essays offer a “reveal” in this section; there may be a surprise or an unexpected twist. Such literary tactics are appropriate in a narrative essay.
Conclusion tops up the narrative itself – it should be planned accordingly within the outline.
Not sure how to switch from an academic to a more personal type of essay? No problem. Here are some tips to help you navigate the narrative essay:
Tip #1. Figure out how your narrative essay would look like
This is the most important one to follow. Basically, this is what this whole article is about.
Here is an example of the structure of a narrative essay:
Tip #2. Use Transitions
Transition words or sentences are especially important in a narrative essay – these words help establish the order of events. Useful transitions in this essay format can include the following:
Narrative Essay Sample
Be sure to check the sample essay, completed by our writers. Use it as an example to write your own essay. Link: Personal Narrative Essay Sample
Other Tips from our Expert Writers
- Choose a non-embarrassing topic. Your teacher, and possibly your classmates will be reading this essay so pick a topic that you’re comfortable sharing with others.
- Connect beyond the experience. The point of a narrative essay is to relate an experience in your life to a larger idea – in recalling memory lane, remember to link it to something bigger than yourself.
- Start early. Don’t wait until the last minute. While you likely won’t need to hit the library to conduct research, you will be writing about yourself, and sometimes that can be harder.
- Write a draft. Know that first drafts are always riddled with mistakes. Just get your ideas down on paper and then worry about fixing all the grammatical stuff.
- Schedule an appointment with your teacher. All teachers have “office hours”—take your professor up in their office hours and get their feedback to ensure you’re on the right track. And don’t wait until the last minute!
- Revise. Take any constructive criticism from classmates, friends, or professional editing services and make your draft better.
- Read it backward. Begin with the last sentence and read the narrative essay until you end with the first sentence. While this won’t help with content issues, it does help the brain spot problems with grammar.
- Check the formatting. Before handing in any final copy, always check the formatting. Make sure that the headings, titles, font, spacing, and margins all conform to the professor’s preferences.
- Review the rubric. Once last time, check your final draft against the rubric to ensure that you’ve met all the requirements provided by the teacher.
Related post: How to write a Descriptive essay
Remember: not all stories are appropriate for all audiences, so it’s important to select a narrative topic suitable for your tutor. Use literary devices as appropriate —especially ones that create stronger images such as metaphors, similes, imagery, and personification among others.
Most importantly, review your narrative essay to ensure that it tells a story; sharing an important story is the most defining characteristic of this essay type. Ultimately, your narrative essay should strive to meet Chuck Klosterman’s definition:
“The essays are different because ultimately it’s things I’m interested in, and I’m really just writing about myself and using those subjects as a prism.”
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Narrative Essay Examples and Key Elements
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In a narrative essay , you tell a story, often about a personal experience, but you also make a point. So, the purpose is not only to tell an entertaining tale, but also to expound on the importance of the experience. In the narrative essay examples below, see if you can pull out the moral or theme . When it’s your time to draft a similar type of essay, hopefully, you can stir the heart of the reader.
Sample Narrative Essays
Below, you’ll find two narrative essay samples. One has a sad little twist and the other is a personal narrative essay that details the importance of hope. Note that they tell a story, while emphasizing an integral moral or theme.
He Left So I Could Learn
In this first essay example, we explore a lesson on dying:
It was my second day on the job. I was sitting in my seemingly gilded cubicle, overlooking Manhattan, and pinching my right arm to make sure it was real. I landed an internship at Condé Nast Traveler. Every aspiring writer I’ve ever known secretly dreamt of an Anthony Bourdain lifestyle. Travel the world and write about its most colorful pockets. When my phone rang, and it was Mom telling me Dad had a heart attack. He didn’t make it. I felt as though the perfectly carpeted floors had dropped out from under me. Now that I’ve come out the other side, I realize Dad left me with a hefty stack of teachings. Here are three ideals I know he would’ve liked for me to embrace. First, you have to stand on your own two feet. As much as our parents love and support us, they can’t go to our school and confess to the principal that we stole a candy bar from Sara. We have to do that. Neither can they walk into the Condé Nast office and nail a job interview for us. At some point, we have to put on our “big girl pants” and be brave, even if we’re not. Also, there’s a difference between love and co-dependence. Being grateful to have someone to turn to for love and support is not the same as needing someone to turn to for love and support. With the loss of my father, I’ve also lost my sounding board. All I can glean from that is it’s time to look within myself and make proper assessments. If I can’t make sound decisions with the tools already in my kit, then I risk falling for anything. Finally, memories are, perhaps, the only item that cannot be taken away from us. Will I miss my father? Every single day. What can I do in those times? I can open up our suitcase of memories, pick out my favorite one, and dream about it, talk about it, or write about it. Maybe I can’t pick up the phone and call him anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s gone. Next week, I’m off to Istanbul to explore their art scene. As soon as I read the email from my editor, I picked up my phone to call Dad. Then, I realized he’ll never answer my calls again. I fought back the tears, got up to make a cup of peppermint tea, and added a new note to my iPhone titled, “Istanbul Packing List.” In the end, life goes on. I’m not sure why he had to leave during the single most poignant chapter in my life. So, I won’t dwell on that. Instead, I’ll hold tightly to these three ideals and write about Karaköy in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district. Dad will be with me every step of the way.
A Teeny, Tiny Treasure Box
The next short narrative essay takes a different approach. Instead of living in a comfortably loving home, the writer had to deal with the uncertainty of the foster system. Here’s a short lesson on hope:
She took me by the hand and walked me into the lobby like a five-year old child. Didn’t she know I was pushing 15? This was the third home Nancy was placing me in - in a span of eight months. I guess she felt a little sorry for me. The bright fluorescent lights threatened to burn my skin as I walked towards a bouncy-looking lady with curly hair and a sweetly-smiling man. They called themselves Allie and Alex. Cute, I thought. After they exchanged the usual reams of paperwork, it was off in their Chevy Suburban to get situated into another new home. This time, there were no other foster children and no other biological children. Anything could happen. Over the next few weeks, Allie, Alex, and I fell into quite a nice routine. She’d make pancakes for breakfast, or he’d fry up some sausage and eggs. They sang a lot, even danced as they cooked. They must have just bought the house because, most weekends, we were painting a living room butter yellow or staining a coffee table mocha brown. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. When would they start threatening a loss of pancakes if I didn’t mow the lawn? When would the sausage and eggs be replaced with unidentifiable slosh because he didn’t feel like cooking in the morning? But, it never happened. They kept cooking, singing, and dancing like a couple of happy fools. It was a Saturday afternoon when Allie decided it was time to paint the brick fireplace white. As we crawled closer to the dirty old firepit, we pulled out the petrified wood and noticed a teeny, tiny treasure box. We looked at each other in wonder and excitement. She actually said, “I wonder if the leprechauns left it!” While judging her for being such a silly woman, I couldn’t help but laugh and lean into her a little. Together, we reached for the box and pulled it out. Inside was a shimmering solitaire ring. Folded underneath was a short piece of paper that read: “My darling, my heart. Only 80 days have passed since I first held your hand. I simply cannot imagine my next 80 years without you in them. Will you take this ring, take my heart, and build a life with me? This tiny little solitaire is my offering to you. Will you be my bride?” As I stared up at Allie, she asked me a question. “Do you know what today is?” I shook my head. “It’s May 20th. That’s 80 days since Nancy passed your hand into mine and we took you home.” It turns out, love comes in all shapes and sizes, even a teeny, tiny treasure box from a wonderfully silly lady who believes in leprechauns.
Essential Elements of Narrative Essays
Let’s go back to basics first. Generally speaking, there are four types of essays: argumentative essays , descriptive essays , expository essays , and narrative essays .
Narrative essays tell a vivid story, usually from one person's viewpoint. A narrative essay uses all the story elements — a beginning, middle and ending, as well as plot, characters, setting and climax — bringing them together to complete the story. The focus of a narrative essay is the plot, which is told with enough detail to build to a climax. Here's how:
- It’s usually told chronologically.
- It always has a purpose. Often, this is stated in your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.
- It may use dialogue. For more on that, here are the ins and outs on how to punctuate dialogue correcctly .
- It’s written with sensory details and bright descriptions that involve the reader. All these details relate in some way to the main point the writer is making.
Quick Tips on Writing a Narrative Essay
When writing a narrative essay, remember that you are sharing sensory and emotional details with the reader.
- Your words need to be vivid and colorful to help the reader feel the same feelings that you felt.
- Elements of the story need to support the point you are making. And, you need to remember to make reference to that point in the first sentence.
- You should make use of conflict and sequence like in any story.
- You may use flashbacks and flash forwards to help the story build toward a climax.
- It is usually written in the first person , but the third-person perspective may also be used.
Tell Your Story
Use your next narrative essay to tell your story. It’s possible to focus on yourself, while offering the reader some sort of lesson or truth. Encourage them to move past terrible loss or maintain hope in a seemingly bleak foster system.
Narrative essays are close cousins to short stories. If you feel compelled to share another story, fiction or nonfiction, with the world, check out Get Creative: How to Write a Short Story . Who knows how many lives you’ll brighten and shape with your words. Remember, there’s great power in them.
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Narrative Essay: Inside Out
What is a narrative essay?
How is it different from other essay types?
How to write a narrative essay so it would impress a teacher, or any other reader, and be worth sharing and retelling?
This ultimate guide on narrative writing gets all the answers straight.
Table of Contents:
- Purpose of narrative essays
- Characteristics of narrative essays
- Choose a topic
- Outline the details
- Write a draft
- Revise the draft
- Edit your narrative essay
- Do’s and don’ts of your narrative essay
- Narrative essay samples
What is a Narrative Essay?
Why do we call it narrative?
Because you use a particular way of telling your story and explaining its events, known as “narrative.” Here goes the narrative definition:
Beemgee described it best:
Essay Outline: General
Narrative turns a story into information and influences the way how readers will perceive it. In other words, narrative builds your story .
So, your narrative essay is a type of paper, where you tell a story using a particular format and all elements of storytelling.
Okay, we know what you are thinking:
Source: Giphy
Keep calm! Everything is much easier than it seems.
Purpose of Narrative Essays
Narrative essays are about telling stories to your readers. It’s their fundamental purpose. You, the writer, tell about the personal experience but also make a point for readers to understand why you tell about it and why your story is important to share.
In a narrative essay, you simply guide a reader and allow them to draw own conclusions. You don’t criticize anything and don’t try to persuade them with arguments or prove them anything. That’s exactly what makes a narrative essay different from other academic papers.
Let’s compare:
Feel free to check our ultimate guide on how to write a persuasive essay and see the difference between these two essay types in more details.
Why write personal narrative essays?
Doing so, you learn to voice your opinion, views, and beliefs to the world. You learn to express and share thoughts consistently and intriguingly so people would get involved and inspired by your story.
It’s all about storytelling:
A human brain retains 70% of information through stories and 95% – through emotions; so the only way to make people want to listen to you is to tell them a story.
Source: One Spot
And such writing assignments as narrative essays help you learn how to tell stories so that others would listen to you.
Your narrative, if written right, is the best way to share views and make others see the world through your eyes. It’s the best way to make them listen, broaden the mind, and be more creative about own experience and lives.
The power of personal narrative is hard to overestimate. Just watch this awesome TED talk by Christian Jensen! Isn’t inspiring and motivating enough?
Characteristics of Narrative Essays
A narrative essay doesn’t equal a short story. It’s not fiction. It’s still an academic paper, non-fiction writing about an experience that actually happened.
If you write a fictional story, it’s no longer a narrative essay.
So, the narrative essay characteristics are:
- Informal, written in the 1st person. (You are a storyteller here.)
- With a purpose to inform, not argue or teach.
- Describes a person, a scene, or an event in details and chronological order.
- Non-fictional, tells about the actual experience.
- Includes the elements of a story but follows the structure of an essay.
The Structure of a Narrative Essay
As well as any other college paper, a narrative essay has its structure. But given that it’s kinda informal writing about your personal experience in real life, it will have a format and elements peculiar to narratives (storytelling).
Here they go:
1 – Elements
Every narrative should have five elements to become a story: plot , setting , character , conflict , and theme . Sounds difficult at first glance, but what if look closer?
- Plot: it’s the events happening in your essay (story). For example, you write about how you learned swimming and describe what you did/how it influenced your mood and swimming skills.
- Setting: it’s when and where the events happen; in other words, it’s location and time. For example, you learned swimming in the pool of your local school, in the winter of 2013.
- Character: it’s a protagonist who drives a plot of your story. Also, there can be supporting characters. Thus, you are the protagonist of your essay about swimming, and the supporting characters are your friends May and Jerry who went to the pool with you.
In classical storytelling, a character is a hero who has to set off on a journey and deal with all antagonists and conflicts to come back home with a reward or wisdom.
Source: SlideShare
It was Joseph Campbell, mythologist who developed the hero’s journey in literature. Read his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces if want to learn the tricks behind writing compelling stories.
Or, check The Writer’s Journey , the book by Disney’s screenwriter Christopher Vogler to reveal storytelling secrets behind all movie blockbusters. It’s a kinda practical guide to above mentioned The Hero with a Thousand Faces .
- Conflict: it’s a problem the character resolves, a moment of tension he needs to win through. In our example, the conflict was the challenge for you to swim with legs and arms together.
In literature, a conflict is defined as a hero’s struggle with opposing force. These forces are three: other characters (enemies), outside forces (society, nature, technology, fate), and a hero himself (his internal conflict).
In your narrative essay, feel free to use any of those three conflict types.
- Theme: it’s the moral of a story. What have you learned? What do you want the readers to understand? Back to the example with the essay about swimming: you’ve learned to swim; you want to encourage readers to learn new things, be brave and not afraid of challenges.
To combine all the five elements into a strong narrative essay, make sure you follow the format known as the narrative arc . It’s five phases your plot should get through to become a story.
In short, a narrative arc is the sequence of the events in your story.
In details, it’s the chronological construction of your plot, and it consists of five components: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Back in 1863, German novelist Gustav Freytag studied common patterns in stories’ plots and described a narrative arc as a pyramid:
Read more about a narrative arc at Reedsy .
And here’s a short description of narrative arc components, with Cinderella as an example.
- Exposition: it’s the introduction of your story, with the background information about main characters and setting. Cinderella: awful life, evil stepmother and sisters.
- Rising action: it’s the moment when conflict appears, a trigger that creates tension and makes the readers understand what your story is about. Cinderella: gets invited to the ball, makes clothes.
- Climax: it’s the main event of your story, the height of tension, when the protagonist faces the truth, needs to make a choice, etc. Cinderella: goes to the ball, meets a prince.
- Falling action: it’s the result of that choice, the moment of conflict resolution. Cinderella: time to go, back to the awful life but with the new experience.
- Resolution: it’s the conclusion of your story, with a moral or point of view you wanted to share. Cinderella: the prince finds her, they live happily.
If you want your narrative essay to rock, make sure you format it with all five components in mind. Or, use three basic ones at least: exposition (in the introduction), climax (in the essay body), and resolution (in your essay conclusion ).
3 – Structure
You need to structure a narrative essay by the rules of academic writing. For that, use a standard 5-paragraph essay format:
Write an introduction (the exposition of your narrative essay). Don’t forget to add a hook, a thesis statement, and a description of your topic.
Craft three paragraphs of your essay body (the rising action, climax, and falling action). Tell about the setting, the characters, events that happened, conflict, and its aftermath.
And write a conclusion (the resolution). Explain the moral of your story, why it’s significant, and what the audience might want to do after reading it.
Narrative Essay Structure
4 – Language
More often than not, narrative essays are about personal experience and thoughts. So you need to express them with a big voice for readers to believe your story. In writing, it refers to language patterns and sentence structures, as well as your tone and ability to “draw” images with words so readers could imagine themselves in the described situation.
How to do that?
- Stay consistent: follow the narrative arc of your story, and don’t tell anything that didn’t happen.
How to Write a Narrative Essay: Step by Step
The process of narrative essay writing is not that different from other college assignments. First, you need to choose a topic and do research on it. Second, you craft the outline with as many details as you can and start writing a draft. Third, you revise the essay, edit it, and submit to a teacher for review.
Like taking candy from a baby, right?
Here’s how to write a personal narrative essay so that it will not only help you get a high grade but also wow and inspire the readers.
Step 1 – Choose a Topic
As a rule, teachers give you the freedom of choice when it comes to the narrative essay topics. And that’s the problem. You just sit and can’t come up with the idea of what to write. Here is the risk of choosing the very first topic that comes to your mind, but don’t do that!
The success of your narrative essay depends on its topic too. You need to choose something both interesting to you and appealing enough to hook the audience. For that, do brainstorming:
- Ask yourself questions on what bothers you and what you’d like to tell or discuss with others.
- Use social media for brainstorming your narrative essay topic: what your peers discuss, what they share, what message you’d like to send with your essay.
- Take a walk and think, think, think until you come up with an idea.
- Try free writing: take a pen and a notebook and just start writing down all thoughts that come to your mind. Re-read what you’ve written. Are there any ideas you could use as a topic for your narrative essay?
Here go topic examples. (If stuck with choosing yours, feel free to ask our writers for help.)
Topics to Choose for Your Next Narrative Essay
Experience: – The most frightening experience I ever had. – How I learned swimming (cooking, playing guitar, etc.) – It was the moment I changed my life philosophy. – The most embarrassing moment of my life. – Why I’ll never support vegans again.
School years: – My favorite subject in school was… You’ll never guess. – Why my English teacher could be your best friend. – How my best friend from school influenced my life. – The day when my parents said no to my homework. – I participated in primary school events, and I regret it.
Childhood: – My most memorable birthday party. – Why I’ll never say thank you to my father. – How I stole a cat that meowed on my dog. – The only game I miss from childhood. – The day when I cried for the first and last time in my life.
Relationships: – This friendship breakup cost me a year of life. – My worst quarrel with parents. – The friend zone none of you would handle. – About Cathy, a person I fear losing the most. – This joke cost me the best friend.
Morality: – It was the hardest decision for me. – They’ll never call me a coward again. – That’s why it’s okay to lie sometimes. – How to treat strangers well if they don’t do the same. – Are you ready for rebel acts for the sake of goodness?
Interests: – The song/movie that touched me the most. – The book character I associate myself with. – The famous person from the past I’d like to meet. – If I were a politician, I’d be… – The superpower I’d like to have, and why.
Traveling: – The place in the world everyone needs to visit. – It was my worst trip ever. – How travels to the countryside can change your world view. – The best place for a family vacation. – Top things to take with you to the mountains.
Student life: – The most exhausting exam I had in college. – How I dropped out of college and what happened. – The moment I’ve understood: college life put me in depression. – This person influenced my social life in college. – Why I decided not to enter university.
Imagine if: – You had a time machine. – You were a book character. – You were born in a different country. – You’ve become a superhero. – You’ve wakened up being an animal.
Step 2 – Outline the Details
Unlike with argumentative essays, narrative ones are about your personal life and experiences; so, you won’t need any specific research to support facts, arguments, or your thesis statement .
However, you need to organize thoughts so you could make a claim for your thesis and see if there are any gaps in your knowledge to describe all the details in your narrative essay. For that, create an outline .
Here’s the sample for you to follow:
Narrative Essay Outline (Sample)
I. Introduction (one paragraph)
a) hook and background information b) specific moment that makes your essay matter c) thesis
II. Body (three paragraphs minimum, but don’t limit yourself if the assignment requirements allow)
a) the point that led you to the conflict (think of feelings and emotions you experienced) b) the actual moment (the climax of your story): write about tension, anxiety, or other feelings you experienced; compare them with some universal ideas so your readers would understand you c) the result (resolution): write about the lesson you’ve learned, think of questions your readers might ask, answer them in your essay
III. Conclusion (one paragraph)
a) restate the thesis and major points of your essay (back to lessons learned) b) think of a question or a call to action for readers: what’s in there for them in your essay; what can they learn from it?
Once the outline is ready, evaluate the clarity of your topic and re-organize your thoughts if necessary.
Make sure that your outline has enough supporting details to reinforce the claim and tell a compelling story.
Step 3 – Write a Draft
Now it’s time to start writing and organize the content of your essay right.
Divide your outline into three parts: a setup of your story, its main part with the climax, and a conclusion. Describe each, following the course of events. Remember about the narrative arc and don’t miss any details: readers weren’t there, so stay clear and “paint” the picture for them to get involved in your story.
Oh yes, and write your narrative essay from the 1st person. It’s your story, after all.
Step 4 – Revise a Draft
Once the first draft is ready, put it aside and wait for a few hours before revising it. Take a walk, a nap, a cup of coffee, whatever. You need to abstract yourself from the story for a while so you could evaluate your writing from a fresh perspective.
Read through your narrative essay and make sure it includes all elements of a story. Identify where more details are needed and what details to remove so they wouldn’t distract readers from the plot.
Answer the questions:
- Is my essay easy to read and understand for an average reader?
- Do I involve readers in my experience?
- Are my words descriptive enough? Do I show or just inform readers about the events?
- Have I conveyed the message? Will the reader understand the connection between the event and its meaning?
- Do I follow the structure of narrative essays? Does my story have a clear introduction and conclusion?
Step 5 – Edit Your Narrative Essay
This stage refers to finding rough spots in your narrative essay, proofreading it to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes, and revising its language and style for better clarity and readability.
When editing, use applications like Grammarly or ProWritingAid to check grammar and spelling. Remove double spacing, replace misspellings, and rewrite too complex sentences into simple ones.
Don’t use terms of many meanings. Delete all repeats: words, arguments, ideas. Paraphrase where it’s hard to understand the sense and verify the citations wherever needed.
Ask someone to read your essay before you submit it to a teacher. They may notice the mistakes you’ve missed or share their opinion on your essay. It can help you improve the story and make it more compelling.
Still not sure if your narrative essay is ready to captivate readers and earn you A+? You may ask professional here on Bid4Papers for help and advanced tips on essay writing.
Do’s and Don’ts of Your Narrative Essay
To make this long guide easier for you to grasp, here is the short list of do’s and don’ts to remember when writing your narrative essay.
- Start with some provoking info to hook readers: a question, a definition, a quote, a fact, etc.
- Write from the 1st person. (A 3rd person is okay, too.)
- State a point: what do you want to say by your essay?
- Try to evoke all five senses in your essay: what you saw, heard, felt, smelled, etc.
- Follow the format: include all components of a good story to your narrative essay.
- Make sure your story has a conflict.
- Describe events in chronological order.
- Use clear and descriptive language: power words, transition words, short sentences.
- Avoid slang, too formal language, and arguments like in persuasive essays.
- Avoid second-person narrative.
- Don’t tell, show. And make a point.
- Avoid writing about each and every movement of your character in the essay: specify key points that drive the plot.
- Don’t format references the way you do it in MLA essays.
- Remember that your narrative essay is not a short story. Write about true events, don’t create fiction stories.
Narrative Essay Samples
- How to Write an Essay: 10 Easy Steps
- Narrative Essay: Characteristics and Examples
- How to Write Narrative (video by Jeremy Thompson)
- 500 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing
- The Narrative Essay: It Differs From a Simple Story
And now, citing the above mentioned Christian Jensen and his TED talk:
“How will you use the power of your own personal narrative to accomplish things that no one else can?”
Our Writing Guides
8 thoughts on “ narrative essay: inside out ”.
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How to Write a Five-Paragraph Essay, With Outlines and an Example
A five-paragraph essay is a simple format for writing a complete essay, fitting the minimal components of an essay into just five paragraphs. Although it doesn’t have much breadth for complexity, the five-paragraph essay format is useful for helping students and academics structure basic papers.
If you’re having trouble writing , you can use the five-paragraph essay format as a guide or template. Below we discuss the fundamentals of the five-paragraph essay, explaining how to write one and what to include.
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What is a five-paragraph essay?
The five-paragraph essay format is a guide that helps writers structure an essay. It consists of one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs for support, and one concluding paragraph. Because of this structure, it has been nicknamed the “hamburger essay,” the “one-three-one essay,” and the “three-tier essay.”
You won’t find too many five-paragraph essay examples in literature, simply because the format is too short. The five-paragraph essay format is more popular for educational assignments, such as school papers or quick writing exercises. Think of it as a writing tool to guide structure rather than an independent genre of essay.
Part of the appeal of the five-paragraph essay format is that it can accommodate all types of essays . No matter your assignment, whether an argumentative essay or a compare-and-contrast essay , you can apply the structure of a five-paragraph essay to communicate clearly and logically, as long as your topic is simple enough to be covered in just five paragraphs.
How to start a five-paragraph essay
As with all essays, before you begin writing a five-paragraph essay, you first need to know your thesis, or main topic. Your thesis is the idea you will defend or expand upon, and ultimately what your entire essay is about, and the three paragraphs in the middle will support, prove, or elaborate on your thesis.
Naturally, you can’t begin writing until you know what you’re writing about. If your thesis is not provided in the assignment, choose one that has sufficient content for discussion, or at least enough to fill five paragraphs.
Writers typically explain the thesis in the thesis statement , a sentence in the first paragraph that tells the reader what the essay is about. You don’t need to write this first, but phrasing the topic as a single sentence can help you to understand it, focus it, and revise it if needed.
Once you’ve selected a topic, we recommend writing a quick essay outline so you know what information to include and in which paragraphs. Your five-paragraph essay outline is like a blueprint where you can perfect the order and structure of your essay beforehand to save time on editing later.
Writing a five-paragraph essay outline shouldn’t take long, especially if you use our format below as a template.
How to transition between paragraphs
One of the biggest challenges in essay writing is transitioning from one paragraph to another. Good writing is seamless and fluid, so if your paragraph transitions are jarring or abrupt, readers will get distracted from the flow and lose momentum or even interest.
The best way to move logically from one point to another is to create transition sentences using words or phrases like “however,” “similarly,” or “on the other hand.” Sometimes adding a single word to the beginning of a paragraph is enough to connect it to the preceding paragraph and keep the reader on track. You can find a full list of transition words and phrases here .
Five-paragraph essay format
If you’re writing your five-paragraph essay outline—or if you’re diving right into the first draft—it helps to know what information to include in each paragraph. Just like in all prose writing, the basic components of your essay are its paragraphs .
In five-paragraph essays, each paragraph has a unique role to play. Below we explain the goals for each specific paragraph and what to include in them.
Introductory paragraph
The first paragraph is crucial. Not only does it set the tone of your entire essay, it also introduces the topic to the reader so they know what to expect. Luckily, many of the same suggestions for how to start an essay still apply to five-paragraph essays.
First and foremost, your introductory paragraph should contain your thesis statement. This single sentence clearly communicates what the entire essay is about, including your opinion or argument, if it’s warranted.
The thesis statement is often the first sentence, but feel free to move it back if you want to open with something more attention-grabbing, like a hook. In writing, a hook is something that attracts the reader’s interest, such as mystery, urgency, or good old-fashioned drama.
Your introductory paragraph is also a good spot to include any background context for your topic. You should save the most significant information for the body paragraphs, but you can use the introduction to give basic information that your readers might not know.
Finally, your introductory paragraph should touch on the individual points made in the subsequent paragraphs, similar to an outline. You don’t want to give too much away in the first paragraph, just a brief mention of what you’ll discuss. Save the details for the following paragraphs, where you’ll have room to elaborate.
Body paragraphs
The three body paragraphs are the “meat” of your essay, where you describe details, share evidence, explain your reasoning, and otherwise advance your thesis. Each paragraph should be a separate and independent topic that supports your thesis.
Start each paragraph with a topic sentence , which acts a bit like a thesis statement, except it describes the topic of only that paragraph. The topic sentence summarizes the point that the entire paragraph makes, but saves the details for the following sentences. Don’t be afraid to include a transition word or phrase in the topic sentence if the subject change from the previous paragraph is too drastic.
After the topic sentence, fill in the rest of the paragraph with the details. These could be persuasive arguments, empirical data, quotes from authoritative sources, or just logical reasoning. Be sure to avoid any sentences that are off-topic or tangential; five-paragraph essays are supposed to be concise, so include only the relevant details.
Concluding paragraph
The final paragraph concludes the essay. You don’t want to add any new evidence or support in the last paragraph; instead, summarize the points from the previous paragraphs and tie them together. Here, the writer restates the thesis and reminds the reader of the points made in the three body paragraphs.
If the goal of your essay is to convince the reader to do something, like donate to a cause or change their behavior, the concluding paragraph can also include a call to action. A call to action is a statement or request that explains clearly what the writer wants the reader to do. For example, if your topic is preventing forest fires, your call to action might be: “Remember to obey safety laws when camping.”
The basic principles of how to write a conclusion for an essay apply to five-paragraph essays as well. For example, the final paragraph is a good time to explain why this topic matters or to add your own opinion. It also helps to end with a thought-provoking sentence, such as an open-ended question, to give your audience something to think about after reading.
Five-paragraph essay example
Here’s a five-paragraph essay example, so you can better understand how they work.
Capybaras make great pets, and the laws against owning them should be reconsidered. Capybaras are a dog-sized animal with coarse fur, native to eastern South America. They’re known across the internet as the friendliest animal on the planet, but there’s a lot of misinformation about them as pets. They’re considered an exotic animal, so a lot of legal restrictions prevent people from owning them as pets, but it’s time to reevaluate these laws.
For one thing, capybaras are rodents—the largest rodents in the world, actually—and plenty of rodents are already normalized as pets. Capybaras are closely related to guinea pigs and chinchillas, both of which are popular pets, and more distantly related to mice and rats, another common type of pet. In nature, most rodents (including capybaras) are social animals and live in groups, which makes them accustomed to life as a pet.
There are a lot of prevalent myths about capybaras that dissuade people from owning them, but most of these are unfounded. For example, people assume capybaras smell bad, but this is not true; their special fur actually resists odor. Another myth is that they’re messy, but in reality, capybaras don’t shed often and can even be litter-trained! One rumor based in truth is that they can be destructive and chew on their owners’ things, but so can dogs, and dogs are one of the most common pets we have.
The one reasonable criticism for keeping capybaras as pets is that they are high-maintenance. Capybaras require lots of space to run around and are prone to separation anxiety if owners are gone most of the day. Moreover, capybaras are semi-aquatic, so it’s best for them to have a pool to swim in. However difficult these special conditions are to meet, they’re all still doable; as with all pets, the owners should simply commit to these prerequisites before getting one.
All in all, the advantages of capybaras as pets outweigh the cons. As rodents, they’re social and trainable, and many of the deterrent myths about them are untrue. Even the extra maintenance they require is still manageable. If capybaras are illegal to own where you live, contact your local lawmakers and petition them to reconsider these laws. You’ll see first-hand just why the internet has fallen in love with this “friend-shaped” animal!
In this example, you’ll notice a lot of the points we discussed earlier.
The first sentence in the first paragraph is our thesis statement, which explains what this essay is about and the writer’s stance on the subject. Also in the first paragraph is the necessary background information for context, in this case a description of capybaras for readers who aren’t familiar with them.
Notice how each of the three body paragraphs focuses on its own particular topic. The first discusses how rodents in general make good pets, and the second dispels some common rumors about capybaras as pets. The third paragraph directly addresses criticism of the writer’s point of view, a common tactic used in argumentative and persuasive essays to strengthen the writer’s argument.
Last, the concluding paragraph reiterates the previous points and ties them together. Because the topic involves laws about keeping capybaras as pets, there’s a call to action about contacting lawmakers. The final sentence is written as a friendly send-off, leaving the reader at a high point.
Five-paragraph essay FAQ
What is a five-paragraph essay.
A five-paragraph essay is a basic form of essay that acts as a writing tool to teach structure. It’s common in schools for short assignments and writing practice.
How is it structured?
The five-paragraph essay structure consists of, in order: one introductory paragraph that introduces the main topic and states a thesis, three body paragraphs to support the thesis, and one concluding paragraph to wrap up the points made in the essay.
When You Write
How Many Sentences Are In A Paragraph – Factors and Tips
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The length of a paragraph is important because it can affect the readability and clarity of the text.
Both short and long paragraphs have disadvantages: short paragraphs can make the text feel choppy and difficult to follow, while long paragraphs can make the text feel dense and overwhelming. Ideally, paragraph lengths are alternated to create a sense of rhythm and emphasis.
An ideal paragraph is short enough to contain a single idea or point but long enough to fully develop that idea.
Many other factors determine how many sentences are in a paragraph, and I’m going to explain most of them.
Let’s get started.
How Long is a Paragraph?
When it comes to paragraph length, the writer has the final say. While there are no strict rules on paragraph length, it is important to consider the flow, cohesiveness, and readability of your writing when determining the length of your paragraphs.
If you’re writing a blog post or a newspaper article, one to three sentences are optimal. Average paragraphs contain 70–200 words, but blog posts can have paragraphs as short as one word.
For academic writing, use five to eight sentences, but if the logical flow needed to develop arguments and highlight supporting evidence demands a longer paragraph, you can add more sentences.
Short stories and novels tend to deviate from the traditional paragraph structure. Short and long paragraphs are often employed in these forms of literature to emphasize the story’s rhythm and pacing and to create specific emotional or stylistic effects. So, you have to consider these elements and play with paragraph length to effectively enhance your storytelling.
However, in many cases, keeping your paragraphs concise makes it easier for your audience to follow your train of thought and better absorb your message.
Factors That Affect Paragraph Length
The number of sentences—hence the length of a paragraph—is determined by many factors, and below are some of them:
- The purpose of the paragraph : Each paragraph should have a clear purpose, and the length of the paragraph should be appropriate for achieving that purpose.
- The complexity of the topic : If the topic being discussed is complex and requires a lot of explanation, the paragraph may need to be longer.
- The overall length of the document : If the document is long, it may be necessary to include longer paragraphs to cover the topic adequately. However, it is still important to break up the text with shorter paragraphs to help keep the reader’s attention.
- The audience : Consider the age, education level, and familiarity with the topic of the intended audience when determining the length of the paragraphs.
- The style of the document : Different styles of writing, such as academic writing or creative writing, may have different conventions for paragraph length.
Types of Paragraphs
Several types of paragraphs can be used in writing. These include:
Narrative Paragraph
As is the case with all the paragraphs, the name is self-explanatory. Narrative paragraphs tell a story or describe an event. They often include dialogue and sensory details to help the reader visualize the scene.
Although not as detailed as short stories, narrative paragraphs are typically written in a similar style, detailing the events preceding the main event and then describing the main event itself.
They may also include descriptions of the characters, setting, and plot of the story.
Descriptive Paragraphs
These paragraphs describe a person, place, or thing in detail. They may use sensory language and figurative language to help the reader imagine or understand the subject.
Descriptive paragraphs describe something to the reader vividly and objectively. The language in the paragraph is designed to appeal to the reader’s five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. To accomplish this, use adjectives that describe the sensations.
Expository paragraphs
These paragraphs provide information or explain a concept. They often use evidence or examples to support their points.
The purpose of an expository paragraph is to provide information clearly and concisely without including personal opinions or feelings. Expository paragraphs are often found in nonfiction writing, such as textbooks, news articles, and research papers. They are also commonly used in business writing, such as reports and proposals.
To write an effective expository paragraph, it is important to clearly state the main idea or topic and then provide supporting details and examples to further explain and clarify the concept. It is also important to use clear, concise language and logically organize the information.
Persuasive Paragraphs
A persuasive paragraph is a type of paragraph that is used to convince the reader to accept a particular point of view or take a specific action. It is meant to be a compelling and argumentative presentation of information about the topic, designed to persuade the reader to agree with the writer’s perspective.
Persuasive paragraphs often include strong language, emotional appeals, and examples or evidence to support the writer’s position. To write an effective persuasive paragraph, it is important to clearly state the main argument or position and then provide supporting details and examples to back up the claim.
It is also important to consider the audience and anticipate and address any counter arguments or objections that they might have. Emotional appeals can help strengthen the argument and make it more persuasive.
Literary Paragraphs
A literary paragraph is a type of paragraph that is used to analyze and discuss a specific aspect of a work of literature, such as a character, theme, or symbol. It is typically found in literary analysis essays and research papers, and its purpose is to provide an in-depth analysis and interpretation of the literary work.
A literary paragraph should be focused on a specific idea or point, and it should use evidence from the text to support the analysis. It is important to use clear and specific language when writing a literary paragraph and to carefully and thoroughly analyze the text to provide a thorough and accurate interpretation.
In addition, it is important to properly cite any quotations or references to the text to give credit to the original author and avoid plagiarism.
When Should I Use Shorter Paragraphs?
You should use short paragraphs to break up longer blocks of text and make the content easier to read and understand. If the information is complex or technical and needs to be presented clearly and concisely, you should separate and use short paragraphs . They are perfect for highlighting important points, creating visual interest on the page, and helping organize the information into smaller, more manageable chunks.
As I said, shorter paragraphs are also often used when writing blog posts and social media posts, as they make it easier for readers to scan and consume the content quickly. Shorter paragraphs are more engaging, thereby helping to keep the reader’s attention.
Another point that needs repeating is that short paragraphs can be used in creative writing to change the pace, create a specific tone, or emphasize a point.
Final Words on Number of Sentences In A Paragraph
Paragraphs that are too long can be difficult for readers to follow, while paragraphs that are too short can make it hard to understand the main ideas being discussed.
It is generally best to break up your writing into small, manageable chunks that are easy for readers to understand and follow.
You should strike a balance between having paragraphs that are long enough to fully develop an idea but not so long that they become difficult for readers to follow.
About Jessica Majewski
Jessica started off as an avid book reader. After reading one too many romance novels (really... is it ever really enough?), she decided to jump to the other side and started writing her own stories. She now shares what she has learned (the good and the not so good) here at When You Write, hoping she can inspire more up and coming wordsmiths to take the leap and share their own stories with the world.
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Narrative Essay Writing
Personal Narrative Essay
Personal Narrative Essay - Easy Guide & Examples
11 min read
Published on: Apr 18, 2020
Last updated on: Jan 3, 2023
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Essay writing is something that a student can never avoid by any means. Every student must have to write essays at different stages of academic life.
When it comes to writing a personal narrative essay, students love to do it. It is one of the easiest types of essays. This essay does not confine you to a boundary, in fact, it allows you to openly use your thoughts.
Also, in a personal narrative essay, you can write a personal life experience. Even something fictional that you think would entertain the readers.
In a personal narrative essay, you are basically telling the readers about your story. You need vivid language to make things easily understandable for the reader.
Here in this blog, you will find everything that you need to know about a personal narrative essay.
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Personal Narrative Essay Definition
A personal narrative essay is also referred to as short storytelling. It depends on the writer what type of story they want to tell to the readers. Moreover, this type of essay can be composed of the personal experience of the writer.
A personal narrative essay is usually written in the first person participle. It helps to depict a clear narrative that’s focused on a specific moment.
High school students are usually assigned to write such essays. This essay type helps them to enhance creative writing skills. Also, they help to provide insight into a student’s personal life.
To write a personal narrative essay, the writer specifies a plot around which the entire essay revolves. It also discusses the characters that have played some part in the story.
Sample Personal Narrative Essay (PDF)
How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay
A personal narrative essay is considered very good when it is expressive, and the reader enjoys your personal narrative. The key to writing an amazing personal narrative is to use sensory details as much as possible. An excellent narrative essay doesn't tell what happened. Instead, it shows what happened precisely and how you have felt at that moment.
Here is how you can write a personal narrative essay:
A good topic can not just make your essay look good, but also it will make the writing process much easier. Since personal narrative essays are written on personal experiences and thoughts, make sure that you choose your most interesting experience.
Keep in mind that the topic you choose matches the intended audience. It is the reader who decides the scope and success of your essay.
Once you have your topic, it is time that you create an outline for your essay. The essay outline is an essential element of an essay. It keeps the whole composition in an organized order.
Also, it helps the reader through the essay. With the help of an outline, a writer can provide logic for the essay.
For any type of essay, a hook statement can be the game-changer. But, particularly for a personal narrative essay, hook sentences are very important.
Usually, the introduction of the essay starts with this sentence. You may use a famous quotation, verse, or an interesting fact for this purpose. This sentence helps to attain the reader’s attention and persuade the reader to read the entire essay.
For a narrative essay, it is a must to be vivid enough to let the reader imagine the whole scene. This is why it is necessary that the reader uses as much descriptive language as possible.
You must wonder which element is not required for the personal narrative essay? For your information, the element not required for such an essay is the research. Since it is a personal essay and you do not need any reference from any source. And since you do not need references, you do not need to conduct research.
For any essay, be it an argumentative essay , descriptive, or a personal narrative essay. It is very important to have some transition sentences and words. These transition words help to make a logical connection in all parts of the essay.
In other words, the transition words help to make links between the storyline. You may use transition words like this, however, whereas, therefore, moreover, etc.
The purpose of a personal narrative essay is to show the reader what and how you have felt. Hence don't forget to add the emotions, as you have to make the reader know about the feelings. Describe all of the emotions and feelings using very descriptive words.
Consistency is the key to writing an essay in a professional way. Make sure that you don't get distracted by any irrelevant details. Stay focused on one single point, and add details related to that specific idea of yours.
Make sure that you inter-link all the events of the story in a regular manner. This will help the reader to relate all the events. Also, use first-person impressions as you are writing a personal narrative.
You also want to show the reader that you are telling your own story. Make sure that you follow the same participle in the entire essay.
You know that behind every event, there is a reason. Similarly, let your readers know the reason behind your essay and its significance. Also, mention that the story you just told it was so important to share.
As it is a personal narrative, you don't have to provide evidence to prove the significance of your story. Rather, you have to convey a broader message through your story.
Once you are done with writing your personal narrative essay. It's time that you put a little effort into making it error-free. Proofread the essay more than once and look for minor spelling mistakes and other grammatical mistakes.
This will ensure that you have written an essay like a pro. You can do this yourself or you may ask a friend to do it for you.
Personal Narrative Essay Outline
Being a student, you must know how important an outline is for an essay. It provides an organization with the whole content.
To create an outline for a personal narrative essay, you need to follow the following traditional method.
Introduction
These three major elements of a narrative essay are further elaborated down below.
The introduction is the most important part of essay writing. It is the first impression on the reader and by reading this part, the reader decides the quality of the essay. This part should be the most attention-grabbing part.
Another thing that makes it a significant element in an essay is the thesis statement . The thesis statement is the essence of an essay. It is a sentence or two that explains the whole idea of your essay.
The thesis statement is mentioned somewhere before the last sentence of the introduction.
You should also know that the introduction should always end with a transition sentence. This will make a logical connection with the rest of the essay.
Body Paragraphs
After the introduction, the body paragraphs are written. These paragraphs help you to explain the key elements of your personal narrative essay.
In a standard personal narrative essay, there are usually three body paragraphs. These paragraphs help the writer to describe the subject of the essay in all possible aspects.
With the help of these paragraphs, the writer describes their point of view to the readers. To support the essay, the time and place of the event happening are also mentioned. Moreover, these paragraphs have all the information about the characters.
Keep in mind that a body starts with a topic sentence. This sentence is a kind of introductory sentence for that particular paragraph.
Another important thing that you need to keep in mind is the order in which you will be presenting the details. Make sure that you use chronological order for this purpose.
In conclusion, you need to provide the climax of the story. In this section of a personal narrative essay, you should wrap up the whole story. Do it in such a way that you provide a summary of the entire essay.
Make sure that you do not add any new points in this part. It will not give the reader a sense of accomplishment and will leave them in confusion.
Personal Narrative Essay Examples
Examples help you to understand things better; here are a few well-written narrative essay examples . Read them thoroughly and use them as a guide to writing a good essay yourself.
Personal Narrative Essay 750 words
Personal narrative essays can be long or short. It depends on the writer how they want to elaborate things.
750 Words Personal Narrative Essay (PDF)
Personal Narrative Essay Examples for High school Students
Personal narrative essays are often assigned to high school students. If you are a high school student and looking for some good examples, you are exactly where you should be.
Best Summer Memory of My Childhood (PDF)
Near-Death Experience (PDF)
Personal Narrative Essay Examples for College Students
Being a college student, you will get to write personal narrative essays very often. Here are a few examples of well-written personal narrative essays to guide college students.
Climbing a Mountain (PDF)
My First Job (PDF)
Personal Narrative Essay Topics
It is important to choose a good topic before you start writing. Here are some interesting narrative essay topics you can choose from for your essay.
- My worst childhood memory
- My favorite summer activities during vacation.
- The first time I had a serious argument with my best friend
- The first time someone broke my heart.
- Things I could tell myself.
- How I balance my family life and my professional life.
- The most important rule in life
- Teachers who inspired me in my college.
- Why I love to write a diary
- My favorite verse.
- My favorite movie.
- Personal advice for the youth of today.
- How I overcame my stage fear.
- The toughest decision I have ever made.
- What I regret most
Personal Narrative Essay Writing Tips
You need to follow a few things in order to start your personal narrative essay in a proper way. Those significant things are as follows:
- Think of a memorable event, an unforgettable experience, or any that you want to tell the readers.
- Plan your narrative essay. Make yourself clear on the order in which you want to mention all the details.
- Start your personal essay with a hook sentence. This will help you to grab the attention of the readers.
- Use vivid language so that the reader can imagine the whole scene in mind. Describe the actions, mood, theme, and overall plot.
- Make sure that you use descriptive language.
- Use proper sentence structure.
Writing a personal narrative essay can be daunting for many students. We have an extensive team of professional writers at CollegeEssay.org . You can ask them, “help me write my narrative essay” and they will help you write your college essay and deliver it right in time.
We have a customer support team available 24/7 to attend to all queries related to your assignments. So place your order now and let all your stress go away.
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Every essay is an opportunity to share an original idea on a subject about which you have some knowledge. Sometimes you only just gained that knowledge—as in a free response question paired with a reading segment during an exam—and other times you’ll be writing about a subject that you have studied for years and know like the back of your hand. In either case, writing a five-paragraph essay can serve as a useful tool for communicating your thoughts to an academic audience.
5 Paragraph Essay: What Is It?
A five-paragraph essay is a prose composition that follows the basic structure of five paragraphs. It includes an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Often critiqued for being too formulaic, the five-paragraph essay is an essential tool in every writer's toolkit and is especially handy on timed writing assignments and exams.
Why is this format best for writing timed essays? During an exam, you might be asked to write an essay, and you may have only just learned some of the details about the subject. You likely won’t have time to draft a uniquely formatted, in-depth analysis in the time you are given. That’s where the five-paragraph structure comes into play; you can use it as a vehicle to get your main idea across to the reader and not spend precious time on how to structure your essay.
This essay format can also be thought of as a building block for almost every type of essay you could write. It is built on a thesis statement and uses the main pieces of support, which are formatted into segments (or paragraphs), to uphold your thesis. This approach can be expanded based on however much support or analysis is appropriate for your essay.
The key principle of this familiar structure is to organize your perspective or claim in a way that is logical and easy for your reader to understand.
You can use the five-paragraph format for writing any of the five styles of essay: argumentative, descriptive, narrative, informative, and persuasive. Think of this approach as not merely an essay structure, but also a means to adapt your writing and strengthen your composition skills for any future assignment.
5 Paragraph Essay Structure
Sometimes the five-paragraph essay is referred to as the hamburger of essays. That’s not because it’s cheesy, but rather because of how it is built—like a hamburger with a beginning (bun), middle segmented into separate parts (hamburger patty, lettuce, condiments, etc.), and end (bun).
Below is the basic structure of a five-paragraph essay:
Background information
Body paragraph 1
Topic sentence
Supporting details
Body paragraph 2
Body paragraph 3
Rephrased Thesis
Call to action
The paragraphs below break down each section to show how it functions within the whole essay.
The introduction serves several purposes, all of which are important and should not be forgotten or glossed-over. Remember, this is the "bun" to the hamburger and without it, the whole thing falls apart. The introduction starts with a statement to get your readers’ attention—this is called a hook .
A hook can take the form of a question, quote, statistic, or anecdote; it grabs your reader and pulls their interest into the topic.
Hook as a Question: Have you ever stood at the edge of the crashing waves in the ocean and wondered how far out it goes?
Hook as a Quote: Clarence Joshua Tuttle once said, “Why do we call this planet Earth, when it would more aptly be called Ocean?"
Hook as a Statistic: About 71% of the face of the earth is covered by water, and the oceans hold about 96.5% of earth’s water.
Hook as an Anecdote: As a child, I used to gaze at the line where the horizon met the sea and wonder how it could stretch on for infinity.
In addition to the hook catching your reader’s attention, your introduction should also contain background information on the topic to give your reader context.
Without some kind of explanation about the topic’s background, you risk your reader not having the full picture, or worse, not understanding what you’re talking about at all.
You don’t have to include too much background explanation for your five-paragraph essay. Usually a couple of sentences will suffice to give the necessary context.
Lastly, your introduction needs your thesis statement, which is arguably the most important part of the essay.
Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is a single sentence that explains your main argument for the entire essay. You don’t have to pack every point you’re going to make into the thesis, but your thesis should be a clarified version of the main point.
The vast majority of our planet is covered in water, so there needs to be more awareness about the impact of global warming on Earth's oceans and the wildlife therein.
The thesis should be stated near the end of the first paragraph. It should be supported by details and evidence in the following paragraphs.
3 Body Paragraphs
The body paragraphs are the meat of your five-paragraph essay (literally, remember the hamburger—the body paragraphs are the juicy middle). You can use more than three paragraphs if you have more points that need to be discussed, but typically no less than three.
You can consider each of your body paragraphs to be one piece of support for your thesis. The first sentence of each paragraph should be the topic sentence for that paragraph, and can act like a mini-thesis. It will state the main idea of that particular paragraph, and the rest of the paragraph will dive into further explanation by including examples and supporting details.
Your body paragraphs should look something like this:
Paragraph 1: First piece of support
Paragraph 2: Second piece of support
Paragraph 3: Third piece of support
Your five-paragraph essay should not end abruptly; it should include a short summary that will wrap up your argument and/or observation on the topic, just like the bottom bun of the hamburger. Provide a brief summary, and then remind your audience of your thesis statement.
By restating or rephrasing your thesis, you are reminding your audience that in the body of the essay you explained everything you said you would way back in your introduction.
The last thing your conclusion needs is something to bring the topic back into the reader’s world. Make them remember why it’s relevant. This could be a call to action, warning, provocative question, or something to evoke emotion in the reader.
Because of [insert main idea], you should take [X] action.
If you (or we) don’t do [X thing], [X consequence] will happen.
Provocative question
What do you think will happen if [X] continues (or ceases. Whatever is relevant to your main point.)?
Evocative statement
Could be a quote or anything you think will stir the emotions of the reader on the subject.
How to Make a 5 Paragraph Essay Outline
With the basic structure of a five-paragraph essay in mind, you can begin the process of making an outline.
An outline is simply a plan for your essay, and it’s important to create one so you know how to organize your ideas. Without an outline, you’re likely to ramble or wander all over your topic without fully developing your main point.
Below are the essential steps to drafting an outline for your five paragraph essay.
The first thing you need to do is brainstorm the topic; look for associations you may already have and keep the assignment or prompt in the front of your mind.
How to brainstorm a topic: Brainstorming is a strategy for coming up with ideas and content for your essay. Brainstorming can be anything from creating word associations, to freewriting, to making lists, to drawing a venn diagram, or whatever makes sense for you so that you can break down the topic and pick out what you have to say.
Sort through whatever you come up with in the brainstorming process, and pick out something that you find important or something you can elaborate.
Next, you need to draft a thesis statement. As previously stated, your thesis is the guide for your essay—especially so in a five-paragraph essay—because your thesis introduces the ideas of your body paragraphs.
Take whatever piece of the puzzle you came up with after brainstorming, and work it into a single statement that makes a claim on the topic.
The thesis statement of your five-paragraph essay should contain a claim of some sort about the subject. It should an original thought, and not be a restating of known facts.
Now, apply the basic structure of a five-paragraph essay to your topic. An outline typically uses numbers as a way to organize the essay. Each point can be a key word or phrase; you don’t need to use whole sentences in an outline.
Organize the paragraphs by the main points that support your thesis, then include subpoints, or pieces of evidence, to explain the topic sentence of that paragraph.
5 Paragraph Essay Example: The Outline
Here’s an example of a five-paragraph essay outline:
Hook: Children are no longer growing up walking to the candy store around the corner or sharing root beer floats at the local diner with kids they’ve known their entire lives. They aren’t even growing up in an innocent world like when Super Mario Brothers was the most popular video game.
Background: The world has changed rapidly in the last fifty years.
Thesis : Because of violence in video games, movies, social media, and increased pressure from peers, being a parent today is much more difficult than it was a generation ago.
Topic sentence: The progression of technology has given children more entertainment, but it has also decreased their attention spans, making it much more difficult to keep them on task.
Supporting detail: Music, video games, and social media are all easily accessible on phones or computers.
Supporting detail: Research shows that excessive screen time for children can drastically affect their attention span and even brain development.
Topic sentence: Not only do parents have to be aware of the effects of constant screen usage, it means they must also be vigilant about their children being exposed to inappropriate material.
Supporting detail: In film
Supporting detail: On television
Supporting detail: Online
Topic sentence: Children are now often exposed to dangerous situations during their daily lives or via the media.
Supporting detail: Access to drugs & alcohol
Supporting detail: Violent crimes (school shootings, etc.)
Rephrased Thesis statement : Society and media have a huge impact on children’s lives and have worked together to make parenting extremely difficult, now more than ever.
Call to action: Because of these changes, it is up to parents to remain present so we can be aware of and sensitive to all these challenges facing our children.
Writing a 5 Paragraph Essay
With your outline in hand, it’s now time to write your five-paragraph essay! The beauty of this process is that your argument is now fully mapped out, and you know exactly what you need to say.
The first thing to do is nail down your thesis statement . Again, the body of your essay hinges on the main point contained in your essay, so you need to be certain of that before you proceed. Next, you can start to put together your body paragraphs.
5 Paragraph Essay Transitions
Be sure you include transitions between paragraphs, otherwise, your essay will feel very robotic and will not be enjoyable to read. Transitions help to show the relationship between thoughts as you move from one to another.
You can use simple transitions (i.e. first, next, and last); or use phrases to show similarity (i.e. also, in the same way, likewise, just as, etc.) and/ or differences (i.e. but, however, in spite of, etc.).
A Note on The Limits of the 5 Paragraph Essay
Remember, there is often more to your topic than can be explained in a five-paragraph essay. That’s why these essays are a great tool for exam essays; you simply won’t have the time to complete an exhaustive analysis, so the five-paragraph essay is the next best choice.
Keep this perspective in mind and remember that however brilliant your essay is, it is not the end-all-be-all on the subject. The five-paragraph essay is, however, an excellent vehicle you can use to explain your original thought on a subject in an organized manner.
5 Page Essay - Key takeaways
- A five paragraph-essay follows the basic structure of five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
- Five-paragraph essays are a great tool for timed writing assignments and exams, but can also be used as a foundation for any type of essay.
- Start writing a five-paragraph essay by creating a thesis statement .
- Each body paragraph is one piece of support for the essay's thesis . They should each have a topic sentence, or main idea , that is in support of the overall thesis .
- The conclusion of a five-paragraph essay is important because it restates the thesis and then makes the subject personal to the reader.
Frequently Asked Questions about 5 Paragraph Essay
--> how do i write a 5 paragraph essay.
Write a 5 paragraph essay by following the basic structure: introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
--> How long is a 5 paragraph essay?
A 5 paragraph essay can be anywhere from one to one hundred pages; it all depends on how much you need to support your thesis statement.
--> How many words are in a 5 paragraph essay?
A 5 paragraph essay can contain as many words as necessary to fully support and explain your main point, or your thesis.
--> How many topic sentences are in a 5 paragraph essay?
Typically, a 5 paragraph essay will contain 4 topic sentences with one of them being the thesis statement, and the other 3 being the topic sentences of the body paragraphs.
--> What does a 5 paragraph essay look like?
A 5 paragraph essay can look very different from one essay to the next, however they will all follow the basic structure of the five paragraphs: introduction, (at least) 3 supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Final 5 Paragraph Essay Quiz
What is the definition of a five-paragraph essay?
Show answer
A five-paragraph essay is a prose composition that follows the basic structure of five paragraphs that include an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Show question
Why are five-paragraph essays a good choice for timed exam assignments?
During an exam, you likely won’t have time to draft a uniquely formatted, in-depth analysis in the time you are given.
True or false: Five-paragraph essays can also be used to write argumentative, descriptive, narrative, informative, and/ or persuasive essays.
Fill in the blank: The key principle of the five-paragraph structure is to ___________ your perspective or claim in a way that is logical and easy for your reader to understand.
Why is the five-paragraph essay often referred to as a "hamburger" essay style?
Because of how it is built; like a hamburger with a definite beginning (bun), middle segmented into separate parts (hamburger patty, lettuce, condiments, etc.), and end (bun).
Which paragraph in a five-paragraph essay contains the hook?
Which is arguably the most important part of a five-paragraph essay?
Thesis statement
True or false: In a five-paragraph essay, you should always devote one entire paragraph to a background explanation of the topic.
In a five-paragraph essay, is it possible to use more than five paragraphs or less than five paragraphs?
Which of the following is not a strategy to concluding a five-paragraph essay?
_____________ is a plan for your essay, and it’s important to create one so you know how to organize your ideas.
What are some examples of brainstorming exercises?
Word association, freewriting, making lists
Why brainstorm your topic before you begin writing?
Brainstorming can give ideas about how the topic relates to you (the writer) and what you might have to say about it
Should you brainstorm before or after you create a thesis statement?
Which of the following is an example of a transition to show similarity?
Why are transitions necessary between ideas and paragraphs in a five-paragraph essay?
Transitions help to show the relationship between thoughts as you move from one to another.
What is structure in an essay?
The structure of an essay is the arrangement of the essay's paragraphs. The structure organizes the essay into distinct parts to make it easy to read.
What does the basic structure of a 5-paragraph essay include?
introduction
What does an introduction include?
What does one use a hook for?
One uses a hook to capture the reader's attention.
What are some ideas for hooks?
an interesting question
What kind of background information can be included in an introduction?
names of texts and authors being analyzed or compared
What is a thesis statement ?
A thesis statement is a one-sentence summary of the main point of an essay. It tells the reader what the argument or idea is before going into detail.
True or false:
The first paragraph of an essay should include the most important point of the essay.
True! The first paragraph should start the essay off strong.
What should each body paragraph of a 5-paragraph cover?
a different aspect of the main idea
What should the second body paragraph of a 5-paragraph essay cover?
The second body paragraph should cover the second strongest argument or second most important point of the essay.
What should the third body paragraph of a 5-paragraph essay cover?
the least important idea of the essay
True or False:
Because the third body paragraph covers the least important idea of an essay, it's not really necessary.
False. The third body paragraph is a chance to reinforce the ideas of the first and second paragraphs by building on them.
What are the elements of a good conclusion?
A summary of the main points
What is the purpose of an essay?
The purpose of an essay is the effect a writer intends to have on the reader. It's the one thing the writer wants the reader to walk away from the essay feeling, thinking, or knowing.
When using an argument/persuasion outline, what should each body paragraph cover?
a different reason for the argument
A writer covers a different characteristic of a text in their body paragraphs. What type of outline are they using?
analysis outline
What does chronological mean?
Chronological means arranging events in the order in which they happened. Chronologies tell a story of what happened over time.
An intro paragraph is the first paragraph of an essay. It grabs the reader's attention, introduces the essay topic, and states the essay's _____.
What are some other words for intro paragraph?
What are the elements of an intro paragraph?
A hook is a sentence that _____ the reader's attention.
Where does the hook appear in an intro paragraph?
the first sentence
A writer starts an essay with the following hook: Could you imagine a world without television?
What type of hook is this an example of?
interesting question
When sharing an important story for a hook, one must tell only stories that come from personal experience.
False. An important story can be a personal experience or a story from the news, popular culture, or any other source.
What is the purpose of using a shocking fact or statistic for a hook?
The purpose of using a shocking fact or statistic for a hook is to shock the reader so they want to learn more.
In an essay, the writer describes a moment where they were caught up in a state of flow. What type of hook is this an example of?
vivid description
True or false:
A memorable quote should always come from someone famous.
False: A memorable quote can come from a person who is famous or not famous. The quote is what matters!
A strong statement is an effective hook whether the reader disagrees with the statement or not.
True! They might not agree with the statement, but they will want to see how the writer supports it.
How many sentences should one use for background information in an intro paragraph?
two to four
What is the thesis statement of an intro paragraph?
The thesis statement is one sentence that states the main idea of the essay. Think of it as the sentence that tells the reader what they are about to learn about the topic.
Where does the thesis statement appear in an intro paragraph?
The thesis statement appears at the end of the intro paragraph. It should be the last thing the reader sees before moving on to the body paragraphs.
The background information of an intro paragraph should connect to the thesis statement.
True! The two should make sense together.
What is an opinion?
Opinion is a personal conjecture.
Should you use an opinion to support your thesis?
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- definitions
How Many Paragraphs Are There In An Essay?
- How Many Paragraphs?
- Five-Paragraph Essay
- Types Of Five-Paragraph Essays
- Best Practices For Five-Paragraph Essays
- Three-Paragraph Essay
- Types Of Three-Paragraph Essays
- Best Practices For Three-Paragraph Essays
So you need to write an essay. You’ve picked out your topic, determined your thesis, and now you’re ready to put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) to start writing your epic piece. Before you get rolling, there’s only one thing left to decide: how many paragraphs does this essay actually need?
Unless you’re working under a strict assignment, essays can come in all shapes and sizes. Choosing the right format can help you present your ideas in the clearest way possible and make your writing process even easier. Here are the most common formats to consider and what to know before you decide which one to choose.
How many paragraphs are in an essay?
There’s no hard and fast rule for deciding how many paragraphs an essay should have, but it’s important to know that a single paragraph is generally not considered an essay. Standard essays have a designated introduction and conclusion, along with supporting details. This means that even a short essay will still have about three paragraphs, and many have more.
Things to consider before you write an essay
Before you can decide how to divide the information, you need to consider a few things:
- What type of essay are you writing?
- How many supporting details do you need to share?
- Do you have enough information to write a three- to five-sentence paragraph for each supporting detail?
- Do you have a required word count?
- What will be the clearest format for the reader?
There are a lot of different kinds of essays you might be assigned. Generally, multi-paragraph essays are used to compare and contrast things, in persuasive writing, as a form of narrative writing, and for informative or researched essays. Most of these essays end up fitting nicely into one of two main categories:
The five-paragraph essay
Arguably the most common essay format is the standard five-paragraph essay. This essay devotes a paragraph each to the introduction, conclusion, and three different supporting details. Let’s break down what each of those sections includes.
Parts of a standard five-paragraph essay
1. Introduction
This part of the essay includes your thesis statement , introduces your reader to your topic or point of view, and lays out the main ideas of your following three body paragraphs. Generally, this paragraph is brief and intended to grab your reader’s attention.
2. Body paragraphs
A five-paragraph essay includes three body paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs should focus on one supporting detail that aligns with your thesis. They will begin with a topic sentence and share the relevant research, quotes, and anecdotes you’ve gathered.
3. Conclusion
The conclusion to a five-paragraph essay will restate your thesis, sum up your supporting details, and present the reader with one final takeaway from reading your piece.
Wondering what goes into nailing each of these categories? Here’s a sample five-paragraph essay outline and some examples to help you get started.
Which kinds of essays work best with five paragraphs?
Five-paragraph essays are best used to convey complex and detailed topics that require extra information, like:
Comparison essays
A five-paragraph essay allows you to devote one paragraph to each item you’re comparing, as well as include one paragraph on the similarities between the two things.
Argumentative essays
In the five-paragraph format, there is ample space to explore multiple sides of an argument and include plenty of supporting facts and research.
Informative essays
Complex topics are broken down in simple and intuitive ways when the information is spread across multiple paragraphs.
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Best practices for writing a five-paragraph essay
If you’re considering a five-paragraph format for your essay, remember:
- These essays must have a clear thesis and conclusion.
- Each body paragraph should contain a strong and complete supporting detail.
- Transition words are necessary to help the flow of the essay.
- These essays usually involve research.
- This is among the most organized ways to present complex topics.
The three-paragraph essay
Three-paragraph essays are shorter and more simplified than the standard five-paragraph essay. Typically, these essays include a conclusion, introduction, and only one body paragraph. This single body paragraph might focus on one supporting detail or it may include a comprehensive summary of a lot of supporting information.
Parts of a standard three-paragraph essay
The introduction to a three-paragraph essay typically includes a hook or attention-grabbing first sentence , followed by a summary of your supporting details and then your thesis. The thesis statement helps lead into the rest of your essay.
Refresh your memory on the different types of thesis statements to get your essay started!
2. Body paragraph
This is the one and only body paragraph in a three-paragraph essay, so it needs to be clear, concise, and as detailed as possible within the space constraints. The body paragraph should include a topic sentence, as well as any details or facts that underscore your thesis. It may focus on one element of your supporting argument or sum up several in brief, clear sentences that relate to the topic sentence.
3. Conclusion
Much like in a five-paragraph essay, your conclusion is the place to restate your thesis, summarize the points you made in the body paragraph, and leave your reader with a final takeaway or call to action.
Which kinds of essays work best with three paragraphs?
For less complex topics, the three-paragraph essay provides enough space to thoughtfully explain a topic and provide additional information.
Narrative essays
Personal essays that don’t necessarily need multiple paragraphs of supporting information work well in this format.
For emerging writers, one body paragraph provides ample space to compare and contrast two items or ideas. Single sentences can be devoted to each comparison or similarity.
Best practices for writing a three-paragraph essay
If you’re considering a three-paragraph format for your essay, remember:
- Even short essays still need a clear thesis.
- Organize your body paragraph so your ideas are presented clearly.
- The introduction and conclusion should each be a separate paragraph.
- This format provides excellent practice for new writers.
- One body paragraph still leaves room for strong supporting information.
Avoid confusing sentences and write with clarity with these tips.
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How to write a literacy narrative essay
When students write a literacy narrative essay, they must understand what a personal experience actually is. It can be found in daily conversations, memoirs and novels written by real people. In this type of narrative writing , the author tells about his or her own past experiences from childhood until present time. The aim of such style is to show all emotions and events that remain in the memory of an author long enough so he/she makes them into a story. Writing a literacy narrative essay is similar to writing an autobiography essay . The difference is that you use your experience as a model for teaching readers how to solve the problems you faced with literacy.
What is a literacy narrative essay?
A literacy narrative essay can be defined as a form of essay in which the writer tells an account of their literacy experience. This type of narrative essay can be anything from stories about reading cereal boxes when you are too young to read, to reading books in your grandparents’ basement, to participating in virtual libraries.
Literacy narrative essays should be at least 300 words.
Writing a Commentary Essay
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Your essay needs to have the following:
- An introduction
- A thesis statement
- A body with supporting details
- Concluding paragraphs
When writing a literacy narrative essay, remember to use the following:
- A personal tone
- Personal stories
- Descriptive language (describing characters, setting, and plot)
- Active verbs (verbs that make the writing come alive)
- Similes and metaphors (comparing one thing to another using “like” or “as”)
- Dialogue (if appropriate for your topic)
When writing a literacy narrative essay, it is important to use descriptive language to help paint a picture for the reader. For example: “I was lying on the couch in my grandparents basement reading a book when I noticed that I could read almost all of the words on the cereal box sitting on the floor next to me.” This example uses very descriptive language. The reader can imagine the scene and the narrator lying on the couch reading a book.
“My favorite place to read is my grandparents’ basement.” This example doesn’t use as much descriptive language, but it does give some sensory details (places where there are smells or sounds).
When writing a literacy narrative essay, remember to use dialogue if it is appropriate for your topic. For example: “When I was a kid, my mom used to read the cereal box out loud to us every morning before school.” In this example, the narrator uses dialogue to describe how her mother would read the cereal box every morning before school.
In conclusion , remember that literacy narrative essays are personal accounts of experiences with literacy. In this type of essay writing , rather than simply describing what happened, the writer tells a story that includes sensory details, dialogue, and descriptive language to paint a picture of their experience for the reader.
Structure of a Literacy Narrative Essay
Step #1: Problem or Problematic Situation
Begin by briefly explaining the problem, which is typically related to literacy or being illiterate.
Step #2: Solution
Describe the solution you used in your own life to solve this problem, but be sure it has a happy ending. You can discuss what you did to solve this problem or how someone helped you with the solution.
Step #3: Teaching Point
Explain how readers can use your solution to solving the literacy problem that you faced.
Step #4: The Takeaway
Write a conclusion in which you summarize your main points and tell readers why they should care about this problem.
The final step is to revise your essay, since it’s easy to develop tunnel vision while writing and miss errors such as spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure.
Examples of a literacy narrative essay outline
Example #1- Literacy narrative essay about teaching children to read
Step #1: Problem or problematic situation
Many parents feel helpless when trying to teach their child how to read, especially if they themselves never learned how to read. I know because I was one of these parents.
My son had just turned five years old when my husband and I realized that he would not be able to read for the kindergarten entrance exam in the fall if we did not do something about it. We thought our lack of literacy skills meant our child was doomed to suffer the same fate.
The solution was to enroll our son in an after-school program that provided literacy instruction for parents and their children. The school taught us how to teach our child at home, which gave us the confidence we needed to keep trying until he learned how to read. We were also motivated by the idea that we would still be able to spend time with our son even though we were working on his reading skills.
As a result of what I learned in this program, my son is now seven years old and he is about to start second grade. He is one of the top readers in his class and enjoys reading so much that he is often found with his nose buried in a book. I have also been able to help my young nieces and nephews learn how to read, which has made me feel like I am making a difference in the lives of children.
How to Write a Literacy Narrative Essay Step by Step
When it comes to academic writing on literature, students have difficulties with writing this kind of paper since some terms are different from their usual meaning. They may think that everything connected with reading books has nothing to do with life events while it’s not true at! This article will let you know more about literacy narrative essay requirements and aim of this type of writing.
What do students get from writing literacy narrative essay at school?
- This paper helps you to see everything that happened with you in another way;
- It’s great for people who want to remember their childhood days;
- It can be helpful for those who must write a book review on some literary work;
- If you’re looking for the right words to describe your feelings on certain events, it will help you too.
Steps in writing great literacy narrative essays include:
Step 1: Get prepared .
When it comes to academic papers on literature, reading is always the first step towards beginning your own work. Make it a point of honor to read the books you’re supposed to analyze on your own.
Step 2: Organize .
Make some notes about important characters, events and quotes that are necessary for writing an essay on literature that corresponds to all academic standards . If needed, take more than one sheet of paper or start rewriting everything on the computer so you could sort out each term in separate lines.
Step 3: Find reliable sources
Find sources online or use electronic library at school if it’s available there so your research will be more successful . Note down every name of the book, author and publication year as well as its genre (fiction/non-fiction). It may sound obvious but sometimes students forget to do it when don’t copy references from websites.
Step 4: Start writing
Start writing your own literacy narrative essay . It’s better to have a plan before that so you could order all information in the right way.
The main rule while writing an academic paper on literature is including personal experiences into it since they’re valuable and can let you analyze any book from different sides. If you think this type of writing isn’t for you, ask help from professional writers online who will give their best to improve your skills. They’ll provide full support with proofreading, editing and rewriting services if needed.
Step 5: Edit your work .
First of all, read all requirements on academic writing to be sure that nothing essential goes unnoticed. Then, feel free to ask some teacher or the tutor for help since they know better where are you stuck with.
Step 6: Check for mistakes .
Most students misspelled words, grammar errors or wrong punctuation when they don’t pay enough attention to details. It’s the final step of writing a literature essay so you’d better use all means to make it perfect!
When students complete these steps while writing an academic literacy narrative essay, its quality will be outstanding and your grade will be excellent for sure . If some terms are too complicated or unclear, feel free to ask our support team 24/7 any questions that seem important according to your point of view. Our professional writers who work online know how long is the process of writing an academic paper on literature since they’ve already experienced such type of tasks before. Our custom writing company provides services like proofreading, editing and rewriting for all types of writing works so you won’t be left alone with too hard tasks. That’s why sample literacy narrative essay help at our website has a high chance to give you top grades.
Learn how to write a literacy narrative essay by asking our model essay writers to write a literacy narrative paper that will act as a guide to help you create an outstanding custom college paper for school.
Literacy narrative essay outline
The literacy narrative essay outline can be very helpful especially if the student has never written this type of academic paper before.
The literacy narrative essay is not typically assigned as homework, but if this type of assignment is given, it can provide the student with some good practice for writing personal essays in the future. This type of assignment is usually reserved for composition classes that students take during their high school or college years.
Students who feel that they would benefit from creating a literacy narrative essay outline can use one of several templates available on the internet. There are at least three different types of templates that students might find useful when they are trying to create their own literacy narrative essay outline .
Topic sentence #1: My experience with illiteracy in my family has made me aware of issues that I was unaware of before when it came to literacy in my own community
Topic sentence #2: The idea that anyone can learn how to read and write at any age is false and one that people who struggle with learning disabilities like dyslexia need to be aware they shouldn’t feel ashamed to admit that they are illiterate.
Topic sentence #3: Struggling with dyslexia in school made me feel like an outsider
Body paragraph 1 – topic sentence 1, body paragraph 2 – topic sentences 1 and 2, etc…
Conclusion of the literacy narrative essay outline + call to action for readers to take on the issue raised in the essay.
Literacy narrative essay thesis statement:
A thesis statement for a literacy narrative essay and introduction could be something like:
My experience with illiteracy in my family has made me aware of issues that I was unaware of before when it came to literacy in my own community. I feel very strongly about the idea that anyone can learn how to read and write at any age. In school I struggled a lot with dyslexia and really felt like an outsider for many years before realizing that I wasn’t alone. It is so important to have empathy for people who struggle with reading disabilities since they are not being given proper support from their schools or mental health professionals.
The best way for a student to create a thesis statement is to think about what they want their readers to take away from the essay once they have finished reading it. Also, the thesis statement should be reflective of the main points that are made in the essay. It is important to have a general idea of what type of essay one will write before starting on it because writing an outline can help students decide what topic sentences they want to use and how they want to structure their body paragraphs.
Literacy Narrative essay topics
Here is a list of literacy narrative essay topics to write about in school:
- A time you struggled with reading, writing, or learning and how you overcame it.
- A time that someone inspired you to learn something new or be able to do something better than before.
- A time when literacy meant the world to you and your family.
- Write about a book that has helped shape who you are today. Was there a lesson learned? Was there a recurring event throughout the book? Was there a common theme? What did this teach you as a person?
- Was there someone in your history that you had to learn about for class? Write about this person and why they should never be forgotten.
- Did you ever write a story or book for school during elementary, middle, or high school? Were other students impressed with your work? Did you get an award or recognition from your teacher? What was the best part of sharing this experience with other people who enjoyed it too?
- Are there any events in history that really stand out to you when writing about literacy? Is there anything specific that happened during certain parts of time periods where reading meant everything to everyone involved but also created one of the most significant historical changes ever recorded?
- How has technology helped shape how we read, write, and learn? Give an example of how it has changed the world.
- Was there a specific book that made you cry or made you laugh out loud but was so good, it had to be shared with everyone you knew?
- Is there something about your culture that you want to share with other people but can’t find the right words to express yourself? Write about this and take the opportunity to share your heritage with others who are also trying to learn more about their own culture.
- Write about a time when literacy didn’t matter. Was there ever a shift in power where reading just wasn’t necessary anymore or never mattered at all? What happened as a result of illiteracy taking over for certain groups of people? Did our society become stronger, happier, or more educated because of this?
- What is your favorite book ever written? Why did you love it so much and what lessons were learned from reading this story over and over again? Did you make a connection to the characters or was there something symbolic about an event in the book that helped influence who you are today?
- Why is literacy important to everyone living on Earth whether they live in America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc.? Are there different reasons why people all around the world value literacy in different ways than other societies do? If so, what makes them different and how has literacy impacted each group in very unique but similar ways?
- List ten books in order that meant something significant to you in your life. Why did each book stand out the way it did? Were you inspired by anything specific in each one of them?
- Write about an event in history where reading, writing, and sharing ideas with others really mattered to everyone involved. What was the outcome of this time period in our society today? How has literacy changed since then to now? Who benefits from this change and how does it impact us as individuals living in the 21st century?
- What is your favorite quote or saying that makes you think about how important literacy is to everyone on Earth no matter who they are, where they live, what language they speak, etc.? Why do you identify with this saying so much that when you read it over again, your mind begins to wander all over the place with everyone you know and their thoughts on this?
- Write about a time when a book made a significant impact in your life. Was it a lesson, a feeling, or an experience that stuck with you throughout your years? Did someone else read this to you or did they encourage you to find out what happens next when reading this yourself?
- What is one of the personal goals you have set for yourself in learning how to read better, write more often, or just want to become more literate in general? What is holding you back from accomplishing these goals and who can help encourage and support you along the way?
Literacy narrative essay examples
What is a literacy narrative examples
Literacy narratives are stories that are shared by members of a community about their experiences in pursuit of education. In order to tell a good literacy narrative, the person needs to have a story that reflects an experience from their past.
In other words, a literacy narrative is a short story that focuses on the experience of somebody pursuing education. Just like any other form of writing, a literacy narrative generally has a beginning, middle and end. The purpose behind this type of writing is to share one’s story with others and teach them about life while also learning from other people’s stories. Literacy narratives also provide opportunities for two-way communication between learners and teachers while also creating dialogue between different cultures and generations within the same community. There are also differences in literacy narrative examples. Some differences include tone, time and theme.
All stories revolve around a character who typically experiences four stages: introduction, conflict, climax and resolution. However, in literacy narratives, the protagonist’s experience is influenced by cultural norms and traditions; therefore, there are also additional stages that occur only in the culture of the storyteller or learner. For example, when telling a literacy narrative about pursuing education through Buddhist principles such as suffering, then the characters must undergo that suffering before being able to truly appreciate their education. This can also be applied to many other religions that have similar principles including Islam with the three stages of life.
Education is another aspect that affects literacy narratives. For example, in Australia where education is compulsory, students are forced to attend school unless they are sick or unable to afford the school fees. However, in other countries like Sudan, children have very little access to schools and learning resources. In some situations, male children may attend a madrassa for Islamic lessons while female children stay at home to learn from their mothers about cooking and taking care of the home.
In most cases, a literacy narrative begins with an introduction of a character’s environment and/or experience(s) in learning. The next stage involves the character’s struggle, which is often with their background, ability or environment. Following this is the climax of the story, where it is revealed whether or not the protagonist succeeds in education. This depends on how difficult it was for them to obtain an education and if they did obtain one, what obstacles did they have to go through. Finally comes the resolution of the story; ideally, the character would succeed but if that does not happen then at least there should be some sort of moral lesson or conclusion that ties back into what began in the introduction of the literacy narrative.
Literacy narratives can be used to replace reading books because they provide people with vivid imagery about life experiences, which makes them easier to remember. For example, when reading a book about life in Sudan, it is difficult to grasp the story solely based on words. However, if one reads an article that talks about the same subject but this time with images (such as images of women grinding ingredients for food ), then they are able to gain better knowledge without having to read the entire book.
Examples of literacy narratives include students who were discouraged from pursuing their education because of social norms or fears like not being able to find a husband because she was seen studying too much. Another example would be stories where people had to overcome obstacles including family responsibilities and war before gaining access to an education.
While literacy narratives are beneficial for those who use them as a form of experiencing another culture , there is also proof that they can be controversial. For example, when students were asked to write about their experiences in Sudan and include cultural aspects such as religion and tradition , they often included information that was not accurate or too violent. This is because the stories were not always based on actual experience but rather what one thought was acceptable to tell others and/or themselves. Despite this issue, literacy narratives can still be used as an educational tool because writers can receive feedback from people who have experienced similar situations. However, this makes it important to check if the story has factual inaccuracies before using it in the classroom .
Need help writing an essay or you need research paper writing help ? Ask for help writing literacy narrative essay online. Click here to ask for help .
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On Paragraphs
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The purpose of this handout is to give some basic instruction and advice regarding the creation of understandable and coherent paragraphs.
What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic. Learning to write good paragraphs will help you as a writer stay on track during your drafting and revision stages. Good paragraphing also greatly assists your readers in following a piece of writing. You can have fantastic ideas, but if those ideas aren't presented in an organized fashion, you will lose your readers (and fail to achieve your goals in writing).
The Basic Rule: Keep one idea to one paragraph
The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is to keep one idea to one paragraph. If you begin to transition into a new idea, it belongs in a new paragraph. There are some simple ways to tell if you are on the same topic or a new one. You can have one idea and several bits of supporting evidence within a single paragraph. You can also have several points in a single paragraph as long as they relate to the overall topic of the paragraph. If the single points start to get long, then perhaps elaborating on each of them and placing them in their own paragraphs is the route to go.
Elements of a paragraph
To be as effective as possible, a paragraph should contain each of the following: Unity, Coherence, A Topic Sentence, and Adequate Development. As you will see, all of these traits overlap. Using and adapting them to your individual purposes will help you construct effective paragraphs.
The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus. If it begins with one focus or major point of discussion, it should not end with another or wander within different ideas.
Coherence is the trait that makes the paragraph easily understandable to a reader. You can help create coherence in your paragraphs by creating logical bridges and verbal bridges.
Logical bridges
- The same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to sentence
- Successive sentences can be constructed in parallel form
Verbal bridges
- Key words can be repeated in several sentences
- Synonymous words can be repeated in several sentences
- Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences
- Transition words can be used to link ideas from different sentences
A topic sentence
A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or thesis the paragraph is going to deal with. Although not all paragraphs have clear-cut topic sentences, and despite the fact that topic sentences can occur anywhere in the paragraph (as the first sentence, the last sentence, or somewhere in the middle), an easy way to make sure your reader understands the topic of the paragraph is to put your topic sentence near the beginning of the paragraph. (This is a good general rule for less experienced writers, although it is not the only way to do it). Regardless of whether you include an explicit topic sentence or not, you should be able to easily summarize what the paragraph is about.
Adequate development
The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence) should be discussed fully and adequately. Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's purpose, but writers should be wary of paragraphs that only have two or three sentences. It's a pretty good bet that the paragraph is not fully developed if it is that short.
Some methods to make sure your paragraph is well-developed:
- Use examples and illustrations
- Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others)
- Examine testimony (what other people say such as quotes and paraphrases)
- Use an anecdote or story
- Define terms in the paragraph
- Compare and contrast
- Evaluate causes and reasons
- Examine effects and consequences
- Analyze the topic
- Describe the topic
- Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)
How do I know when to start a new paragraph?
You should start a new paragraph when:
- When you begin a new idea or point. New ideas should always start in new paragraphs. If you have an extended idea that spans multiple paragraphs, each new point within that idea should have its own paragraph.
- To contrast information or ideas. Separate paragraphs can serve to contrast sides in a debate, different points in an argument, or any other difference.
- When your readers need a pause. Breaks between paragraphs function as a short "break" for your readers—adding these in will help your writing be more readable. You would create a break if the paragraph becomes too long or the material is complex.
- When you are ending your introduction or starting your conclusion. Your introductory and concluding material should always be in a new paragraph. Many introductions and conclusions have multiple paragraphs depending on their content, length, and the writer's purpose.
Transitions and signposts
Two very important elements of paragraphing are signposts and transitions. Signposts are internal aids to assist readers; they usually consist of several sentences or a paragraph outlining what the article has covered and where the article will be going.
Transitions are usually one or several sentences that "transition" from one idea to the next. Transitions can be used at the end of most paragraphs to help the paragraphs flow one into the next.
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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.
If written as a story, the essay should include all the parts of a story. This means that you must include an introduction, plot, characters, setting, climax, and conclusion. When would a narrative essay not be written as a story? A good example of this is when an instructor asks a student to write a book report.
The body of a narrative essay can consist of 3 or more paragraphs, and its length depends on the general word count of your paper. Here are 4 important points to consider in the body paragraphs of your narrative essay: Include vivid and relevant detail: A narrative essay is about creating a scene and a mood to follow.
Some narrative essays can be as short as 500 words, whereas others may have a few hundred more. Sometimes, your narrative essay guidelines may require at least 1,000 words. If you're given a word count, e.g., 500-600 words, obviously, you will have to stick to it. If there's no restriction, it's up to you how long your work should be.
A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced. Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way.
Plan to write a narrative paragraph of at least 9 sentences. Write 1 topic sentence, 1-4 sentences of background information, 2-4 sentences to start the story, 3-5 sentences to present the conflict, 1-3 sentences to resolve the conflict, and 1-2 sentences to provide a conclusion.
If your main body of the essay is 3-4 paragraphs, go for it. But remember to include a new idea in each paragraph. Conclusion/Summary: Here, students have to sum up their ideas that have been included in the main body of the essay. Writing 3-5 lines in it is sufficient to end up your essay writing.
A narrative essay uses the traditional essay outline of 5 paragraphs. According to this, the content of the essay is divided into the following sections: Introduction Body Paragraph 1 Body Paragraph 2 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion All the information on the topic is presented in these sections in a way that makes the content sensible for the readers.
The Essentials of Narrative Essays Let's start with the basics. The four types of essays are argumentative essays, descriptive essays, expository essays, and narrative essays. The goal of a narrative essay is to tell a compelling tale from one person's perspective.
There is no firm rule that says an essay needs to have a set number of paragraphs, but an essay must be a minimum of three paragraphs. There are a lot of people who say an essay should be five paragraphs, but it's an extremely limiting rule, and unless you've been instructed to write a five paragraph essay, there's no reason to stick to it.
Childhood love essay, essay about india in french have many paragraphs narrative essay does how a essay on exams are a part of growing up. This, Therefore, Is The Recommended Number Of. The body of a narrative essay can consist of 3 or more paragraphs, and its length depends on the general word count of your paper. Childhood love essay, essay ...
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.
While many other essays follow the typical five paragraph format, the narrative essay enjoys much more freedom. An A-level narrative essay requires a student to outline, draft, and revise the story to ensure that it not only flows; but fully develops the main idea with specific details.
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Generally speaking, there are four types of essays: argumentative essays, descriptive essays, expository essays, and narrative essays. Narrative essays tell a vivid story, usually from one person's viewpoint. A narrative essay uses all the story elements — a beginning, middle and ending, as well as plot, characters, setting and climax ...
To combine all the five elements into a strong narrative essay, make sure you follow the format known as the narrative arc. It's five phases your plot should get through to become a story. 2 - Format In short, a narrative arc is the sequence of the events in your story.
The five-paragraph essay structure consists of, in order: one introductory paragraph that introduces the main topic and states a thesis, three body paragraphs to support the thesis, and one concluding paragraph to wrap up the points made in the essay. Your writing, at its best. Get Grammarly It's free Works on all your favorite websites
Average paragraphs contain 70-200 words, but blog posts can have paragraphs as short as one word. For academic writing, use five to eight sentences, but if the logical flow needed to develop arguments and highlight supporting evidence demands a longer paragraph, you can add more sentences. Short stories and novels tend to deviate from the ...
The outline is set up to accommodate a response of five paragraphs:- Introduction (1)- Body Paragraph (2)- Body Paragraph (3)- Body Paragraph (4)- Conclusion (5)This is a great resource to use with emerging writers or those that need to clearly organize their thoughts prior to writing! Subjects:
In a standard personal narrative essay, there are usually three body paragraphs. These paragraphs help the writer to describe the subject of the essay in all possible aspects. With the help of these paragraphs, the writer describes their point of view to the readers.
The truth is that your essay writing service will not write your essay on their own but will ask you many questions and then write the paper for you. Most of the essay writing service provide free pricing. If you need a paper written on the particular topic, but you don't have enough time, you can always give the essay to a freelancer to ...
A five paragraph-essay follows the basic structure of five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Five-paragraph essays are a great tool for timed writing assignments and exams, but can also be used as a foundation for any type of essay. Start writing a five-paragraph essay by creating a thesis statement.
You got the assignment, started brainstorming, and now it's time to write ... how long should your essay be? Learn about how many paragraphs are in an essay.
Narrative essays should conclude with a strong summarizing paragraph. Learn how to construct conclusions that summarize, reflect, and provide closure to narrative essays. Updated: 12/22/2021
When writing a literacy narrative essay, remember to use dialogue if it is appropriate for your topic. For example: "When I was a kid, my mom used to read the cereal box out loud to us every morning before school.". In this example, the narrator uses dialogue to describe how her mother would read the cereal box every morning before school.
Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's purpose, but writers should be wary of paragraphs that only have two or three sentences. It's a pretty good bet that the paragraph is not fully developed if it is that short. Some methods to make sure your paragraph is well-developed: Use examples and illustrations