Last Updated on February 9, 2024 by Pius
Tips for Writing a Good Narrative Essay
Table of Contents
You are most likely reading this because you are about to begin writing a narrative essay and are looking for the best tips for succeeding. If you’re unsure of the topic your teachers have assigned, we’re about to go over the specifics of this type of essay.
More importantly, we cover everything you need to know to write an excellent narrative essay, from how to begin to how to end.
Additionally, we dissect several frequently asked questions about narrative essays. We hope to assist high school, college, and university students comprehend how to write this critical piece of work.
What is a Narrative Essay?
If you’ve been assigned to write a narrative essay and are unsure what to write, you should begin by defining it.
A narrative essay is a form of academic writing in which a story is told. Often, narrative essays present personal narratives: about an individual’s personal experiences.
Given the variety of essay types available to students, this essay, along with a descriptive essay, allows for the use of first-person pronouns. Additionally, it does not constrain your creativity: it allows you to overlook academic writing conventions.
In a nutshell, a narrative essay is a piece of writing that vividly describes your story and enables you to share your personal experience in an inspiring and creative manner.
It is critical to develop a strong essay structure, create and write compelling stories, and adhere to the instructions to ace such an essay.
In a nutshell, writing a strong narrative essay begins with comprehension of the instructions, planning the essay using an outline, and writing it using the tips in this article. Your final step should be to revise the personal narrative before submitting it.
Why Do Students Write Narrative Essays?
Teachers assign narrative essays to assess your ability to articulate your experiences succinctly, interestingly, inventively, and captivatingly. Additionally, they want to know if you can tell your story chronologically and effectively using a narrative structure.
In English composition classes, students are assigned narrative essays. When writing a personal statement for college or university applications, you can use narrative techniques.
You can earn high grades when you write an engaging and visually appealing narrative essay. As such, it is safe to assume that it is used to assign grades, which are critical in determining career and life paths.
Unlike academic writing, which prohibits the use of the first person, narrative essays permit the use of the first person. Additionally, you can employ dialogue, suspense, and figurative language.
How to Write a Narrative Essay – A Step-by-Step Guide
- Read your assignment prompt
When you are assigned to write an essay, you should first look at the instructions. The instructions spell out your professor’s expectations for your narrative essay.
Occasionally, these instructions are accompanied by an assignment Rubric that details the evaluation/marking of the essays.
By reading the instructions carefully, you can determine the scope of your essay, the direction or stance of your writing, the word count, and the types of information the professor is looking for in the essay. It is up to you to decide whether to include citations in your narrative essay.
- Research on some narrative essay examples
After reviewing your professor’s expectations, it’s time to scour the web for the best narrative essay examples.
Reading sample essays online is an excellent strategy and will provide you with the best essay tips you will ever receive. It teaches you how to write an essay, including how to begin and end an essay. Additionally, it can jolt your creativity.
Model papers, such as those written by our essay writers and free narrative essay samples online, serve as a guide for writing your essays. The more you read, the more well-developed narrative essays you will be able to write.
Another excellent idea is to look for videos in which individuals recount their life experiences. As a result, next-level creativity can be sparked.
- Choose a great topic
After you’ve internalized the instructions and read the essay samples, it’s time to choose a narrative essay topic. When choosing a narrative essay topic, choose something you feel confident writing about.
Additionally, ensure that your topic is consistent with the essay prompt’s instructions. Bear in mind that a strong narrative essay immediately draws the reader’s attention with its title. It’s all about your life experiences; begin by emphasizing them.
- Begin writing the first draft
Writing an excellent story from beginning to end requires some forethought. When reading the instructions and selecting a topic, it is critical, to begin with, a clear narrative essay outline.
After you’ve created an outline, you’ll be adding details to the sketch to create your first draft. Writing carelessly can lead to confusion.
As a result, you must plan your essay. As you write your first draft, keep in mind the importance of good word choice and a fluid presentation. This first draft will be polished until you have an essay that satisfies all of the requirements.
Most famous autobiography writers have cited this as a winning tip that inspired them to create exceptional content.
- Establish the elements of your story
Certain fundamental elements contribute to the completion of a story. The setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution are the top five essential components or elements of a story.
Apart from grabbing the reader’s attention at the beginning of the narrative, these story elements also keep the audience glued to the story. They pique your readers’ interest in what happens next.
If written properly and with the strictest adherence to English grammar, the elements of narrative stories can help you leave an indelible impression on your readers. It is an excellent strategy for writing your statement of purpose, scholarship essay, admission essay, or personal statement.
Ascertain that the narrative’s point of view is conveyed clearly. This assists you in establishing your role in the story.
Describe your character as accurately as possible. However, avoid misleading your readers because you risk losing touch; the alluring hook and intros will be useless if trust is shattered.
- Determine the narrative sequence
The term “narrative sequencing” refers to the process of identifying the critical components of a story, such as its beginning, middle, and end.
According to ReadingRockets, narrative sequencing is a strategy for comprehension that enables readers to retell the sequence of events in a piece of narrative writing.
Additionally, it aids in the efficient organization of information and ideas, making it simple to write a narrative essay quickly. When writing a narrative essay, we recommend that you proceed chronologically through the events.
Avoid hopping from one moment to the next or transitioning from a past to a present event and then returning to the past event in the following paragraph.
Chronological descriptions of events assist you in avoiding confusion and enable the audience to anticipate your intentions and thoughts as the author, which helps them develop interest throughout the paper.
- Use stimulating emotions and sensory details
Write about how things sounded, felt, smelled, tasted, or looked as you write your essay. It assists in painting a vivid picture for the reader, drawing them into your narrative.
The elements, as you describe, elicit stimulating emotions, demonstrating your maturity and self-awareness. Declare some of your vulnerabilities if necessary.
Avoid being arrogant when describing real-life experiences. Additionally, avoid being a faceless narrator: establish your role early on and write from the speaker’s perspective.
- Prove and support facts in your essay
As you scribble away on your narrative essay, be sure to include arguments to support your position.
Where appropriate, include citations to sources to assist your readers in making connections. Provide your readers with as many facts as possible to help them make sense of your story.
Always ensure that the facts are clear, supported, and realistic in the essay because a narrative story is not fiction but based on reality: your reality!
- Avoid the unnecessary elements
When asked to write about a particular event, people are prone to get carried away. It’s easy to become disoriented during the lonesome journey down memory lane. However, omitting irrelevant details from your personal narrative essay is necessary.
When you write a lengthy essay, you create a recipe for your audience to become confused. However, no marker will deny you the highest grade when you write a clear, concise, and coherent narrative story!
Additionally, narrative essays that are written clearly and concisely receive favourable comments from professors. If you become disoriented along the way, return to your prompt and weed out the unnecessary.
- Review the instructions
Double-checking the provided requirements enables you to ascertain whether your initial draft included these critical elements that the professor anticipates.
The guidelines and requirements assist you in determining the scope of your narrative essay: they establish the parameters. Reviewing the instructions can also help you insert missing points or delete unnecessary facts: the filler words.
- Edit and proofread your work thoroughly
What you always have after completing an essay is the first draft. When you reach the final full stop, it is necessary to take a brief break from writing.
The break helps break up the monotony and enables you to wear the editor’s hat. As you write, your perspective becomes skewed by your ideas, but the break enables you to see things from new angles.
There is no quick fix for perfecting a narrative essay. You need only to:
- Read the essay aloud and take note of the narrative’s tone. If any sentences or presentations are awkward, find a replacement.
- Enquire about a second or third opinion. Request that your narrative essay is read by friends, peers, classmates, family members, or an independent proofreader/editor. Ascertain whether the narrative is engaging, detailed, and appropriate for the instructions by asking questions.
- Proofread and revise your narrative essay. Correct any errors, adhere to the word count, and align your paragraphs as you read over the narrative essay. Once you’ve completed the final draft, read it aloud again, edit it using available editing software, consult with a proofreading and editing service, and submit it for marking.
