How To Write A Narrative Essay Excellently (2021 Guide)

How To Write a Narrative Essay Excellently

A narrative essay tells the story of personal experience.

Narrative writing requires a student to use personal experiences that relate to a given topic.

A good narrative essay not only tells what happened but also the lesson learned from the experience.

Additionally, a good narrative essay makes it clear to the reader why your story is important.

The story is supposed to be engaging and evoke emotion from a reader.

The following is a guide on writing a good narrative essay.

Structure Of A Narrative Essay

Like most essays, a narrative essay has the following main sections:

• Introduction: In this section try and hook the reader and explain the significance of your story.
• Body: this is where you write your story.

Introduce the story, the setting, the main people involved.

The beginning of the story and the climax are both in this section.

• Conclusion: the conclusion includes the moral of the story and the significance.

The Five-Step Formula on how to Write a Narrative Essay

There are several methods for writing narrative essays.

The most effective is the five-step method, which is outlined below.

1. Brainstorming
   

In the brainstorming phase, a writer should recall the personal experiences that relate to the topic or theme of the assignment.

First, take some time to decide on a topic to write about.

After deciding on a topic, consider the personal experiences that relate to the topic.

Remember, it is easier to write about events that you connect to emotionally.

Still, you should consider even those experiences that seem unimportant as they might just be the avenue for a good narrative.

As you write the stories, dates, and people present are some important details you should not omit.

These details help you write a story with a good flow of events.

2. Outline your narrative

After brainstorming, first, create an outline before beginning writing.

An outline for a narrative essay is more like a draft of the final copy.

Remember, a reader is more likely to enjoy a story written in the first-person.

That is because first-person narration engages the reader.

As you write the draft, don’t omit the fine details of your story.

More importantly, paint a clear picture of the events as they occurred.

Therefore, you should use descriptive words that enable your reader to visualize the events of your story.

The start of your story is very important, as it determines if your reader will continue with the rest of the essay.

The best way to start a narrative essay is by using a provocative statement or rhetorical question that your reader will think about as they read your essay.

In the conclusion of your essay, remember to include some kind of tie or answer the question you posed in the introduction.

A narrative essay requires you to summon your story-telling ability – the essay should be captivating, engaging, and sound authentic.

3. Revise

Revise your draft to compose the best possible version of the essay.

When revising your paper, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are the words I have used informative and descriptive?
• Is the story relevant to the topic of the essay?
• Has the composition effectively communicated the intended message? Make sure a reader can easily make the connection between the events of the story and meaning.
• Is the story written in a manner that is easy to understand?

It is up to you to decide when to reveal the significance of the experience you have narrated.

You can reveal the significance at the beginning or at the end.

Revealing the significance at the beginning helps readers understand your story as they read it.

Revealing the significance at the end leaves your reader with something to think about after reading your story – a reader might even reread your essay.

4. Editing

Editing involves correcting grammar and spelling errors.

Sometimes, we are not able to identify our own mistakes.

So, consider having someone else go over the story before you write the final copy.

4. Write the final copy

The final stage is writing the final copy that you will present.

Additional Tips On how to Write A Narrative Essay

• Avoid slang.
• Use transition words, such as then and after that, to improve the flow of the events.
• Hook your reader by beginning the essay with a quote, a verifiable or thought-provoking fact, or a question.
• The events of your story ought to be sequential; it makes it easy for readers to understand your story.
• Create a vivid picture of the events by involving the five senses.

Explain what you heard, saw smelled and so on.

Conclusion

That is how to write a narrative story.

Important points to remember are the story needs to be relevant to the topic and it should be based on something that actually happened, not fiction.

For a clearer idea of what a narrative essay is, check out our narrative essay samples.

Contact us for professional help with your narrative essay.