What Is a Narrative Essay?

A narrative essay tells a story. It is told from the author’s point of view, and it always has a point or lesson that the reader will take away at the end of the story.

Narrative Essay Meaning

A narrative is a story or account that is narrated, verbally or in writing; therefore, a narrative essay is an essay that tells a story about a personal experience and is narrated by the author. The story reveals a purpose through the events and details that are shared. Narrative essays share an important experience or life event through storytelling elements. When writing a narrative essay, writers have room to write more creatively than with other academic essays, but it is important that the creative elements all connect to the purpose of the story.

Narrative Essays Tell a Story that Engages the Reader

Parts of a Narrative Essay

Certain elements are essential to a narrative essay. These elements engage the reader and help the writer tell the story clearly.

• The story is told from a first-person point of view.
• The story includes sensory details.
• The story will have a point, often expressed as a lesson or theme.
• The story is typically told in chronological order.
• Plot elements move the story along.
• The essay is clearly organized to allow the reader to follow the storyline.

Perspective

Personal essays are told from the author’s perspective. This is also known as first-person point of view. When essays are told from a first-person point of view, pronouns such as “I” and “my” are in the essay. Because the story is told from the writer’s perspective, it can be slightly persuasive. It is being told from the writer’s perspective, so it will include details and ideas the author finds important to communicate to the reader. The writer will communicate the experience or event in a way that helps the reader understand the writer’s perspective.

It is important that the narrative always has a point; this is commonly a lesson or a theme. The theme of a story is the message that the writer would like to have the reader take away from the story. In a narrative essay, this is introduced creatively in the introduction and revisited in the essay’s conclusion.

Storytelling

Narrative essays are usually told in chronological order, which is from beginning to end; it is important, however, to include more than just the beginning, middle, and end of the story. The story needs to follow a plot, which is the sequence of events in a story.

• Exposition: introduces key characters and describes the setting; sets the stage for the story
• Rising Action: the inciting incident happens in the story and tension starts to rise
• Climax: the turning point where the story comes together; it is the most exciting and intense
• Falling Action: events leading to the resolution; the intensity starts to decrease
• Resolution: the story is resolved; there is a clear ending to the story

The climax is important in a narrative essay. This is the most intense part of the story; it is sometimes referred to as the “turning point in the story.” It is the part of the story where everything comes together, revealing the point of the story.

The importance of climax to a narrative essay

The details leading up to the climax should all support and connect to the main point in the story. It is important for writers to use descriptive language when explaining key details; this can include story elements such as setting, figurative language, dialogue, and characters. Emphasis should be placed on important details, and less time should be spent on small details that do not contribute as much to the story. The amount of time spent on each plot element and detail will impact the pacing of the story. When writing a narrative essay, it is important to pay attention to pacing.

Organization

The organization of a narrative essay will have the most impact on the effectiveness of the essay. The story must be told in a way that allows the reader to follow the story and understand the point. The story is usually told in chronological order, but writers can use other literary devices, such as flashback or foreshadowing, to tell the story and engage the reader. The writer will just need to be sure that the essay is organized in a logical order that allows the reader to follow the story.

Narrative Essay Examples

Most often, narrative essays tell a story about a personal experience. This gives writers a variety of topics to choose from when writing a narrative essay. Some examples include:

• Meeting an important person for the first time
• Making a mistake and learning from it
• Setting and achieving a goal
• Overcoming an obstacle
• Trying something new for the first time
• A life event that resulted in a big change

Writing a Narrative Essay

It is important to plan carefully when writing a narrative essay. Writers can follow the steps of the writing process to create a carefully organized and engaging narrative essay.

The Writing Process

Prewriting

The first step of the writing process will be to choose a topic for the essay. Because a narrative essay explains a personal experience, it is important that writers select an experience that they are excited to share and will be able to explain in detail.

After selecting a topic, writers should use an outline to organize their ideas and capture all the important events and details. The outline should include an introduction with a hook, summarize the story from beginning to end by discussing events in each of the plot events, and include a conclusion that identifies the theme. Writers can set the stage for a well-organized draft by developing a detailed outline.

Drafting

During the drafting phase, writers will use the detailed outline to write their essay. It is important to add storytelling elements that make a narrative essay interesting to readers. Sensory details, or details that engage all five senses, can be used to describe the setting, characters, and events. Dialogue, or conversations between characters, engage readers and give insight into the theme of the story. Adding these storytelling elements will help communicate the story and theme in an engaging way, which will help the reader appreciate the story.

It is important for writers to get feedback at this point to effectively move on to the revising stage.

Revising

The revising stage is a time to examine the clarity of an essay and create meaning. Writers need to look for opportunities to add details or remove unnecessary information as well as reword or reorganize. When revising a narrative essay, it is important to pay attention to the organization of the story and the pacing of the story. Questions writers can use to guide the revising phase of the writing process include:

• Does the introduction contain an interesting hook that will engage readers?
• Is the story told in a logical order that readers can follow?
• Are the events in each of the plot events explained?
• Does the story lead up to the climax and have a resolution?
• Are the important events and details explained well and in an engaging way?
• Is too much time spent on any of the small details?
• Are the sentences and words that are used clear and effective?

Editing

Grammar, usage, and mechanics are examined during the editing phase. It is important to correct spelling, capitalization, or punctuation mistakes, as well as identify any grammar or word usage errors. Although a narrative essay is a story, and it allows for more creativity, it is important to follow grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules (with the exception of some dialogue) to ensure the reader understands the story.

Publishing

Once the editing process is finished and the essay is polished, it is time to share the essay. The instructions for the essay will include submission information as well as the formatting guidelines. Use these instructions to make sure you are meeting all publishing requirements. This is the final step in the writing process. The essay is complete after finishing the publishing phase.

How to Write a Narrative Essay Outline

Outlines are created during the brainstorming phase of the writing process. Using an outline to organize thoughts and ideas before writing will help writers include all important details. Because a narrative essay tells a story, the outline will focus on the events of the story. It will also provide the opportunity to brainstorm ideas for the introduction and conclusion. Writers can start with the body of the outline and return to the introduction as needed, and the outline will only contain general details about the events. Narrative essays do not always follow the traditional five-paragraph essay rule, because stories will not necessarily fit neatly into three body paragraphs. Details, dialogue, and sensory details will be added during the drafting phase of the writing process.

Lesson Summary

A narrative essay tells a story. Narrative essays share an important experience or life event through storytelling elements and the author’s perspective. The story reveals a purpose through the events and details that are shared.

Essential Elements of a Narrative Essay:

• Told from first-person point of view
• Uses sensory details
• The story will have a point or theme.
• Typically told in chronological order.
• Plot elements are used.

Most often, narrative essays tell a story about a personal experience, such as:

• An unforgettable experience
• A funny story that resulted in a life lesson
• A problem-solving experience

The organization and pacing of a narrative essay will have the most impact on the effectiveness of the essay, so it is critical to plan carefully when writing a narrative essay. Writers can follow the steps of the writing process to create a carefully organized and engaging narrative essay. Outlines are created during the brainstorming phase of the writing process. Then writers will write a draft, revise, edit, and publish the final essay to share their personal stories.