To write a narrative essay, start by choosing an interesting personal story from your life to write about. Try to connect your story to a broader theme or topic so your essay has more substance. Then, write out your story in the past tense using the first person point of view. As you write your story, use vivid details to describe the setting and characters so readers are able to visualize what you're writing. Once you've written your essay, read it several times and make sure you've illustrated your theme or topic. To learn more from our Professor of English co-author, like how to write scenes and analyses, keep reading the article! Show
Did this summary help you?YesNo Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,865,716 times. When writers set down the facts of their lives into a compelling story, they’re writing a narrative essay. Personal narrative essays explore the events of the writer’s own life, and by crafting a nonfiction piece that resonates as storytelling, the essayist can uncover deeper truths in the world.
So, what is a narrative essay? Whether you’re writing for college applications or literary journals, this article separates fact from fiction. We’ll look at how to write a narrative essay through a step-by-step process, including a look at narrative essay topics and outlines. We’ll also analyze some successful narrative essay examples. Learn how to tell your story, your way. Let’s dive into this exciting genre! What is a Narrative Essay?The narrative essay is a branch of creative nonfiction. Also known as a personal essay, writers of this genre are tasked with telling honest stories about their lived experiences and, as a result, arriving at certain realizations about life. Think of personal narrative essays as nonfiction short stories. While the essay and the short story rely on different writing techniques, they arrive at similar outcomes: a powerful story with an idea, theme, or moral that the reader can interpret for themselves. Now, if you haven’t written a narrative essay before, you might associate the word “essay” with high school English class. Remember those tedious 5-paragraph essays we had to write, on the topic of some book we barely read, about subject matter that didn’t interest us? Don’t worry—that’s not the kind of essay we’re talking about. The word essay comes from the French essayer, which means “to try.” That’s exactly what writing a narrative essay is: an attempt at organizing the real world into language—a journey of making meaning from the chaos of life.
Our Upcoming Creative Nonfiction Courses:Techwashed!: Writing with AI, Data, and Surveillancewith Shankar Narayan December 3rd, 2022 Raise a mirror against society's relationship to technology in this two part workshop series where we will learn how to write about tech. How to Pitchwith Rachel Krantz December 10th, 2022 Learn the ins and outs of pitching your work to print and online publications from Rachel Krantz, a full-time writer and formerly the Senior Feature Editor at Bustle. Write into Mystery: Writing Flash Memoir on Wonder and the Unexplainedwith Joanna Penn Cooper December 14th, 2022 We often encounter wonder, mystery, and the unexplained in our everyday lives. Turn those experiences into flash essays in this community-centered course. Write Your Memoir in 12 Weekswith Blaise Allysen Kearsley January 4th, 2023 Writing can be a solitary experience, but writing a full memoir takes energy, momentum, and moral support. Find all three in this memoir writing intensive. A Writerly Life: Develop a Writing Routine that Works for Youwith Shelby Hinte January 4th, 2023 What does a writer's life look like? Build a productive writing habit in this course for writers of all backgrounds. Narrative Essay ExampleA great narrative essay example is the piece “Flow” by Mary Oliver, which you can read for free in Google Books. The essay dwells on, as Mary Oliver puts it, the fact that “we live in paradise.” At once both an ode to nature and an urge to love it fiercely, Oliver explores our place in the endless beauty of the world. Throughout the essay, Oliver weaves in her thoughts about the world, from nature’s noble beauty to the question “What is the life I should live?” Yet these thoughts, however profound, are not the bulk of the essay. Rather, she arrives at these thoughts via anecdotes and observations: the migration of whales, the strings of fish at high tide, the inventive rescue of a spiny fish from the waterless shore, etc. What is most profound about this essay, and perhaps most amusing, is that it ends with Oliver’s questions about how to live life. And yet, the stories she tells show us exactly how to live life: with care for the world; with admiration; with tenderness towards all of life and its superb, mysterious, seemingly-random beauty. Such is the power of the narrative essay. By examining the random facts of our lives, we can come to great conclusions. What do most essays have in common? Let’s look at the fundamentals of the essay, before diving into more narrative essay examples. Narrative Essay Definition: 5 FundamentalsThe personal narrative essay has a lot of room for experimentation. We’ll dive into those opportunities in a bit, but no matter the form, most essays share these five fundamentals.
Let’s explore these fundamentals in depth. 1. ThesisAll narrative essays have a thesis statement. However, this isn’t the formulaic thesis statement you had to write in school: you don’t need to map out your argument with painstaking specificity, you need merely to tell the reader what you’re writing about. Take the aforementioned essay by Mary Oliver. Her thesis is this: “How can we not know that, already, we live in paradise?” It’s a simple yet provocative statement. By posing her thesis as a question, she challenges us to consider why we might not treat this earth as paradise. She then delves into her own understanding of this paradise, providing relevant stories and insights as to how the earth should be treated. Now, be careful with abstract statements like this. Mary Oliver is a master of language, so she’s capable of creating a thesis statement out of an abstract idea and building a beautiful essay. But concrete theses are also welcome: you should compel the reader forward with the central argument of your work, without confusing them or leading them astray.
2. Personal ExperienceThe personal narrative essay is, shockingly, about personal experience. But how do writers distill their experiences into meaningful stories? There are a few techniques writers have at their disposal. Perhaps the most common of these techniques is called braiding. Rather than focusing on one continuous story, the writer can “braid” different stories, weaving in and out of different narratives and finding common threads between them. Often, the subject matter of the essay will require more than one anecdote as evidence, and braiding helps the author uphold their thesis while showing instead of telling. Another important consideration is how you tell your story. Essayists should consider the same techniques that fiction writers use. Give ample consideration to your essay’s setting, word choice, point of view, and dramatic structure. The narrative essay is, after all, a narrative, so tell your story how it deserves to be told. 3. Meaning from ChaosLife, I think we can agree, is chaotic. While we can trace the events of our lives through cause and effect, A leads to B leads to C, the truth is that so much of our lives are shaped through circumstances beyond our control. The narrative essay is a way to reclaim some of that control. By distilling the facts of our lives into meaningful narratives, we can uncover deeper truths that we didn’t realize existed.
Consider the essay “Only Daughter” by Sandra Cisneros. It’s a brief read, but it covers a lot of different events: a lonesome childhood, countless moves, university education, and the trials and tribulations of a successful writing career. Coupled with Cisneros’ musings on culture and gender roles, there’s a lot of life to distill in these three pages. Yet Cisneros does so masterfully. By organizing these life events around her thesis statement of being an only daughter, Cisneros finds meaning in the many disparate events she describes. 4. InsightAs you go about writing a narrative essay, you will eventually encounter moments of insight. Insight describes those “aha!” moments in the work—places in which you come to deeper realizations about your life, the lives of others, and the world at large. Now, insight doesn’t need to be some massive, culture-transforming realization. Many moments of insight are found in small interactions and quiet moments. For example, In the above essay by Sandra Cisneros, her moments of insight come from connecting her upbringing to her struggle as an only daughter. While her childhood was often lonely and disappointing, she realizes in hindsight that she’s lucky for that upbringing: it helped nurture her spirit as a writer, and it helped her pursue a career in writing. These moments of gratitude work as insight, allowing her to appreciate what once seemed like a burden. When we reach the end of the essay, and Cisneros describes how she felt when her father read one of her stories, we see what this gratitude is building towards: love and acceptance for the life she chose. 5. Literary DevicesThe personal narrative essay, as well as all forms of creative writing, uses its fair share of literary devices. These devices don’t need to be complex: you don’t need a sprawling extended metaphor or an intricate set of juxtapositions to make your essay compelling. However, the occasional symbol or metaphor will certainly aid your story. In Mary Oliver’s essay “Flow,” the author uses literary devices to describe the magnificence of the ocean, calling it a “cauldron of changing greens and blues” and “the great palace of the earth.” These descriptions reinforce the deep beauty of the earth. In Sandra Cisneros’ essay “Only Daughter,” the author employs different symbols to represent her father’s masculinity and sense of gender roles. At one point, she lists the few things he reads—sports journals, slasher magazines, and picture paperbacks, often depicting scenes of violence against women. These symbols represent the divide between her father’s gendered thinking and her own literary instincts. More Narrative Essay ExamplesLet’s take a look at a few more narrative essay examples. We’ll dissect each essay based on the five fundamentals listed above. Narrative Essay Example: “Letting Go” by David SedarisRead “Letting Go” here in The New Yorker. Sedaris’ essay dwells on the culture of cigarette smoking—how it starts, the world it builds, and the difficulties in quitting. Let’s analyze how this narrative essay example uses the five fundamentals of essay writing.
Narrative Essay Example: “My Mother’s Tongue” by Zavi Kang EnglesRead “My Mother’s Tongue” here in The Rumpus. Engles’ essay examines the dysphoria of growing up between two vastly different cultures and languages. By asserting the close bond between Korean language and culture, Engles explores the absurdities of growing up as a child of Korean immigrants. Let’s analyze how this narrative essay example uses the five fundamentals of essay writing.
Narrative Essay Example: 3 Rules for Middle-Age Happiness by Deborah CopakenRead “3 Rules for Middle-Age Happiness” here in The Atlantic. Copaken’s essay explores her relationship to Nora Ephron, the screenwriter for When Harry Met Sally. Let’s analyze how this narrative essay example uses the five fundamentals of essay writing.
How to Write a Narrative Essay in 5 StepsNo matter the length or subject matter, writing a narrative essay is as easy as these five steps. 1. Generating Narrative Essay IdeasIf you’re not sure what to write about, you’ll want to generate some narrative essay ideas. One way to do this is to look for writing prompts online: Reedsy adds new prompts to their site every week, and we also post writing prompts every Wednesday to our Facebook group. Taking a step back, it helps to simply think about formative moments in your life. You might a great idea from answering one of these questions:
Finally, you might be interested in the advice at our article How to Come Up with Story Ideas. The article focuses on fiction writers, but essayists can certainly benefit from these tips as well. 2. Drafting a Narrative Essay OutlineOnce you have an idea, you’ll want to flesh it out in a narrative essay outline. Your outline can be as simple or as complex as you’d like, and it all depends on how long you intend your essay to be. A simple outline can include the following:
One thing that’s missing from this outline is insight. That’s because insight is often unplanned: you realize it as you write it, and the best insight comes naturally to the writer. However, if you already know the insight you plan on sharing, it will fit best within the analysis for your essay, and/or in the essay’s conclusion.
Another thing that’s missing from this is research. If you plan on intertwining your essay with research (which many essayists should do!), consider adding that research as its own bullet point under each heading. For a different, more fiction-oriented approach to outlining, check out our article How to Write a Story Outline. 3. Starting with a StoryNow, let’s tackle the hardest question: how to start a narrative essay? Most narrative essays begin with a relevant story. You want to draw the reader in right away, offering something that surprises or interests them. And, since the essay is about you and your lived experiences, it makes sense to start your essay with a relevant anecdote. Think about a story that’s relevant to your thesis, and experiment with ways to tell this story. You can start with a surprising bit of dialogue, an unusual situation you found yourself in, or a beautiful setting. You can also lead your essay with research or advice, but be sure to tie that in with an anecdote quickly, or else your reader might not know where your essay is going. For examples of this, take a look at any of the narrative essay examples we’ve used in this article. Theoretically, your thesis statement can go anywhere in the essay. You may have noticed in the previous examples that the thesis statement isn’t always explicit or immediate: sometimes it shows up towards the center of the essay, and sometimes it’s more implied than stated directly. You can experiment with the placement of your thesis, but if you place your thesis later in the essay, make sure that everything before the thesis is intriguing to the reader. If the reader feels like the essay is directionless or boring, they won’t have a reason to reach your thesis, nor will they understand the argument you’re making. 4. Getting to the Core TruthWith an introduction and a thesis underway, continue writing about your experiences, arguments, and research. Be sure to follow the structure you’ve sketched in your outline, but feel free to deviate from this outline if something more natural occurs to you. Along the way, you will end up explaining why your experiences matter to the reader. Here is where you can start generating insight. Insight can take the form of many things, but the focus is always to reach a core truth. Insight might take the following forms:
5. Relentless EditingWith a first draft of your narrative essay written, you can make your essay sparkle in the editing process.
Remember, a first draft doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to exist. Here are some things to focus on in the editing process:
Your essay can undergo any number of revisions before it’s ready. Above all, make sure that your narrative essay is easy to follow, every word you use matters, and that you come to a deeper understanding about your own life.
Next Steps for Narrative EssayistsWhen you have a completed essay, what’s next? You might be interested in submitting to some literary journals. Here’s 24 literary journals you can submit to—we hope you find a great home for your writing! If you’re looking for additional feedback on your work, feel free to join our Facebook group. You can also take a look at our upcoming nonfiction courses, where you’ll learn the fundamentals of essay writing and make your story even more compelling. Writing a narrative essay isn’t easy, but you’ll find that the practice can be very rewarding. You’ll learn about your lived experiences, come to deeper conclusions about your personal philosophies, and perhaps even challenge the way you approach life. So find some paper, choose a topic, and get writing—the world is waiting for your story! What is the format of a narrative essay?Narrative essays are generally written in the first-person POV, and are usually about a topic that's personal to the writer. Everything in a narrative essay should take place in an established timeline, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. In simplest terms, a narrative essay is a personal story.
How does narrative essay look like?What is a narrative essay? When writing a narrative essay, one might think of it as telling a story. These essays are often anecdotal, experiential, and personal—allowing students to express themselves in a creative and, quite often, moving ways.
What are the 5 parts of a narrative essay?Every narrative should have five elements to become a story: plot, setting, character, conflict, and theme.
What should a narrative essay include?Narrative essays tell a vivid story, usually from one person's viewpoint. A narrative essay uses all the story elements such as a beginning, middle, and ending, as well as plot, characters, setting, and climax.
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