Q&A for How to Write a Narrative Essay

Have a clear understanding of the prompt, select a topic that interests you, and think of a story that fits with that topic. Briefly outline the story to make sure it has a manageable plot and fits the prompt.

Most narrative essays feature a story and some sort of analysis of this story. Examples of this genre range from published essays such as Ralph Emerson's "Self-Reliance" or James Baldwin's "Notes on a Native Son" to a story about what stands out most from your summer vacation.

This can vary depending on the prompt, but, generally speaking, a narrative essay details a personal experience and often then focuses on an insight or series of insights that story inspired in the author.

You could start a narrative with adjectives describing the setting. For example, "It was a cold, rainy night." Also, if it's a first person story, you could start with something the character is thinking, like, "Not today. This can't be happening."

In a narrative essay, the conclusion sums up what has already been written, and should neatly wrap up the topic. Don't repeat yourself word for word, but paraphrase the main idea. The first sentence should be similar to the topic sentence, and you should work your way to an interesting thought in the last sentence which will leave the reader with something to think about.

Include the date in the opening sentence. You may say "It was November 27, 1984..."

Yes. Revising will help you fix any mistakes you've made, and everyone makes mistakes. You might even want to have someone else read over your essay to make sure everything makes sense.

In the introduction, you may want to put the reader right into the story, so consider jumping right into the story. The introduction should help the reader understand what the essay will be about, but keep it short.

Yes, of course you can write in the third person, just try to stay consistent.

It really depends on the given task. Not all essays really have a moral. A tale about a trip to Canada or a continuation of a story wouldn't have a moral.

Not exactly. A narrative essay is focused on telling a story and can include dialogue; a descriptive essay is more focused on describing something in detail. Sometimes a descriptive essay can also be a narrative essay, if what you're describing is an event. And a narrative essay can certainly contain some description. But generally, they are distinct types of essays.

You can describe what you do that "shows" what you are. For example, if you are a squirrel, you can say you scrambled up a tree to escape from a dog.

If you are writing an narrative essay for a school assignment, read the prompt carefully. Think of a personal experience you can share that relates to the prompt. If you are not writing for school, think of a moment that was especially memorable or meaningful to you and write about that.

I like to tell my students that when they are describing someone or something, this opens up the opportunity for figurative language. With every adjective, a simile or a metaphor can be used. Remember to use "like" or "as" for a simile. If there is a sentence that has two words that start with the same consonant sound, look to add another word that starts with that same word and you have alliteration. For example: "The small bunny bounced and bounded into the bush." Personification is easy to add also. Just find some descriptive detail and add a human trait or characteristic. For example when describing a beautiful summer day, you can write: "The clouds danced across the sky with the sun."

Just think of a corny action film where the main actor is the narrator giving the closing credits and confessing an act or sin that they either regret or try to make you understand. Here are some samples: "I guess what I've been trying to say is 'I'm sorry'." "All the while, they let the real [enter noun for criminal] off Scot free." (When used as implication of narrator as villain.)

Choose a part of the book you find controversial or interesting and write an essay about that.

If you truly want to you can, although it would have to be totally relevant to the style of the story and be extremely cleverly supported by the remaining writing. It would probably be better for you to use that as something a person/character is saying.

Give an introductory part that suits your subject/title. State the objectives and the purpose.

You can use a Google search to find examples of narrative essays.

It depends on the style you are using for citations, but you can find the rules for MLA, Chicago and other citation styles online.

Explain your point of view before explaining anything else. The introduction should be about you.

An essay is long written, a narrative report is based on gathering specific information.

It should have 4-5 sentences in one paragraph and a minimum of 5 paragraphs and should encompass the full story.

Gather all the information about him that will back up your title/topic, which is that Ronaldo is the best. You have to explain why or how he is the best so people can understand your thinking.

You may write in whichever tense is most appropriate for your story.

There is no formal way to do that. Just be descriptive and include the way the dish is made and the importance of the dish to the culture.

You need at least 5 paragraphs: an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Don't worry about whether your story is interesting or not, you can make it interesting when you write about it. Dramatize it a bit, and use word choice to draw the reader in.

End it with something memorable. For example you can end it with a question, quotation, or a statement that introduces a twist to the story.

You could get help from the internet, books, articles or even from your parents and teachers.