How to Write a Narrative Essay Intro To Hook Your Readers

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Tips on crafting an engaging intro to your narrative essay
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A narrative essay is a story that focuses on personal experience. It’s usually written using the 1st-person perspective, includes a main theme, and has a beginning, middle, and end. If you're wondering how to kick off your story so readers are hooked right away, we're here to help. Read on our best tips on creating a strong intro for your narrative essay. We'll also include tips for narrowing down your topic and outlining your story.

How to Start a Narrative Essay

Kick off your narrative essay with an engaging hook, like a snippet of dialogue, an interesting fact, a rhetorical question, or intriguing anecdote, that grabs the reader's attention immediately. Make sure your hook sets the scene, establishes the tone, and introduces the main theme of your story.

Section 1 of 5:

Writing a Strong Introduction

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  1. Begin your opening paragraph with a hook to engage your reader. Open your story with a sentence or 2 that pulls in those reading your narrative essay. To do this, craft a hook that introduces your story’s topic and suggests what you’ll say about it. If your story focuses on a person, offer some descriptive insight into who they are; if it centers on an event, lead with an action or a reflection about what makes the event matter. Here are some narrative essay examples and techniques to hook your reader: [1]
    • Rhetorical Question : Start your narrative essay with a rhetorical question such as, “Have you ever faced losing something so important to you?”
    • Quote : Start an essay with a quote that fits your narrative essay’s theme; for example, “According to Rosa Gomez, ‘You don’t know how strong you are until a setback breaks you.’”
    • Interesting or Surprising Fact : Provide a remarkable fact that relates to your story; for instance, “About 70% of kids will stop playing sports by the age of 13, and I was almost one of them.”
    • Dialogue Snippet : Include a brief section of dialogue that occurs at a high point in the story: “I can't believe I’m about to do this,” said Rebecca, looking at the massive crowd gathered for the big game.” “Am I really ready to play again?”
    • Short Story or Anecdote : Use a short anecdote that relates to the larger story. For your narrative essay about overcoming an injury, you might include a short story about your best moment playing sports before your injury.
    • Flashback or Reflection : Start a descriptive essay with a character looking back on how they got to where they are now in the story. You might write, “I wish I could talk to myself at the moment they loaded me into the ambulance. I’d say, “Don’t give up. You’re going to play sports again.”
    • Sound Effect : “As Rebecca fell onto the shiny, hard basketball court, she heard a brutal “SNAP,” causing her to pass out. Her body lay crumpled in a heap, like a pile of dead leaves.”
  2. Name and briefly describe the main character, whether based on yourself or someone else. Narrative essays focus on one main character and usually are told in the first person, so your reader needs a clear idea of who the story is about. You don’t need to tell every single detail about the main character in your essay introduction , but your reader should have a general idea about who that character is. [2]
    • Let’s say your main character is you. You could write, “As a tall, lean 12-year-old, I easily outplayed the other girls on the court.” This gives the reader a picture of what you might look like, your interest in sports, and your athletic ability.
    • If you’re telling a fictional story, you might introduce your character like this: “As she walked toward the high school debate podium, Luz exuded confidence from her Kate Spade headband down to her thrift shop Betsey Johnson pumps.” Not only does this help the audience picture Luz, but it also shows that she puts effort into her appearance. The fact that she shops at thrift stores might indicate that her family isn’t as wealthy as she portrays.
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  3. The setting includes the when and where of the story. Specify when your story takes place. Additionally, provide sensory details to help the reader experience the location. [3]
    • You might write, “It was my 7th-grade year, and I knew I had to make varsity if I was going to get attention from the high school coaches.”
    • Sensory details trigger your senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. As an example, “My shoes squeaked across the court as I dribbled toward the goal line, the red basket in sight. Sweat made the ball feel slippery against my fingertips, and its salty taste coated my lips.”
  4. You can also preview the events in the story, depending on what works best for your narrative. This statement will act as your thesis for your narrative essay. It tells your reader what to expect from your essay but doesn’t spoil the story. [4]
    • For instance, you might write, “I never expected that pass across the court to be my last for the season. However, recovering from my injury taught me I’m a strong person who can accomplish anything I set out to do.”
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Section 2 of 5:

Choosing a Topic for Your Narrative

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  1. It’s best to read over the assignment more than once so you know exactly what it’s asking you to do. Note if there’s a prompt or a question you need to answer. Additionally, review the listed requirements for receiving full credit. [5]
    • If your instructor provides a rubric, read over it thoroughly to identify the expectations for full credit. Later, you can measure your narrative essay against the rubric before turning in the assignment.
    • If you have questions about the assignment, ask your instructor for clarification.
  2. At first, let your ideas flow freely without trying to narrow your topic. Choose whether you want to write a fictional or personal narrative . Once you’ve got a good list of potential topics, you can choose one that works for you. For example, you might write about the first time you slept over at a friend's house, the day you brought home your first puppy, or a fictional story about someone who struggles to build a fire for their campsite. Here are some ways to brainstorm ideas: [6]
    • List the first thoughts that come to mind when you think about the prompt or question.
    • Make a mind map to sort out your ideas.
    • Use freewriting to uncover story ideas. Simply write whatever comes to mind without worrying about grammar or making sense.
    • Make an outline to help put your ideas in order.
  3. Review your list of ideas to find an event that fits the assignment. Then, narrow down your topic to a single, specific incident so the event fits into a single essay. [7]
    • Don’t try to cover too much in one narrative essay, as this will be too hard for your reader to follow.
    • For example, let’s say the prompt reads: “Write about a setback that taught you perseverance.” You might want to write a narrative about an injury you overcame. To narrow down your story, you might focus on the first time you exercised your injured limb after the accident, as well as the difficulties you faced.
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    Focus on a personal essay topic worth telling. The questions that you need to answer are, 'What is the intent or purpose of this story? What am I trying to get across? What is the conflict or the climax of the story? What event do I want to lead to that climax?' The last question is, 'Who will care about the story?'"

  4. Relate your story idea back to the prompt, and think about how the story makes you feel. Additionally, consider how you want the reader to feel after they read your narrative essay. Based on the answers to these questions, identify a core theme or message for your story. [8]
    • For instance, the story about recovering from an injury might have a theme of overcoming hardships or persevering to reach a goal. You might want your reader to finish your story feeling inspired and uplifted. To achieve this feeling, you'd want to focus on your successes throughout the process and end the story with a positive thought.
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Section 3 of 5:

Creating an Outline for Your Essay

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  1. Write out your main character's name, age, and description. Identify the character's motives, desires, and relationships within the story. After you’ve created this character sketch for your main character, create a brief list of any side characters you’ll include, as well as any important details about them. [9]
    • If you are a character in your story, you will still need to complete this step. It's up to you how much detail you want to write down about yourself. However, it's helpful to take note of your description, interests, and desires at the time the story takes place, especially if a lot of time has passed.
    • A main character description might look like this: “Kate, 12 - An athletic basketball player who suffers an injury. She wants to recover from her injury so she can return to the court. She’s the patient of Andy, a physical therapist who is helping her recover.”
    • A side character description might read like this: “Dr. Lopez is a friendly, fatherly middle-aged doctor who treats Kate in the emergency room.”
  2. Identify the different locations where your story takes place, as well as the time period when they occur. Write down every setting you'll include in your story, though you may not describe them all in the same amount of detail. Then, jot down a few descriptors that you associate with the location or locations. [10]
    • For example, a story about overcoming a sports injury might include a few settings, such as the basketball court, the ambulance, the hospital, and a physical therapy office. Although you want to show your reader each setting, you'll spend the most time on the main setting of your story.
    • Descriptors for a basketball court could include: “squeaky floor,” “roar of the crowd,” “bright overhead lights,” “team colors in the stands,” “smell of sweat and sports drinks,” and “wet jersey sticking to my back.”
    • If your story features several different settings, you don't need to provide the same level of detail about each one. For instance, you may be in an ambulance for a brief moment in the scene. You don't need to fully describe the ambulance, but you might tell the reader about "feeling cold and alone in the sterile ambulance."
  3. A narrative essay usually follows a typical story arc. Begin your story by introducing your characters and setting, followed by the incident that hooks readers into the action of the story. Next, present the rising action and climax of your story. Finally, describe the resolution of the story and what your reader should take away from it. [11]
    • For example, you might introduce a young basketball player who is about to make a big play. The incident that kicks off the story might be her injury. Then, the rising action is the basketball player’s efforts to complete physical therapy and get back into the game. The climax might be the day of tryouts for the team. You might resolve the story by having her find her name on the team list, at which point she realizes she can overcome any obstacle.
    • It’s helpful to use Freytag’s triangle or a graphic organizer to plan your narrative essay. Freytag's triangle looks like a triangle with a long line to its left and a short line to its right. It's a tool that helps you plan out your story's beginning (exposition), an incident that starts your story's events, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution of your story.
    • You can find a Freytag's triangle template or a graphic organizer for your narrative essay online. [12]
  4. The climax is the highest point in your story. The beginning and most of the middle of your story will build up to this point. Then, the end will resolve the conflict that drives your climax. [13]
    • The most common conflict types include person vs. person, person vs. nature, and person vs. self. Some stories will have more than one type of conflict.
    • In the story about the young athlete who gets injured, her conflict might be person vs. self, as she’s having to push through her pain and limitations.
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Section 4 of 5:

Writing a Narrative Essay

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  1. Because the plot usually centers around personal experiences, tell the story from your own perspective so your essay has a ring of authenticity. Less commonly, you can use 3rd person to write narrative essays, where the narrator is not a character in the story. [14]
    • In most cases, a personal narrative will use the 1st person “I” point-of-view. For example, “During the last summer I spent with my grandfather, I learned more than how to fish.”
    • If you’re telling a fictional story, you might use the 3rd person point of you. Use your character’s name, as well as the appropriate pronouns like “he” or “she.” For instance, “Mia picked up the locket and opened it.”
  2. Your narrative essay needs an organized series of events that are connected through cause-and-effect actions or consequences. Other than using a traditional beginning, middle, and end, you can also start at the ending scene and work your way back to the beginning to show the reader how the main character got to where they are. [15]
  3. You can use details about the setting, characters, and events that take place. Sensory details like sights, sounds, and smells can immerse a reader into a scene that the character is experiencing better than almost any other kind of detail. [16]
  4. The theme of an essay can help focus the narrative and should be clear. Communicate the theme through the lessons your characters learned at the end of the story or with the main takeaway of their journey. [17]
  5. Be sure they can easily point to the most significant part of the story—one when the narrator’s insight or realization occurs because of the major event that takes place plot-wise. When done right, the narrator or main character experiences a change in perspective that ultimately leads to a new realization. [18]
  6. Check the flow of the plot and character development, as well as other aspects of the story, like setting, theme, and structure. Examine how successfully your voice comes across as the author of the story to both engage the reader and communicate the narrative. [19]
    • Check over your grammar usage and sentence structure from a technical point of view so the story is clear and well-written.
  7. Make changes that provide for more seamless transitions between scenes in the story, an engaging opening and conclusion, and a better expression of the central theme. Also try to improve how well you’ve developed the main character’s motivations and actions, along with adding further strong descriptions within each scene using sensory language and imagery. [20]
    • Make any changes that sharpen the dialogue, pacing, and grammar you use in your narrative essay.
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Section 5 of 5:

What is a narrative essay?

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  1. It might focus on anything from a childhood memory or personal relationship to an obstacle or challenge you had to overcome. Most narrative essays include the personal narrative experiences of the author so they can properly express their point-of-view and feelings about a person or event in their life. [21]

Narrative Essay Examples

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      • A narrative essay will always tell a story, so make sure your essay has a clear plot.
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      • Don’t borrow someone else’s ideas for your story or copy someone else’s writing. This is plagiarism and can result in severe academic penalties, including loss of credit.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.esu.edu/writing-studio/guides/hook.cfm
      2. ↑ https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Personal%20Narrative%20Essays.pdf
      3. ↑ https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Personal%20Narrative%20Essays.pdf
      4. ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/narrative_essays.html
      5. ↑ https://www.nova.edu/tutoring-testing/study-resources/forms/planning-narrative-essay.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.nova.edu/tutoring-testing/study-resources/forms/planning-narrative-essay.pdf
      7. ↑ https://spcollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=254430&p=1697470
      8. ↑ https://www.nova.edu/tutoring-testing/study-resources/forms/planning-narrative-essay.pdf
      9. ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/narrative_essays.html
      1. ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/narrative_essays.html
      2. ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/narrative_essays.html
      3. ↑ https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Literacy_and_Critical_Thinking/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/02%3A_About_Creative_Nonfiction/2.02%3A_Elements_of_Creative_Nonfiction
      4. ↑ https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/exploring-movie-construction-and-production/chapter/3-what-are-the-mechanics-of-story-and-plot/
      5. ↑ https://www.fromwhisperstoroars.com/understanding-the-7-key-elements-of-a-narrative/
      6. ↑ https://literaryterms.net/narrative-essay/
      7. ↑ https://literaryterms.net/narrative-essay/
      8. ↑ https://www.fromwhisperstoroars.com/understanding-the-7-key-elements-of-a-narrative/
      9. ↑ https://literaryterms.net/narrative-essay/
      10. ↑ https://www.listening.com/blog/how-to-write-a-results-section
      11. ↑ https://crk.umn.edu/writing-center/how-revise-drafts
      12. ↑ https://www.fromwhisperstoroars.com/understanding-the-7-key-elements-of-a-narrative/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      If you’re struggling to start your narrative essay, find a way to encourage your reader to keep reading and introduce your main characters. Since opening lines can pull a reader in, choose something catchy that’s related to your story. For example, if your essay is about loss, you could open with a question like, “Have you ever faced losing something that’s important to you?” Then, add some details about your story’s setting that will interest the reader, such as describing how your trainers squeaked as you dribbled across the court if your story is about sports. You should also include enough information about the main character to peak the reader’s interest, like “She was a tall, lean 12-year-old,” but not too much so they know everything. For tips from our Writing co-author on how to plan out your entire narrative essay before you start writing, read on!

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