things to include in a personal narrative essay

How to Master Writing a Compelling Personal Narrative

by Suzanne Davis | Jun 18, 2020 | Writing Essays and Papers | 2 comments

I dreaded writing personal narrative essays.

I cringed when teachers assigned a personal narrative essay. I couldn’t think of an interesting story about myself. And even if I chose a fascinating personal narrative story, I struggled with how to write about it. But when I was in college that changed because I realized writing a personal narrative essay isn’t like writing any other kind of essay. No, it’s writing a story that reveals some piece of myself. 

And I love stories.  A personal narrative is a story about you. It’s the same as any other story: it has a beginning, middle, and end.  The difference is that it’s from your life. Through that story, you show your reader something that is unique to you. 

It can be a story that conveys your humor, your sensitivity, what scares you, excites you, angers you, or makes you sad.  A personal narrative essay lets other people connect with you.   There are 3 key things you need to know about writing a personal narrative essay:

• How to choose a good personal narrative essay topic.
• How to develop your personal narrative essay ideas.
• How to write a compelling personal narrative essay.

Choosing a Personal Narrative Topic 

There are 2 steps to choosing a good personal narrative essay topic.  The first is brainstorming stories from your life, and the second is evaluating the stories you list. Brainstorming:  Choose a place where you can focus. Then answer these questions :

• What are some significant stories from your life?
• When did you face a challenge or obstacle in your life?
• What are some funny things that happened to you or funny things you did?
• What stories are your most important memories?
• What are some sad events and what are some happy events from your life?

List as many ideas as you can for each of these questions. Don’t stop and erase any of your ideas. You want as many as choices as possible. Another way to discover a personal narrative essay topic is to select a writing prompt for personal narrative essays.  Search online for personal narrative essay prompts.  You’ll find great personal narrative writing prompts in my blog post, “11 Excellent Personal Narrative Essay Writing Prompts for College Students.”  https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/11-excellent-personal-narrative-writing-prompts-for-college-students/ I’ve included 8 personal narrative writing prompts in the infographic here:

Evaluating a personal narrative topic:  Now that you have several ideas, decide which stories are most interesting to you. If your story bores you, it will be hard to write a story that grabs your reader’s attention. Once you’ve narrowed your list, follow these steps to analyze your stories:

• Check to see if there is a beginning, middle, and end to each story. Does the middle of your story have one important moment or event in the story?  This important moment is called the climax of a story. Which narrative essay topics have a climax?
• Go over your list and look for stories you remember well. What stories can you describe in detail?
• Consider whether a story is one you want to share with other people. If it makes you uncomfortable to have other people know about this event then select another personal narrative essay topic.
• Analyze your personal narrative essay ideas again and choose a story you really want to write about and share with other people.

Developing a Personal Narrative Essay: Planning vs. Pantsing

There are 2 ways to develop your personal narrative: 1) plan your story or 2) write your story by the “seat of your pants.” Planning is where you figure out the things you want to include in your essay, and where you will include these things before writing. Pantsing or “writing by the seat of your pants” is where you take a personal narrative essay topic and start writing about it from beginning to end.  You don’t think about the things you want to include ahead of time. Both planning and pantsing work for developing a personal narrative essay.  It’s just a matter of which you like better.

Planning Your Personal Narrative

Planning a personal narrative essay is like planning any other kind of story.  You plan a beginning, a middle, and an end.  But for a personal narrative essay, you also include what you learned or realized because of this story. List the order in which things occurred.  You can do this in a simple list or you could create a story outline.

• First, how did the story start? Here you want to include the setting of where your story began. Describe the first thing that happened.
• Second, list the things that happened next. These things lead up to your climax.  The climax is the most important part of your story.
• Third, how does the story end? The ending of your story is the resolution.  A resolution in a personal narrative lets your reader know the result of everything that happened.
• Add any important realization or thing you learned from the experience.

Pantsing a Personal Narrative Essay

You’ll hear many writers talk about “pantsing” or writing by the “seat of their pants.”  They mean that they don’t plan what they will write before they start writing.  This method works well for some people writing personal narrative essays.

If you are pantsing a personal narrative essay, write down your topic.  Select a starting point for your story. Then write your story from beginning to end. When you finish writing, go back and see if you have all the pieces of your story from beginning to end.

• Where did you begin your story? What is the setting for your story (time and place)?  What is the first thing that happened?
• What events happen that lead up to the most important moment of your story?
• What is the climax of your story?
• How does your story end?
• What did you learn or realize?

Go back and add any missing pieces to your essay.

Writing a Personal Narrative 

The key to writing a fascinating and powerful personal narrative is how you help a reader experience the story. A good personal narrative essay shows what happened and how you felt.  It doesn’t tell what happened like a report of events. It follows the writing mantra of “show: don’t tell.” It has a lot of vivid description, emotion, and other elements that re-create your story. Here are things you can include your personal narrative:

Vivid Description:   As you write your story try to add the five senses to your story. What did you see?  What did you hear? What did you taste? What did you smell? What did you touch? Not every story has all five senses. That’s fine. Focus on describing the setting, characters, and actions in your story.  Use the senses that are most relevant to your story.  

Zoom in on important moments: There are pieces of your story that are more significant or interesting than other elements of your story.  Select a few important moments in your story and add more detail and description to those parts. It’s like taking a photo of birds. You can capture the whole picture of the birds, but if you want to feature a bluebird, or cardinal or another type of bird, you would zoom in on that bird.  You would see up close the colors of the feathers on its wings, the size of the bird’s feet, and how it is flying in the skying. You can do the same with your story. Zooming will draw the reader into important moments.

Emotion:  In a personal narrative essay, readers want to feel a connection to what you felt. If you were nervous or scared in the story then describe that. Describe how you felt at different times during your story.

Dialogue:  Can you add dialogue between yourself and another person? Some stories only have one person, so it may not be possible to add dialogue.  But character dialogue can add excitement.  If you add dialogue choose important things people said.  Be careful not to have too much dialogue in your personal narrative essay. Your readers want to see other kinds of action too.

In medias res:  In medias res is a Latin phrase that means “in the midst of things” Encyclopedia Britannica  https://www.britannica.com/art/in-medias-res-literature. In medias res is a technique where the writer begins his/her narrative at a point of action or a crucial moment in the story.  Then the narrative “flashes back” to the beginning of the story.  This writing strategy immerses readers in a story. It’s a way to make readers feel what you felt at that moment.  In medias res , is a wonderful technique to use in personal narratives. Test it out and see if it suits your personal narrative essay.

Enjoy Writing a Personal Narrative

When you write a personal narrative focus on making it a sensory experience.  You don’t need to use sophisticated language or writing techniques.  You just need to write your story well. Writing a personal narrative can be fun, exciting, and/or deeply moving.  Don’t panic or fear writing a personal narrative because you have many stories within you.  Stories that are great to share, and stories people will love to read.  And you are the best person to write your own stories.  Personal narrative essays are one of the most creative things you can write, so enjoy the process, and craft your own story. Try these tips as you write your next personal narrative.  And if this post helped you, please pin it to Pinterest or share it on your favorite social media!   Photo by  Sergey Zolkin  on  Unsplash

[…] story.  Check out the post “How to Master Writing a Compelling Personal Narrative Essay” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/writing-a-personal-narrative/  to see how to use the show don’t tell approach in writing personal […]

Narrative writting and other acamedic writting is most needed. Speaking can find any where but English writting lessons and teachers teach it is very rare.

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Write a Gripping Personal Narrative Essay Using Our Cheat Guide

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

There’s no way to cheat the system and avoid writing a narrative essay. Every student has written it at least once. However, while the great majority find this type of essay pretty easy and not challenging, many students struggle to understand the point behind the personal narrative essay.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• How to write a personal narrative essay like a pro.
• Why is essay writing critical?
• What exactly is a personal narrative essay?
• What is the structure of this essay type?
• How to choose a unique narrative essay topic?

Before you know it, ideas will start pouring in, and you’ll find the assignment wasn’t a difficult task after all!

In this article:

What is a Personal Narrative Essay?

1. introduction, 3. conclusion, how to write a personal narrative essay, how to choose a personal narrative topic.

A personal narrative essay is usually the preferred type of essay for students. It is commonly referred to as “short storytelling” and lacks the intense research and reference of argumentative and other essays.

Personal narrative essays are all about you and the story you want to tell. It helps shape the future writer in you and takes the reader through a journey. It can be an emotional piece of writing featuring a funny, sad, or surprising event or memory.

You will write a personal narrative essay in first person participle unless your assignment states otherwise. It aims to depict a particular narrative and a crucial moment within it.

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Personal narrative essays are typically assigned to high school students to help advance their creative writing skills, but the structure of this essay is applied to many other writing assignments.

An integral part of your personal narrative essay is the plot and story, as well as the characters featured in it. You can learn more about the structure and essential elements of personal narratives in the sections below, including some tools used by professional writers like a thesis statement or hook sentences. You’ll know how to write a personal narrative essay like a pro by the time you’re done!

Structure of a Personal Narrative Essay

The personal narrative essay certainly provides the most freedom and flexibility when writing. Of course, like any other text written by high school students or college students, it needs to have an outline and structure. But, don’t worry, it isn’t complicated. It’s there to help you arrange and organize your writing content.

A personal narrative essay consists of three parts:

The introduction is the most crucial part of the essay. It’s the beginning, and it includes your hook statement or sentence, which you use to grab the reader’s attention. Depending on how effective your hook is , the reader will decide whether or not to keep reading.

Another element present in your introduction is the thematic statement. These sentences summarize the essence of your story. They are a little tricky to master, and if you want to learn more, you can use a thematic statements guide to gain some insight into the topic.

Finally, don’t forget your transition word and sentences at the end of the introductory paragraph (and throughout). It’s essential to include those in your work.

Think of it as a burger – the introduction and conclusion are the burger buns, and the body of your essay is the delicious filling inside: all the cucumbers, meat patty, and mouthwatering sauces go here.

When we write personal narrative essays, we use the body of the narrative essay to explain the critical elements of our personal story. As a standard, your body should feature three paragraphs describing your views, stories, and ideas. This is where you will feature your characters and mention where the main event occurs.

Make sure to start your first paragraph with a topic sentence. Topic sentences work as introductions and typically come naturally. They are used as smooth transitions which bridge your introduction and body.

Keep your telling of the events in chronological order. This is the easiest way and most professional way to write. I will help you avoid getting tangled in your storytelling.

This is where you put the climax of your story. The conclusion is where we wrap up and give the readers what they have been waiting for. Summarize your story, and don’t get tempted to add any new elements in this paragraph. Otherwise, you’ll confuse the reader.

The point of the personal narrative essay is to tap into the student’s personal life and challenge them to write about their experience. A great personal narrative essay shows what happened through vivid details, and it’s an excellent written example of your inner world. The overall story should exemplify your creative writing, feelings, and morals, whether trying to convey interesting thoughts or a specific event. The are several essential elements that need to be present in your personal narrative essay:

• Choose the Right Topic

The main challenge leading to procrastination is everyone’s most dreaded part – choosing the suitable personal narrative essay topics. I get it. It’s a lot of pressure to focus your entire personal essay on one subject. In addition, you need to choose a theme with an emotional impact, which is a tough decision. However, if you’re struggling to find your topic, browsing essay topics on the web can provide you with various ideas and may even lead to some new inspiration.

Since personal narrative essays are based on thought or actual experiences, choose a topic that excites you. For example, think of a specific moment that you vividly remember. A moment that’s important to you that you can retell through the form of a personal narrative essay. Or perhaps some philosophical thoughts have been on your mind lately? You can use those to inspire your narrative essay topics research.

• Write an Outline

Think about the main event, and using the structure discussed above, pinpoint the most critical moments of your story. Next, try to create a personal narrative essay outline. This is a great way to prevent your story from filling with irrelevant details and form a straightforward narrative. Writing an outline helps keep your essay in order. Outlines make personal narrative essays and other written work easily digestible for the reader.

• Grab Attention with a Hook Sentence

Any essay needs a good hook statement, but the personal narrative essay needs it the most. Good hook sentences can convince the reader to go through your entire essay. It grabs the reader’s attention and piques their interest, making them want to read along. With this type of essay, you can be as creative as you want with your hook sentence, but if you’re struggling to come up with one, hook example lists do exist. Take the time to check out all the different hook examples for inspiration.

• Create Powerful Descriptions

You won’t need to do tons of research for your essay. Since it’s a personal take on events or thoughts, you don’t need to reference anyone. But what you should do is come up with a vivid description. I’m not saying pack your essay full of descriptions, instead, describe a scene or thought and try to submerge the reader into it. It helps to think about adjectives related to the five senses. Then, using your creative writing skills, try to paint a picture with your words.

• Get Familiar With Transition Words and Use Them

No matter the essay type, whether it’s an argumentative essay or a personal narrative essay, it is vital to use transition words and sentences. The ones we don’t use in our speech but often apply in text: moreover, however, nevertheless, whereas, as well as, etc. You can find other words in the list of transition words that could work to your benefit with a simple Google search.

• Add Emotions

The point of a narrative essay is to convey the way you feel to the reader through your personal story and experience. This can be hard on new students, and it’s often the most challenging part of an essay. Try to tap into your personal experience, and don’t be shy! Since you’re telling the story in the first person, it’s easier to talk about emotions and provide insight into your thoughts.

• Maintain Consistency

It’s easy to get distracted focusing on the vivid details or crucial moments. Grabbing the reader’s attention is essential, but getting to the point. Be realistic – have you been staying focused on the point you’re trying to make? Be sure the events in your own story are linked well enough to convey the broader message.

You might want to tell the whole story as it happened, but that’s not always necessary. So instead, go back to your essay topic. Is what you’re writing still consistent with your subject? If not, chop off the unnecessary bits. It might be challenging, but it will make for a cleaner story and free some room for other, more helpful information.

• Deliver a Moral

What is the significance behind your story? What made you choose this same event? Since this is a personal narrative essay, don’t worry too much about providing evidence – no one will fact-check your story. Instead, think about the moral or the significance behind your experience. What is the broader message?

• Check Your Work (Twice, Like Santa)

What? Read the whole thing? Again? Yes, proofreading your work is a must and checking it twice matters. Learn to go through your text and look for different things each time. Proofread once and look for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. This is also the time to look for punctual mistakes and contextual inaccuracies.

I recommend a fun brainstorming session for anyone stuck with choosing their personal narrative essay topic. Grab a piece of paper and write down a “personal narrative essay” in the middle. Circle the word. Now write down the first words and thoughts that come to mind, no matter how relevant. Maybe you think of the word “pet.” Write that down, circle it and connect it with a line to “personal narrative essay” in the middle. Maybe the word “pet” makes you think of your old cat Timmy. Write down Timmy, circle it, and connect it to “pet” with a line. Perhaps there’s a great story lurking in there.

Repeat the process and try to answer these questions:

• What are some of the most significant events in your life?
• Have you ever faced an obstacle or challenge in your life?
• Did you successfully overcome it? If not, did you learn something?
• What are some funny stories you can think of?
• What are some sad events you can think of?
• Have you experienced betrayal in your life?
• Is there a place you traveled to that made an impression on you?
• What is your greatest accomplishment?
• Can you think of a surprising story from your past?

List as many of your ideas as you can from answering these questions. If you run out of space on your sheet, use another one – don’t let that stop you! The more choices you have, the better.

Believe it or not, even this article uses the structure of a narrative essay – it has its own introduction and body, and here is where I deliver the conclusion!

Unlike in a personal narrative essay, I can give you new information!

You can find information on all sorts of essay writing. For example, how you can perfect your 500-word essay or ideas on topics for psychology research , and even examples of debate speech topics , the internet can be full of interesting topics and resources you can use for your next written piece.

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How To Write A Personal Narrative + 5 Personal Narrative Examples

Tell us about yourself.

Scary, right!?

Welcome to the art of writing personal narratives.

It’s one of the most intimidating but powerful writing styles out there.

But don’t worry. We got your back. 

Below, we’re breaking it all down with narrative writing examples.

By the end, you’ll have the tips you need to get it done…and done well.

So grab your notepad, and let’s dive in. 

What Is a Personal Narrative?

Read several personal narratives, pick a topic, hash out thoughts, feelings, and metaphors, create an outline, write a first draft, me talk pretty one day by david sedaris, goodbye to all that by joan didion, typical first year professor by roxane gay, shooting an elephant by george orwell, your brain’s response to your ex, according to neuroscience by amy paturel, final thoughts.

Broadly speaking, a personal narrative is a literary category wherein people creatively explore events in their lives. In addition to telling the tale, personal narratives include pointed reflections, associated feelings, and related life lessons.

The style is frequently used to encourage creative, free-flow writing.

Though similar to memoirs, autobiographies, and personal essays, personal narratives have distinct qualities. Here’s how they differ from the other self-focused literary styles.

• Memoirs : Personal narratives and memoirs are the most closely related. However, memoirs are typically broader in scope and usually feature other parties.
• Autobiographies : Generally, autobiographies are less creative than personal narratives. Instead, they focus on the chronology of one’s life and typically lack a reflective element. 
• Personal Essays: Overall, personal essays are more formal than personal narratives. 

How To Write a Personal Narrative

How do you write a personal narrative? As is the case with all writing, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t exist. However, there are a few steps that many people find helpful. Let’s take a look.

Read several personal narratives before you set pen to paper — or fingertips to keys. It’s the best way to understand the genre and may spark ideas. Besides, reading makes you a better writer. 

Pay attention to what you like best about others’ personal narratives and try to incorporate similar features into your own. The goal isn’t to copy other authors’ styles but instead to get a better idea of structure and tone. 

If you’re looking for titles, check out the list below.

After you’ve read several personal narratives, it’s time to brainstorm. 

While using a computer or notes app is perfectly fine, experts encourage people to brainstorm with a pen and paper. Scientists aren’t sure why, exactly, manual writing unlocks creativity at a higher level and improves cognitive function; they just know that it does. 

When brainstorming, don’t worry about writing well. The objective is to get what’s in your head out. Don’t judge what comes out. Just let it flow. Most people are surprised at the ideas they’re able to generate through this simple process. Who knows, you may shock yourself! 

Once you’ve brainstormed, choose a topic.

Remember, personal narratives typically focus on a single experience, thought, or idea. That’s what differentiates them from memoirs and autobiographies, which cover longer periods of people’s lives.

Try to pick something that deeply resonates with you and lends itself to exploring lessons and reflective ideas.  

Once you’ve established your topic, it’s time to start thinking about what you want to say. What ideas do you want to convey? What feelings do you want to emote?

Including metaphors is a great idea as they add depth and humor to the piece. But be careful; clunky metaphors can drag a work down.

Once you’ve sketched out some ideas, make an outline. This will make the actual writing process a lot easier. The main headers should define the flow of the piece with details included under each.

Some writers prefer to make detailed outlines, while others use a looser style. The choice is yours. Experiment with both to see which works best for you. 

It’s finally time to write the first draft! Weave the ideas in your outline into prose. 

Again, don’t worry too much about perfecting it the first time. Many writers would argue that a good first draft is always bad. It’s the time to blurt out ideas in a semi-coherent manner. 

When “penning” a first draft, try to keep it moving. If you can’t think of the exact right word, put an “X” and keep on going. This may be difficult at first, but the more you do it, the easier it will become.

Once you have the first draft down, it’s time to edit. This is where the magic happens.

Take each sentence one by one. Examine it. 

• Can you use stronger words — especially verbs? 
• Consider if each sentence adds value to the story and themes. 
• Is it cohesive? 
• Does it trigger emotions? 
• Have you painted a picture to which others can relate?

Don’t stop at just one edit. Go through it two or three times. Moreover, give yourself at least a few hours between each revision to give your eyes a rest.

5 Personal Narrative Examples

We’ve discussed the definition of a personal narrative and the steps to writing one. Now, let’s review a handful of examples.

Me Talk Pretty One Day is both the name of a personal narrative and a best-selling collection of essays published in 2000 by David Sedaris. The former is an account of a French class the author took in Paris after moving to France.

His short personal narrative details the humorist’s experience under the lethal linguistic sword of an exceptionally caustic teacher (aka, the “wild animal”), the camaraderie forged between the classmates and the joy of finally understanding a fluent speaker in one’s non-native tongue.

Written in a plain and personal style, Me Talk Pretty One Day is an excellent example of taking a single event and extrapolating universal — and funny — life lessons. 

Notable Passage: At the age of forty-one, I am returning to school and have to think of myself as what my French textbook calls “a true debutant.” After paying my tuition, I was issued a student ID, which allows me a discounted entry fee at movie theaters, puppet shows, and Festyland, a far-flung amusement park that advertises with billboards picturing a cartoon stegosaurus sitting in a canoe and eating what appears to be a ham sandwich.

Written in 1967 and beginning with the line, “It’s easy to see the beginning of things, and harder to see the end,” Goodbye to All That was Joan Didion’s exploration of what it was like to fall out of love with New York City.

Having arrived as a naive and hopeful 20-year-old, the essayist describes her dingy apartment, lack of financial resources, and the things that made Manhattan magical.

Through the course of the piece, however, her angst begins to unravel, and she starts to realize that the “city that never sleeps” was not a good fit as she grew into a full-fledged adult.

Written in Didion’s distinct style, Goodbye to All That is a glowing example of a personal narrative about lost love, growing up, and the ups and downs of one’s twenty-something decade.

Notable Passage: That was the year, my twenty-eight, when I was discovering that not all of the promises would be kept, that some things are in fact irrevocable and that it had counted after all, every evasion and ever procrastination, every word, all of it.

“I go to school for a very long time and get some degrees and finally move to a very small town in the middle of a cornfield.” So begins Roxane Gay’s personal narrative entitled Typical First Year Professor is about her inaugural 12 months as 

The glory of having one’s own office, printer, and nameplate on the door, and the agony of only getting paid once a month, enduring ludicrous lies about missed assignments, and the stress of achieving tenure. 

Written in the first-person, present tense, Typical First Year Professor is a tightly worded, funny, and relatable personal narrative about starting a new life and all the insecurities that come with such a journey.

Notable Passage: I try to make class fun, engaging, experiential. We hold a mock debate about social issues in composition. We use Twitter to learn about crafting micro content in new media writing. We play Jeopardy! To learn about professional reports in professional writing. College and kindergarten aren’t as different as you’d think. 

Composed in 1936, George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is an account of the venerated author’s time as a British cop in Burma. As the title suggests, it tells the story of when Orwell was tasked with taking out an elephant.

An exploration of being an outsider, Orwell weaved his insecurities about his position in life and not loving his job into a story about a moment in his life when he did something he knew he had to do but didn’t want to. 

Although Orwell is best known for his magnum opus, Nineteen Eighty-Four , Shooting an Elephant gives readers a peek into who he was as a man and his values. 

Notable Passage: But I did not want to shoot the elephant. I watched him beating his bunch of grass against his knees, with that preoccupied grandmotherly air that elephants have. It seemed to me that it would be murder to shoot him. At that age I was not squeamish about killing animals, but I had never shot an elephant and never wanted to. (Somehow, it always seems worse to kill a large animal.) Besides, there was the beast’s owner to be considered. 

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Billed as an essay about “the good and the bad of what happens when you connect with an old flame,” Your Brain’s Response to Your Ex, According to Neuroscience is a unique personal narrative disguised as science writing. 

Amy Paturel describes what it was like to meet up with a serious ex after 15 years apart and getting married and having a child. 

A clinical lesson in how hormones and the brain work to bond us to past loves, Your Brain’s Response is also a personal narrative of what it was like to meet up with someone you once passionately loved as a young adult in middle age.

Notable Passage: Today, our lives couldn’t be more disparate. He’d been living in a loop since I left — upscale dinners, regular happy hours, exotic vacations — and before his engagement, a different woman by his side every few years. I married, bore three children and spent most days with a toddler attached at the hip — or more often the knee because both hands are full.

Personal narratives are one of the most engaging writing styles available. While they’re frequently used for school and job applications, they’re also a great way to flex your creative writing muscle. 

Again, the best way to become a personal narrative writing rockstar is to read lots of them. Good places to check them out include:

• The New York Times
• The New Yorker
• The Atlantic
• O, the Oprah Magazine
• Cosmopolitan
• Harper’s Magazine
• The Antioch Review
• McSweeney’s 

Don’t be afraid to experiment, and do your best to focus on a single event. Narrow things down and be concise. Moreover, use words people know. While word choice should be a focus, do your best to avoid using words that go over people’s heads. 

And remember, the gold is in the editing. 

Good luck! Be you.

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• How to Write a Personal Narrative (And Why It’s So Important)

What Is a Personal Narrative?

What are the major components of a personal narrative, how to write a personal narrative, personal narrative topics and ideas, where can i use personal narratives, summing it all up.

The purpose of a personal narrative is to describe a specific story in your life. No matter who you are, you have a plethora of life experiences, events, and stories that can be crafted into a compelling personal narrative for use in an article, blog post, case study, etc.

But, that’s easier said than done.

Detailing your story with dialogue, settings, main events, descriptions of people, and various other personal observations takes a skill that doesn’t come easy to most.

If you are struggling with creating your prose narrative, this article will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how you can write a descriptive essay with vivid details that engages the audience and reflect your important events, personal growth, reflections, life lessons, and more.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

• What is a personal narrative?
• What are the major components of a personal narrative?
• How to write a personal narrative
• Personal narrative topics and ideas
• Where can I use personal narratives?
• Summing it all up

According to Classroom.com , “A personal narrative essay is a story with a plot that includes a beginning, middle, and end.”

Pretty simple, isn’t it?

Personal narratives are useful for almost any type of writing in terms of connecting to wider audiences. Neal Taparia, a serial entrepreneur who runs brain training and jigsaw puzzle site I’m a Puzzle explains, “Personal narratives allow you to connect deeply to people. With our businesses, we always explain our personal journey on why we started the business, which creates a strong brand connection.”

A personal narrative is based on your real-life personal experiences that have significant meaning for you, the writer.

The experience may have resulted in you learning a life lesson or gaining valuable insight. Either way, when narrating the story, you must make sure it has a narrow, clearly defined focus.

Focus on the central idea, theme, or message based on a specific and significant event so you can share why it was important or meaningful to you.

Here are the pieces you need to craft a compelling narrative:

• Introduction: Your personal narrative needs a strong introduction that will serve as an attention-grabbing hook to pique your readers’ interest and ensure that they go on to read the rest of your personal narrative.
• Plot: Your story needs a strong plot with interesting and specific details that will add substance to your story and contribute powerfully to your portrayal of the experience. Your plot must not only describe what happened in a way that appeals to the reader’s senses, but it must also have a logical sequence to ensure that it flows perfectly from start to finish.
• Characters: Your personal narrative must describe all the characters involved in the experience. You can develop the characters through interesting details describing each of their traits, such as their appearance, words, actions, etc.
• Setting: Your personal narrative must describe the setting in a vivid way. Where and when did the events or experience occur? Use expressive language that makes the setting come alive for readers.
• Climax: Make sure your personal narrative builds to a climax or satisfying resolution of the problem. Where most personal narratives are concerned, this resolution leads to some sort of personal growth for the author, which you should make clear in your story.
• Conclusion: The conclusion of your personal narrative needs to be a strong one that will leave your readers with a lasting impression of the insights or deeper understanding that you gained from the experience.

When you begin working on your first personal narrative, just remember that perfect is the enemy of good . This is your narrative, so just be authentic and honest. Figure out an approach that works and do your best. Trust me, when you are honest about yourself, people listen – even if you struggle a little along the way.

Now that you know the different elements of a good personal narrative, here is a step-by-step guide to help you write a great story of your own.

Step #1: Create a Structure or Outline: Using the tips outlined above for the different elements of a narrative, create a structure that divides your story into those different parts.

Step #2: Write in First Person. Use “I” when writing your personal narrative. However, don’t overuse that word. Make sure to use variations to make your style unique.

Step #3: Bring Your Story to Life. Your story should be well-detailed and it must bring all the different characters to life. You must give it different subplots, and make sure all of it is presented in an interesting way through developments designed to intrigue the reader.

Step #4: Write in a Chronological Order. Chronology is important when writing a personal narrative. You must set the order of your story to properly convey your writing purpose, otherwise, you risk misleading your readers or forgetting important incidents which may take away the whole context of your writing.

Step #5: Edit and Proofread Your Story. After creating your first draft, make sure you revise it thoroughly. If there are any repetitions of arguments or ideas, delete them. Rephrase any sentences that are hard to grasp and check for grammar and spelling mistakes.

Writing a personal narrative can be hard, particularly for anyone with no experience in writing . But, following the guidelines outlined above will make your work a little easier.

To inspire your own writing, listed below are some interesting personal narrative topics you might consider:

Here are a few examples of personal narrative topics and ideas to help you get started on your own story.

• Achieving a goal
• A childhood memory
• A realization
• An event that caused a major change in my life
• My best friend
• The most embarrassing moment in my life
• The biggest mistake I ever made
• The happiest moment of my life

When it comes to personal narratives, anything goes, and you’ll be able to find a wide range of writing prompts from topics such as scary experiences and joyful events to celebratory moments, interesting happenings, or hard times. Use them as writing hacks to fire up your imagination.

To further inspire you, here are some great examples of personal narratives from a few well-known and experienced writers.

If you’re writing a personal narrative, you can always share it on your own blog, submit it to another blog as a guest post, or even try to find a print publication to accept it.

But there are many other ways to use a personal narrative as well.

You can use personal narratives if you’re creating online courses. As a professor, I’ve found that the best way to connect with my students is by sharing a personal narrative. Additionally, if you purchase new PLR courses , adding personal narratives is a great way to make the content seem like it’s your own.

Personal narratives can be used effectively in presentations to build rapport with an audience. For example, if you’re using webinar hosting software to connect with your employees, you can use a personal narrative to discuss your personal experience with whatever it is you’re discussing.

When creating webinars or other videos, personal narratives are only half of the battle. You also need to make sure you’re professional video editing software to give your narrative the light it needs to really shine.

Truth be told, knowing how to write a personal narrative opens a world of opportunities. It allows you to create immediate rapport with others and creates avenues for authentically sharing your own self.

Personal narratives open up the door for empathizing with and relating to others. Even if I’m just talking about using a new product offered by a company, I’m talking about myself using the product.

It’s not just about the newest widget. It’s about me relating to you in a personal way.

This is an entirely different dynamic than writing bland copy and hoping someone finds it intriguing enough to buy whatever you’re selling. It doesn’t just build rapport, it opens the door to something much more powerful: true human connection.

As a website entrepreneur and marketing professor, Ron Stefanski strives to help people create and market their own online business with his blog that reaches over 100,000 people each month. You can learn more from him by visiting OneHourProfessor.com

You can also connect with him on YouTube or Linkedin .

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How to Write a Narrative Essay — A Step-by-Step Guide

N arrative essays are important papers most students have to write. But how does one write a narrative essay? Fear not, we’re going to show you how to write a narrative essay by breaking down a variety of narrative writing strategies. By the end, you’ll know why narrative essays are so important – and how to write your own.

How to Write a Narrative Essay Step by Step

Background on narrative essays.

Narrative essays are important assignments in many writing classes – but what is a narrative essay? A narrative essay is a prose-written story that’s focused on the commentary of a central theme .

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. A narrative essay can be written in response to a prompt or as an independent exercise.

We’re going to get to tips and tricks on how to write a narrative essay in a bit, but first let’s check out a video on “story.” 

How to Start a Narrative Essay  •  What is a Story? by Mr. Kresphus

In some regards, any story can be regarded as a personal story, but for the sake of this article, we’re going to focus on prose-written stories told in the first-person POV.

How to Start a Narrative Essay

Responding to prompts.

Many people wonder about how to start a narrative essay. Well, if you’re writing a narrative essay in response to a prompt, then chances are the person issuing the prompt is looking for a specific answer.

For example: if the prompt states “recount a time you encountered a challenge,” then chances are the person issuing the prompt wants to hear about how you overcame a challenge or learned from it.

That isn’t to say you have to respond to the prompt in one way; “overcoming” or “learning” from a challenge can be constituted in a variety of ways.

For example, you could structure your essay around overcoming a physical challenge, like an injury or disability. Or you could structure your essay around learning from failure, such as losing at a sport or performing poorly on an important exam.

Whatever it is, you must show that the challenge forced you to grow. 

Maturation is an important process – and an essential aspect of narrative essays... of course, there are exceptions to the rule; lack of maturation is a prescient theme in narrative essays too; although that’s mostly reserved for experienced essay writers.

So, let’s take a look at how you might respond to a series of narrative essay prompts:

How successful are you?

This prompt begs the writer to impart humility without throwing a pity party. I would respond to this prompt by demonstrating pride in what I do while offering modesty. For example: “I have achieved success in what I set out to do – but I still have a long way to go to achieve my long-term goals.”

Who is your role model?

“My role model is [Blank] because ” is how you should start this narrative essay. The “because” is the crux of your essay. For example, I’d say “Bill Russell is my role model because he demonstrated graceful resolve in the face of bigotry and discrimination. 

Do you consider yourself spiritual?

For this prompt, you should explain how you came to the conclusion of whether or not you consider yourself a spiritual person. Of course, prompt-givers will differ on how much they want you to freely express. For example: if the prompt-giver is an employee at an evangelizing organization, then they probably want to see that you’re willing to propagate the church’s agenda. Alternatively, if the prompt-giver is non-denominational, they probably want to see that you’re accepting of people from various spiritual backgrounds.

How to Write Narrative Essay

What makes a good narrative essay.

You don’t have to respond to a prompt to write a narrative essay. So, how do you write a narrative essay without a prompt? Well, that’s the thing… you can write a narrative essay about anything!

That’s a bit of a blessing and a curse though – on one hand it’s liberating to choose any topic you want; on the other, it’s difficult to narrow down a good story from an infinite breadth of possibilities.

In this next video, the team at Essay Pro explores why passion is the number one motivator for effective narrative essays.

How to Write a Narrative Essay Step by Step  •  Real Essay Examples by Essay Pro

So, before you write anything, ask yourself: “what am I passionate about?” Movies? Sports? Books? Games? Baking? Volunteering? Whatever it is, make sure that it’s something that demonstrates your individual growth . It doesn’t have to be anything major; take a video game for example: you could write a narrative essay about searching for a rare weapon with friends.

Success or failure, you’ll be able to demonstrate growth.

Here’s something to consider: writing a narrative essay around intertextuality. What is intertextuality ? Intertextuality is the relationship between texts, i.e., books, movies, plays, songs, games, etc. In other words, it’s anytime one text is referenced in another text.

For example, you could write a narrative essay about your favorite movie! Just make sure that it ultimately reflects back on yourself. 

Narrative Writing Format

Structure of a narrative essay.

Narrative essays differ in length and structure – but there are some universal basics. The first paragraph of a narrative essay should always introduce the central theme. For example, if the narrative essay is about “a fond childhood memory,” then the first paragraph should briefly comment on the nature of the fond childhood memory.

In general, a narrative essay should have an introductory paragraph with a topic sentence (reiterating the prompt or basic idea), a brief commentary on the central theme, and a set-up for the body paragraphs.

The body paragraphs should make up the vast majority of the narrative essay. In the body paragraphs, the writer should essentially “build the story’s case.” What do I mean by “build the story’s case?”

Well, I mean that the writer should display the story’s merit; what it means, why it matters, and how it proves (or refutes) personal growth.

The narrative essay should always conclude with a dedicated paragraph. In the “conclusion paragraph,” the writer should reflect on the story.

Pro tip: conclusion paragraphs usually work best when the writer stays within the diegesis. 

What is a Video Essay?

A video essay is a natural extension of a narrative essay; differentiated only by purpose and medium. In our next article, we’ll explain what a video essay is, and why it’s so important to media criticism. By the end, you’ll know where to look for video essay inspiration.

Up Next: The Art of Video Analysis →

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Struggling to write a personal narrative for your college essay? Don’t worry, we got you! Read this article to learn how to write a perfect personal narrative.

The personal narrative essay gives you the chance to discuss a significant experience from your life, making it one of the most enjoyable types of assignments to write. After all, how often do you get to share amusing tales or boast about an amazing trip while earning academic credit?

The term “short storytelling” is another name for a personal narrative essay. What kind of tale the author wants to tell the readers relies on them. Furthermore, this kind of essay can include the writer’s own experiences.

Typically, a personal narrative essay is written in the first person. A concise narrative that is concentrated on a single event is helpful. These essays are typically assigned to high school pupils. They can improve their creative writing abilities by producing this kind of essay. They also assist in shedding light on a student’s private life.

In order to compose a personal story essay, the author must develop a plot that serves as the focal point of the paper. Additionally, it talks about the characters that have appeared in the narrative.

Table of Contents

How to write a personal narrative essay?

When your personal narrative is engaging and expressive, it is thought to be a very good personal narrative essay. Use sensory elements as much as you can to create a fantastic personal tale. A great narrative essay leaves out the specifics of what happened. Instead, it displays what actually occurred and how you felt at the time.

Here is a sample personal narrative essay format:

1. Select the proper subject

An excellent topic will not only improve the appearance of your essay but will also make writing it much simpler. Make sure to select your most interesting experience because personal narrative essays are written from the perspective of the author.

Make sure the subject you select is appropriate for the target audience. The reader determines the purpose and outcome of your article.

2. Form an outline

It’s time to draught your essay’s outline now that you know what it will be about. One crucial component of an essay is the plan. It maintains the composition’s overall structure.

It also aids the reader in following the essay. An outline can help the writer develop the essay’s rationale.

3. Begin with a strong hook

A strong hook statement may make or break an essay of any genre. But hook lines are crucial, particularly for a personal narrative essay.

This is often how an essay’s beginning begins. For this, you may utilize a well-known saying, a verse, or a fascinating fact. This phrase aids in grabbing the reader’s interest and persuading them to read the complete article.

4. Vivid illustration

It is essential for a narrative essay to be vivid enough for the reader to picture the entire scene. This is why it’s essential for the reader to utilize as many descriptive words as they can.

You must be wondering which component of the personal narrative essay is optional. For your information, research is not necessary for such an essay. Because it is a personal essay , you are not required to cite any sources. Additionally, you do not need to perform research because you do not need references.

5. Employ transitional verbs

For any essay, whether it be an argumentative , descriptive, or narrative one. The use of transitional phrases and words is crucial. These linking phrases aid in creating a logical relationship between all of the essay’s sections.

In other words, the transitional phrases help to connect the plot points. You can utilize terms for transitions like but, while, therefore, furthermore, etc.

6. Add feelings

The reader will be shown what and how you have felt in a personal narrative essay. Don’t forget to include your feelings because you need to convey them to the reader. Use precise language to spell out all of the feelings and emotions.

7. Be dependable

The secret to writing an essay in a professional manner is consistency. Make sure you don’t let any unimportant stuff divert your attention. Keep your attention on a single point and provide information that supports it.

Ensure that you consistently connect each of the story’s events. This will make it easier for the reader to connect the events. Additionally, while creating a personal narrative, use first-person perspectives.

Additionally, you need to demonstrate to the reader that you are sharing a true narrative. Make careful to use the same participle throughout the essay.

8. Demonstrate the importance of your experience

You are aware that every event has a cause. Similar to this, explain to your readers why you wrote your essay and what it means. Mention how essential it was to share the tale you just recounted.

Since this is a personal account, you are not required to back up your claims with facts. Instead, you need to use your tale to make a larger point.

9. Proofread

once your personal narrative essay is finished. It’s time to make an effort to ensure that it is error-free. Check the essay for minor spelling errors and other grammatical errors by proofreading it more than time.

This will guarantee that your essay was composed expertly. You can either complete this task yourself or have a friend assist you.

Personal narrative essay outline

You must understand the significance of an essay outline as a student. It offers complete content to an organization.

You must use the following conventional approach to build an outline for a personal narrative essay.

Introduction

Below, these three key components of a narrative essay are fully explained.

The most crucial section of an essay is the beginning. It makes an initial impression on the reader, who determines the essay’s quality by reading this section. The part that draws the greatest attention should be this one.

Its importance as a component of an essay is further enhanced by the thesis statement. The core of an essay is its thesis statement. It is a phrase or two that sums up your essay’s main points.

Before the final sentence of the introduction, the thesis statement is mentioned someplace. Additionally, you should be aware that the introduction must always end with a transitional phrase. This will relate logically to the remainder of the essay.

Body paragraphs

Before the final sentence of the introduction, the thesis statement is mentioned someplace.

Additionally, you should be aware that the introduction must always end with a transitional phrase. This will relate logically to the remainder of the essay.

You must deliver the story’s climax in your conclusion. You should conclude the entire essay’s personal narrative in this section. Make sure to do it such that you offer a synopsis of the full essay.

Be careful not to add any new points in this section. It won’t make the reader feel accomplished and will just leave them perplexed.

How to write a strong essay conclusion

Think of a memorable event.

Any event, regardless of length—whether it lasted a few seconds or several years—can be the subject of a personal narrative. Your chosen subject may disclose aspects of your personality or a significant event that influenced your worldview. Your tale ought to have a distinct point. Try one of these instances if none immediately springs to mind:

• a training course that pushed you and influenced you;
• a novel finding that was the result of an intriguing process;
• a humorous occurrence involving you or your family;
• A painful lesson you had to learn.

Planning your narrative

During the brainstorming phase of this procedure, jot down a handful of your most memorable life experiences. Keep in mind that there is no need for excessive drama. Your moment might be anything, from getting lost in the woods to popping your first bubblegum bubble. Try to think of one or more examples for each of the following if you don’t think your life has many intriguing events:

• when you were laughing the most.
• on occasion, you felt regret for your conduct.
• traumatic memories
• you have been astonished at times
• worst situations

The next step is to go through your list of events and pick a few to focus on. Choose events that follow a clear chronological order and allow you to include vivid, amusing, or intriguing details and descriptions.

Lastly, consider whether your issue has a point. A hilarious narrative could depict irony in real life or a humorous lesson learned; a scary story might show how you can learn from a mistake. Select your final topic’s point, and keep it in mind as you write.

Show, don’t tell

You should use the first-person point of view when writing your story. You can write this from your own eyes and hearing since the writer tells the story in a narrative. Make the reader feel what you felt rather than merely reading what you felt.

Do this by visualizing yourself experiencing the experience again. Write down your observations of what you see, hear, smell, and feel as you consider your story.

Elements to include

Put your story in the correct order of events. Before you start writing the story, create a concise synopsis outlining the order of the events. This will help you stay on course. The following should be in your tale:

Who are the characters in your story? What are their key personality traits?

Write in the past tense generally because your tale has already happened. A present tense is a powerful tool for some writers, but it’s generally not a good choice.

Are you trying to be funny, serious, or both? Are you narrating a tale about your five-year-old self?

Any successful story needs conflict, which can take many different shapes. Conflict can arise between you and your neighbor’s dog or between two emotions you are going through at once, such as guilt vs the desire to fit in.

Descriptive language

Try to expand your vocabulary and employ idioms, strategies, and words that you wouldn’t often use. This will improve your writing and make your paper more enjoyable and interesting.

Your main point

Your narrative should have a satisfying or intriguing conclusion. You shouldn’t try to explain an obvious lesson directly; instead, it should arise through your observations and research.

In personal tales, the main real-life incident that was significant to the writer is highlighted. As part of your college application or as part of a class project, you could be required to write a personal narrative. Start with thinking about a captivating idea if you want to compose a powerful personal narrative. The tale should then be written with a catchy introduction and a carefully thought-out framework. Before submitting the personal tale, make sure it is at its finest by going over and revising it.

Brainstorming ideas for the narrative

Consider a life event or incident that stands out in your mind. The personal narrative should center on a particular occasion or experience that stands out in your memory or has had a significant impact on you. It doesn’t have to be a significant event as long as you find it memorable and significant. The incident may have appeared insignificant at the time, but it had a profound impact on your life.

Describe a significant conflict in your life. A personal tale can benefit greatly from personal turmoil. Consider any tense relationships or significant conflicts you may have encountered in your life. Investigate the tension in the story in depth. Consider a specific theme or notion. As the starting point for the story, use a topic. Investigate a subject or notion from your point of view. Think about how the theme relates to your life and your past experiences. For a personal narrative, themes like poverty, solitude, sacrifice, and genius are all excellent choices.

Check out more personal narrative examples. Learn from excellent print and online examples of the genre. To view examples of effective storytelling, seek the best personal narratives online.

Writing the personal narrative

beginning with a hook. In the initial sentence of the personal tale, grab the reader’s attention. In the introduction, use detailed descriptions. Start with action to capture the reader’s attention and encourage them to keep reading.

Action creates the scene. By introducing the key characters and outlining the primary conflict or subject, the author helps the reader become immersed in the narrative. Indicate to the reader the location and time of the story’s events. Indicate whether the narrative is about you alone or about you in connection to another person in your life.

Walk through the events in order. In the same paragraph, avoid making time jumps or switching from an incident that happened in the past to one that is happening now. From movement to moment, or event to event, go chronologically. The reader will find it simpler to follow up with the story as a result.

Describe and include sensory information. Consider the scene’s sounds, tastes, textures, feelings, and appearances. Give the reader a clear picture to help them the story. Try to depict specific scenes in the story from the speaker’s point of view.

Finish with a lesson or key point. A reflection or analysis of the events usually follows a personal narrative’s conclusion. Using your personal experiences as a springboard, you might develop a lesson that you impart to the reader. Alternately, you might leave the reader with a key lesson that sums up your experiences..

Polishing the personal narrative

The story should be read aloud. Once a draught of the personal narrative is complete, read it aloud to yourself. Consider how the story sounds when spoken aloud. Look for any problematic situations or imprecise sentences. You can later edit them if you highlight or underline them.

Display the story to others. Ask a friend, classmate, peer, or member of your family to read the account. Ask them questions regarding the narrative’s style, tone, and flow. Ask them if the story feels intimate, in-depth, and compelling. The story should be edited for length and clarity. Verify the story for any punctuation, grammar, or spelling mistakes. Personal narratives are typically brief—no more than one to five pages—so check the length to ensure it is appropriate. If you are writing a personal narrative for a class, you might also need to adhere to a certain length restriction.

Personal narrative essay writing tips

To begin your personal narrative essay properly, you must adhere to a few rules. These noteworthy events are as follows:

• Consider a noteworthy occurrence, an outstanding experience, or anything else you want to share with the audience.
• Create a narrative essay plan. Make sure you understand the precise order in which you wish to mention each element.
• Your personal essay should begin with a hook sentence. This will assist you in capturing the readers’ interest.
• Use descriptive words to let the reader visualize the entire scene. Describe the characters’ behavior, the tone, the topic, and the overall plot.
• Use language that is detailed whenever possible.
• Sentences should be well crafted.

The personal narrative is a piece of true-to-life composing that shares a fascinating, proactive, engaging, and hilarious story for readers that are drawn from the essayist’s very encounters. A personal narrative is one-of-a-kind from special writings due to the reality it shares a speedy story.

Composing a personal narrative is tied in with recounting a story to your reader such that it maintains the reader captivated. Everything revolves around picking the right factor and presenting your experience to feeling and detail.

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• How To Write a Narrative Essay: Guide With Examples
• Learn English
• James Prior
• No Comments
• Updated December 12, 2023

Welcome to the creative world of narrative essays where you get to become the storyteller and craft your own narrative. In this article, we’ll break down how to write a narrative essay, covering the essential elements and techniques that you need to know.

Table of Contents

What is a Narrative Essay?

A narrative essay is a form of writing where the author recounts a personal experience or story. Unlike other types of essays, a narrative essay allows you to share a real-life event or sequence of events, often drawing from personal insights and emotions.

In a narrative essay, you take on the role of a storyteller, employing vivid details and descriptive language to transport the reader into the world of your story. The narrative often unfolds in chronological order, guiding the audience through a journey of experiences, reflections, and sometimes, a lesson learned.

The success of a narrative essay lies in your ability to create a compelling narrative arc. This means establishing a clear beginning, middle, and end. This structure helps build suspense, maintain the reader’s interest, and deliver a cohesive and impactful story. Ultimately, a well-crafted narrative essay not only narrates an event but also communicates the deeper meaning or significance behind the experience, making it a powerful and memorable piece of writing and leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Types of Narrative Essays

Narrative essays come in various forms, each with unique characteristics. The most common type of narrative essay are personal narrative essays where you write about a personal experience. This can cover a whole range of topics as these examples of personal narrative essays illustrate. As a student in school or college, you’ll often be asked to write these types of essays. You may also need to write them later in life when applying for jobs and describing your past experiences.

However, this isn’t the only type of narrative essay. There are also fictional narrative essays that you can write using your imagination, and various subject specific narrative essays that you might have come across without even realizing it.

So, it’s worth knowing about the different types of narrative essays and what they each focus on before we move on to how to write them.

Here are some common types of narrative essays:

• Focus on a personal experience or event from the author’s life.
• Use the first-person perspective to convey the writer’s emotions and reflections.
• Can take many forms, from science fiction and fantasy to adventure and romance.
• Spark the imagination to create captivating stories.
• Provide a detailed account of the author’s life, often covering a significant timespan.
• Explore key life events, achievements, challenges, and personal growth.
• Reflect on the writer’s experiences with language, reading, or writing.
• Explore how these experiences have shaped the writer’s identity and skills
• Document the author’s experiences and insights gained from a journey or travel.
• Describe places visited, people encountered, and the lessons learned during the trip.
• Explore historical events or periods through a personal lens.
• Combine factual information with the writer’s perspective and experiences.

The narrative essay type you’ll work with often depends on the purpose, audience, and nature of the story being told. So, how should you write narrative essays?

How To Write Narrative Essays

From selecting the right topic to building a captivating storyline, we explore the basics to guide you in creating engaging narratives. So, grab your pen, and let’s delve into the fundamentals of writing a standout narrative essay.

Before we start, it’s worth pointing out that most narrative essays are written in the first-person. Through the use of first-person perspective, you get to connect with the reader, offering a glimpse into your thoughts, reactions, and the significance of the story being shared.

Let’s get into how to create these stories:

Write your plot

If you want to tell a compelling story you need a good plot. Your plot will give your story a structure. Every good story includes some kind of conflict. You should start with setting the scene for readers. After this, you introduce a challenge or obstacle. Readers will keep reading until the end to find out how you managed to overcome it.

Your story should reach a climax where tension is highest. This will be the turning point that leads to a resolution. For example, moving outside of your comfort zone was difficult and scary. It wasn’t easy at first but eventually, you grew braver and more confident. Readers should discover more about who you are as a person through what they read.

A seasoned writer knows how to craft a story that connects with an audience and creates an impact.

Hook readers with your introduction

In your introduction, you will introduce the main idea of your essay and set the context. Ways to make it more engaging are to:

• Use sensory images to describe the setting in which your story takes place.
• Use a quote that illustrates your main idea.
• Pose an intriguing question.
• Introduce an unexpected fact or a statement that grabs attention.

Develop your characters

You need to make readers feel they know any characters you introduce in your narrative essay. You can do this by revealing their personalities and quirks through the actions they take. It is always better to show the actions of characters rather than giving facts about them. Describing a character’s body language and features can also reveal a great deal about the person. You can check out these adjectives to describe a person to get some inspiration.

Use dialogue

Dialogue can bring your narrative essay to life. Most fiction books use dialogue extensively . It helps to move the story along in a subtle way. When you allow characters to talk, what they have to say seems more realistic. You can use similes , metaphors, and other parts of speech to make your story more compelling. Just make sure the dialogue is written clearly with the right punctuation so readers understand exactly who is talking.

Work on the pace of the story

Your story must flow along at a steady pace. If there’s too much action, readers may get confused. If you use descriptive writing, try not to overdo it. The clear, concise language throughout will appeal to readers more than lengthy descriptions.

Build up towards a climax

This is the point at which the tension in your story is the highest. A compelling climax takes readers by surprise. They may not have seen it coming. This doesn’t mean your climax should come out of left field. You need to carefully lead up to it step by step and guide readers along. When you reveal it they should be able to look back and realize it’s logical.

Cut out what you don’t need

Your story will suffer if you include too much detail that doesn’t move your story along. It may flow better once you cut out some unnecessary details. Most narrative essays are about five paragraphs but this will depend on the topic and requirements.

In a narrative essay, you share your experiences and insights. The journey you take your readers on should leave them feeling moved or inspired. It takes practice to learn how to write in a way that causes this reaction. With a good plot as your guide, it’s easier to write a compelling story that flows toward a satisfying resolution.

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How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay

January 5, 2024 by Richard Leave a Comment

A personal narrative essay relates an important event or milestone from the writer’s life. Unlike other essay forms that aim to provide factual info, the goal here is to tell a compelling, engaging story. By going through the writing process step-by-step, you can craft an essay sure to connect with readers.

Choose a Meaningful Topic

The first vital step in writing a compelling personal narrative essay is deciding on a truly meaningful event from your life to showcase. Set aside some quiet time for self-reflection – what past experiences, relationships, challenges, accomplishments, or discoveries shaped you into who you are at your core? Which ones still emotionally move you years later when you recall them? Jot down anything that comes to mind, whether big or small. Look for pivotal moments that revealed a hard-won truth, stirred personal growth, altered your worldview, or strengthened bonds with others.

As you compile this list, evaluate the most vivid and transformative story. Spotlighting just one key incident will allow you to go in-depth rather than giving a surface-level overview crammed with details. As you narrow down your choice, assess which reveals the most intriguing aspects of your inner self while also relating a universal life lesson others may connect to. If you need help picking a topic try our 100 Greatest Narrative Essay Topics for ideas. 

Some classic impactful narrative essay topics include poignant childhood memories

, awe-inspiring travel adventures, acts of courage in the face of fear, obstacles you worked to overcome, special mentors that left a mark, or close personal bonds forged through laughter and tears. These life-shaping experiences often emerge around milestone events like a first job, a parent’s divorce, writing your college application essay, living abroad, becoming an activist for a cause, or the arrival of a new family member.

By selecting one sentimental episode that conveys emotional truth in a relatable way, you equip yourself to write an engaging personal narrative sure to resonate with readers. So embrace self-excavation to uncover the gems resting in your memory’s treasury, waiting to be polished into prose.

Narrow Your Focus” Focusing on Key Moments in Your Story

You picked an important experience from your life you want to write about. But telling the whole long story from start to finish might get boring or confusing. Good news – you don’t need to do that. Just focus on re-telling the most intense, emotional moments.

Picture yourself back at the event in your mind. What details do you see, hear, smell, touch or taste? When during that day did the biggest things happen…the stuff that made you feel joy, sadness, worry, relief? Write down every key moment of the scene that’s still crisp in your brain after all this time.

Don’t just say, “I took a summer trip to the beach as a kid and learned to surf.” Go step-by-step instead: Show your mom waking you early. Smell the salt air as you run across hot sand with a surfboard under your arm. Feel the tension in your muscles as you paddle out nervously to wait for a wave, not knowing what will happen when it comes. Describe wiping out over and over until, finally, you stand up successfully and ride the wave to shore, beaming with accomplishment.

By narrowing in on the minutes and seconds where you reacted strongly, and things changed, readers feel like they’re right there seeing your important life event through your eyes. The emotional whirlwind comes through more powerfully when you unroll tiny key details one by one instead of a broad, general storyline. So, take readers on your personal journey by bringing your most impactful moments back to life.

Craft the Narrative Arc: Crafting Your Narrative Arc for Maximum Impact

Simply recounting the play-by-play of your chosen memory risks leaving readers feeling disjointed or bored. Shaping the flow intentionally as an arc builds suspense, allowing you to land emotional punches. First, start by giving a one-sentence teaser hook relaying why this event held such significance – how it challenged your worldview, taught you something weighty, strengthened a bond, and ignited personal growth. Use a crisp image or impactful quote to draw readers in.

Next, if backstory is needed for context, use quick flashbacks or background woven organically into the action rather than halting all momentum with lengthy explanations upfront. Give just enough familiar details to ground readers – “I was 17 when I traveled to Ecuador on a service trip the summer after junior year.”

With context set, describe the rising action as you inch toward the climactic apex of it all. Draw out tension slowly through the obstacles you face, the fears swirling inside, the meanings and stakes becoming clear. Right as the moment of peak emotional intensity nears, use short, punchy sentences and vivid sensory details to slow down time, heightening anticipation.

After the focal point crashes over you and readers alike, illustrate the falling action and resolution concisely. Show thoughts, realizations, and impacts in the aftermath rather than tell. Close with a reflective paragraph at the present day, considering how the experience strengthened or enlightened you – “Now, as a nurse and mother, when I strap on my medical volunteer vest each day, I still touch that carved wooden necklace from Ecuador underneath for courage.”

With this intentional narrative arc guiding your scenes, you fully immerse readers in your memoir’s most dynamic emotional moments. The structure makes your message crystal clear while keeping them invested from the first word to the final profound reflection.

Show, Don’t Tell: Bring Your Story to Life By Showing the Details

Telling a story from your life is more fun for readers when you make them feel like they’re really there with you. Instead of just saying, “I went to basketball camp when I was 10,” show all the sights, sounds, and emotions that happened.

Picture the scene like a movie playing in your mind. Describe exactly where you were so readers see it too – the squeak of sneakers on the shiny gym floor, rows of blue folding chairs along the sidelines, the heavy sound of balls bouncing, the zing of whistles around you.

Show the key moments happening rather than looking back and just telling what went down later. In the story, have the coach blow the whistle and shout gruffly for drills to start, make readers hear balls swishing through nets when you score, and feel the burning in your calves as you sprint end to end all practice. Let them get nervous with you when the coach calls out the names for the starting lineup.

When you unfold the scenes bit-by-bit like this instead of saying, “I worked hard all week, then made the starting lineup,” or whatever, it’s so much more fun for readers. They feel all caught up in the action, too, high-fiving when you succeed or cringing when something embarrassing happens.

Don’t forget to zoom out and quickly summarize other parts, though, so readers know stuff like when the scene changes to a new day. But use showing, not telling, to let your biggest moments shine!

Using “I” and “You” to Draw Readers Into Your Story (IF ACCEPTABLE) 

Personal stories are way more fun to read when they make you feel like you’re in action with the writer. Using a first-person point of view helps make that happen. That’s when the writer talks about their own life using the word “I.”

So try starting most sentences with “I” to share the play-by-plays from your eyes. Like “I could barely breathe as the rollercoaster crept up the steep track” and “My hands were slick with sweat when I finally asked my crush to dance.” Readers know they get the insider scoop on your embarrassing or fantastic moment.

Every now and then, throw in some “you” sentences, too, to make readers feel like they’re the ones having the experience. For example, “You should have seen Coach’s eyebrows shoot up when I tried to explain why I missed practice” or “Picture yourself as an 8-year-old, staring up at that rickety treehouse ladder, wondering whether to risk it.”

Using “I did this…” and “You would have felt this…” hooks readers into your greatest hits. It’s almost like they traveled back in time with your older self to ride along on all your adventures and mishaps. So invite them in with lots of first person. After all, your awesome stories belong to you, so share them loudly and proudly!

Note: Sometimes, teachers and professors do not want you to use “I” in your narrative. If this is the case, please follow their instructions. 

Adding Transition Words to Connect Scenes

You chose a fantastic life event for your personal story and are ready to pull readers right into the action. But remember – you’ll likely focus on 2 or 3 main scenes rather than giving every detail from a whole day or week. So, between big moments, guide readers clearly from one time, place, or event to the next.

Pepper in transition phrases so they know when you skip forward or jump back. For example, “Later that evening, after pizza at Chuck E. Cheese, I spotted my crush from school again” or “Flashback to earlier that morning – I woke up extra early from pre-sleepover jitters.” Other helpful transitions are “Meanwhile, across town…” or “Five minutes later…”

You can also simply split major scenes into separate paragraphs. Add an extra space between paragraphs to signal readers they’re traveling to a new spot in your journey. No long boring explanations are needed – just quick time markers saying “But meanwhile…” or “Two hours after that…” work nicely.

These tiny phrases are pathway signs that stop readers from getting lost. Help them follow along happily without wondering if you’re still at your grandma’s house from a sentence ago or suddenly jumped forward to middle school. Guide them step-by-step through your scenes’ twists and turns with clear transition words sprinkled throughout

Wrapping Up Your Story With Lessons Learned

You took readers on a ride through your favorite life memory, revealing emotions and funny mishaps along the way. Now that the wild adventure is over share what that experience gave you or changed in you. The last paragraph should look back at your younger self with some wisdom.

Think about what mattered most from that scene with some distance now. Have you realized things you were too young to see then? Maybe you recognize now why your dad cried when you left for sleepaway camp or why losing the championship game surprised you less than disappointing your team.

If powerful life lessons or truths were uncovered, explain briefly. Like realizing monsters under beds aren’t real, but bravery in hard times is. Or how focusing on pleasing others less leaves room for adventuring more. These “moral of the story” bits show readers how you grew wiser.

You could also describe ways you’re different now, thanks to what happened back then. If you learned Spanish after struggling to order food in Madrid as a kid, share how speaking Spanish reminds you now of respecting different cultures. Or if you became a baseball coach years after your own lousy coach, talk about how you use encouragement, not anger, now.

However you wrap up, show readers your experience gave you new perspectives, shifting how you walk in the world today. It’s cool to model looking back thoughtfully!

Revise for Strength

Edit your draft for clarity and flow. Assess spots that seem bland and employ more descriptive language and compelling turns of phrase. Have others read and give feedback before polishing it into a powerful narrative sure to resonate.

You can write an engaging, meaningful narrative essay by planning your poignant personal story, bringing readers vividly into key scenes, and closing with insight gained. Using these steps, your unique life experience will come to life for readers.

Planning Out Your Essay’s Flow

Writing stuff that happened to you lets you get creative with the setup. However, having some structure helps readers follow along with your awesome life story. Here’s one way you could organize all the scenes:

Intro: Start with 1-2 sentences setting the scene – where/when is this happening, and why does it matter? Get readers hooked fast!

Next paragraph: Give some quick background – describe something important from earlier or explain who people are.

Buildup: Unfold more details slowly in 2-3 paragraphs to ramp up to the big moment. Build suspense about what’s coming!

Climax: Spend 2-3 paragraphs on the peak emotional or exciting point. Zoom in super close on meaningful dialogue, feelings, and actions here.

Winding Down: In 1-2 paragraphs, show how everything is wrapped up afterward. How did people respond? How did you?

Conclusion: In one paragraph, share the life lesson or way this changed your views more significantly. Look back with some wisdom!

This is just a suggestion, though – outline however you want! The key is grabbing readers’ attention quick, then making the most intense parts stand out by slowing down to show emotions and reactions. However you structure it, you’ll share an awesome memory! 

A more detailed layout: 

Paragraph 1:.

Introduction and Opening Hook

• Begins with an attention-grabbing opening hook (anecdote, question, vivid description)
• Provides brief background context to set up your story
• Ends with a clear thesis statement or main focus

Paragraph 2:

Rising Action

• Gives a more detailed background and sets the scene
• Starts describing key events leading up to the main story
• Uses vivid sensory details and descriptions
• Ends in a mini-cliffhanger to transition to the next event

Paragraph 3:

• Details the peak event, challenge, or adventure
• Tell the moment that changed you or impacted you the most
• Builds anticipation and uncertainty leading up to this moment
• Ends when the main event concludes, for better or worse

Paragraph 4:

Falling Action and Reflection

• Describe the aftermath and impacts of your climactic moment
• Analyze the deeper meaning and what you learned
• Discusses how the event changed you or your life in the future

Paragraph 5:

Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

• Summarize your main takeaway or theme from the story
• Discusses why this memory matters and what readers can learn from your story
• Ends with a strong, impactful closing line that resonates

This 5 paragraph’s narrative structure follows a complete story arc, allowing you to reinforce and reflect on your key message. There are many other suggestions for writing a 5 paragraph essay on the web .  

Spilling your inside stories out takes guts but feels great after. Following these tips will make your real-life tale flow well so readers feel they lived it, too. Pick a moment that rocked your world somehow and zoom your emotions up to 100. Show all the sights, smells, and sounds as it went down. Unfold the blow-by-blow slowly like a movie, not just saying what happened. Toss in some “I felt” and “You would’ve thought” lines to get readers right in your shoes. Wrap up with the gems you scored from that pivotal time that changed how you think or act now. However you tell it, your one-of-a-kind adventure can inspire. Remember, these memories and remarkable personalities belong to nobody else. So shine that spotlight on the stuff that shaped you into you!

Related posts:

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• How long is a short story? A question for the ages
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• 36 More Types of Poems, Forms or Formats

About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.  

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry.   Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

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7 Tips For Writing an Effective Personal Narrative

by Harry Wallett

In its basic form, a personal narrative is a story told in the first person where you reflect about a meaningful experience, including your feelings about it, your learnings, your journey, and so on.

It usually has to do with something that has been transformational, unique in your life that caused you to rethink or reconsider your point of view, typically resulting in personal growth, professional growth, or both.

These experiences typically involve facing painful circumstances that have forced you to change your beliefs in some unexpected way in order to overcome adversity.

What a personal narrative is not is a depiction of mundane events that are commonplace in people’s lives and therefore not really significant or memorable.

The goal of a personal narrative is to share your journey of growth with others to inspire them, uplift them, motivate them, and show them what might be possible in their own lives by learning lessons from your experience.

What Makes a Good Personal Narrative?

Now, for a personal narrative to be effective, it needs to be properly structured as a story and not be just a random collection of thoughts and experiences without a clear thread.

If your story is well-organized and easy to follow, you’ll be able to hook your readers from beginning to end without risking losing their attention and missing an opportunity to add value to their lives.

You should also make sure to include descriptive language that will allow your reader to imagine how you felt in each situation.

So, don’t limit your narrative to a sequence of causes and effects. Paint instead a vivid picture that allows your readers to feel they’re witnessing your life story, taking advantage of all five senses to connect with their emotions.

Make sure your structure includes a clear beginning middle and end, as well as transitions between the different sections.

The beginning needs to establish your core idea in your personal narrative and hook your readers.

The middle needs to develop your central idea using descriptive language to define your story, the setting, the characters (you and others) and the plot.

Finally, the end needs to summarize any lessons learned, relate your core theme back to your readers’ lives, and include a call to action.

What Is The Most Powerful Element In a Personal Narrative?

The most powerful element in a personal narrative is the emotional connection that you’re able to establish with your readers.

Your story should engage their senses and feelings in addition to their rational thoughts, allowing them to live vicariously through your experiences.

To achieve this, it’s important that you be honest and open about how those experiences have impacted you, and never be afraid to show your vulnerability. Doing so will give your readers permission to accept their own.

Writing a personal narrative takes time, effort, and emotional fortitude, but can also be extremely liberating and rewarding for both author and reader.

How Can I Start a Personal Narrative?

When starting your personal narrative, it’s important that you choose an interesting life event that you can write about with passion. This should be a circumstance that involves a significant lesson or a teaching moment that you wish to share with others.

Once you’ve chosen your event, think about how you want to structure your narrative. This will help you outline your story and ensure that each section transitions smoothly into the next, from the introduction to the various body sections to the conclusion.

Once your outline is complete, just start writing and don’t worry if your content isn’t perfect right away. Personal narratives often take multiple drafts before they feel solid.

Just make sure to use descriptive language, include plenty of detail, and focus on connecting emotionally with your reader. With time and practice, you’ll get naturally good at it. After all, you’re talking about your life and not someone else’s.

How to Write a Personal Narrative (7 Tips)

Here are seven tips for helping you write a personal narrative that’s effective:

1. Start by brainstorming life experiences you want others to benefit from

When brainstorming topics for a personal narrative, choose something that you’re passionate about communicating to others. You want to make your readers feel like they are experiencing your story firsthand.

You want them to learn from your transformational experience so they don’t have to suffer the consequences themselves.

In other words, give them a heads up so they can, a) avoid the pain you went through to get to the other side or b) relieve their pain if they’re currently going through a similar experience.

2. Organize your ideas into a clear structure that helps them navigate your emotional journey with ease

A clear structure will ensure that your reader can easily follow your story and understand the main points you’re trying to make.

Also, a story well told will capture your reader’s attention right from the initial hook in your introduction and never let go until your conclusion. And even then, it’ll leave them pondering with one or many “aha” moments after they’re done reading.

Finally, a well structured personal narrative is not premised on entertaining your audience, like a piece of fiction would (although, some parts may be entertaining to read) but instead on changing minds and hearts, self-discovery, personal growth and transformation.

3. Write honestly so that the reader can connect with your story

When writing a personal narrative, it’s critical that you’re always honest and truthful. This isn’t about persuasion or selling ideas — you’re not setting out to convince someone of your point of view.

Personal narratives are experiential. They’re raw and emotional. They’re about empathy and connection. As a result, they need to be founded on authenticity and vulnerability in order to be believable and relatable.

This means including all the details of your experience, no matter how embarrassing, shameful, or personal they may be.

You need to be able to share your feelings as well as your pain. It is this pain that’ll allow you to connect with your audience from a foundation of empathy and growth.

4. Use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture in your reader’s mind

The best storytelling is descriptive in nature. The “telling” part of the story needs to paint a picture to help your readers experience your world with all their senses.

You need to help them visually experience colors and shapes. You need to help them feel warm or chilled, scared or thrilled. You need to help them experience a scent or savor a meal.

You need to help them get lost in your narrative so they don’t feel they’re just reading about your experiences, but instead riding along your life journey wearing your shoes.

5. Once you have finished writing, go back and edit any mistakes or add any extra details you may have forgotten

Now, let’s switch gears to the mechanical aspects of writing. Once you have finished writing your personal narrative, be sure to go back and edit for mistakes. This includes grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

In addition, it’s helpful to add any extra details you may have forgotten to include during your initial passes. The more you stimulate your brain through the drafting process, the more details you’ll unearth.

6. Ask a friend or family member to read your personal narrative and give you feedback

One of the best ways to improve your personal narrative is to ask a friend or family member to read it and give you feedback.

This will help you identify any mistakes or areas that need improvement. In addition, getting feedback from a different pair of eyes will help you to see your personal narrative from a different perspective.

When asking for feedback, make sure to be clear about what you’re looking for in terms of structural mistakes, areas of improvement, and general thoughts on your story.

Be prepared to listen to what they have to say and don’t take their criticism personally. A personal narrative may be about you but should really be intended for your audience and their needs. If they can’t connect with your story, you’ll need to reassess your creative writing.

7. Finally, have fun with it!

While writing a personal narrative can be a deeply moving experience, it doesn’t mean you need to be solemn about the entire process. It’s also important to have fun with it!

Writing personal narratives can be an enjoyable experience if you just let yourself relax and tell your story. In fact, the more relaxed you’re when writing, the more natural sounding and authentic your narrative will feel.

In Conclusion

Writing personal narratives can be an enjoyable and therapeutic experience.

Whether you’re a high-school student writing personal narrative essays or an author writing a memoir, by following the above tips you should have no problem creating a personal narrative that your readers will learn from, get a lot of value out of, and also deeply enjoy.

Just remember to focus on connecting with your audience, using vivid descriptive language, and structuring your story in a way that makes it a page turner.

With time and practice, you’ll be able to create an engaging personal narrative that truly captures the attention of your readers!

Harry Wallett is the Managing Director of Cascadia Author Services. He has a decade of experience as the Founder and Managing Director of Relay Publishing, which has sold over 3 million copies of books in all genres for its authors, and looks after a team of 50+ industry professionals working across the world.

Harry is inspired by the process of book creation and is passionate about the stories and characters behind the prose. He loves working with the writers and has shepherded 1000s of titles to publication over the years. He knows first-hand what it takes to not only create an unputdownable book, but also how to get it into the hands of the right readers for success.

Books are still one of the most powerful mediums to communicate ideas and establish indisputable authority in a field, boosting your reach and stature. But publishing isn’t a quick and easy process—nor should it be, or everyone would do it!

A professional grade book takes 250+ individual tasks to complete. Cascadia is an expert in every single one of them. Do you want to harness our expertise to launch your book into the stratosphere? Chat with us !

One response to “7 Tips For Writing an Effective Personal Narrative”

Hi Mr. Wallett, I am a retired English Teacher, currently tutoring High School students in English. Your web site is Great!. This text gives a lot of insights on how to write a narrative text. Thank You Very Much. You are welcome to send me articles that may help my students.

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How to Write a Perfect Narrative Essay (Step-by-Step)

By Status.net Editorial Team on October 17, 2023 — 10 minutes to read

• Understanding a Narrative Essay Part 1
• Typical Narrative Essay Structure Part 2
• Narrative Essay Template Part 3
• Step 1. How to Choose Your Narrative Essay Topic Part 4
• Step 2. Planning the Structure Part 5
• Step 3. Crafting an Intriguing Introduction Part 6
• Step 4. Weaving the Narrative Body Part 7
• Step 5. Creating a Conclusion Part 8
• Step 6. Polishing the Essay Part 9
• Step 7. Feedback and Revision Part 10

Part 1 Understanding a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is a form of writing where you share a personal experience or tell a story to make a point or convey a lesson. Unlike other types of essays, a narrative essay aims to engage your audience by sharing your perspective and taking them on an emotional journey.

• To begin, choose a meaningful topic . Pick a story or experience that had a significant impact on your life, taught you something valuable, or made you see the world differently. You want your readers to learn from your experiences, so choose something that will resonate with others.
• Next, create an outline . Although narrative essays allow for creative storytelling, it’s still helpful to have a roadmap to guide your writing. List the main events, the characters involved, and the settings where the events took place. This will help you ensure that your essay is well-structured and easy to follow.
• When writing your narrative essay, focus on showing, not telling . This means that you should use descriptive language and vivid details to paint a picture in your reader’s mind. For example, instead of stating that it was a rainy day, describe the sound of rain hitting your window, the feeling of cold wetness around you, and the sight of puddles forming around your feet. These sensory details will make your essay more engaging and immersive.
• Another key aspect is developing your characters . Give your readers an insight into the thoughts and emotions of the people in your story. This helps them connect with the story, empathize with the characters, and understand their actions. For instance, if your essay is about a challenging hike you took with a friend, spend some time describing your friend’s personality and how the experience impacted their attitude or feelings.
• Keep the pace interesting . Vary your sentence lengths and structures, and don’t be afraid to use some stylistic devices like dialogue, flashbacks, and metaphors. This adds more depth and dimension to your story, keeping your readers engaged from beginning to end.

Part 2 Typical Narrative Essay Structure

A narrative essay typically follows a three-part structure: introduction, body, and conclusion.

• Introduction: Start with a hook to grab attention and introduce your story. Provide some background to set the stage for the main events.
• Body: Develop your story in detail. Describe scenes, characters, and emotions. Use dialogue when necessary to provide conversational elements.
• Conclusion: Sum up your story, revealing the lesson learned or the moral of the story. Leave your audience with a lasting impression.

Part 3 Narrative Essay Template

• 1. Introduction : Set the scene and introduce the main characters and setting of your story. Use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture for your reader and capture their attention.
• Body 2. Rising Action : Develop the plot by introducing a conflict or challenge that the main character must face. This could be a personal struggle, a difficult decision, or an external obstacle. 3. Climax : This is the turning point of the story, where the conflict reaches its peak and the main character must make a critical decision or take action. 4. Falling Action : Show the consequences of the main character’s decision or action, and how it affects the rest of the story. 5. Resolution : Bring the story to a satisfying conclusion by resolving the conflict and showing how the main character has grown or changed as a result of their experiences.
• 6. Reflection/Conclusion : Reflect on the events of the story and what they mean to you as the writer. This could be a lesson learned, a personal realization, or a message you want to convey to your reader.

Part 4 Step 1. How to Choose Your Narrative Essay Topic

Brainstorming ideas.

Start by jotting down any ideas that pop into your mind. Think about experiences you’ve had, stories you’ve heard, or even books and movies that have resonated with you. Write these ideas down and don’t worry too much about organization yet. It’s all about getting your thoughts on paper.

Once you have a list, review your ideas and identify common themes or connections between them. This process should help you discover potential topics for your narrative essay.

Narrowing Down the Choices

After brainstorming, you’ll likely end up with a few strong contenders for your essay topic. To decide which topic is best, consider the following:

• Relevance : Is the topic meaningful for your audience? Will they be able to connect with it on a personal level? Consider the purpose of your assignment and your audience when choosing your topic.
• Detail : Do you have enough specific details to craft a vivid story? The more detail you can recall about the event, the easier it’ll be to write a compelling narrative.
• Emotional impact : A strong narrative essay should evoke emotions in your readers. Choose a topic that has the potential to elicit some emotional response from your target audience.

After evaluating your potential topics based on these criteria, you can select the one that best fits the purpose of your narrative essay.

Part 5 Step 2. Planning the Structure

Creating an outline.

Before you start writing your narrative essay, it’s a great idea to plan out your story. Grab a piece of paper and sketch out a rough outline of the key points you want to cover. Begin with the introduction, where you’ll set the scene and introduce your characters. Then, list the major events of your story in chronological order, followed by the climax and resolution. Organizing your ideas in an outline will ensure your essay flows smoothly and makes sense to your readers.

Detailing Characters, Settings, and Events

Taking time to flesh out the characters, settings, and events in your story will make it more engaging and relatable. Think about your main character’s background, traits, and motivations. Describe their appearance, emotions, and behavior in detail. This personal touch will help your readers connect with them on a deeper level.

Also, give some thought to the setting – where does the story take place? Be sure to include sensory details that paint a vivid picture of the environment. Finally, focus on the series of events that make up your narrative. Are there any twists and turns, or surprising moments? Address these in your essay, using vivid language and engaging storytelling techniques to captivate your readers.

Writing the Narrative Essay

Part 6 step 3. crafting an intriguing introduction.

To start your narrative essay, you’ll want to hook your reader with an interesting and engaging opening. Begin with a captivating sentence or question that piques curiosity and captures attention. For example, “Did you ever think a simple bus ride could change your life forever?” This kind of opening sets the stage for a compelling, relatable story. Next, introduce your main characters and provide a bit of context to help your readers understand the setting and background of the story.

Part 7 Step 4. Weaving the Narrative Body

The body of your essay is where your story unfolds. Here’s where you’ll present a series of events, using descriptive language and vivid details.

Remember to maintain a strong focus on the central theme or main point of your narrative.

Organize your essay chronologically, guiding your reader through the timeline of events.

As you recount your experience, use a variety of sensory details, such as sounds, smells, and tastes, to immerse your reader in the moment. For instance, “The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room as my friends and I excitedly chattered about our upcoming adventure.”

Take advantage of dialogue to bring your characters to life and to reveal aspects of their personalities. Incorporate both internal and external conflicts, as conflict plays a crucial role in engaging your reader and enhancing the narrative’s momentum. Show the evolution of your characters and how they grow throughout the story.

Part 8 Step 5. Creating a Conclusion

Finally, to write a satisfying conclusion, reflect on the narrative’s impact and how the experience has affected you or your characters. Tie the narrative’s events together and highlight the lessons learned, providing closure for the reader.

Avoid abruptly ending your story, because that can leave the reader feeling unsatisfied. Instead, strive to create a sense of resolution and demonstrate how the events have changed the characters’ perspectives or how the story’s theme has developed.

For example, “Looking back, I realize that the bus ride not only changed my perspective on friendship, but also taught me valuable life lessons that I carry with me to this day.”

Part 9 Step 6. Polishing the Essay

Fine-tuning your language.

When writing a narrative essay, it’s key to choose words that convey the emotions and experiences you’re describing. Opt for specific, vivid language that creates a clear mental image for your reader. For instance, instead of saying “The weather was hot,” try “The sun scorched the pavement, causing the air to shimmer like a mirage.” This gives your essay a more engaging and immersive feeling.

Editing for Clarity and Concision

As you revise your essay, keep an eye out for redundancies and unnecessary words that might dilute the impact of your story. Getting to the point and using straightforward language can help your essay flow better. For example, instead of using “She was walking in a very slow manner,” you can say, “She strolled leisurely.” Eliminate filler words and phrases, keeping only the most pertinent information that moves your story forward.

Proofreading for Typos

Finally, proofread your essay carefully to catch any typos, grammatical errors, or punctuation mistakes. It’s always a good idea to have someone else read it as well, as they might catch errors you didn’t notice. Mistakes can be distracting and may undermine the credibility of your writing, so be thorough with your editing process.

Part 10 Step 7. Feedback and Revision

Gathering feedback.

After you’ve written the first draft of your narrative essay, it’s time to gather feedback from friends, family, or colleagues. Share your essay with a few trusted people who can provide insights and suggestions for improvement. Listen to their thoughts and be open to constructive criticism. You might be surprised by the different perspectives they offer, which can strengthen your essay.

Iterating on the Draft

Once you have collected feedback, it’s time to revise and refine your essay. Address any issues or concerns raised by your readers and incorporate their suggestions. Consider reorganizing your story’s structure, clarifying your descriptions, or adding more details based on the feedback you received.

As you make changes, continue to fine-tune your essay to ensure a smooth flow and a strong narrative. Don’t be afraid to cut out unnecessary elements or rework parts of your story until it’s polished and compelling.

Revision is a crucial part of the writing process, and taking the time to reflect on feedback and make improvements will help you create a more engaging and impactful narrative essay.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i create an engaging introduction.

Craft an attention-grabbing hook with a thought-provoking question, an interesting fact, or a vivid description. Set the stage for your story by introducing the time, place, and context for the events. Creating tension or raising curiosity will make your readers eager to learn more.

What strategies help develop strong characters?

To develop strong characters, consider the following:

• Give your characters distinct traits, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Provide a backstory to explain their actions and motivations.
• Use dialogue to present their personality, emotions, and relationships.
• Show how they change or evolve throughout your story.

How can I make my story flow smoothly with transitions?

Smooth transitions between scenes or events can create a more coherent and easy-to-follow story. Consider the following tips to improve your transitions:

• Use words and phrases like “meanwhile,” “later that day,” or “afterward” to signify changes in time.
• Link scenes with a common theme or element.
• Revisit the main characters or setting to maintain continuity.
• Introduce a twist or an unexpected event that leads to the next scene.

What are some tips for choosing a great narrative essay topic?

To choose an engaging narrative essay topic, follow these tips:

• Pick a personal experience or story that holds significance for you.
• Consider a challenge or a turning point you’ve faced in your life.
• Opt for a topic that will allow you to share emotions and lessons learned.
• Think about what your audience would find relatable, intriguing, or inspiring.

How do I wrap up my narrative essay with a strong conclusion?

A compelling conclusion restates the main events and highlights any lessons learned or growth in your character. Try to end on a thought-provoking note or leave readers with some food for thought. Finally, make sure your conclusion wraps up your story neatly and reinforces its overall message.

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Personal Narrative

Personal narratives are simple: it’s your story, told uniquely by you..

Body Scan Emily Maynes

“Now as we begin, just take a moment to get comfortable and then, when you’re ready, start off with some nice big deep breaths” Andy’s voice intones these familiar words in my ears. I have never met Andy Puddicombe, but after months of listening to his recorded meditations, I feel like we’re old friends. I’ve received countless pieces of advice–sometimes conflicting, often worthless–but meditation is one practice that actually helps me.

Andy’s resonant voice continues: “and with the next inhalation, just close your eyes and settle back into the space around you. Now just gently bring the attention back to the body and start noticing how it feels, taking note not only of the areas that feel uncomfortable, but those areas that feel comfortable, too. Starting up at the top of the head, you can just scan down towards the toes.”

The top of my head…that’s what struck the side of the car when we were hit. I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt when it happened. We had only just piled into our seats when the truck smashed into the side of the car–my side of the car. It happened in an instant, but I was thrown in slow motion. I’ve never screamed like that before.

The top of my head took the brunt of the blow. No skin was broken to make a scar; not even a bruise remained, but it was weeks before that sharp pain subsided. It’s long gone now.

On an inhale through my nose, I scan down the back of my head, which is sensitive to touch. The sensitivity is caused by nerve pain, but I didn’t know that until six months after I was injured, when I first saw my neurologist: “I guess I just started sleeping on my stomach to avoid putting pressure on it. I didn’t even think about it until now…but I never slept like that before the accident.”

I release the air through my mouth on an exhale and notice that my eyes are clenched tightly closed. Sensitive to even the softest light and struggling to focus, my eyes were strained for weeks after I was injured. I thought they relaxed sooner than they did, but I really just forgot I was squinting.

The neurologist told me that difficulty focusing and light sensitivity are classic lingering symptoms. “It will go away with time,” he assured me, but my first doctor said the same thing. She also cleared me of my symptoms two months after the accident and yet there I was, talking to a neurologist six months later, with all of my symptoms as acute as they were right after I was injured. They were triggered again when I tried to go on my mission.

The night before they sent me home, I cried harder than I ever had before. Big and puffy and bruised, I didn’t know if my eyelids would ever recover. On my last day, I insisted on taking pictures with the missionaries from my district, but my face was so swollen that I can hardly recognize myself in those photos. My missionaries have been in Sweden now for almost four months; I still talk to them every week. My puffy eyelids looked bruised for days after we parted, but they did, eventually, recover. Lying on my back, I let the last bit of air release from my lungs and, amazingly, so does the tension in my lids.

My next breath goes down a little further into my neck and I gently nod my head the way my physical therapist showed me to, turning on my deep neck flexors. Teaching me how to activate those muscles, the physical therapist said “it might feel a little uncomfortable at first, like you’re restricting your breathing a bit.” I spent weeks choking back sobs, so this is a familiar sensation. As those little muscles activate, I feel the desired release in my sub-occipital region.

I didn’t even know what a sub-occipital was before I saw a neurologist but, as with me and Andy, I now feel like the sub-occs and I are old pals. “Whiplash will correct itself after a few weeks.” That’s what my first doctor said. Six months later, my sub-occipitals begged to differ.

The neurologist thought micro tears or inflammation in my neck might be the source of my debilitating headaches. I doubted his diagnosis because I didn’t feel anything like the tension he described, but when they did an ultrasound to check, they found the entire muscle group in spasm. It was like that for so long that I didn’t even know I was in pain until after they injected the medicine- then I noticed a difference. I had three rounds of those injections and four months of physical therapy, massage therapy and yoga classes and now I haven’t had a headache in months, which is an all-time record for me, including the time before I was injured.

My chest rises and falls with the next breath and I am conscious of the place where I used to pin my missionary nametag. I was on my mission for less than 18 days, but it was much longer than that before I stopped reaching for the badge I thought I would wear for 18 months.

Deeper in my chest, I feel my heart beat a steady rhythm. I remember it pounding frantically against my ribs as I surveyed the scene of the accident: what was once a car resembled a crumpled soda can, standing perpendicular to the line of traffic in the middle of the road. I stood on the sidewalk, comforting my sister and clutching my best friend, both of us crying and swearing, but all, miraculously, alive.

The next time my heart pounded that hard, I was clutching the long-awaited envelope telling me where I was to spend the next year and a half of my life in service. My heart leapt with joy when I read, in disbelief, that I was going exactly where I wanted to go.

The last time my heart pounded that hard was in the missionary training center clinic, when a doctor told me that missionaries with Post-Concussion Syndrome usually get sent home. “That’s great,” I replied with a wry smile, “but I’m not going home. I am supposed to be here and I will fight to be here until I can’t be here any more.”

My heart has yet to pound like that again. It pumps to a new rhythm, instead: a stronger, steadier beat that may never again be so easily excited, but it won’t be so deeply distressed either.

Likewise, my breath continues at a constant rate, with the next inhale flowing down through my shoulders and arms and into my fingertips. I can hardly remember a time when I wasn’t engaged in battle with my left shoulder. Along with my head, it collided with the side of the car and absorbed its fair share of the impact.

“Pull your shoulder blades together,” the physical therapists say, “feel the bone rotate in the joint and keep pinning back that left shoulder.”

Becoming aware of the problem is half of the fight, but increasing my awareness didn’t make the pain go away. I quickly began to hate that left shoulder…and the other one, too. We came to a reconciliation when I laid my forehead against my yoga mat and an instructor told me to surrender to my body. “Notice the tension, but don’t try to correct it. Surrender to the pain and, eventually, it will go away.”

Down in my left hand, my fingers twitch; being away from the fingerboard of my instrument for so long has left them fidgeting like disobedient children. They tap out Bach and Bloch and Telemann–whatever is on my mind–and I have to remind them to be still.

Meanwhile, my right arm, that is, my bowing arm, has finally relaxed. The weight of your arm is what guides your bow across the strings of the instrument, but if you try to force weight into the bow with tension, your tone will suffer. So in my first music lesson after the accident– almost a year later–my tone was terrible. My teacher extended her hands and said “Give me the weight of your arm”.

When my arm refused to relax into her hands, she said, “I am strong; I can carry your weight.” My arm shifted a little but the weight wouldn’t give. “I can see that you are physically carrying a burden and you need to let it go. You have disappointed dreams, but that’s not your fault. You aren’t the same person now as you were before, but that’s okay; I am not the same person I was yesterday” she said, “you can let this go.”

I’ve seen innumerable physical therapists, internal medical doctors and emergency room technicians, a biofeedback specialist, a neurologist, and a pain psychologist, but only the Doctor of Music could get me to release my arm.

My breath travels farther and more freely now, down the back of my spine to my pelvis, which is rotated, but that doesn’t bother me anymore because I learned how to correct it. I set it in alignment and allow my next breath to travel down through my legs.

My legs, which have a good amount of mileage on them, felt soft and limp after weeks of inactivity when they put me on mental and physical rest. In the months leading up to my mission they got restless and twitchy, making me eager to run–I wanted to get out and just go. Their weakness and agitation have now given way to a greater sense of balance and strength, no longer shaped by pounding pavement, but by slower, more deliberate movement.

I finally send the next breath from my head all the way down to my feet. I once felt like my feet were swept out from under me. When that happened, all I could think about was the day when I could sprint forward on them again, but I consider their role differently now. My feet are my foundation, planted firmly beneath me, supporting me. I think about rooting down through my heels, my big toes, the sides of my feet. Once I find balance in them, they have the power to carry me forward, one step at a time.

My breath now flows freely from the soles of my feet back up to the top of my head, and I hear Andy’s voice again, saying, “and before you get on with your day, just take a moment to notice how you feel. Just take note of whether you feel any different from how you felt before you began this exercise. And then, in your own time, you can just gently blink your eyes open.”

Are you ready to talk to one of our consultants about your personal narrative? If so, here are some questions you could ask:

• Were you engaged while reading my essay? Were there spots that lost your interest?
• I’m having trouble explaining or describing this scene. I want it to say _____, but right now it says _____. What do you recommend?
• Does my narrative progress smoothly?
• Am I being descriptive enough? Where would you like more/less description?
• Do you feel emotionally invested in my essay?

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15 Inspiring Personal Narrative Examples for Writers

Reveal a part of yourself in your essay.

Students start writing personal narratives at a young age, learning to use descriptive language to tell a story about their own experiences. Try sharing these personal narrative examples for elementary, middle, and high school to help them understand this essay form.

What is a personal narrative?

Think of a narrative essay like telling a story. Use descriptive language, and be sure you have a beginning, middle, and end. The essay should recount your personal experiences, including your thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Learn more about personal narrative essays here:

• What Is Narrative Writing, and How Do I Teach It in the Classroom?
• Engaging Personal Narrative Ideas for Kids and Teens
• Best Mentor Texts for Narrative Writing in Elementary School

Elementary School Personal Narrative Examples

In elementary school, personal narratives might be quite short, just a paragraph or two. The key is to encourage kids to embrace a personal style of writing, one that speaks in their own voice. Take a look at these elementary school personal narrative essay examples for inspiration.

The Horrible Day

“next i fell asleep in my cereal and my brother stole my toast”—anonymous student.

In this short personal narrative written by a 2nd grader, the author describes a bad day with lots of details and an informal tone. It’s a great model for your youngest writers.

Read the full essay: The Horrible Day at Thoughtful Learning

Keep an Eye on the Sky!

“as we made our way out to the field, my stomach slowly turned into a giant knot of fear.” —anonymous student.

Any student who dreads gym class will connect with this essay, which turns a challenge into a triumph. This narrative from Time for Kids is annotated, with highlighted details and tips to help kids write their own essay.

Read the full essay: Keep an Eye on the Sky! at Time for Kids

Grandpa, Chaz, and Me

“i really miss grandpa, and so does my brother, even though he never met him.” —cody, 4th grade student.

Written by a 4th grader, this essay relates the author’s loss of a grandfather at a very young age. Using simple, personal language, they tell a compelling story in a few short paragraphs.

Read the full essay: Grandpa, Chaz, and Me at Thoughtful Learning

Surviving an Embarrassing Situation

“i had made the shot in the wrong basket, giving the green shirts the win” —anonymous student.

Personal narratives tell a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. This annotated essay outlines those parts, making it easier for young writers to do the same in their own writing.

Read the full essay: Surviving an Embarrassing Situation at Sopris West Educational Services

“Do you have a friend who loves you?” —Kendra, 4th grade student

Writing about friends gives writers the chance to describe someone’s physical characteristics and personality. This 4th grade essay uses personal details to bring a beloved friend to life.

Read the full essay: Ann at Thoughtful Learning

Middle School Personal Narrative Examples

By middle school, personal narratives are longer and more involved, telling more detailed stories and experiences. These middle school personal narrative essay examples model strong writing skills for this age group.

“As thoughts of certain death run through my mind, the world appears a precious, treasured place.” —Amy, student

Describing an opportunity to overcome your worst fears makes an excellent personal narrative topic. The vivid descriptions of the landscape and the author’s feelings help the reader make a strong connection to the author.

Read the full essay: The Climb at Thoughtful Learning

The Best Friend Question

“i’ve often wondered, does not having a best friend make me defective” —blanche li, age 13, diablo vista middle school, danville, california.

When her Spanish teacher asked students for an essay describing their best friend, 13-year-old Blanche Li fell back on her standard story: that of a made-up person. Here, she explains why she made up “Haley” and wonders what having an imaginary best friend says about her.

Read the full essay: The Best Friend Question at The New York Times

The Racist Warehouse

“i didn’t know racism was still around; i thought that situation had died along with dr. king.” —alicia, 8th grade student.

Strong personal narratives often relate the way the author learned an important life lesson. Here, an 8th grader describes her first experience with racism, in an essay that will sadly ring true with many readers.

Read the full essay: The Racist Warehouse at Thoughtful Teaching

“For the first time, we realized that we didn’t know how to express our voice, and we always suppressed it.” —Jocelyn C., 7th grade student, Texas

Seventh-grader Jocelyn C. describes the unique experience of spending two years living in an RV with her family, traveling the country. She relates the ups and downs of their trip, illustrating the way her family learned to live together in close quarters and embrace the adventure.

Read the full essay: RV Journey at Write From the Heart

An Eight Pound Rival

“i’m trying to accept that he didn’t mean to dominate the center stage all the time, that’s just one of the many lovable assets of his personality.”.

A new sibling can change everything in a family, especially when you’ve always been the baby. This middle schooler explains her challenging relationship with a little brother that she loves, even when he drives her a bit crazy. (Find this essay on page 42 at the link.)

Read the full essay: An Eight Pound Rival at Teaching That Makes Sense

High School Personal Narrative Examples

High school students have more complex stories to tell, though they’re sometimes reluctant to do so. Reading personal narrative essay examples like these can encourage them to open up and get their thoughts, feelings, and ideas down on the page.

Sorry, Wrong Number

“when i received the first text, i was a playful sixth grader, always finding sly ways to be subversive in school and with friends.” —michelle ahn, high school student.

When Michelle Ahn was 11, she started getting texts for a wrong number, a man named Jared. Rather than correcting the error, she spends the next few years occasionally engaging with his texters as “Jared,” learning more about him. Though she finally comes clean, her time as “Jared” exposes her to a way of life very different from her own, and opens her eyes to the inner lives of others.

Read the full essay: Sorry, Wrong Number at The New York Times

Caught in the Net

“little does everyone else know how often i’m not doing school research or paper writing; instead i’m aimlessly writing emails or chatting with internet friends and family hundreds of miles away.” —kim, college student.

Even before social media and smartphones swept the world, internet addiction had become a problem. Here, a student shares her experiences in AOL chat rooms, meeting people from around the globe. Eventually, she realizes she’s sacrificing life in the real world for her digital friends and experiences, and works to find the right balance.

Read the full essay: Caught in the Net at Thoughtful Learning

Nothing Extraordinary

“an uneasy feeling started to settle in my chest. i tried to push it out, but once it took root it refused to be yanked up and tossed away.” —jeniffer kim, high school student.

During an ordinary shopping trip, high schooler Jenniffer Kim suddenly realizes she’s ashamed of her mother. At the same time, she recognizes all the sacrifices her mom has made for her, and gladly takes the chance to make a tiny sacrifice of her own.

Read the full essay: Nothing Extraordinary at The New York Times

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

“at this point in life, i had not yet learned to be gentle with myself, or others.” —anonymous student.

A teen who lives with bipolar disorder recounts a difficult conversation with her parents, in which her mother dismisses her as “crazy.” A few years later, this same teen finds herself in the emergency room, where her mother has just tried to die by suicide. “Crazy!” the daughter thinks. After her mother also receives a bipolar disorder diagnosis, the author concludes, “‘Crazy’ is a term devised to dismiss people.”

Read the full essay: The Pot Calling the Kettle Black at Pressbooks

What a Black Woman Wishes Her Adoptive White Parents Knew

“i know that i am different, but do not have the words to understand how.” —mariama lockington.

Though not written by a high schooler, this essay by Mariama Lockington makes an excellent mentor text for this age group. Lockington dives deep into her feelings about being adopted by parents of a different race, and shares her challenges in poignant language that speaks directly to the reader.

Read the full essay: What a Black Woman Wishes Her Adoptive White Parents Knew at Buzzfeed News

Do you use personal narrative examples as mentor texts in your classroom? Come share your experiences and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook !

Plus, strong persuasive writing examples (essays, speeches, ads, and more) ..

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65 Engaging Personal Narrative Ideas for Kids and Teens

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Learn how to write a narrative essay step-by-step, tips and examples, carla johnson.

• June 14, 2023
• Essay Topics and Ideas , How to Guides

Narrative essays are a type of academic writing in which the writer tells a story from their own experience or point of view. Other types of essays require a lot of research and analysis, but narrative essays are more about telling a story to get a point across. Students and writers like them because they let them express their ideas in a more creative and personal way.

The goal of this article is to help you learn how to write a narrative essay by giving you tips, examples, and ideas for topics . We’ll look at the most important parts of a narrative essay, talk about the different ways to write one, and give you some useful writing tips that will help you create a compelling story. Whether you’re a student who wants to get better grades or a writer who wants to get better at what you do, this article will give you the tools you need to write great narratives.

Learning how to write a narrative essay is important because it helps you improve your writing skills and find a more interesting and meaningful way to say what you want to say. You can connect with your readers on a personal level in a narrative essay by taking them on a journey through your experiences and feelings. By learning how to write a compelling story, you can not only do better in school, but you can also make it easier for people to understand what you are trying to say. So, let’s jump into the world of narrative essays and find out how to tell a good story.

What You'll Learn

Understanding Narrative Essays

A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story from the author’s point of view. It often uses the author’s own experiences and feelings to make a story that is interesting to read. Narrative essays are different from argumentative or analytical essays because they focus more on the art of telling a story than on making a convincing argument or analysis.

There are different kinds of narrative essays, such as personal narratives, fictional narratives, and autobiographical narratives. Most essays are personal narratives, which are often used in creative writing classes or as part of essays for college admissions. Fictional narratives, on the other hand, use fictional characters and settings to tell a story , while autobiographical narratives focus on the author’s own experiences and are often found in memoirs or personal essays. The most important parts of a narrative essay are a clear introduction that sets the scene for the story, a well-developed plot with a beginning, middle, and end, vivid descriptions that help the reader picture the setting and characters, and a conclusion that ties everything together and leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

Choosing a Topic for Your Narrative Essay

The success of your narrative essay depends on your choice of topic. The first step is to know why you are writing your essay and what you want your readers to learn from it. Are you trying to make them laugh, teach them something, or move them? Once you know what you want to do with your essay, you can start coming up with ideas for it. One way to choose a topic is to pick something that is meaningful to you. Think about things you’ve done in your life that have changed you in a big way or taught you something important. These experiences can be good or bad, but they should have some meaning for you. You can also use brainstorming to come up with ideas for your narrative essay. Freewriting is a common method in which you write down everything that comes to mind about a certain subject. This can help you come up with ideas and get your mind working . You can also organize your ideas and find links between them with mind mapping or clustering.

Examples of narrative essay topics include:

• 1. A significant event in your life that changed your perspective
• 2. A memorable trip or vacation
• 3. A childhood memory that had a lasting impact on you
• 4. Overcoming a personal challenge or adversity
• 5. A significant achievement or accomplishment
• 6. An experience that taught you an important life lesson
• 7. A meaningful relationship or friendship
• 8. A time when you had to make a difficult decision
• 9. An experience that challenged your beliefs or values
• 10. A humorous or embarrassing moment from your life.

By choosing a topic that is meaningful to you and using brainstorming techniques to generate ideas , you can create a compelling narrative essay that engages your readers and helps you achieve your writing goals.

Planning and Preparing to Write a Narrative Essay

You should plan and get ready before you start writing your narrative essay. This means making an outline of the essay , coming up with a thesis statement, developing the plot and characters, setting the scene, and choosing the right point of view.

An important part of planning for a narrative essay is making an outline. The outline should have the beginning, middle, and end of the story, as well as any important points or events you want to include. This will help you stay on track and make sure that the structure of your essay is clear and makes sense. It’s also important to write a thesis statement . This sentence should tell the reader what the story is about and what the main point of the essay is. It should be easy to understand, short, and interesting. Creating the story and the people in it is another important step. Your narrative essay should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, as well as a central problem or conflict that the main character must solve. The characters should be well-rounded and easy to understand, with clear goals and reasons for what they do. Creating atmosphere and setting the scene are also important parts of a good narrative essay. Setting should be described in detail, using sensory details to paint a clear picture in the reader’s mind . Care should be taken to make the setting fit the story’s mood and tone. It’s also important to choose the right point of view. Most narrative essays are written in the first person because it lets the writer use personal experiences and feelings to make the story more real and interesting. But there are also narrative essays that are written from a third-person point of view, which can give a more objective and detached view.

Narrative Essay Outline

Writing the narrative essay.

After you’ve thought about and planned your narrative essay, it’s time to start writing. A narrative essay has three main parts: the introduction, the body, and the end.

In the beginning, you hook the reader’s attention and set the scene for the story. You can do this by starting with a quote, a question, or a vivid description of the setting. The thesis statement should also be in the introduction. It tells the reader what the main point of the essay is and what to expect from the rest of the story.

In the main part of the essay , you tell the story. This means describing what happens, who is involved, and what the problem or conflict is that the main character has to solve. The main part of the story should be well-organized, with each paragraph focusing on a different event or part of the story. It should also include details that the reader can feel and dialogue that brings the story to life.

In the ending, you wrap up the story and leave the reader with something they’ll remember. This can be done by thinking about what the main character learned or how the event changed him or her. The ending should also be well-written and give the reader a feeling of completion .

To sum up, to master the art of writing narrative essays, you need to know the different types of narrative essays, how to choose a topic that interests you, and how to plan and get ready to write. It also involves developing the plot and characters, setting the scene, and making the right atmosphere to draw readers into the story. It’s important to start a narrative essay with a strong introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and has a clear thesis statement. The body should be well-organized and include sensory details and dialogue to bring the story to life.

Last, the ending should wrap up the story and leave a lasting impression on the reader. By using these tips and tricks, you can learn how to write great narrative essays and tell great stories.

How to Edit, Proofread and Revise Your Narrative Essay to improve storytelling

Editing and revising are important steps in the writing process that can help you improve the quality and effectiveness of your narrative essay. Here are some tips for editing and revising your work:

– Take a break: Step away from your essay for a few hours or even a day or two to gain a fresh perspective.

– Check for coherence and clarity: Make sure that your ideas are presented in a logical and organized manner, and that your writing is clear and easy to understand.

– Eliminate unnecessary words: Look for any words or phrases that don’t add value to your writing and eliminate them.

– Check for spelling and grammar errors: Use a spell-checker and proofread your work carefully to ensure that there are no errors.

– Read your essay aloud: This can help you catch any awkward phrasing or sentences that need to be revised.

Common mistakes to avoid when editing and revising your narrative essay include:

– Overusing adjectives and adverbs: While descriptive language can help bring your story to life, too much of it can be distracting and take away from the overall impact of your writing.

– Failing to show, not tell: Instead of simply telling readers what happened, show them by using sensory details and vivid descriptions.

– Neglecting to revise the ending: The ending of your narrative essay is just as important as the beginning, so make sure that it wraps up the story effectively and leaves a lasting impression on the reader

Getting feedback from others is also an important part of the editing and revising process . Ask a trusted friend or family member to read your essay and provide feedback. You can also seek feedback from a writing tutor or instructor, or join a writing group to receive constructive criticism and support.

Narrative Essay Examples

To help you better understand the art of narrative essays, here are ten fascinating examples of narrative essays:

1. The Last Day of Her Life” by Robin Marantz Henig

2. “The Fourth State of Matter” by Jo Ann Beard

3. The Death of My Father” by Steve Martin

4. “The Fourth of July” by Audre Lorde

5. “The Chase” by Annie Dillard

6. “The Fourth State of Matter” by Jo Ann Beard

7. “The Best Day of My Life” by Tameka Cage Conley

8. The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

9. “The Fourth State of Matter” by Jo Ann Beard

10. “The Night” by Maxine Hong Kingston

Each of these narrative essays is effective in its own unique way, using vivid descriptions, sensory details, and compelling characters to create a powerful story. By analyzing these examples and understanding what makes them effective, you can gain a better understanding of how to write a successful narrative essay.

Narrative Essay Topics

If you’re struggling to come up with a topic for your narrative essay, here are 50 ideas that can help get you started:

1. The first day of college

2. A life-changing event

3. A memorable vacation

4. An experience that taught you a valuable lesson

5. A moment of personal growth or self-discovery

6. Overcoming a fear or phobia

7. A significant accomplishment

8. A time when you faced a difficult decision

9. A childhood memory

10. A relationship that had a significant impact on your life

11. A day you will never forget

12. A moment of true happiness

13. A time when you felt lost or alone

14. A time you had to stand up for yourself or someone else

15. A time when you had to overcome a setback or failure

16. A moment of courage or bravery

17. An experience that changed your perspective on life

18. A time when you had to make a sacrifice

19. A moment of true friendship

20. A time when you felt truly inspired

21. A significant romantic relationship

22. A moment of cultural exchange or immersion

23. An experience that taught you the value of hard work

24. A time when you had to adapt to a new situation

25. A moment of unexpected kindness

26. A time when you had to confront your fears

27. A moment oftriumph over adversity

28. A time when you had to make a difficult ethical decision

29. A moment of realization or epiphany

30. A significant family event

31. A time when you had to learn to forgive

32. A moment of unexpected humor

33. A moment of deep sadness or loss

34. A time when you had to confront a personal challenge

35. A moment of true love

36. A time when you had to take a risk

37. An experience that taught you the importance of perseverance

38. A moment of clarity or understanding

39. A time when you had to learn to trust yourself

40. A moment of spiritual or religious significance

41. A time when you had to reconcile with someone

42. A moment of true beauty

43. A time when you had to confront a personal flaw or weakness

44. A moment of inspiration from nature

45. A time when you had to confront a social issue

46. A moment of unexpected grace

47. A time when you had to overcome a physical challenge

48. A moment of true bravery

49. A significant achievement in your life

50. A moment that changed your life forever .

Tips for College Narrative Writing

Writing a narrative essay can be a daunting task for college students, but with the right tips and techniques, you can craft an engaging and memorable piece. A narrative essay is an essay that tells a story, often from a personal experience. It’s a type of essay that allows you to express yourself creatively while still adhering to academic writing standards.

Narrative Essay Definition

Before we dive into the tips, let’s first understand what’s a narrative essay.

• A narrative essay is an essay that tells a story from beginning to end. It’s usually written in the first-person point of view and follows a chronological order. The purpose of a narrative essay is to engage the reader and provide a vivid, descriptive account of an experience or event.
• A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story. It’s a personal essay that allows you to share your experiences, thoughts, and emotions with the reader. Narrative essays are often used in college admissions or as part of a personal statement.

Tips for Writing a Narrative Essay

Now that you understand what a narrative essay is, let’s dive into some tips to help you craft a compelling and engaging piece.

1. Choose a Captivating Topic

The first step in writing a narrative essay is to choose a topic that is engaging and meaningful to you. Pick an experience or event that left a lasting impression or taught you an important lesson. A captivating topic will not only make the writing process more enjoyable, but it will also help engage your readers.

2. Show, Don’t Tell

One of the most important tips for narrative writing is to show, rather than tell, your story. Instead of simply stating what happened, use vivid descriptions, sensory details, and dialogue to bring your story to life. This will help your readers feel like they are experiencing the events themselves.

3. Use a Clear Structure

Like any other essay, a narrative essay should have a clear structure, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and set the scene for your story. The body paragraphs should follow a chronological order and provide the details of your experience. The conclusion should bring your story to a satisfying end and tie everything together.

4. Incorporate Literary Devices

To make your narrative essay more engaging and impactful, consider incorporating literary devices such as metaphors, similes, and imagery. These devices can help you convey emotions, create vivid mental pictures, and add depth to your writing.

5. Proofread and Edit

Once you’ve finished writing your narrative essay, it’s important to proofread and edit your work. Check for spelling and grammar errors, as well as clarity and coherence. You may also want to have someone else read your essay and provide feedback.

Writing a narrative essay can be a rewarding and creative experience for college students. By following these tips and using the techniques mentioned, you can craft a compelling and engaging story that not only showcases your writing skills but also provides a glimpse into your personal experiences and growth.

Example of a Narrative Essay

Read more on narrative paper example

In conclusion , mastering the art of writing a narrative essay involves understanding the different types of narrative essays, choosing a topic that resonates with you, and planning and preparing your writing.

It also involves developing the plot and characters, setting the scene, and creating the right atmosphere to draw readers into the story. Editing and revision are important steps in the writing process, and seeking feedback from others can help improve the quality and effectiveness of your writing.

With the help of the 50 narrative essay topics and the tips and techniques provided in this article, you can practice and perfect the art of writing a compelling narrative essay. Remember, the key to success is to practice, revise, and refine your writing skills until you become a skilled and confident storyteller.

FAQs about Narrative Essays

Here are some frequently asked questions about narrative essays:

1. What is a narrative essay?

A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story from the author’s perspective, often drawing on personal experiences and emotions to create a compelling narrative.

2. What are the elements of a narrative essay?

The elements of a narrative essay include a clear introduction that sets the stage for the story, a well-developed plot with a beginning, middle, and end, vivid descriptions that help the reader visualize the setting and characters, and a conclusion that ties everything together and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

3. How do I choose a topic for a narrative essay ?

Choosing a topic for a narrative essay involves understanding the purpose of your essay, choosing a topic that resonates with you, and using brainstorming techniques to generate ideas.

4. What is the structure of a narrative essay?

The structure of a narrative essay typically includes an introduction, body, and conclusion, with each part serving a distinct purpose in telling the story.

5. What is the difference between a narrative essay and a descriptive essay?

While both narrative and descriptive essays use vivid language to create a compelling story, the main difference is that a narrative essay tells a story from the author’s perspective, while a descriptive essay focuses on describing a particular person, place, or thing in detail.

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How To Write A Personal Essay? - A Full Guide

Table of Contents

What is a personal essay, i. introduction, ii. body section , iii. conclusion , choose a meaningful topic, create a strong introduction, develop a clear central idea, use first-person perspective, build a strong narrative structure, include conclusion, proofread your work, what are some personal essay examples , compare between personal essay and personal statement .

Crafting a narrative thesis that highlights your true self is an important part of the college application process. After all, grades aren’t the only thing that matters. They also want a glimpse into your life through this creative nonfiction. Such an essay reflects your motivations and passions and gives you an opportunity to recall exciting stories that will keep the reader engaged.

In this article, you’ll cover the fundamental ideas behind such writing, its structural details, important tips to craft an engaging paper, and some good personal essay topics and examples.

High school students seeking admission to colleges and universities often have to highlight a significant event in their lives as part of their applications. That’s because the committee wants to know about your life and the deeper truth behind why you want to pursue a particular course. The main idea behind writing this autobiographical piece is to introduce yourself to the committee and persuade the readers of your passion and commitment.

How to Construct the Personal Essay Structure?

Many personal essays follow the same structure that you would find in college essays. In other words, you have three main sections –

• The introduction
• Three body paragraphs
• The conclusion

Before you begin writing your paper, you should come up with a rough draft so that you can arrange your ideas well. On that note, let’s take a closer look at what your personal essay outline should look like.

The introductory section usually consists of one paragraph that goes over every point that you’ll cover in the body paragraphs. Sometimes, this section can have two paragraphs, but that depends entirely on the length of the task. Now, this is the section that determines whether the reader will even continue going through your entire writing. So, it’s your responsibility to draft an interesting opening that will immediately grab the attention of the reader. In order to do that, you should include the following –

Opening hook :  Your opening section can be a funny quote or an anecdote that captures the reader’s interest. If you check some samples written by experts from a reliable   essay writing service , you’ll notice that some papers begin in media res . You drop the reader in the middle of the action with descriptions that simulate the five senses to immerse them in the story.

Key points:  Once you’re done hooking your audience, highlight the key points that your essay will cover.

Central theme : Finally, end your introduction with a thesis statement that summarizes the main theme and the hidden truth behind your personal story.

This is where you begin to describe your story and its impact on you as a person. Usually, you have to include three body paragraphs while maintaining a chronological order throughout. The first body paragraph is where your story essentially begins. Introduce the reader to a significant event in your life and emphasize your attitude towards the event.

In the second paragraph, dive into more details regarding the story. Begin with a topic sentence that gives an inkling about what you’re about to discuss, and add vivid descriptions and supporting evidence to convey the moral lesson.

Finally, the third paragraph should bring about a satisfactory conclusion to the story. Describe how this specific event impacted your life and highlight the deeper truth that lies behind it.

Your word choice matters a lot when writing the body. If you check some samples written by experts from a   narrative essay writing service , you’ll notice that they choose their words carefully in order to inspire readers. So, if you want to write as well as a professional personal essay writer, go through their samples to understand their writing process.

The conclusion of your essay should tie the main points together and make it easier for the reader to grasp the most important part – the moral lesson you’ve learned through the experience. Try to avoid introducing new ideas in this section. Instead, write about how your life has changed for the better and the permanent effect that the experience has had on your perspective.

You can use a pre-constructed personal essay template to write the first draft of your paper if you’re still confused about the structure. This should make the writing process simpler. In case you have further queries, you can also reach out to professionals at any reliable   college essay writing service  to lend you a helping hand.

Tips for Writing a Personal Essay 

Going through the various incidents in life to find something worth writing about how to write a personal essay, can be quite nerve-wracking for high school students. But that doesn’t mean you can’t craft an engaging piece on your own. Let’s go through some helpful suggestions by experts who have written several personal essays. Perhaps their knowledge can make things easier for you.

When you’re trying to find good personal essay topic ideas, keep in mind that the topic you choose should highlight the point that you’re trying to make. Ideally, you should choose a significant moment in your life to write about. Your essay can be a retelling of the hurdles you’ve had to overcome or experiences that have completely changed your perspective on life. Instead of writing about something generic, choose something very meaningful so that your sincerity is evident in your essay.

When working on the rough draft for the essay, think of ways how you can get the reader invested in your personal life. Don’t extend it unnecessarily. Keep it short and simple but interesting as well.  You can open your essay with a hook and then highlight the key points that your paper will cover. The thesis statement should also focus on the main theme.

For example:   “Defeating a lion wasn’t a part of my New Year’s resolution, but life had something else in store for me.”

Now, in this example, the lion is a metaphor for the struggles that you have gone through. The reader will eventually learn that as they go through your writing. But you’ve already achieved your main target, and that is to capture their attention.

If you ever go through an essay written by David Foster Wallace, you’ll notice that the renowned essayist always makes sure to hint at the central theme of his essay pretty early on. Follow his examples and introduce the central idea behind your essay in the thesis statement. Your entire essay should revolve around this theme. For example, if you want to highlight your leadership skills and resilience, everything that you include in your body paragraphs should amplify that idea.

Your professors will never be caught trying to encourage you to write any type of academic content in first-person or even in the past tense – except in the case of personal essays. This type of essay is a glaring exception to the standard rule of using the third-person perspective because of its autobiographical nature. Just go through any sample, and you’ll notice this quality immediately.

The readability of your personal statement essay depends on the narrative structure that you choose. Certainly, you wouldn’t want to spend hours intentionally complicating your paper to impress the admission committee – only for them to stop reading your paper midway because it's so complicated.

Now, to build a strong narrative structure, consider the following suggestions – 

• Exposition stage : Introduce the reader to the event and provide some background information.
• Rising action stage : This is where you introduce the conflict and gradually build up the story to create tension.
• Climax stage: This is where the tension reaches the peak and leaves the reader wondering what’s to come next.
• Falling action stage : The stage prepares the reader to transition to the resolution of the conflict.
• Resolution stage : The final stage where the conflict is resolved and the reader reaches a satisfying conclusion.

Your conclusion should tie up all loose ends and highlight the effects of the experience you’ve gone through in your life. Make sure to connect it to your ambitions and motivation behind applying to a particular college or a course.

You can’t really afford to have grammatical errors sprinkled throughout your own work if your objective is to impress an admission committee. Go through your essay manually to ensure that you have –

• Maintained a logical flow throughout
• Followed the correct essaystructure
• Remained consistent with the formatting
• Eliminated punctuation mistakes

If you run out of time, consider using a proofreading tool or, for more accurate checking, delegate the proofreading to a professional.

Srutggling to Write Personal Essay- Take Experts Guidence

In order to write an outstanding paper, the best option is to go through some examples. Until now, you’ve covered the essentials behind structuring and some crucial writing tips. Now, let’s go over some examples so that you can write a moving essay and impress your audience. 

Example 1:   Experiencing failure & learning from mistakes

“Self-help books always harp on and on about failure being the stepping stone to success, but they fail to mention that getting up after falling down is like trying to row a boat against the current during a raging storm.”  – The descriptive nature of this introduction is bound to catch the reader’s interest.

Example 2: Exhibiting leadership skills

“If I could have a penny for the number of times that I’ve been pushed to take on a leadership role in school, I’d have three pennies. The fact that it has happened thrice when my team has lost every time is just extraordinary.”  – The humor is the key point of this introduction.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to understand how to write your paper unless you go through some examples. Just make sure that the samples you’ve chosen have been written by professional writers.

A personal essay is a mirror. It highlights one or more events that reflect your intrinsic values, your passion, and your enthusiasm and provides the reader with a glimpse into your life. This personal essay is often used by officers in the admission departments of colleges to determine whether a student is the right fit for their institute.

On the other hand, a personal statement is specific to a particular job role. It is usually required in the professional field to list down all the skills and achievements you have so that you can make a case for yourself as a good candidate. It’s easy to understand why many students confuse the two. But their purpose is where they differ the most.

Get Your Well Written Personal Essay

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a personal essay be.

Personal essays for college admissions are always less than 1000 words. But if this is for a class assignment, then the length might increase, depending on the task specifications. Your primary target is to introduce the reader to some real-life experiences that have shaped you as a person while avoiding unnecessary details just to meet the word count.

Do personal essays have a specific structure?

The personal essay format is quite similar to that of a college essay. So, thankfully, you need not familiarize yourself with a new format right before the hassles of admission begin. Most colleges want you to follow a simple structure - an introductory paragraph that shouldn’t exceed 10% of the total word count, three body sections, and a conclusion at the end to wrap things up. Before you begin to craft your paper, double-check the admission requirements for any additional structural points that you have to include.

How do I choose topics for personal essays?

If you don’t know where to begin your search for topics, just check out some suggestions online. Now, you’ll rarely find something that isn’t very generic. If you decide to play it safe, you can opt for such a topic – but be mentally prepared for rejection if you can’t highlight your personal experiences well in them. So, shortlist something that resonated with you, and you’re confident that it will also draw an emotional response from the reader.

What should I include in the introductory paragraph of my college essay?

You can’t afford to waste precious time trying to grab the reader’s attention. After all, if you’re writing this paper for admission purposes, the admissions officers aren’t going to be patient. They’ll figure out whether your paper is worth reading after going through the first few lines. So, to make it easier for them to come to a decision, make sure to add a hook that they can’t ignore. Now that you have the reader’s attention entice them more by highlighting the main points of your story and adding the central issue in the thesis statement.

Should I include dialogues in the body paragraphs?

If you want the reader to get transported to a specific moment, just use one of the most common storytelling elements – dialogue. There’s a lot of creative freedom in this type of paper. So, don’t just go through the standard route of telling the audience a particular point. Instead, you can just use dialogues to do the demonstration for you. If you go through some college essay samples, you’ll notice that they barely include one or two dialogues. So, keep in mind to use dialogues sparingly.

Can I use humor when recounting my personal story?

Humor is often a great option to connect with your readers. Now, including humor doesn’t mean cracking jokes at someone else’s expense. First, determine the purpose of the humor. If used correctly, it can emphasize a significant moment in your life. However, if used incorrectly, it can be an unwelcome interruption.

Can I include personal opinions in personal essays?

Usually, academic writing discourages students from relying on their personal opinions to highlight a point. After all, it’s difficult to persuade readers to see things from your perspective when you use too much emotion in your arguments but no logic. However, when recounting a personal story, you have the leeway to include some personal opinions as long as you can use logic to substantiate your points as well.

Are personal essays always autobiographical?

If you go through some samples of personal essays, you’ll notice that all of them are autobiographical. This type of paper falls under creative nonfiction. Although not all works under this genre are autobiographical in nature, an essay that focuses on personal experiences is bound to be so. Just include elements that are relevant to the main theme. Focus on one or two incidents that are worth writing about.

Bella Phillips As a passionate blogger for Essay Help USA by #1 Writing Expert 50% Off.I am currently employed at a leading Business Law firm in White Plains. I am associated with Allessaywriter.com for several years and helping the Law students with their essays.

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50 Engaging Narrative Essay Topics for High Schoolers

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What’s Covered:

Narrative essays vs. analytical essays, how to pick the right narrative essay topic, elements of a strong narrative essay, engaging narrative essay topics for high schoolers, where to get your narrative essay edited for free.

Narrative essays are an extensive form of writing that gives readers the opportunity to follow along as a person goes through a journey or sets of experiences. Rather than providing analytic insight, narrative essays simply share a story and offer a first-person account. These essays may seem easy to write at first, but it takes a certain finesse to write a narrative essay that is interesting, cohesive, and well-researched. Whether you’re looking for a unique topic to write about, or just want some new inspiration, CollegeVine is here to help! These 50 narrative essay topics are engaging, unique and will have you writing in no time.

A narrative essay is a great way to express your personal experiences and opinions, but it is important to remember that this type of essay is different from an analytical paper. In a narrative essay, you do not need to provide background information or explain your thoughts and feelings; instead, you simply tell a story. It’s important to avoid too much telling in your writing; instead, use creative details and vivid imagery to make readers feel as if they are actually right there with you.

Where You Will Encounter Narrative Essays

This type of essay is typically encountered in high school, where students may be required to write personal statements to prepare for their Common App essay . Narrative essays are also commonly seen in AP Language and Composition. Therefore, it’s important you are aware of the style because you are bound to have a narrative essay assignment.  

Of course, before you start writing, it is important to pick the right essay topic. There are many factors involved in the process of picking the perfect narrative essay topic for your story.

You should always choose a topic that you are passionate about, since writing on something you care about will make the process much easier. Not only will it be more interesting to create your paper around something that truly interests you, but it will also allow you to fully express yourself in your essay. You also want to be sure that the topic has enough material to work with. If your chosen topic is too short, you will not have enough content to write a complete paper. For example, if you are writing about your experience getting lost at the mall, make sure that you have enough information to work with to craft an engaging narrative. 

The best topic for an engaging narrative essay is one that focuses on showing versus telling, has a clear structure, and provides a dialogue. These elements come together to form an engaging narrative essay. Regardless of what subject you pick, any topic may be turned into a fascinating, A+ worthy narrative using the tips below.

Show, Don’t Tell

To write a good narrative essay, it’s important to show, not tell. Instead of simply informing your audience, show them what you mean. For example, instead of saying “I was nervous,” you could say “My heart began to race and my stomach filled with butterflies.” Also make sure to use sensory details, such as sights, sounds and tastes, and include a personal reflection at the end of your narrative. 

Begin with a Strong Opening Line

A good narrative essay will begin with an attention-grabbing opening line. But make sure to avoid common clichés, such as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Instead, come up with something original and specific to you and your situation. For example: “My pre-calc teacher was obsessed with circles. I mean, he even used circular note cards.” Or, “It all started the day my mom brought home a guinea pig.”

Follows a Three-Act Structure

A strong narrative essay follows the same three-act structure as other essays. But in order to make it interesting, you’ll need to come up with a creative way to break things down into sections. For example, using the guinea pig example from above, you could write the following:

• Act 1 – Introduction: The day my mom brought home a guinea pig.
• Act 2 – Conflict: The day I had to say goodbye to my beloved pet.
• Act 3 – Conclusion: Looking back at how much I miss him now that he’s gone.

Conclude with Personal Reflection

To conclude your narrative essay, you’ll want to explain what this specific experience taught you or how you’ve changed. For example, upon realizing that her pre-calc teacher was obsessed with circles, the writer of the previous example begins to notice circular shapes everywhere. Another way to conclude your narrative essay is by touching on how this experience impacted you emotionally. For example, after losing his guinea pig, the writer explains how much he missed it.

Use Dialogue

Include a conversation in your essay to make it come alive. For example, instead of simply saying that you met a new friend, talk about how you introduced yourselves or what they were wearing when you met them.

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The following list of 50 narrative essay topics is divided into categories. This will make it easier to find a topic that fits your writing style.

1. What is a childhood song that still sticks with you today?

2. Your first day of Kindergarten

3. Talk about a time when you’re siblings looked up to you

4. Describe the best birthday party you’ve ever had

5. Talk about the best day you ever spent with a childhood friend

6. Explain your first childhood hobby

7. Describe your first halloween costume

8. A family vacation gone wrong

9. Your first family reunion

10. Describe a tradition that is unique to your family

11. Describe your family to a person who’s never met them before

12. What frustrates you most about your family

13. If you could only keep one memory of your family, what would it be and why?

14. Describe a time your family embarrassed you in public

15. The most beautiful place in the world

16. Your favorite season and why

17. If you were a part of nature, what element would you be? Why?

18. When you go outside, which of your senses are you most thankful to have?

19. Describe the first time you witnessed a tornado 

20. Write a poem about your favorite season

21. Describe yourself as one of the four seasons

22. Describe a time in which you felt connected with nature

23. Describe the first time you played an instrument and how you felt

24. What major event would be much worse if music was removed, and why?

25. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

26. What would a life without music look like?

27. If you could master one instrument, what would it be and why?

Relationships

28. What if you had never met your best friend?

29. Describe a time when you fixed a broken relationship

30. Talk about a movie that defined a relationship for you

31. Describe your first date

32. Describe the first time you made a friend

33. Describe your relationship with your parents

Self Reflection

34. Have you ever fooled someone? If so, describe what happened and how you felt about it

35. What is the worst thing you’ve done to someone else?

36. Write about the difference between how things seem and how they really are. 

37. Have you ever been embarrassed in some way? If so, describe the situation and how it affected you as well as those around you

38. Have you ever witnessed something really beautiful? Describe it

39. Is your glass half empty or half full?

Overcoming Adversity 

40. Have you ever been very afraid of something but tried your hardest to appear fearless? If so, describe that experience

41. When have you ever succeeded when you thought you might fail

42. What are your secret survival strategies?

43. Describe the last time you were stressed and why?

44. Describe a time when you were discriminated against

45. The most memorable class you’ve had and why

46. Your favorite study abroad memory

47. Describe your kindergarten classroom

48. Describe your first teacher

49. The first time you experienced detention

50. Your first field trip

Hopefully these topics will get you thinking about a personal experience that could make for a thoughtful and engaging narrative essay. Remember, a strong narrative essay must contain relatable details and a clear flow that keeps the reader entertained and engaged to read all the way to the end.

If you need some additional guidance on your narrative essay, use CollegeVine’s free peer review essay tool to get feedback for free!

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