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Narrative Essay Topics - You Need to Know About Essay Topics

10 Nov 2021

The essay category of writing has different types that may be a little confusing for the students interpreting and comparing them. Have you also experienced such a worry about differentiating those closely related essays? You don’t need to worry about that at all because it may be a little technical but not a Herculean task.

There are about four common types of essays in academic essay writing, including; an argumentative essay, a descriptive, expository, and a narrative one. The basic structure of all these essays is alike, but the thing which differs is the theme of writing them. The argumentative essays involve the argument related writing, descriptive consists of the description, and the expository one involves the explanation of an aspect without arguing about it.

But what is your point of view about the last one, “the narrative essay”?? What does this beast mean?? Have you been assigned to write about this beast that requires be narrative?

Do you want to know what it is or how to write about it?? Then we will here sort out all your worries into a bin by providing you a complete guide about it. 

Narrative Essay; a beast?

Why I called it a beast?? It is really no less than a beast but can also be a soft feather for those who understand how to deal with it and making the impressions long-lasting. Most of the students like you, when it is assigned to write about it, they find themselves ineligible even to start it up.

If they were able to write, they might lose experience or the interpretation power of qualifying life experiences. They, for completing this narrative essay, require an insight guide on each step. We assure you to provide that here.

You must have had the complete guideline about different types of essay writing on our website and must be appreciating them. But this type of essay that is called “narrative essay” appears to be different from the other ones. It is also because it appeals more to story writing, or precisely “a personal story.” The one that won’t end without a lesson or moral experience.

In this blog, we are focused on providing you the content and instructions on what is narrative essay writing? Differing the narrative essay from a short story, all the essential and the key elements of it, or the writing structure or method.

But the thing to remember; a narrative essay while going on the road takes a turn to your personal life. That’s why the primary focus will be on the narrative essay but a “personal one.” It is also because you are asked to write your academic assignment in the context of a personal narrative essay.

Narrative Essay Topics

What Narrative Essay is all about?

The word narrative means “a story.” In other words, the narrative essay is to write all about a story relating to some events occurring sequentially or in other ways leading to a moral lesson. It may be a fiction or a true story. It must have a defined point of view around which the story revolves.

What makes it different?

The writing structure of the narrative paper is akin to all other essay writing structures, demanding a 5-paragraph format with the introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. But the things that make it a different one concerning its core are:

  1. It is narrative in nature that you use a first-person narration explaining your personal experiences. But a third person narration can also be used (mostly in fiction)
  2. It involves characters, sensory details, events, incidents, and dialogues

All these things appear to be in the narrative essay to engage the reader’s interest and making them feel the same thing that you felt while writing or experiencing that.

What are some good Narrative Essays?

A good narrative Essay demands a deep and cheerful experience about a specific event that you are going to discuss in your paper. A mesmerizing narrative essay tends to indulge the people more deeply than anything else.  

When you are trying to reach the level of best in case of a good narrative essay, you must mention all the required elements and nuances beautifying it. The other features of a good narrative essay tend to be:

  1. As a narrative essay is about telling a story that is making somewhat special sense to convey. So, a good narrative essay must be giving an idea or a lesson to the readers.
  2. It must be written by using the emotional language and the action dialogues with sensory details.
  3. When you sit to write a good narrative essay, you must remember the fore-coming event’s discussion vividly. It must be such clear in your mind and on the paper that it doesn’t lose or miss a single event or detail of it.

What to write? Narrative Essay or a short story? Difference?

When it sounds in your mind Narrative as “A Story,” you must be thinking that it is just simple story writing. But remember, there is something above the edge, differentiating the Narrative Essay from a short story. What is it?? It is an author’s perspective that appears in writing.

A story is a type of writing that may involve multiple perspectives. It is about looking at and interpreting the events from different perspectives, and then you collect all the information to give a block-bustard story.

But in the case of a narrative essay, it has only a single perspective. And that single perspective is held by the writer in the whole story. This single perspective about an event contributes to the author’s personal life experiences that would definitely come up with a lesson.

A narrative essay usually tells something of a personal nature. That’s why, many times, it is perceived as a Personal Narrative Essay. For it, we are dwelling into a personal narrative writing for more discussion.

Key elements of writing a personal narrative paper

Some important key elements would help you not only to understand the essence of the personal narrative writing but also to write well. These key elements or the components of the narrative essay include:

  1. Plot or scenario
  2. Perspective
  3. Characters
  4. Theme or central idea
  5. Shaping the scene plan

1. Plot or scenario

The plot is mainly the storyline of the story. But in the case of a narrative essay, how do you plot and what? In the case of narrative writing, you must assemble the events in an arranged way they occurred. The plot of your narrative essay must not be too simple. It should be creating suspense, curiosity, and adventure at every single step. It must have the thrilling and interest indulging power to the readers.  

But in a case, if your story goes too simple and boring that your readers came to know the conclusion just after reading the introduction. Then it is not a good appealing plot. Every part of your narrative essay must have something that intrigues the readers to know what’s next.    

2. Perspective

As you are going to write a narrative essay but not a short story, so keep in mind that it should have a single perspective. It may be one of the writer’s own perspectives. It may also be of your own when you are the author and writing the personal narrative paper for your instructor.  

The soul of your perspective must be radiating all the way and absorbing the whole essay’s casing into it. Moreover, the skeleton of your whole narrative writing must be based purely on your single perspective or theme.    

3. Characters

Characters are the pawns to be used in chess. Chess is the plot of your narrative writing, and the characters are the pawns that must be utilized slyly and sagaciously. So, the readers won’t be able to predict the next move or actions of the characters, and the scene suspense doesn’t break.

The other important thing about the characters is that they must be as clear as water to understand but not to predict. What to remember is that all the things must be lying on a single perspective.

4. Theme or Central Idea

When you are writing the essay for your assigned work by your instructor, the theme is given by your professor or teacher. Or, if you are writing on your own, you can select the topic or theme by yourself. The theme, if is given by your instructor, must be involving the class discussions, but if not, then go on your way.

5. Shaping the scene plan

Your narrative essay must not be monotonous. It must have the ups and downs of curiosity and excitement to keep the readers with you in the lane. Your content must be strong enough to take the readers into another world of mystery and imagination. At any cost, keep your story around the main theme and don’t make the story plan a boring one.

Major Steps for Mastering the personal Narrative Essay

Before going towards the main process of writing personal narrative writing, there are some important tips for writing the narrative paper and enhancing its validity and quality. These tips are essential to follow and must be kept in mind before starting the paper writing (narrative essay). These tips are:

Major Steps for Mastering

Tips for writing an impressive narrative essay

  1. As the personal narrative paper is written about your life experiences and learned lessons, so it must be written in the first-person context, in the way as you are telling your story to somebody else.
  2. For an impactful narrative writing, your writing style must not be common; it should contain something that directly touches the psyche, emotions, and heart.
  3. Your ideas must be really clear and understandable, but not too open that the reader loses interest.
  4. Your imagination must be very strong and the same on the paper. It should carve each and every detail of any emotion and the appealing moments or dialogues
  5. You have to engage the people in the climax of the story that compels them to think about what will be next to it or what will be its fate.

Other important things to do while writing the essay

While writing the essay, some things can make your writing very interesting and eye-catching for the readers. To grab the attention of the readers or your professor is essential for the success of the essay. The things you must do for writing an eye-catching essay are:

1. Making a pre-story draft

As you have the story in your mind about which you are going to write. But it may be possible that before writing, you remember an event but when you start writing, you forget. For that purpose, we recommend you write the story on a draft or record it verbally. It will help you to write in flow and well organize the story.  

2. Using the dialogues with impressions

When a story is written, it may also involve the conversation between people or any other sort of communication. For that purpose, you must explain those conversations not only in the form of words but also associate the expressions to them that create reality.  

You should use the effective and far-reaching dialogues in the essay. An anecdote (or a short story) can also help in that context.  

3. Use of transitory words

Never create a gap between the paragraphs or two nearby ideas. To eradicate the gap, we must use transitional words such as, however, therefore, for example, and others of your choice. Connect the ideas and thoughts with the help of these links.    

4. Making the story interesting

Don’t go on the way telling the story in simple sentences, but arouse the people to brainstorm by asking and adding the complex, mysterious and interrogative sentences in the paper. Changing the sentence structure can increase the engagement of the readers.  

5. Use of appropriate and thrilling words

Try to use such type of words that are elegant, accurate, comprehensive, and thrilling that appear to be fascinating and compelling for the readers.  

6. Pick the characters sagaciously  

Enlighten the main characters ever and arrange the role of each and every person included in the story keeping the quality essence of the essay. Never highlight the side characters of the story as it may misguide the direction of your essay.    

7. Be careful about spells and punctuation

Misspell use, and wrong punctuation can destroy the outcome of your essay but also the rapport of you before the professor. So, try using the proofreading tools or write your essay diligently and cautiously.

Step by step guide to writing an impactful narrative essay

A narrative essay is just a story. But this story is about yourself. The structure of it is the same as that of other stories having a start, middle or climax, and then the end.  

This basic structure of the personal narrative writing will be provided to you below:

  • Picking up a suitable topic

This step is very important as it decides on which aspect of your life you are going to write. In the case of academic narrative writing, the topic is assigned by the instructor, but when it’s upon you to choose the topic, it increases a little of your responsibility. There are different departments of your life about which you can write, e.g.:

  • Your childhood memory
  • Any traveled trip
  • School or college memory
  • A funny story
  • An embarrassing story
  • Surprising story
  • Betrayal stories
  • About achievements
  1. Always pick a topic that appeals to your audience and has the following characteristics:
  2. Your topic must be concise and comprehensive
  3. It must be unique as you search on the web; because it is in human nature to admire the unique and versatile thing
  4. It must encourage the people to read the essay
  5. It must be focused and narrowed

  • Brainstorm about the story and explore the topic

After selecting the topic, you must gather the ideas about writing it. Think about your topic from different ways and slowly gather the ideas day by day. As when you overload your mind with the flood of ideas, they may flow out inefficiently.  

You must follow the divergent and convergent thinking that includes; divergent:- gather the ideas as much as possible and convergent:- squeeze down all the gathered ideas into one best theme.  

  • Make the outline of the narrative paper

The next phase of the topic selection is to manage and organize the outline format for the essay. Outline formation will let your essay to be in more manageable and presentable form. The purpose of chalking out the outline is to assist the thorough essay writing. The outline can be in different forms as you prefer.  

It can be in the form of a flow chart, points, or a brief summary of the essay. The brief summary of the essay includes 3 points:

A) Introduction

That contains a hook at first for grabbing the people’s attention and then the main theme along with the scope. But while writing an outline, you must be as concise as possible because it is just for remembrance and indication.  

B) Body paragraph

The body paragraphs are usually 3 in number and include the supporting events and evidence about the story. Each paragraph contains the topic sentence in the first line and then the supporting details along with the closing line in each paragraph.  

C) Conclusion

The concluding paragraph contains the rephrased form of the main thesis statement and the conclusion of all the details given in the whole essay.  

  • An introduction

The introduction is a very important paragraph that draws and compels the people to read more and deeply. The introduction covers the whole essay essence in a small and well-concise paragraph. It usually contains the following parts:

Hook The hook may be any statistic, an anecdote, a phrase, bold fact, or a quotation. It instantly absorbs the people's attention, making them read what’s next and interesting.  

  • Orientation

Orientation is the way you take to move towards the thesis statement. The hook is also a part of it.  

  • Thesis statement  

The thesis statement is your best idea you are driven with after the convergent type of thinking. The whole essay or your narrative writing revolves around it.

Try to make your introductory paragraph as much appealing as possible because it is the first thing to be presented before the audience.

Narrative Essay Topics

  • Body paragraph

It is the climax of your narrative story. The thing you should keep in mind is to use the personal pronoun “I” in the whole content of your essay. There are three body paragraphs that you write in support of the central idea. The basic structure includes:

Topic sentence

It is the first sentence of each paragraph and is in support of the main theme.  

Detail no 1

It is the first evidence supporting the topic sentence, and so goes on for detail no two and detail no 3.  

Detail no 2
Detail no 3

Closing sentence

It includes the conclusion of all the evidence described in a single specific paragraph, including the topic sentence theme.

Note: The thing that is to remember is that these body paragraphs are the most important one after the main claim in creating a curious story, so must use the events and the characters wisely.

  • Concluding paragraph

It is the last paragraph that is containing the main theme of your narrative essay but in new words or rephrased form. As you are writing it for your narrative paper, it must contain the lesson you learned from the story you are telling. Moreover, the conclusion is the overall summary of the whole essay.

In the last

So, to put in a nutshell, narrative essay writing is the story writing about your personal life experience. It may be very hectic for you when not having an idea of how to write about it. But now, after reading this blog of our site on the guide of how to write the personal narrative paper, you will definitely be able to write it with excellent possible outcomes. Moreover, CaseProfessors is always there for instant professional academic writing support. 

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