NARRATIVE ESSAYS: INSIDE OUT

What is a narrative essay?

A narrative essay is one in which you tell a story from your point of view or
personal experience, providing specific and sensory details to get readers
involved and understand your point.

Why do we call it narrative?

Because you use a particular way of telling your story and explaining its even,
known as ‘narrative’. In other words, narrative turns a story into information
and influences the way how readers will perceive it.

What is the purpose of a narrative essay?

The fundamental purpose of narrative essay is telling stories to your readers.

You, the writer, tell about the personal experience but also make a point for
readers to understand why you tell about it and why your story is important
to share. In a narrative essays, you simply guide a reader and allow them to
drawn own conclusions. You don’t criticize anything and don’t try to persuade
them with arguments or prove them anything. That’s exactly the purpose of a
narrative essay.
Let’s compare:

Persuasive Narrative
Essays Essays
Purpose To persuade with To inform
definite arguments
Mood Rational Emotional, imaginative

Style Analytical, objective, 3rd Emotive, subjective, 1st

person person
Examples Essays in political Personal essays in
columns applying post graduate
degree
Why write personal narrative essays?
Doing so, you learn to voice your opinion, views, and beliefs to the world. You
learn to express and share thoughts consistently and intriguingly so people
would get involved and inspired by your story. The facts say that:
 A human brain retains 70% of information through stories and
95% - through emotions; so the only way to make people want
to listen to you is to tell them a story. (Source: One Spot)

What are the characteristics of the narrative essays?

Informal, written in the 1st person (you are a storyteller here)

With a purpose to inform, not argue or teach
Describe a person, a scene, or an event in details and chronological
order
Non-fictional, tells about the actual experience
Includes the elements of a story but follows the structure of an essay

The structures, formats, language and elements of a narrative essay

Elements Formats Structures Language

Plot:
It’s the events happening
in your essays (story).e.g.
you write about how you
learned swimming and
describe what you
did/how it influenced
your mood and swimming
skills.
Setting:
It’s when and where the
events happen; in other
words, it’s location and
time. e.g. you learned
swimming in the pool of
your local school, in the
winter of 2014.
Exposition: Write an Use descriptive
It’s the introduction of introduction: language:
your story, with the The exposition of your Consider synonyms
background information narrative essay. Don’t (thesaurus), don’t repeat
about main characters forget to add a hook, a one and the same word
and setting. thesis statement, and a in every sentence (DO
description of your NOT DO REPETITION).
topic. Add modifiers to
describe the events.
A modifier:
 a word, phrase, or
even a clause that
modifies (gives
information) about
another word in a
sentence.
 a descriptive word,
such as an
adjective or an
adverb, that
changes, clarifies,
or limits a word to
add emphasis or
detail.
Rising action: Craft three Use power
It’s the moment when paragraphs of words:
conflict appears, a Avoid passive voice and
trigger that creates your essay:
The rising action, climax, weak adverbs. Often, a
tension and makes the stronger noun or verb
readers understand and falling action. Tell
about the setting, the can express your thought
what your story is about. better than vague
characters, events that
modifiers.
 happened, conflict, and Power words:
its aftermath.  persuasive and
emotional words
that trigger a
respond.
 used to make
readers scared,
angry, curious, safe,
encouraged, etc.
and compel them
to take action.
Character: Climax: Write a Use sensory
It’s a protagonist who It’s the main event of conclusion: words:
drives a plot of your story. your story, the height of (The resolution) Explain They are powerful
Also, there can be tension, when the the moral of your story; modifiers that help
supporting characters. protagonist faces the why it’s significant, and readers smell, see, hear,
Thus, you are the truth, needs to make a what the readers might feel, or taste the events of
protagonist of your essay, choice or decision. want to do after reading your narrative essay.
and the supporting it. Sensory words:
characters can be your  words related to
classmates. smell and taste, e.g:
turn bland writing
into lip-smackingly
tasty content.
 visual word, e.g.
paint vibrant or
gloomy pictures.
 auditory words, e.g.
do you want to
communicate with a
serene voice? Or
wanna SHOUT at
your readers?
 tactile words, e.g.
Let the readers feel
the silky-
smoothness of your
words.
 motion words, e.g.
Let your words
swing and swirl.
Conflict: Falling action: Mix simple and
It’s a problem the It’s the result of that complex, long
character resolves, a choice, the moment of
moment of tension he conflict resolution. and short
needs to win through. e.g. sentences:
the conflict was the Do mixing sentences in
challenge for you to swim your narrative essay for
with legs and arms better rhythm. It
together. influences readability,
and it will be easier for
the audience to follow
your thoughts and get
emotionally involved in
your story.
Theme: Resolution: Stay consistent:
It’s the moral of a story. It’s the conclusion of Follow the narrative arc
What have you learned? your story, with a moral of your story, and don’t
What do you want the or point of view you tell anything that didn’t
readers understand? e.g. wanted to share. happen.
example with the essay Note: If you want your
about swimming: you’ve narrative essay to be
learned to swim and want awesome, make sure
to encourage readers to you format it with all
be brave and not be afraid five components in
of challenges. mind. Or, use three
basic ones at least:
Exposition, climax, and
resolution.

One of example of the narrative essays is: The story by Jeremy Noronha
entitled Dropping Out to Travel The World at 18-Years-Old, please visit his
story on https://jeremynoronha.com/dropping-out-to-travel-the-world/