What Is a Narrative Essay?

The main purpose of a narrative essay is to tell the reader about events, interactions, and
experience that happened during a particular period of time. It always has a vivid plot. Whereas,
the descriptive essay is aimed at providing an image of a person, a place, some experience or an
object without demonstrating a chain of events. In a descriptive essay the plot is absent or vague.

A narrative essay is mainly your reflection on a certain matter or personal experience as an

author. The essay thus takes the form of a story. When writing a personal narrative essay, the
format should take that of a story whereby there should be a plot, a setting, characters, an
outcome, and an ending.

Narrative Essay: Like all essays, should have the following components.
 Introduction and Thesis Statement
 Body Paragraphs
 Conclusion

The introduction gives the reader a picture of what you are going to talk about. It introduces the
topic, main ideas, and the ordeal that you will dwell on in the entire essay.

The introduction should include the following aspects:

 The Significance of the Topic and The Hook

 The setting:

The hook is an introductory sentence that is meant to hook or engage the reader. It is a statement
that evokes a lot of interest and arouses curiosity. It is vital that you work on your hook as it is
what a reader will first read in your narrative essay. If they meet a dull hook, then possibly they
won’t be stimulated intellectually to read the whole piece.

The setting is also vital as it gives the reader a brief background on the subject. It lets the reader
place the issue into context and makes him/her visualize the starting point and bearing of the
narrative essay.

The Thesis Statement: Once you’ve written the hook of your essay, it is crucial that you
categorically mention your goal of writing the narrative essay. Your thesis statement serves as a
quick sum-up of what you have learned in relation to the subject that you are writing about. It is
your main argument in the story, and all other assertions that you will put forth in the essay will
be to justify it. The thesis statement should be placed right at the end of the introductory
paragraph for it to bear more weight.

(The unfolding of the events in the body paragraphs: Before disclosing the main event, give a
brief onset of the circumstances that may have led to the event. A vivid and sequential flow of
events is what will make your body paragraphs appeal to the readers. And right after you
disclose the event, follow it up with a climax. The climax should automatically be followed up
by a verdict or resolution).

The Body: Right after introducing your essay and writing a powerful thesis statement, the next
step is to write the body of your essay which may be three to four paragraphs. It is where you
place your central arguments in favor of the subject and your thesis. It is also where the
characters of your essay are introduced and contribute to the plot of your story. The central
theme of your essay is conveyed in the body paragraphs which should answer the following
questions.

 Who was involved in the story?

 Where did the events unfold?
 Why did things happen as they did?
 What is the objective view or opposing view of what happened?

As you write the body of your essay, use some literary techniques to describe the events. An
excellent method that always works is the use of different characters, dialogue, conflict,
suspense, etc. Describe the events vividly. Like a descriptive writing use as many of the five
senses to make the writing come alive. Make use of all descriptive adjectives at your disposal.
Also, use some humor to break the monotony. The narration can be in the first or second person.
Normally it is in past tense, though at times the present tense is also used. There should be
consistency in the use of tense.

The Conclusion: After narrating the events in your body paragraphs and giving a final
verdict or resolution, you can now conclude your essay. Remember that your conclusion is
also important just as your introduction and body. Endeavor to end your narrative essay
with a powerful conclusion.

Your conclusion should have the following elements:

 Restate your thesis statement in some form.

 Summarize the main points.
 Give the moral of the story and the lessons learned.

Elements of a Narrative Writing (Text Book: PDF PP. 76 – 82)

A narrative has the form and content of a story which is composed of different elements. A story
has a title and is told through mainly one point of view using one tense; it involves character or
characters in action; it uses details and in many cases dialogues to support the details to tell the
story.

Title: Since a narrative is in the form of a story, it should have a title. The title may be inferred
from the assignment or the contemplated details to be covered in the writing.
Point of View: After deciding on the story to tell, decide the appropriate point of view. The point
of view concerns the narrator, the person who tells the story. Since , in most cases, the narrative
is personal, it is told from the narrator’s point of view, which is the first person. However, if
someone else’s story is told, it is the third person.

Tense: Narratives can be written either in the present tense or past tense. The past tense is most
common because narratives usually deal with stories of the past. The use of present tense creates
the impression that the incidents are happening right now. There must be consistency in the use
of tense.

Characters: Narratives use real people, their emotions and feelings. The readers can very often
identify themselves with these characters.

Dialogue: In a narrative, whether real or imaginary, the use of characters and dialogues create the
semblance of reality.

Action or Conflict: Each narrative has one major action or event. Everything contributes to this
action.

Details: Details are essential to a narrative. But they must be coherent and unified.

(Final Comment)
In essence, a narrative essay is a write-up that should be enjoyable to write since it draws from
your personal experiences. It gives you the liberty of expressing your own opinions and
perspectives on matters. The above outline for narrative essay should guide you to craft a
fantastic write-up that would give every reader smiles. Follow it keenly and apply it to your
narrative essay writing; you are sure of writing an excellent story!