Narrative Writing

Narrative writing focuses on telling a fictional story – one that is made up – or a real-life story where the
author follows a plot structure. It can also take the form of an essay where the author uses a personal story to
explain an issue or state an argument. Presentations vary because they depend largely on the creativity of the
writer. Even when the form of writing changes, the function of telling the story remains.
A narrative essay always tells a story. Although the narrative essay has an equivalent basic format to
other academic text, narrative is often anecdotal, experiential, and personal, allowing students to express
themselves in a creative and, quite often, moving ways. Furthermore, most movies and YouTube videos that you
simply watch are also samples of a narrative essay, depending on the content.

Elements of a story
Setting –It is the when and where the story happens.
Theme – It is the subject talk or the basic idea of the story
Mood – It is the tone of the piece of literature it signifies the emotion/feelings of the narrator or speaker.
Characters – These are the people involved in the story it can be classified as the Protagonist or
Antagonist.
Plot - The plot is, arguably, the most important element of a story. It is the sequence of events. It includes
a climax or turning point at which the characters or events change.

An effective narrative essay also includes these elements:

• A thesis that sets up the action in the introduction
• Transition sentences that connect events and guide the reader to follow the story
• A conclusion that ends the story action and provides a moral, prediction, or revelation

The Introduction
The introduction is a paragraph that will start your story. It establishes the narrator’s tone, mood, voice,
and point of view; it introduces or alludes the conflict you plan on addressing in your story. The introduction must
contain a hook and a thesis.

The Narrative Hook is the introductory part or the opening of the essay. It usually grabs the attention and
helps to set a mood for a reader. Hooks are essential in narrative essays because they set the stage for the
story. The hooks create enough interest that the reader will want to continue.

I had never been more anxious in my life. I had just spent the last three endless hours trying to
get to the airport so that I could travel home.

Does the hook leave a question into your mind on what will happen next? The hook should make the
reader ask questions about the essay. You may have also thought of questions like these when you read the
preceding hook:

• Who is the narrator and why is he or she anxious?

• Where is the exact location of the airport?

• What made the trip to the airport seem endless?

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• Why is this person going home?

The Thesis

The thesis expresses the main idea of the essay and states the structure of the information. However, in
a narrative essay, the thesis introduces the action that begins within the first paragraph of the essay. Check out
these examples of thesis statements:

Now, as I watched the bus driver set my luggage on the airport sidewalk, I realized that my
frustration had only just begun.

I wanted my mother to watch me race down the steep hill, so I called out her name and then
nudged my bike forward.

Because his pride would not allow him to apologize, Ken now had to fight the bully, and he was
pretty sure that he would not win.

These thesis statements will not give the action to the reader on what will happen. They will only drop
hints on the following sequence. The sentences in the body will refine the story.

The Body

In a narrative essay, the body contains most of the supporting information which is the plot. The sequence
in the plot can be arranged in numerous ways. One of the examples is the chronological order. In this method,
the story will begin with the first scenario, then the second paragraph will elaborate on the second scenario and
so on.

In an essay with a chronological organization, the last past of each paragraph will be a transitional
sentence. Transitional sentences have two purposes: (1) to signal the end of the action in one paragraph, and
(2) to provide a link to the action of the next paragraph. These sentences are essential because they give your
story unity and allow the reader to follow the action easily. Notice how the ideas in the last sentence of Paragraph
2 (the transitional sentence, underlined) and the first sentence of Paragraph 3 (underlined) are connected.

(2) This was my first visit to the international terminal of the airport, and nothing was familiar. I could not
make sense of any of the signs. Where was the check-in counter? Where should I take my luggage? I had
no idea where the immigration line was. I began to panic. What time was it? Where was my plane? I had
to find help because I could not be late!

(3) I tried to ask a passing businessman for help, but my words all came out wrong. He just scowled and
walked away. What had happened? I had been in this country for a whole semester, and I could not even
remember how to ask for directions. This was awful! Another bus arrived at the terminal, and the
passengers stepped off carrying all sorts of luggage. Here was my chance! I could follow them to the right
place, and I would not have to say a word.

The Conclusion
Just like academic essays, narrative essays must have a conclusion. In the conclusion, you must write a
brief statement of the main point; it doesn’t mean that you have to rewrite everything. It is just a brief description
of your action. The last sentence can have two functions:

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 1. It can deliver the moral of the story by telling the reader what the character(s) learned from the
experience.
2. It can make a prediction or a revelation (disclosure of something that was not known before) about
future actions that will happen as a result of the events in the story.

Look at these examples:

Moral: The little boy had finally learned that telling the truth was the most important thing to do.
Prediction: I can only hope that one day I will be able to do the same for another traveler who is
suffering through a terrible journey.
Revelation: Every New Year’s Eve, my wife and I return to that magical spot and remember the
selfless act that saved our lives.
In the example, Rebecca Walker tells a story about her son to lead into her explanation of why she put
together the anthology “Putting Down the Gun” (p.412).

The idea for this book was born one night after a grueling conversation with my then eleven-year-old
son. He had come home from his progressive middle school unnaturally quiet and withdrawn, shrugging off
my questions of concern with uncharacteristic irritability. Where was the sunny, chatty boy I dropped off that
morning? What had befallen him in the perilous halls of middle school? I backed off but kept a close eye on
him, watching for clues.

After a big bowl of his favorite pasta, he sat on a sofa in my study and read his science textbook as
I wrote at my desk. We both enjoyed this simple yet profound togetherness, the two of us focused on our
own projects yet palpably connected. As we worked under the soft glow of paper lanterns, with the heat on
high and our little dog snoring at his feet, my son began to relax. I could feel a shift as he began to remember,
deep in his body, that he was home, that he was safe, that he did not have to brace to protect himself from
the expectations of the outside world.

Walker shows the readers what happened with her son by means of narration and what she observed
when he came from school. It’s not just about her personal life yet it also signifies the essentiality in the culture.
The narration has the edge of bridling readers because most of us love a good story.

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