Elements of a Narrative Essay Lesson 5 Elements of a Narrative Essay

Narrative Essay A narrative essay is one form of writing wherein the writer shares his/her own personal story. This type of essay mostly uses the first person point of view making it more personal both to the writer telling the story and the reader going through it.

Basic Structure of a Narrative Essay Introduction - This is the beginning or start of the essay. Must contain: Hook - A hook is like a quote or saying that immediately catches the readers’ eye. This is the thing that will draw them in to read more about the piece. Scene - The scene is where the writer gives the readers a gist of the story. Here, one must give readers an idea on where the story is taking place, what it’s about, who the main characters are and so on. Thesis Statement - this is the theme. The thesis statement is something that will connect the whole story or essay together. This is where the insights from the story are culminated together by the writer.

Basic Structure of a Narrative Essay Body – where the content of the essay should be. Remember to give as much detail about the experience as possible. The writer must remember to: Show them, don’t tell them Give Supporting Evidence Have a Sense of Time Use Transitional words

Basic Structure of a Narrative Essay Conclusion This is the morale of the story. After reading the writers piece the reader must come to a realization or a reflection. This is the ending so the reader must learn a thing or two from the essay.

How to Write a Narrative Essay Prewriting - Prewriting is outlining the thoughts and ideas that will be used to write the essay. Drafting - By drafting the writer gets a more organized glimpse of what he/she is going to write about. Revising - A writer needs to revise their work to give it a more coherent and concise order. Editing - Must check for grammatical errors, wrong use of punctuation marks etc. to make the piece more structured. Publishing - Is sharing the work with readers and getting feedback in return.

Weaknesses of Writing a Narrative Essay Writing a narrative essay can tackle more of the truth side. Sometimes it limits a writer to use variety. Writing a narrative essay blurs the line between real and unreal. Writers can distort the realness of their stories if they include too much fiction or imagination in their piece. Writing a narrative essay does not mean that all readers will love it.

Advantages of Writing a Narrative Essay It will be easier for a writer to write a narrative essay because it mainly uses the first person point of view. It tackles a topic that is about the writer. Writing narrative essay helps a writer gain perspective. It forces the writer to relive or revisit old memories which sometimes can be therapeutic or a source of fun for them. Writing a narrative essay needs minimal research. Since it is about a writer’s personal experience he/she can just write his/her own memories and feelings. Narrative writing helps the writer free his/her imagination.