1. The Narrative Essay: More than a story!
English 9
Ms. Manzuk

2. What is a Narrative Essay?
Yes, a narrative is a story but
A narrative essay is a story that has a specific point
A narrative essay strives to teach a lesson or
A narrative essay strives to make a specific point
A narrative essay is not a diary entry – the story is linked to the purpose of the essay

3. What Should Be Included in a Narrative Essay?
Often written in 1st person – I or we – because it is based on a personal story
Can also be written in 3rd person
Can never be written in 2nd person
Has specific sensory details to get the reader hooked on the story.
Usually developed in chronological order
Figurative language that help paint a picture and draw in the reader

4. What Else Does the Narrative Essay Need?
Since this is a story, the narrative essay needs everything a story needs (these are known as the story elements):
Has a plot
Has characters
Has a problem or conflict
Has a climax
Often uses dialogue

5. Planning the Narrative Essay
Write a thesis statement, just as with any other essay
Brainstorm about a prompt that illustrates or proves the thesis statement
Create an outline of the important parts of the story
Write an introductory paragraph that includes the thesis statement
Because this is a story, use as many paragraphs as necessary to tell the story
Write a conclusion that reflects on the thesis statement

6. Introductory Paragraph
An introductory paragraph has three jobs:
To hook the reader
To provide a setting and introduce the characters
What is the basic idea of the story?
Where is the story taking place?
When is the story taking place?
Who is in the story?
To give a purpose to the essay

7. Introductory Paragraph
Hook
Who
What
When
Where
This is to show the idea that the hook is a general idea to pull the reader in, but then the paragraph gets more specific by giving the reader more information (who, what, when, where) and then very specific with the thesis
Thesis (the purpose of your essay)

8. What is your Hook?
The hook is the FIRST sentence of the introductory paragraph.
The purpose of a hook:
To pull in the reader
Grab the reader’s curiosity
Your hook should transition smoothly into the rest of your introductory paragraph.

9. What is a thesis?
Your thesis will depend upon the lesson or point of the story
It is the PURPOSE of your essay. If you do not have a thesis, you do not have a purpose. The essay will be very confusing for the reader with no purpose.
Your entire essay will develop to support your thesis.
Your thesis is ONLY ONE sentence.
Your thesis is the LAST sentence of your introductory paragraph.

10. The story is told in chronological order
The Body Paragraphs
The story is told in chronological order
Climax: the event
Rising Action:
leading up the event
Falling Action:
what happens afterwards

11. Thinking about Transitions
Transitions will help signal the end of one paragraph and the beginning of the next.
They provide a link between ideas and paragraphs.
They will give your essay a feeling of unity and allow the reader to follow the story easily.

12. Common Time Transitions
Remember to use a comma after a transition.
Before
Second
Later
Meanwhile
After
Then
At last
Since
During
Finally
Last
Now
First
While
Eventually
Soon

13. Conclusion
The conclusion must synthesize your specific point or lesson as well as provide your reflection.
It can:
Make a prediction or revelation about future actions that will happen as a result of the story
It can challenge the reader’s thoughts and beliefs about the main idea
It can tell what the writer has learned from her experiences.

14. Conclusion Synthesizing the specific point or lesson by
reflecting on your event
Synthesizing and reflecting are kinda merged together. The “clincher” sentence is the final-thought provoking sentence that lets the reader know that the essay is finished…a sense of completion
Finishing Sentence “Clincher Sentence”

15. Some Final Tips
Without a thesis, or a point, you are not really writing a narrative essay– make sure to have a point. You can get help finding a point when you:
Think about sayings or quotes that teach a lesson
Think about lessons learned from Aesop’s fables
Think about a time when you learned something valuable
Read quotations to spawn ideas
Read your own journals for a time something happened worth telling others about

16. Remember, please have fun and express your creative side!
Ready to begin?
Remember, please have fun and express your creative side!