A narrative essay serves to tell a story so you can be as creative as possible. The stories you write can be fiction or nonfiction, depending on the task you are working on. At first, starting a narrative essay can seem difficult. However, you can simplify this task by searching for specific topics and plotting the story. After that, you should be able to write the opening part of the story easily.
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Method 1 of 3: Selecting a Narrative Writing Topic
Step 1. Read the assigned task to understand the prompts and expectations
It's a good idea to read the assignment instructions more than once so that you fully understand them. Record questions or points that need to be answered in the essay. In addition, pay attention to the conditions given to get a perfect score.
- If your teacher provides a rubric, read the content carefully to find out how to get the best grades. After that, you can compare the essays that have been written with the rubric before submitting the assignment.
- If you have questions about assignments, ask your teacher for clarification.
Step 2. Brainstorm for narrative essay writing ideas
First of all, let the ideas in your head flow without filtering them. Decide whether you want to write a narrative based on personal experience or fiction. Once you've got a good list of topics, you can choose the ones you like the most. For example, you could write about your first stay at a friend's house, your experience bringing a puppy home for the first time, or writing a fictional story about a boy who has trouble starting a fire while camping. Here are some interesting brainstorming ideas:
- Make a list of the things that come to mind when you first read the task instructions or the questions in them.
- Make an imaginary map to sort the ideas in your head.
- Use the free-writing method to come up with story ideas. Just write whatever comes to your mind without thinking about sentence structure or writing logic.
- Develop an outline of a story (outline) to help "tidy up" the ideas you get.
Step 3. Choose one memorable event to tell in detail
Read through your list of ideas to find events that match the writing assignment. After that, narrow the topic of writing into one specific incident to be poured into the essay.
- Do not use a story that is too long in an essay because the reader will have a hard time following the plot.
- For example, say your assignment is: “Write an experience that taught you what persistence means.” You may want to write about an injury you've had. To narrow the story down, focus on the experience of exercising for the first time after an injury, as well as the challenges you faced doing so.
Step 4. Determine the theme or message in your story
Connect your story idea to a task assignment and think about how the reader feels. In addition, determine what feelings you want to convey to the reader through your essay. Include a core theme or special message in your story based on the answers to these questions.
For example, a story about recovering from an injury might have the theme of struggling against adversity and persistence to achieve a goal. You may want readers to feel inspired and excited after reading the essay. To make it happen, focus on your success through these difficult times and end the story on a positive note
Method 2 of 3: Planning the Storyline
Step 1. List the characters and their characters in the story
Start with the main character. Write down the name, age, and description of the character. After that, determine the motivations, desires, and relationships of the characters in the story. After sketching the main characters, make a short list of the other characters in the story and include important details about them.
- Even if you are the main character in the story, you should still follow the steps above. You are free to determine the details you want to write about yourself. However, it's a good idea to write down a description of yourself, your hobbies, and how you felt as the story unfolded, especially if it happened a long time ago.
- The depiction of the main character can be written like this: “Princess, a 12-year-old athletic basketball player who is injured. He wants to recover from his injury so he can return to the field. He is Andi's patient, a physical therapist who helps the injury recovery process."
- The description of the supporting character can be written like this: "Doctor Anton is a friendly middle-aged man who treats Putri in the emergency room."
Step 2. Describe the setting of the story in a few sentences
Look for several locations as the setting of the story, as well as the time it happened. Write down all the settings that you want to include in the story even if the details vary. After that, write down a description of the events associated with one or more locations.
- For example, a story about recovering from a sports injury can involve multiple settings, including a basketball court, ambulance, hospital, and physical therapy center. Even if you want to describe each place in detail, you should focus on the main setting in the story.
- You could write the following list to describe a basketball court: “the floor squeaked”, “the crowd screams”, “the lights dazzle”, “the color of the crowd in the stands”, “the smell of sweat and energy drinks”, and “wet sportswear sticks to the back.”
- Your story can cover several different settings, but you don't need to provide the same details for each. For example, you may be in an ambulance for only a short time. You don't need to describe the conditions inside the ambulance in detail. You might write "I felt cold and alone when I got into the white ambulance."
Step 3. Map out the story line from the beginning, middle, to the end
A narrative essay usually follows a similar pattern. Begin the story by introducing the characters and their setting, then tell the events that drew the reader to the heart of the story. After that, write down the main action and climax of the story. Finally, explain the resolution of the story and convey the message in it to the readers.
- For example, you can introduce a young basketball player who wants to play in an important match. The incident that leads to the core of the story is the injury he suffered. After that, write down the main action containing the player's struggle to get through physical therapy and return to the field. The climax could be the day of the selection of the basketball team's core players. You can close the story by explaining the player's success in returning to the first team, and making the player realize that he can overcome any challenge.
- We recommend using the Freytag triangle or graphic organizer to arrange the storyline. The Freytag triangle looks like a regular triangle with a long line to the left and a short line to the right. It is a tool to help you structure the beginning of the story (exposition), the incidents that trigger the story core, the main action, the climax, the ending, and the resolution.
- You can find Freytag triangle templates or graphic organizers for writing narrative essays online.
Step 4. Write the story's climax in detail or just outline it
The climax is the highest point in your story. The beginning and middle of the story serve to lead the reader to the climax. After that, the end of the story will end the conflict that triggers the climax.
- The most common types of conflict include people vs people, people vs nature, and people vs themselves. Some stories have more than one type of conflict.
- In a story about an injured young athlete, the conflict may be the player vs himself as he has to endure pain and limitations.
Step 5. Choose a narrative point of view, such as from a first or third person point of view
The point of view depends on who is telling the story. If you tell a personal experience, the point of view used is "first person". Similarly, you can use the first person point of view when telling something from a personal point of view. You will use a third point of view when you tell something from the point of view of a character or other person.
- Often, personal narratives use the first person point of view with the word "I". For example, “During the holidays yesterday, grandpa taught me how to fish.”
- If you're telling a fictional story, you can use a third-person point of view. Use the name of your character, and use appropriate personal pronouns if you are writing an English story, such as “he” or “she”. For example, you might write “Mia took the locket and opened it.”
Method 3 of 3: Writing the Opening Section
Step 1. Begin essay writing with a catchy opening sentence
Open the story with a sentence or two that grabs the reader's attention. To do this, use prompts when introducing the topic of the story and sharing your opinion. Here are some techniques to lure readers in:
- Begin the essay with a rhetorical question. For example “Have you ever lost someone very precious?”
- Insert a quote that matches your essay. For example, write "According to Rosa Gomez 'You don't know how strong you are until something goes wrong that breaks your feelings."
- Provide interesting facts related to your story. For example, “About 70% of children will stop exercising by the time they are 13 and I almost became one of them.”
- Use short anecdotes that relate to the outline of your story. If you're writing an essay about struggling to recover from an injury, you can include a short story about the best moments during a match before you got injured.
- Start by saying something surprising. You might write "Once they put me in the ambulance, I knew I might never fight again."
Step 2. Introduce the main character in your story
Readers should have a clear idea of the main character in the story. Name and briefly describe the main character. You don't need to go into detail in the opening, but readers should have a rough idea of the character.
- If you are the main character, you might write "As a tall and slim 12 year old, I can easily beat any other girl on the court." This allows the reader to guess what the character looks like, as well as knowing his interest in sports and his athletic abilities.
- If you're writing fiction, you could introduce your character in this way: "When she stepped onto the inter-school debate podium, Luz looked so confident wearing the Kate Spade headband and the Betsey Johnson shoes she bought at a secondhand store." In addition to helping the reader imagine Luz's appearance, this method also shows the character's efforts to look charming. The fact that he bought used shoes indicates that the character's family is not as rich as people try to show.
Step 3. Describe the setting of the story to write the scene in the narrative
The setting includes the time and location of the story. Be specific about when the story took place. In addition, provide details based on the human senses to help the reader feel in the place.
- You could write, "I was in the first grade of middle school at the time, but I had ambitions to get into the first team to get the coach's attention when I was in high school."
- Details related to the human senses will trigger the senses of sight, touch, smell, and taste. For example, write “My shoes kept squeaking on the court as I dribbled into the red ring that was getting closer and closer. The sweat made the balls slippery on my fingertips and the salty taste never left my lips.”
Step 4. Include a review of the story and its theme in the last sentence
You can also review events in the story, depending on which one fits your narrative best. This sentence serves as a thesis in a narrative essay. Its function is to set the reader's expectations without revealing the essence of the story.
