williamnielsen
New member
Although you have all the tools you need to create a personal story, it can be daunting to start writing a narrative essay. You can break down the process into three stages: choosing narrative essay topic, writing, revising.
You will need to think about your life and the topic in order to focus on it. These are some helpful tips:
You will need to think about your life and the topic in order to focus on it. These are some helpful tips:
- Take some time to read narrative essay examples. These examples will not only help you to understand the format but may also give you ideas to develop or respond to.
- Consider how you could tell a coming of age story. No matter your age, you seek out life experiences that offer this type of personal growth and revelation.
- Be narrower than you are broad. It will be difficult to write a narrative essay about your summer. You'll be able to focus on one surfing accident or family feud and create a much more concise piece of writing.
- Give weight. Consider which topic gives you more opportunity to explore details in a different way if you are tossing between several topics. Are there big characters, bold settings, or unusual sights? Is it possible to write dialogue that resembles the actual events? Those factors might sway your decision.
- Draw the plot and follow the chronology. It's possible to play around with the timeline, such as pulling out an important moment and making it the hook for your introduction or adding a flashback when it's most poignant. Your essay will be more readable if it flows chronologically. Don't feel pressured to change that structure.
- Find your antagonist. You don't need to find your antagonist. It could be someone you know, a place, condition, social norm or any other thing that prevents you from moving forward. This tension, usually between the antagonist and you, is what keeps the reader engaged.
- Do not think this is the final. Your enemy is the pursuit of perfection. You don't have to get the words on the page. The revision phase will help you evaluate them.
- Learn. You can be tempted to use too many adjectives and adverbs when you are allowed to express yourself creatively. You will create a vivid picture for your readers by "showing" them the sights, sounds, and activities of bustling markets, rather than telling them.
- Add moments of scene and analysis. The first is slow-paced, i.e. events are unfolded slowly. The second is faster and more concise. It allows you to reflect on the theme while speeding up the scene. Both are essential elements of a good story.
- Choose one point of view. The most natural way to write a narrative essay is from the first person. It's not a good idea to switch perspectives halfway through a narrative essay.
- Make sure that your point is clear. Now is the time for you to evaluate how well your narrative conveys your argument. It is possible to cut out unnecessary material or make certain ideas more clear at specific points. You should look for scenes and analyses that are balanced.
- Pay special attention to your introduction. These paragraphs will decide whether your audience continues reading or not. Give it more attention. Make sure you have a hook that is compelling and foreshadows the main theme.
- Check your formatting. Particularly, sections of dialogue might require you to use punctuation conventions you aren't used to. You should ensure that you have used quotation marks around spoken text and that it is attributed to a character. Line breaks are also required whenever the speaker's identity changes.