Narrative essays are one of the most common types of assignments allocated to high school and college students. They are also one of the easiest to write when you understand how to approach them! Essentially, a narrative essay is one which talks about a personal experience. It is often used as a way to prompt you to make some form of self-discovery or to help you to gain new insights on the situation. For this reason, narrative essays are commonly part of college applications. We are going to show you how to write a narrative essay using these simple tricks which will make these assignments a breeze to complete.
Avoid Complex Word Choices & Syntax
One of the most important things for a narrative essay is to have complete clarity. You will want to put your point across is a simple and easily readable way. For this reason it is important to avoid using overly complicated phrases and syntax when constructing your sentences. You are writing about yourself, so try to use the type of language that you would be inclined to use in your day-to-day speech. You want your own personality to come across, so do not use formal language or outdated words. This will only result in an awkward and possibly pretentious piece of writing rather than a reflection of yourself.
Dynamic Word Choice Is Interesting
When we write essays we have it drummed into us that we need to use proper English in our writing. However, when it comes to writing a narrative essay this is not necessarily the case! You do not want to sound clinical or formal here. For the same reasons you should avoid complex words and syntax. Try to include idiom, slang and common turn of phrase that you would use in your daily life. We are not suggesting you write your narrative essay entirely in slang, but do include it here and there to make the language more dynamic and above all else more ‘you’.
Always Use First Person Narration
The key feature of your narrative essay is that it relates to something that you have personally experienced. That means that you need to use first person narration when describing the event and throughout your essay. One of the most commonly made mistakes in narrative essays is the use of a second person narrative. It’s fine to use present tense, just make sure you do so in first person.
Do Not Over-Describe Your Movements
You will want to paint a clear picture of the situation for your reader, and that is a good thing, but don’t get bogged down in describing every single detail. You may have heard your professor say that in writing you should ‘show not tell’, so keep this in mind. The reader doesn’t need to know that you came in through the front door and walked along the corridor before turning left into the lounge at the back of the house where you found everyone watching TV. Instead, you can simply state that as you entered the lounge you found the group gathered around the TV. Leave the details for more important areas of your narrative essay.
Go Easy On The Referencing
A narrative essay is not really an academic essay and as a result it really does not require referencing. In fact, citing another source in your text can be disruptive to the flow of your writing. It is much better to explain things in your own words rather than direct your reader to an outside source. If you really feel that the source is key to the essay then you can always include a bibliography or ‘works consulted’ list at the end of your completed essay.
Treat Your Narrative Essay As A Work Of Fiction
Even though your narrative essay should be discussing a real personal experience, it is essentially a storytelling exercise. That means that many of the conventions that you will be expected to include in a narrative essay are the same conventions that apply to creative or fiction writing. You will have an overall plot, a setting, a cast of characters, a narrative climax and of course an ending or resolution. If you make sure that you include all of these then you will have the basis of a solid narrative essay.
You should find it fairly easy to write a narrative essay using these simple tricks if you follow them while completing your assignment. Combined with a good choice of topic they will help you to craft a great piece of writing that will satisfy your professor. If you are stuck for a topic then some of the common choices that can provide excellent narrative essays are difficult decisions, memorable journeys or first times including college, travel and more.