How to Write a Narrative Essay

Many students love it when the assignment is to write a narrative essay because narrative essays are usually first person narratives. But there are some students who despise this type of writing. They may not like to share personal stories, especially when a personal story is going to be graded by a virtual stranger. Other students struggle balance the personal aspects of the writing with the necessity of writing a formal paper, appropriate for the assignment and the class.

This file has some great, traditional instructions for a narrative essay. It contains many of the usual suggestions to have a hook and show don’t tell. It supports those suggestions with some examples, but for most people if the instructions for a narrative essay haven’t clicked yet, that file probably won’t flip the switch.

Here are some things to consider:

• Don’t get too creative
• Use an outline
• Go slow

Contrary to the usual suggestions to let loose and ‘be creative’ (whatever that means), keep it simple and stay close to the basics.

An outline will help you stay simple and direct. Use two or three words to describe each step, number each, and include everything. When you go back and start converting the notes to full sentences and descriptions, you will see what matters and what can go or get minimal coverage.

When I say, “go slowly” I mean be detailed. Don’t say, “I picked up the cat and walked to the kitchen”. Rather than try to tell people what happened as quickly as possible, try to tell them as much as possible about what happened. Over time, you will see what needs to be cut.

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