How to Write a Narrative Essay

Published by Charlie Davidson on

How to Write a Narrative Essay

Narrative essay is one type of essay which will appear among your academic writing assignments every now and then. There are certain aspects which form the criteria for confirming the genre of an essay. The quality of the essay is determined by the level to which these aspects have been included in your assignment. Learning and understanding the rules and aspects of different types of essays is important if you wish to perform well in your academic writing projects.

Narration is the technique by which you present a story or an incident. It could be a story or a poem or it could even be a few scattered events which, when combined, forms a story. But the main aspect of narration is that it has to be said from the point of view of the narrator. There are instances where you will be asked specifically to narrate it from the point of view of another person. But unless it has been specified so, it is to be understood that the story is to be said, or narrated from your point of view. This is, indeed, the rule that applies to a narrative essay also.

While writing this type of essay, you will have to pay a lot of attention to the frame work or the outline of the story or event you are narrating. If the narration has to be smooth and interesting, it has to be in a proper order. If you are narrating a story, you should watch the thread of your narration. The order in which the paragraphs should be placed depends fully on the story in question, your level of education and also the kind of audience you are addressing.

Narration is an art. Those who have a flair for it finds it very easy to bring twists and turns in their narration and they also manage to surprise and sometimes shock the audience every now and then without confusing them. But if you are not sure of your narrative skills, it is always better to keep it simple. An interesting narration can be defined as something that is simple enough to reach out to the audience but at the same time, complex enough to hold their interest from the beginning till the end.

The body structure is important in all types of essays but it is even more so, in a narrative essay. The introduction can talk very briefly about what the narrative is about and some general facts about the narrative. If it is a story, you can give some information on the author or if it is an event, then some background information on the event you are about to discuss. The body paragraphs will contain the complete narrative and the conclusion will give a summary of the story or your opinion of the story. Remember to keep your opinion neutral and strictly avoid criticism.

Even though narration is an art, there are no skills which can’t be mastered, if you put in some effort. You can learn how to write a good narrative essay, if you understand the main aspects of this particular method of essay writing.

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