A narrative essay is a kind of one’s own story or personal experiences. In this type of essay, you just narrate your story without presenting facts and arguments and let the readers be the judge of that. The writer tells the story from his own point of view. In this way, the readers will draw their own conclusion. The purpose of this essay is to make the reader connected to the story no matter what the topic really is about. This essay lets the readers know about your life’s experience in a literary way.
A Narrative essay includes four basic elements; plot, character, point of view and theme. A good plot is what drives the readers to the story, interesting characters are what the readers are curious to know about, and a good point of view and theme are what actually bring life to a story.
Plot
The writer of the essay arranges the events of the story/incident in a specific order. That specific sequence of events is called a plot. Without a good plot, your story won’t go any further so it is necessary that you establish a strong one. It includes the introduction of the story, the climax and the finale.
Theme
It is the central idea of the story that brings all the elements of the story together. The theme is what guides the story, so a proper theme should be set by the writer to let the audience engaged in his story.
Character:
Characters are the main part of an act around which the whole story revolves. When choosing characters, the writer must have a clear picture of them in his mind so that he can portray the same to the readers. A blurry character won’t be able to fit in the mind of the readers, so they must look authentic.
Point of view:
It is the viewpoint from which the story is told. Obviously, it should be from the first person’s perspective, and that is the writer of the story himself. The author has free access to all the characters of the story, so he delivers them to the audience in the best way possible.
Narrative essays can be written on anything. But to write an effective one, you must choose an interesting topic or personal experience that you have all the knowledge about. You must access a part of your memory lane that the readers will love to hear about. Doing so will add life to your story, and the readers will want to know more and more about it.
Things to do:
When selecting a topic for writing narrative essays, one must consider the following things:
1st person’s viewpoint:
Narrative essays should always be written from the author’s point of view. If you quote someone else’s story, then it will eliminate the purpose of it.
Non-fiction:
These types of essays are written about real life events and purely on true incidents and happenings. It is necessary that they remain non-fiction.
Chronological order:
The information delivered in it is provided in a sequence so that the story remains on the path and the readers won’t get diverted. A clear and organized path will lead the story in a better way.
Details:
Since these are based on real-life events, the use of clear details to describe events or scene is of vital importance. If any information remains unclear, then the readers may lose interest in it.
To inform and not to argue:
The purpose of this is to inform the readers about their experiences and not to get into a debate with them. What is important for them is that they acquire some piece of information or advice from it.
Use of dialogues:
You may include dialogue while writing this essay as it will give a unique element to the readers.
Topic:
While writing Narrative essays, choose a topic that will give a moral lesson to the readers or some information they don’t know about earlier. Having a clear and good topic will keep the story on track.
Clarity:
There should be clarity in your sentences and words so that the audience won’t misjudge them. If someone misjudged it by chance, then there is a chance that his mind remains unclear even after going through the entire story.
Things to avoid:
Avoid these things while selecting your topic in order to make a better essay:
A boring one:
Don’t select a topic that the readers may find boring. Always choose an interesting one so that they remain stuck to your story through the end.
Use of words:
Avoid using such words and sentences that the readers may think that you are bragging about yourself. Use a dynamic word choice instead.
Formal Language:
Another important thing is to avoid the use of too much formal language. One may use it but not too much.
Lack of Suspense building:
If your story has no element of suspense, then it won’t go further. In Narrative Essays, establish some suspense wherever necessary, so the readers remain curious about it.
Lack of approachable information:
If the information presented is not enough, your story won’t get the audience that you hope for. Always have approachable information regarding the topic.
2nd person’s narrative:
Narrative essays should always be written in the first-person’s perspective and not in the second one.
Don’t explain every moment of yours:
There is no need to describe each and every one of your details in a scene; instead, you can just summarize it and skip to the important ones.
It should be a positive experience while writing narrative essays. The goal is to take the readers into your own life through the story and let them share your experience so they can learn and take something out of it, the essence of it.
These were some important points and instructions for choosing a topic for the essays. However, if you feel like you are unable to craft such essays, then hire the best essay writing service UK.