Narrative Essay

As a mode of expository writing, the narrative approach, more than

any other, offers writers a chance to think and write about themselves.
We all have experiences lodged in our memories, which are worthy of
sharing with readers. Yet sometimes they are so fused with other
memories that a lot of the time spent in writing narrative is in the
prewriting stage.
When you write a narrative essay, you are telling a story. Narrative
essays are told from a defined point of view, often the author's, so
there is feeling as well as specific and often sensory details provided
to get the reader involved in the elements and sequence of the story.
The verbs are vivid and precise. The narrative essay makes a point and
that point is often defined in the opening sentence, but can also be
found as the last sentence in the opening paragraph.
Since a narrative relies on personal experiences, it often is in the form
of a story. When the writer uses this technique, he or she must be sure
to include all the conventions of storytelling: plot, character, setting,
climax, and ending. It is usually filled with details that are carefully
selected to explain, support, or embellish the story. All of the details
relate to the main point the writer is attempting to make.
To summarize, the narrative essay

 is told from a particular point of view

 makes and supports a point
 is filled with precise detail
 uses vivid verbs and modifiers
 uses conflict and sequence as does any story
 may use dialogue

The purpose of a narrative report is to describe something. Many

students write narrative reports thinking that these are college essays
or papers. While the information in these reports is basic to other
forms of writing, narrative reports lack the "higher order thinking" that
essays require. Thus narrative reports do not, as a rule, yield high
grades for many college courses. A basic example of a narrative report
is a "book report" that outlines a book; it includes the characters, their
actions, possibly the plot, and, perhaps, some scenes. That is, it is a
description of "what happens in the book." But this leaves out an awful
lot.
What is left out is what the book or article is about -- the underlying
concepts, assumptions, arguments, or point of view that the book or
article expresses. A narrative report leaves aside a discussion that
puts the events of the text into the context of what the text is about.
Is the text about love? Life in the fast lane? Society? Wealth and
power? Poverty? In other words, narrative reports often overlook the
authors purpose or point of view expressed through the book or
article.
Once an incident is chosen, the writer should keep three principles in
mind.

1. Remember to involve readers in the story. It is much more interesting

to actually recreate an incident for readers than to simply tell about it.
2. Find a generalization, which the story supports. This is the only way
the writer's personal experience will take on meaning for readers. This
generalization does not have to encompass humanity as a whole; it can
concern the writer, men, women, or children of various ages and
backgrounds.
3. Remember that although the main component of a narrative is the
story, details must be carefully selected to support, explain, and
enhance the story.

Conventions of Narrative Essays

In writing your narrative essay, keep the following conventions in
mind.

 Narratives are generally written in the first person, that is, using I.
However, third person (he, she, or it) can also be used.
 Narratives rely on concrete, sensory details to convey their point.
These details should create a unified, forceful effect, a dominant
impression. More information on the use of specific details is available
on another page.
 Narratives, as stories, should include these story conventions: a plot,
including setting and characters; a climax; and an ending.

Here are some popular essay topic examples for your narrative essay
type:

 First Day at College

 The Moment of Success
  A Memorable Journey
 ...

The essay topic you choose should be interesting and important to

you, because the best essays are written on the topics that really
matter to the writer.

Narrative Essays
A narrative essay is one which details a story, often times from a particular point of view. When
writing a narrative essay, you should include a set of characters, a location, a good plot and a
climax to the story.
You will use the plot as a way of detailing events within the story and whilst these are commonly
in time order, you may feel free to time hop and include flashes from history or the future.

It is vital that, when writing this type of essay you use fine details to do allow the reader to feel
emotion and use their senses but also give the story the chance to make a point. The point of the
essay should be mentioned early on, preferably in the opening line, but if not certainly within
the introduction paragraph. You should also write this type of essay in either the third or first
person and unlike a creative writing story, should always be based around fact. Let’s now take a
look at an extract from a narrative essay, this is from A Ticket To The Fair written by David
Wallace Foster.
It is press day today at the state fair in Springfield, Illinois and I am meant to be there in the
fairground at 9am in order to get my credentials. I think of these as a small card in the band
around a hat. I had never been thought of as press until now. But my true interest in the
credentials is being able to get onto the rides and into the shows for free. I have come in from
the East coast, fresh and ready for one of their magazines. It isn’t clear to me why they have an
interest in this state fair but I expect that the editors realise, from time to time that most of the
USA live away from the coast and that they will employ someone like me to do a spot of rural
reporting. I’m thinking that they had asked me to report this as I grew up here. I had never been
to the state fair. In fact I have not been back here for quite some time and I cannot say that I
have missed it.

In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a real-life

experience. Everyone enjoys a good story—especially one that
captures the imagination. However, the narrative essay goes further.
In it, the writer places a personal experience within the context of a
larger theme, such as a lesson learned. When writing a narrative
essay, the writer wants not only to tell a good story, but
also convey why the story has meaning.
The Five-Step Writing Process for
Narrative Essays
At Time4Learning, we are great believers in the writing process. The
writing process empowers you to write with better results by giving
providing concrete, proven steps to follow. Here, we examine how to
write a narrative essay using the five-step writing process. You should
find the following suggestions helpful.

1. Prewriting for the Narrative Essay

The prewriting phase in narrative essay writing is particularly
important. When planning how to start a narrative essay, think about
your life experiences in the context of the assignment’s theme, for
example ‘write about achieving a goal.’ When selecting an experience
to write about, keep in mind that even a small incident (or goal, in this
case) can make a good essay topic if it has significance for you. If
writers feel an emotional connection to their topic, their narrative
essay will be more effective.

Once you’ve chosen a topic, spend time sorting through your memories
and recalling details, including the year, season, setting, people, and
objects involved. Think about the sequence of events and remember;
no detail is too small. Often it’s the small details that communicate big
ideas! Creating an outline of the story’s narrative flow is very helpful.

2. Drafting a Narrative Essay

When creating the initial draft of a narrative essay, follow the outline,
but focus on making the story come alive, using the following
techniques:

 Personal narrative essays are most naturally written in the first person,
and using “I” gives the story an immediacy that engages the reader.
 In telling the story, don’t gloss over the details. Readers have no prior
knowledge of the story, and many times even one detail accidentally
left out will skew their understanding.
 Use vivid descriptions and words that illustrate. In narrative
writing, the writer’s job is to involve the reader, rather than simply
inform. Take a look at this sentence: “Losing the game felt like the
 bottom of my world dropped out.” It conveys so much more about the
significance of the writer’s experience than simply saying, “I was
disappointed that we lost the game.”
 While narrative essays are non-fiction, elements of fiction should not
be ignored. True stories also benefit from the writer’s ability to use
plot-building techniques.

3. Revising a Narrative Essay

In the revision phase, students review, modify, and reorganize their
work with the goal of making it the best it can be. In revising a
narrative essay, students should reread their work with these
considerations in mind:

 Does the essay unfold in an easy-to-understand progression of events?

Do the transitions make sense or confuse the reader?
 Does the essay involve the reader in the experience? Could there be
more detail, or is there extraneous detail that distracts the reader’s
attention?
 Is the word choice descriptive, or merely informative?
 Has the larger message of the essay been conveyed effectively? Has a
connection been made between the experience and its meaning to the
writer? Will the reader be able to identify with the conclusion made?

In structuring a narrative essay, it’s the writer’s choice when to reveal

the significance of the experience. Some writers make this connection
to theme in the opening paragraph. Others like to focus on the
experience and reveal its significance at the end. Writers should
experiment which way works best for the essay. Clueing in the reader
upfront helps their understanding, but saving the revelation to the end
can leave the reader with more to think about.

4. Editing a Narrative Essay

At this point in the writing process, writers proofread and correct
errors in grammar and mechanics, and edit to improve style and
clarity. Having a friend read the essay is a good idea at this point, and
allows the writer to see their work from a fresh perspective.

5. Publishing a Narrative Essay

Due to its personal nature, sharing a narrative essay with the rest of
the class or even with friends and family can be both exciting and a bit
scary. Remember, there isn’t a writer on earth who isn’t sensitive
about his or her own work. The important thing is to learn from the
experience and use the feedback to make the next essay even better.

Time4Writing Teaches Narrative Essay Writing

Time4Writing essay writing courses offer a highly effective way to
learn how to write the types of essays required for school,
standardized tests, and college applications. A unique online writing
program for elementary, middle school, and high school
students, Time4Writing breaks down the writing process into
manageable chunks, easily digested by young writers. Students
steadily build writing skills and confidence, guided by one-on-one
instruction with a dedicated, certified teacher.

At the elementary level, Time4Writing has a dedicated 8-

week Narrative Writing Course that walks beginning essay writers
through every step of the writing process to make sure that mastery is
complete. Our middle school Welcome to the Essay and Advanced
Essay courses teach students the fundamentals of writing well-
constructed essays, including the narrative essay. The high
school Exciting Essay Writing course focuses in depth on the essay
writing process with the goal of preparation for college. The courses
also cover how to interpret essay writing prompts in testing
situations. Read what parents are saying about their children’s writing
progress in Time4Writing courses.

Narrative Essays
What is a narrative essay?
When writing a narrative essay, one might think of it as telling a story. These essays are
often anecdotal, experiential, and personal—allowing students to express themselves in
a creative and, quite often, moving ways.
Here are some guidelines for writing a narrative essay.
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 If written as a story, the essay should include all the parts of a story.

This means that you must include an introduction, plot, characters, setting, climax, and
conclusion.

 When would a narrative essay not be written as a story?

A good example of this is when an instructor asks a student to write a book report.
Obviously, this would not necessarily follow the pattern of a story and would focus on
providing an informative narrative for the reader.

 The essay should have a purpose.

Make a point! Think of this as the thesis of your story. If there is no point to what you are
narrating, why narrate it at all?
  The essay should be written from a clear point of view.

It is quite common for narrative essays to be written from the standpoint of the author;
however, this is not the sole perspective to be considered. Creativity in narrative essays
oftentimes manifests itself in the form of authorial perspective.

 Use clear and concise language throughout the essay.

Much like the descriptive essay, narrative essays are effective when the language is
carefully, particularly, and artfully chosen. Use specific language to evoke specific
emotions and senses in the reader.

 The use of the first person pronoun ‘I’ is welcomed.

Do not abuse this guideline! Though it is welcomed it is not necessary—nor should it be

overused for lack of clearer diction.

 As always, be organized!

Have a clear introduction that sets the tone for the remainder of the essay. Do not leave
the reader guessing about the purpose of your narrative. Remember, you are in control
of the essay, so guide it where you desire (just make sure your audience can follow
your lead)

The definition of narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story, and it is one of
four classical rhetorical modes or ways that writers use to present information.
The others include an exposition, which explains and analyzes an idea or set of
ideas; an argument, which attempts to persuade the reader to a particular point
of view; and a description, a written form of a visual experience.
Key Takeaways: Narrative Definition

 A narrative is a form of writing that tells a story.

 Narratives can be essays, fairy tales, movies, and jokes.
 Narratives have five elements: plot, setting, character, conflict, and theme.
 Writers use narrator style, chronological order, a point of view, and other
strategies to tell a story.
Telling stories is an ancient art that started long before humans invented writing.
People tell stories when they gossip, tell jokes, or reminisce about the past.
Written forms of narration include most forms of writing: personal essays, fairy
tales, short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, autobiographies, histories, even
news stories have a narrative. Narratives may be a sequence of
events in chronological order or an imagined tale with flashbacks or multiple
timelines.
Narrative Elements
Every narrative has five elements that define and shape the narrative: plot,
setting, character, conflict, and theme. These elements are rarely stated in a
story; they are revealed to the readers in the story in subtle or not-so-subtle ways,
but the writer needs to understand the elements to assemble her story. Here's an
example from "The Martian," a novel by Andy Weir that was made into a film:

 The plot is the thread of events that occur in a story. Weir's plot is about a
man who gets accidentally abandoned on the surface of Mars.
 The setting is the location of the events in time and place. "The Martian" is
set on Mars in the not-too-distant future.
 The characters are the people in the story who drive the plot, are impacted
by the plot, or may even be bystanders to the plot. The characters in "The
Martian" include Mark Watney, his shipmates, the people at NASA
resolving the issue, and even his parents who are only mentioned in the
story but still are impacted by the situation and in turn impact Mark's
decisions.
 The conflict is the problem that is being resolved. Plots need a moment of
tension, which involves some difficulty that requires resolution. The
conflict in "The Martian" is that Watney needs to figure out how to survive
and eventually leave the planet's surface.
 Most important and least explicit is the theme. What is the moral of the
story? What does the writer intend the reader to understand? There are
arguably several themes in "The Martian": the ability of humans to
overcome problems, the stodginess of bureaucrats, the willingness of
scientists to overcome political differences, the dangers of space travel, and
the power of flexibility as a scientific method.

Setting Tone and Mood

In addition to structural elements, narratives have several styles that help move
the plot along or serve to involve the reader. Writers define space and time in a
descriptive narrative, and how they choose to define those characteristics can
convey a specific mood or tone.

For example, chronological choices can affect the reader's impressions. Past
events always occur in strict chronological order, but writers can choose to mix
that up, show events out of sequence, or the same event several times
experienced by different characters or described by different narrators. In Gabriel
García Márquez's novel "Chronicle of a Death Foretold," the same few hours are
experienced in sequence from the viewpoint of several different characters.
García Márquez uses that to illustrate the peculiar almost magical inability of the
townspeople to stop a murder they know is going to happen.
The choice of a narrator is another way that writers set the tone of a piece. Is the
narrator someone who experienced the events as a participant, or one who
witnessed the events but wasn't an active participant? Is that narrator an
omniscient undefined person who knows everything about the plot including its
ending, or is he confused and uncertain about the events underway? Is the
narrator a reliable witness or lying to themselves or the reader? In the novel
"Gone Girl," by Gillian Flynn, the reader is forced to constantly revise her opinion
as to the honesty and guilt of the husband Nick and his missing wife. In "Lolita"
by Vladimir Nabokov, the narrator is Humbert Humbert, a pedophile who
constantly justifies his actions despite the damage that Nabokov illustrates he's
doing.
Point of View
Establishing a point of view for a narrator allows the writer to filter the events
through a particular character. The most common point of view in fiction is the
omniscient (all-knowing) narrator who has access to all the thoughts and
experiences of each of her characters. Omniscient narrators are almost always
written in the third person and do not usually have a role in the storyline. The
Harry Potter novels, for example, are all written in third person; that narrator
knows everything about everybody but is unknown to us.

The other extreme is a story with a first-person point of view in which the
narrator is a character within that story, relating events as they see them and with
no visibility into other character motivations. Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" is an
example of this: Jane relates her experiences of the mysterious Mr. Rochester to
us directly, not revealing the full explanation until "Reader, I married him."

Points of view can also be effectively shifted throughout a piece—in her novel
"Keys to the Street," Ruth Rendell used limited third-person narratives from the
point of view of five different characters, enabling the reader to assemble a
coherent whole out of what first appears to be unrelated stories.

Other Strategies
Writers also use the grammatical strategies of tense (past, present, future),
person (first person, second person, third person), number (singular, plural) and
voice (active, passive). Writing in the present tense is unsettling—the narrators
have no idea what will happen next—while past tense can build in some
foreshadowing. Many recent novels use the present tense, including "The
Martian." A writer sometimes personalizes the narrator of a story as a specific
person for a specific purpose: The narrator can only see and report on what
happens to him or her. In "Moby Dick," the entire story is told by the narrator
Ishmael, who relates the tragedy of the mad Captain Ahab, and is situated as the
moral center.
E.B. White, writing columns in 1935's "New Yorker" magazine, often used the
plural or "editorial we" to add a humorous universality and a slow pace to his
writing.

"The barber was cutting our hair, and our eyes were closed—as they are so likely
to be... Deep in a world of our own, we heard, from far away, a voice saying
goodbye. It was a customer of the shop, leaving. 'Goodbye,' he said to the barbers.
'Goodbye,' echoed the barbers. And without ever returning to consciousness, or
opening our eyes, or thinking, we joined in. 'Goodbye,' we said, before we could
catch ourselves."—E.B. White "Sadness of Parting."

In contrast, sportswriter Roger Angell (White's stepson) epitomizes sports

writing, with a quick, active voice, and straight chronological snap:

"In September 1986, during an unmomentous Giants-Braves game out at

Candlestick Park, Bob Brenly, playing third base for San Francisco, made an error
on a routine ground ball in the top of the fourth inning. Four batters later, he
kicked away another chance and then, scrambling after the ball, threw wildly past
home in an attempt to nail a runner there: two errors on the same play. A few
moments after that, he managed another boot, thus becoming only the fourth
player since the turn of the century to rack up four errors in one inning."—Roger
Angell. "La Vida."

NARRATIVE
WHAT IT IS
Narrative is fundamental to thinking. When we think, we think in narrative form. Narrative
can refer to a story itself or to the conventions by which we communicate and understand it.
These conventions are the way we construct a world that sets up and depends on expectations
of human behaviour to amplify it. They include the selection and organisation of actions and
events into a plot and a suite of individualised or stock characters to carry the plot forward. A
narrative is usually structured in such a way as to invite responder involvement through
recounting challenges and characters’ attitudes towards them and moving towards resolution.

Narrative is a part of everyday communication to convey any message, be it political (an annual
budget), commercial (a fashion collection) or institutional (public health warnings). In these
messages, the elements of narrative may not be obvious and are inferred through personal
identification with the situation.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
It is innately human to tell stories as this is the way we organise and shape life experience. We
use narrative to connect people to information, values and ideas. Through narrative we explore
human actions, interactions, motivations and reactions.

Teachers use narrative to engage students in learning and students use narrative to interpret
their own lives. Through narrative they enter and create other worlds. Narrative is an enticing
pathway for representing, understanding and engaging with human experience and with ideas.

STAGE 6
Students understand that narrative shapes our understanding of human experience, each story
contributing to larger narratives that claim to give purpose to life.

They learn that:

 narrative organises relationships between characters, places and events into meaningful
forms
 we see ourselves and our experiences as and through narrative
 narratives can be interpreted in different ways including as metaphor, symbol or
psychology*
 the functional, psychological, symbolic or metaphorical - and have various purposes*
 narratives are ideologically driven and can be used to legitimise the values of particular
groups*
 narratives are everywhere and we are so used to them that we cannot see them at work;
analysis makes us conscious of how narrative shapes our thoughts*.

*Advanced and Extension courses

STAGE 5
Students understand that narrative provides structures for expressing ideas and values.

Students learn that

 Stories represent broad aspects of humanity, society and culture, made particular and
personal to interest the responder
 Stories often revolve around complication or conflict (internal, between characters or of a
character with society), which may rise to a climax before falling to a resolution.
 Plot structures (chronological, flashback, in media res, circular etc) can control responses
to the story
 Values are embedded in narratives through selection of details of events and characters
and choice of language
STAGE 4
Students understand that narrative shapes and is shaped by one’s view of the world.

Students learn that

 Their own experience and culture influence their responses to stories

 The conventions of narrative are combined to engage the responder emotionally and
intellectually with events and characters depicted in the story and with ideas and values
implied by the story
 Conventions of narrative are adapted to different modes and media to achieve these
effects
 Close consideration and analysis of stories can bring to light subtleties in the text.

STAGE 3
Students understand that there are conventions of the narrative form that combine to involve
responders in the story.

Students learn that narrative engages responders through

 Recognisable characters, events and places

 Skilful plot development
 Perceptible mood and atmosphere
 Evocative images and imagery that complement the story
 Narrative voice and voices of characters.
 They learn that these conventions are adapted to different modes and media.

STAGE 2
Students understand that narratives may be interpreted in various ways.

They learn that

 characters and events may be drawn differently for different purposes audiences, modes
and media
 stories may be interpreted through action, character and setting
 stories present a view of the world.

STAGE 1
Students understand that narrative is constructed for particular audiences and purposes.

Students learn that stories

 are usually made up of a sequence of events

 have patterns that set up expectations and allow prediction of actions and attitudes
 can have messages and evoke feelings
 can be varied in the telling
 present a view of their world.

ES1
Students understand that narrative is a way of sharing and learning about life experiences.

Students learn that stories

 can be real or imagined

 can be told through different modes and media
 have a beginning, a middle and an end.

I. What is a Narrative?

A narrative is a story. The term can be used as a noun or an adjective. As a

noun, narrative refers to the story being told. It is the account of events,
experiences, and details. It also refers to the story-telling process. As an
adjective, it describes the form or style of the story being told.

The adjective use of the word narrative has its roots in the Latin word,
narrativus, which means “suited to narration.” The noun usage of the word
appeared in the French language in the 15 century and is defined as “a tale,
th

story.”
Narrative is pronounced (năr′ə-tĭv), or “narr, uh, tive”.

II. Examples of Narrative

If you look at narrative when used as a noun, you will find many examples.
Most things written in the first-person are narratives. A novel written from
the point of view of the main character is a narrative. The essay you wrote,
entitled “What I did on my summer vacation”, was a narrative. An article
written by a blogger about his/her experience travelling across the United
States on a bicycle would most likely be a narrative.
If you look at narrative when used as an adjective, you will find that it
complements just about any form of writing or art. There are narrative poems,
narrative works of visual art, narrative essays, or narrative dances. If you can
make something tell a story, it is narrative.
III. Types of Narrative

Rather than there being “types” of narrative, narrative, itself, functions as an

adjective, transforming other things. The narrative voice, or narrative style can
be used to transform virtually anything into a story.

For example:

 Other forms of art can also be considered narratives. You can choreograph a
narrative dance or paint a narrative series of pictures. The important
element is that your creation tells a story.
 Autobiographies are, essentially, narrative. They are written in the first-
person and describe the events of the story-teller’s life.
 Theatrical monologues are narrative. In a monologue, the character tells an
intimate story, often addressing the audience, asking questions and
seemingly seeking answers from them. In Hamlet’s famous monologue, that
begins “To be or not to be,” he is seeking answers to the great philosophical
questions of life and death. He is discussing them with himself and the
audience, trying to puzzle them out and inviting the audience to do the
same.
 Essays can also be narrative. An essay is a literary composition about a
single subject. You have probably written many. A narrative essay is simply
an essay written in a style that tells a story. They are often personal,
anecdotal, and told from the writer’s point of view.

IV. The Importance of using Narrative

Everyone loves a story! Everyone has a story. Everyone wants to tell a story.
Everyone can relate to a story. That is why it is important to use narratives.

Narrative is an engaging writing style. It immediately invites your audience into

your world and offers them a chance to participate in the story you are telling. A
reader can easily get wrapped up in a narrative. It is also a style that invites
discussion and participation. By using it you tell your audience that this story is
not over. They can take it home and think about it. They can retell it, add to it
and change it.

Narratives are social. They are at the heart of how we communicate as social
beings. If you look for definitions, descriptions, and discussions of what
narratives are, you will find many references to the natural humanity of
narratives. They are a part of who we are and how we share that with others.
Have you ever read an article that just bored you to tears? Maybe you thought
it was “dry”. (Maybe you feel that way about this article?) There is a good
chance the author did not make good use of narrative, and thus never managed
to draw you in.

V. Examples of Narrative in Literature

Narratives can be found everywhere in literature. They appear in every style,

form, and genre.

Example 1
Fiction: Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes is the tale of a man who is
determined to be a knight. You may remember references to a madman on
horseback fighting windmills? This is that book. It is a standard and classic
example of a book written in the narrative voice.
Example 2
Beloved, by Toni Morrison is the tale of an escaped slave, who remains haunted
by things in her past. It is another more modern and ground-breaking narrative
work.
Example 3
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, that popular story about Bilbo Baggins,
a fantasy creature called a hobbit who travels through Middle Earth and has
unexpected adventures, is also a first-person narrative.
Example 4
Nonfiction: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas is the autobiography of a man
who was a slave, an abolitionist, a writer and a newspaper editor. It is one of
our country’s great historical works and it is written in the narrative voice.

VI. Examples of Narrative in Pop Culture

Narratives are everywhere in popular culture. In fact, popular culture is, in

itself, an overarching narrative. It is the system of stories that weave in and out
of one another to make up the story of the human race. Culture is open-ended
and ever evolving, and that is what makes it a narrative. We participate in our
own story, along with those around us, and make it up as we go along.
Example 1
If we want to look at smaller examples, journalism and the news is an excellent
form of narrative. Something happens and someone reports on it. Someone else
picks up the story, adds a few details and comments, and publishes that. Then,
someone else comes along, follows the same pattern, and the narrative
continues.

Example 2
Even more specifically, headlines have become increasingly narrative with the
explosive popularity of social media. Writers try and draw in readers by inviting
them into the discussion of a topic. In social media, you have just a few words,
and maybe a picture, to interest your audience and get them to open your link.
In order to do this, there is a trend to write narrative headlines such as these:

He opened the jar of peanut butter and what he saw will blow your mind.
She gave her toddler a crayon and you will never believe what happened next.
Example 3
Blogs are also excellent examples of narratives as they include first-person
accounts of experiences while inviting comment and conversation from readers.

Example 4
Music is also a wonderful place to find narratives. People have an innate need to
turn their stories in to songs. Turn on your stereo and you will find an endless
number of narrative. American Pie by Don McLean is one of the great narrative
musical creations in our country’s history. It is written in the first person and
tells a cryptic story of the history of our music and a fatal plane crash.
A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while…

VII. Related Terms

Narrator: a person who tells a story or gives an account of something.
Story: a synonym to the word narrative. Some suggest that stories are closed
ended with a beginning, middle and end, while narratives are larger open-ended
discussions, comprised of stories, with listener participation.
NAILING THE CRAFT OF NARRATIVE WRITING

Good narrative writing skills are hard won by our students. They build on, and encourage the
development of, a good grasp of the mechanics of writing. They also require the development of an
additional skill set however, namely the ability to tell a good yarn. Telling stories is as old as
humanity. We see and hear stories everywhere and on a daily basis. From having a good gossip on the
doorstep with a neighbor in the morning, to the advertisements that bombard us from billboards and
radio on our daily commute. Much is made of the art of storytelling, but luckily for us, and our
students, weaving a good tale is a craft too and crafts can be taught, practiced, and perfected over
time. Here we will look at some of the main elements that comprise a good story: setting, characters,
problem, climax, and resolution. And we will look too at how best we can help our students
understand these elements, both in isolation and how they mesh together as a whole.

WHAT IS A NARRATIVE?

Narratives are a popular genre for students and teachers as it provides the writer with an opportunity
to share their imagination, creativity, skill and understanding of nearly all elements of writing. On
occasion we refer to a narrative as 'creative writing' or story writing.

The purpose of a narrative is simple, to tell the audience a story. It can be written to motivate, educate
or most commonly entertain. Narratives can be both fact or fiction.

The challenge in writing a good narrative is to captivate the audience and keep them engaged as the
story is told.

Narrative Writing: Definition and Examples

In case you’re wondering what is meant by “narrative writing,” the definition
is pretty simple: It’s any kind of writing that tells a story. That’s because
“narrative” means story. But be a little careful: narrative writing is not the
same as fiction writing! Fiction writing is just one kind of narrative writing.

Storytelling certainly occurs in fiction—it is the very essence of fiction—but

nonfiction writers also tell stories sometimes. When a piece of nonfiction
writing has a great deal of narrative in it, it qualifies as narrative
nonfiction (sometimes called “creative nonfiction” or “literary nonfiction”).
That makes it quite different from the other kind of nonfiction—the kind
without stories—which is sometimes called “research nonfiction.”
Narrative writing, then, by definition, includes both fiction writing and any
nonfiction that heavily utilizes storytelling as a technique. Some examples of
narrative nonfiction genres would be memoir, autobiography,
biography, and the personal essay.

In a personal essay, the writer tells a story about an incident that happened,
and reflects upon it. In a memoir, an author writes stories of multiple past
incidents, personally experienced, and reflects on the meaning those held for
his life.

Autobiography is like memoir, except broader and more detailed. If you’re

writing your autobiography, you try to include in the story all the important
details of your past. If you’re writing a memoir, however, you’re
selecting particular memories to highlight and leaving out much of the rest of
your personal history. Biography is like autobiography, only written about
someone else.

These are all examples of narrative nonfiction . . . factual writing that relies
heavily on storytelling. By contrast, what are some examples of narrative
fiction? Every genre of imagined story (nonfactual story) you are familiar
with, in either novel or short story form: mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, sci-
fi, and the list goes on.

Narrative nonfiction and narrative fiction taken together, then, form the
category called “narrative writing.” Both imaginary and factual writing are
included in the narrative writing definition, with storytelling being the
common and distinguishing characteristic. Most of the time—but, as we have
seen, not always—narrative writing is fictional, and takes the form of the
novel or short story.

SOURCE:

1. How to Teach Children the Steps to Write a Short Narrative Essay BY Karen Hartless
https://www.theclassroom.com/teach-write-short-narrative-essay-7848226.html
2. Tips on Writing a Narrative
Essay
https://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/narrative-essays/

3. Narrative Essay Worksheets & Writing Assignments

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/writing/narrative-essay-assignments/

4. Narrative Essays
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/narrative_essays.html

5.. Definition and Examples of Narratives in Writing

https://www.thoughtco.com/narrative-composition-term-1691417

6. http://englishtextualconcepts.nsw.edu.au/content/narrative

7 Narrative Writing: Definition and

Examples
https://bookeditor-jessihoffman.com/narrative-writing-definition/

8. Narrative Essay http://www.uobabylon.edu.iq/eprints/publication_11_8375_1861.pdf