A narrative essay allows, in more ways than any other essay does, you to express personal thoughts and deep revelations. It also allows an author to share memories and other experiences, whether they are humorous, informative or teach a moral lesson. Most narrative essays take the form of a story and are most often told from the point of view of the author. But more than simply tell a story, a narrative essay also tries to prove a point, even through it could be something simple. The story serves as evidence for the point. Because the narrative essay is often a story, you need to make sure that the basic elements of creating a story are present.
Much of the work of a narrative essay is done in pre-writing. Even thought the writing is a story that the author should be very familiar with because it is a personal experience, it is still important to remember to focus the story in order to prove some sort of point. This will most likely affect the way that a story is presented, as the author will want to maximize thematic connections. It is essential to remember that it is not just telling a story, but telling a story with a point. One of the ways to ensure that the story does this is the list the underlying themes of the story. What does the story show that is worth learning? How does this story fit in the larger context of the point being proven? Before writing begins, the author must make sure that all of these questions could be easily answered by the reader after finishing the story. After this, you must carefully select the details of the story that do two things:
- move the story along in a manner both interesting and engaging to the reader, and
- prove the overall point.
Needless details will not only cause the reader to become uninterested, but also detract from the main point of the essay. The details of the story are also where the author can be creative with language usage. The point is, after all, to tell a story.
Introduction
- Provide necessary background for the story
- Catch the reader’s attention right away
- Thesis: Explain what the main point of the story is
Body
- Progress through telling of the story using vivid language
- Relate details and events back to main point
Conclusion
- Restate main point
- Reveal any new insights
