Introductory information for students on writing a strong narrative essay.

1. The Narrative Essay
Welcome!

2. Narration
Recounting Events

3. What is Narration?
• Relates a series of events,
real or imaginary, in an
organized fashion
• A story that makes a point

4. Characteristics of Narrative Essays

5. Makes a Point
• Makes a point or supports
a thesis by telling about an
event/series of events
• Point may be directly
stated
– (explicit thesis statement)
• Point may be implied
– (implied thesis statement)
• Details of story support the
point the author is trying to
make

6. Conveys action and detail
• Gets the reader involved
– Dialogue
– Physical description
– Recounting action

7. Presents a conflict & creates tension
• Conflict
– Struggle, question, problem
the characters try to resolve
• Tension
– Suspense created as the
story unfolds and reader tries
to figure out how the
character will solve conflict
• Climax
– Point just before the conflict
is solved

8. Sequences events
• Arranged in an order easy
for readers to follow
• Often chronological
• Non-chronological
– Flashback
• Returns reader to events
happening in the past
– Foreshadowing
• Hints at events that MAY
happen in the future

9. Uses dialogue
• Should resemble everyday
speech

10. Told from a particular point of view
• 1st
person
– Key participant talks directly to
reader
– Allows personal tone & sharing of
attitudes, feelings, etc.
– Good when narrating an event from
your own life
• 3rd
person
– Narrator is unknown and describes
what is happening to others
– More distance from the action, and
generally more objective
– Allows narrator to reveal insights
about a character’s actions &
personality

11. Graphic Organizer for a
Narrative Essay
See p. 100, figure 5.1

12. Writing a Narrative Essay
Planning the essay

13. Choose topic
• Select an experience that
is memorable and that you
would feel comfortable
talking about
• Decide whether you will
use 1st
or 3rd
person

14. Gathering Details
• Replay the experience in your
mind
– Write down notes (sights, smells,
sounds, tastes, touch, dialogue,
emotions)
• Describe the incident to a
friend
– Write down any questions they
might have
• Describe the experience aloud
• Consider different aspects of
the incident by asking who,
what, where, when, why, and
how questions

15. Key details to include
• Scene
– Choose RELEVANT sensory details
that direct your readers to the
main point of the narrative
• Key actions
– Choose actions that create
tension, build it to a climax, and
resolve it
• Why did the conflict occur?
• What events led up to it?
• How was it resolved?
• What were its short- and long-term
consequences?
• What is its significance now?

16. Key details to include, cont.
• Key participants
– Appearance and action of
people directly involved in
story
• Key lines of dialogue
– Interesting, revealing, &
related to main point of story
– Make sure it sounds natural

17. Develop your thesis
• After looking at all of the
key details, decide what
point you will be making
with your narrative

18. Drafting a Narrative Essay
Guidelines for writing

19. Introduction
Should…
• Capture the reader’s
attention
• Provide useful background
information
• Set up the conflict
• Include the thesis (if you
are going to directly state
it)

20. Body of Narrative
• Build tension as it leads up
to the final resolution or
climax
• Devote a separate
paragraph to each major
action or distinct part of
the story
• Use transitions to connect
events

21. Conclusion of Narrative Essay
Do not summarize – instead…
• Make a final observation about
the experience or event
• Ask a probing question
• Suggest a new, but related
direction of thought
• Reveal a surprising piece of
information
• Refer back to the beginning
• Restate the thesis in different words
(use this method sparingly)

22. Analysis, Revision, & Editing

23. Revision
• Let your essay sit for a day
or two
• Reread and analyze,
focusing on the overall
effectiveness of the
narrative
• See revision flowchart 5.3
on pp. 105-6

24. Editing & Proofreading
• Check for errors in
grammar, spelling,
punctuation & mechanics.

25. Editing Tips & Troublespots
• Check for varied sentence
structure
– Different length & word order
• Check punctuation on dialogue
• Use strong, active verbs
– Active verbs (use these)
• The subject performs the action
– Lisa told me…
– Passive verbs (avoid)
• The subject is acted upon
– It was told to me by Lisa…
• Use consistent verb tense
– Most narratives are told in the past
tense

26. Reading a Narrative Essay
• Don’t forget the value of
previewing and rereading
a narrative so that you can
follow the events and
action as well as
concentrate on its
meaning.

27. What to Look for, Highlight and
Annotate
• Understanding the
Reading
– What is:
• The role of the participants
• The conflict
• The climax
• Conflict resolution

28. What to Look for, Highlight and
Annotate
• Examining the Characteristics of
Narrative Essays
– Main point of the writer?
– Writer’s thesis? Direct or implied?
– Does writer create tension? How?
– Sequence of events?
– Purpose and intended audience?
– What is the lasting value of this
essay and what does it say about
life, people, jobs, friendship, etc.?
– How does the writer achieve
his/her purpose and is he/she
successful?

29. Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Inferences
– “a reasoned guess about
what is not known based on
what is known.”
– Writers do not always directly
state the ideas they intend
to communicate about, so
you must infer or read
between the lines to
understand the message.

30. Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Point of View
– The perspective from which
an author tells a story
– Writers generally use the first
or third person P.O.V. when
writing a narrative.

31. Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Connotative Meaning
– The meaning of a word that
expresses a feeling or idea
that is associated with the
word (generally a positive or
negative association)

32. Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Symbolism
– Use of things, ideas, or words
to represent something else.
– Analysis of symbols used in
writing can allow a reader to
better understand the
writer’s themes.

33. Building Critical Thinking Skills
• Colloquial Language
– A style of conversational and
informal writing
– Can be very useful in fiction
and less formal types of
writing in which a
character’s use of slang,
dialect, or “colorful”
language can reveal a lot
about his/her thoughts,
attitudes, and ideas.

34. The End
• Only the beginning of
Narrative Essay Writing