Narrative Essay

Essay:The name essay goes back to 1588 when the writer Michel de Montaigne published his book Essais. Since then the word essay has been widely used to describe a short work that reveals the writers point of view on some particular subject. This word has come from French and has the same origin as the French verb essayer (to attempt). It was a unique piece of literature in the 16th century, and it has not lost its unique nature. The writer of an essay communicates directly with the reader and thus the author gives his/her own opinion of the event, story, subject and even life in general. It might describe, it may generalize, and it can teach or entertain but the opinion of the writer should be clearly and plainly stated. You may choose whatever topic you want for an essay, but choose some topic you are really interested in, especially if you have got such an opportunity. In the 19th century several other prominent writers such as Virginia Woolf and J.B. Priestley followed the suit. In the USA, the essay has been frequently used as the means of literary criticism. Some American essayists such as R.W. Emerson, H. Thoreau and Edgar Allan Poe were the most remarkable reviewers. Narrative Essays Narrative essays are experiences written by you that you face during your life. It tells a story, which is meaningful and important to you, it can be real, or imagination based. It describes how a certain event can change a major part of yourself and your life, how you have reacted to that event that happened to you. A good narrative isn't just an enjoyable or amusing story, but has a point to make, an idea to pass on. The writer

uses details that are significant and merges them to build up a story line that is easy for the reader to follow. Features 1. The story should have an introduction that clearly indicates what kind of narrative essay it is (an event or recurring activity, a personal experience, or an observation), and it should have a conclusion that makes a point. 2. The essay should include anecdotes. The author should describe the person, the scene, or the event in some detail. It's okay to include dialogue as long as you know how to punctuate it correctly and as long as you avoid using too much. 3. The occasion or person described must be suggestive in that your description and thoughts lead the reader to reflect on the human experience. 4. The point of view in narrative essays is usually first person. The use of "I" invites your readers into an intimate discussion. 5. The writing in your essay should be lively and show some style. Try to describe ideas and events in new and different ways. Again, get the basic story down, get it organized, and in your final editing process, work on word choice. Narrative detail:Narratives, like other type of writing, need rich, specific detail, if they are to be convincing. Each detail should help form a picture for the reader even exact times, dates and geographical location can be helpful. Narrative Variety:Narratives are often told from one persons perspective and they usually present a series of events in chronological order. A narrative without sentence variety may affect

your readers like a ride down a monotonous stretch of highway. You can avoid this monotony by varying your sentence structure. Narrative order:Many narratives present events in exactly the order in which they occurred, moving from beginning to end, from first event to last. Whether or not you follow a strict chronological order, though, depends on the purpose of your narrative. You may begin in the present and then use a series of flashbacks, shift into the past, to tell your story. Naturally there are times when you must shift tense to reflect an actual time shift in your narrative. Nevertheless, it is important to avoid unnecessary shift in verb tense because such unwarranted shift will make your narrative confusing. How to write a narrative essay? Writing a narrative essay is basically writing a story connected with personal experiences. The key element of a narrative essay is a defined point of view presented in the paper and delivered through sharing emotions and sensory details with the reader. As a narrative essay is always a reflection of a personal experience of the author and that is the reason it often has the form of a story and also often becomes a personal narrative essay. If the author decides to write a narrative essay in a form of a story it is crucial to keep in mind the model of storytelling: 1. Plot 2. Character 3. Setting 4. Climax 5. Ending

A narrative essay explains the point of view that the author claims in the opening statement and confirms in the conclusion of the paper. A type of an essay known as a descriptive narrative essay very often has the form of a book report which gets the reader acquainted with the books plot, the characters of the book and their actions. This type of narrative essay analyzes the message of the book and its purpose. The narrative essay format is built on two main principles: 1. It has no restrictions considering in what person is should be written; nevertheless, often it is written from the first person and therefore the I sentences are allowed. 2. This type of essay is to make a deep emotional impression on the reader through the technique of using concrete and sensory details as the dominant of the paper. A narrative essay idea can be taken from many sources like books, articles and personal experiences. This is primarily because every single book, article or personal thought has a point of view it tries to deliver to the reader. It is possible to choose a narrative essay topic from a great variety, for example: 1. My favorite day in the year. 2. My best friend 3. The biggest mistake I have ever made 4. The most embarrassing moment in my life 5. My happiest vacation