Writer’s Prompt:

After years of leading a normal life, you

discover you have a special ability.
Afraid to share this information with
anyone, you confide only in your closest
friend.
To your surprise, your friend shares some
information with you—he also has a super
power
My blog
The Narrative Essay
 What is a Narrative Essay?
► It’s a story – it can be real or
imagined
► It connects us to other people
► It can raise a question.
► It can provide an insight.
► It can offer a moral.
► It can offer a challenge.
► It can provide a mirror for our own
lives
 William Blake
1757 - 1827

► One of the first writers of the "Romantic

Period” in England.
► Writings from the Romantic period were
based on emotion, adventure and
imagination.
► Blake was not always a poet.
► In fact, his only formal training was in
art.
► At the age of ten, he entered a drawing
school. He later studied at the Royal
 The Chimney Sweep
► What do you know about the boy who
narrates this poem?
► What was Tom’s dream?
► What is the effect of the repetition of
“weep” in line 3?
► What is the moral of this poem?
Listen to this story starring
detective “Guy Noir”

Pay close attention to the

elements of the essay.
 Identify some of the
narrative elements of “Guy
Noir”
► Setting
► Characters
► Plot
► Apex
► Moral?
► Point of view?
Read the essay “Small Town
Terror” and be prepared to
explain the different elements
which make this a narrative
essay.
Describe the narrative elements
of “Small-Town Terror”
► Story?
► Fictionof fact?
► Does it have a point of view?
► Moral? Insight? Question? Challenge?
 Now, tell me a story.
► Tell the story about the first time you
went to the movies without your
parents
► Tell the story about the first time you
drove a car.
► Tell the one about the worst trouble
you ever got into.
► Tell the one about your first day of
ninth grade (“That was me in grade
9”)
 What elements did it have?
► Story?
► Fictionof fact?
► Does it have a point of view?
► Moral? Insight? Question? Challenge?
Pause
Writing the Narrative
Essay
What specific types of narrative
reports might you write in your
life/career?
As a witness to an accident, a
crime, or some other incident,
you might report what took
place.

Whenever readers need to

understand what happened,
narrative reporting is essential.
Narration is a piece of writing
that tells a story of an event or
experience.
 The Process

► Find a story worth telling

► Use your “Big Eye”
► Look at life from a different
perspective – find the stories in
everyday life.
► Keep a notebook of your story ideas
 The Process
► You need a thesis or a main idea
sentence
► Use descriptive language
► Make a timeline
► Use transitions
► Use dialogue to advance the story –
make it real
 Kinds of Narratives

► The Narrative Summary

► Covers large segment of time
► Writers of history, memoirs, biography
use this
► Raymond Carver used it in “My
Father’s Life”
 The Narrative Moment

► Covers a limited time frame

► All details are explored for an intense,
comprehensive view of a flash of time
 Time Order
► Most narratives are written
chronologically – this happened, then
this, then this…
► Can be written “medias res” – in the
midst of things – where readers find
themselves in the heat of an event
► Flashbacks are used by skillful writers
– may confuse the reader
 Audience
► Who is your audience?
► Newspaper readers?
► Fiction readers?
► Doctors? Firemen?
► Write to them
 The events you include and the
way you describe them create a
story that is based on your point
of view.
What is a Narrative Essay?
►A narrative is a story
► A narrative essay is a story that has a
specific point
 A narrative essay strives to teach a lesson
or
 A narrative essay strives to make a
specific point
 A narrative essay is not a diary entry –
the story is linked to the purpose of the
essay
What Should Be Included in a
Narrative Essay?
► Often written in 1st person – I or we –
because it is based on a personal story
► Can also be written in 3rd person
► Can never be written in 2nd person
► Has specific sensory details to get the
reader hooked on the story
► Is developed in chronological order
► Has verbs that help paint a picture and draw
in the reader
What Else Does the Narrative
Essay Need?
► Sincethis is a story, the narrative
essay needs everything a story needs
(these are known as the story
elements):
 Has a plot
 Has characters
 Has a problem
 Has a climax
 Often uses dialogue
Planning the Narrative Essay
► Write a thesis statement, just as with any
other essay
► Brainstorm for a personal story or
observation that illustrates or proves the
thesis statement
► Outline or web the important parts of the
story to be told
► Write an introductory paragraph that
includes the thesis statement, and then
write the story
► Because this is a story, use as many
paragraphs as necessary to tell the story
► Write the conclusion that reflects on the
thesis statement
Start With a Thesis
Statement
► The thesis will depend upon the story
to be proven.
► The thesis can be something general
in the case of a narrative essay. For
example, you may write, “Oftentimes
people do not follow simple directions.
However, these campers learned just
how important following directions can
be.”
What Would You Expect From
This Thesis?
► As the reader, you will expect to learn
why following directions is important.
► As the reader, you will expect to read
a story about camping.
► As the reader, you will expect there to
be a twist in the action.
Outline the Parts of the Story
and Write Out the Story
An Informal Outline of the Story:
► Two campers go camping and ignore
rules
► They leave out food
► An animal finds the food
► One of the campers tries to scare off
the animal
► Campers learn to follow the rules
Let’s Read the Essay – The
Introduction
It was a wonderful week to camp in the
great outdoors, even if some of their friends
thought it was a strange way to honeymoon.
Trudy and Jeff were looking forward to their
week at Great Smoky Mountains National
Park in Tennessee. Little did they know what
a learning experience this trip would be.
Oftentimes people do not follow simple
directions. However, these campers learned
just how important following directions can
be.
Setting the Scene of the
Story
After a scenic drive through the glorious
mountains, Trudy and Jeff arrived at the
camping area. A ranger at the booth handed
them a map and asked, “Have you ever
camped with us before?”
“A better question would be if we ever
camped before,” Jerry answered wryly.
“You’ll be fine. Just remember, this isn’t a
hotel. We do have bears and other animals
in the area, so lock your food up in the car,”
said the ranger as he handed them a lists of
Do’s and Don’ts.
Developing the Plot
Exhausted from their first attempt
at setting up a campsite, Trudy and
Jeff crawled inside the tent that
evening, giggling and whispering to
each other. They doused the light
inside the tent and ignored the world
outside the canvas. The ranger’s list
was left laying on the tent floor.
Continuing the Action – Vivid
Word Choices
Just before sunrise, Jerry was awakened
by the sounds of metal ripping. He quietly
slipped out of the tent. A fully grown black
bear was sitting on their picnic table busily
prying the lid off the cooler they neglected
to store in the car the night before. Finding
the pound of bacon he prized, the bear
leaned back on his hind haunches and
began to devour the bacon. Jerry started
screaming at the bear, “Get out of here!
What do you think you’re doing?”
Reaching the Climax
By this point, most of the other campers
had exited their own tents and watched the
scene unfold. The bear was not amused by
Jerry’s threatening, especially with the
remainder of the bacon at stake. The black
bear stood on top of the picnic table to his
full height. While the bear actually stood
only four feet tall, the extra height of the
table caused him to loom over Jerry’s head.
The bear suddenly fell forward, striking the
table with his full weight and snarled. The
table moaned in response.
The Climax Continues
Much more quickly than anyone
anticipated, the bear reached out his huge,
menacing paw towards Jerry. Fear leapt into
Jerry’s eyes as he turned and ran back into
his tent. Zip! closed the zipper.
Now, one can only imagine how much
time passed before Jerry and Trudy realized
the futility of his preventive actions. How
was a flimsy flap of canvas going to stop a
full-sized, angry bear?
Finding the Solution
Fortunately, the bear was much more
interested in the left-over bacon than in
Jerry and Trudy. The bear cautiously turned
around, climbed back on top of the table,
and continued to eat his early breakfast. He
carefully examined the remaining contents
of the cooler. Finding nothing else as
delectable as the bacon, the bear jumped
off the picnic table, grunted, licked his paws
and mouth, and then lumbered off into the
deeper woods that surrounded the
campground.
The Concluding Paragraph
The audience that had gathered
applauded spontaneously, then slowly
returned to their own campsites,
shaking their heads in disbelief.
Meanwhile, inside the thin canvas tent,
Trudy and Jeff had lit their lantern and
were carefully studying the items
listed on the Do’s and Don’ts list. The
rest of their trip was blissfully peaceful
as they made sure to follow all the
rules at the campsite.
Additional Ideas for Your
Thesis
►Without a thesis, or a point, you are not
really writing a narrative essay but a
narrative – make sure to have a point. You
can get help finding a point when you:
 Think about sayings or quotes that teach a
lesson
 Think about lessons learned from Aesop’s
fables
 Think about a time when you learned
something valuable
 Read quotations to spawn ideas
 Read your own journals for a time something
happened worth telling others about
 A good Narration

► Reveals something of importance to

you (your main point)
► Includes all of the major events of the
story.
► Uses details to bring the story to life
► Presents the events in a clear order,
usually according to when it
happened.
 Common time transitions
► Before ► Later
► After ► At last
► During ► Last
► First ► Eventually
► Next ► Meanwhile
► Second ► Since
► Then ► Now
► Finally ► Soon
► while ► when
 Guidelines of a Narrative
Paragraph
► Write out the topic sentence and circle the
point of view.
► List any background information
► Briefly summarize the incident (write several
sentences telling what happened in your
own words)
► Do all of these sentences support your point
of view?
► Are the events in the story in chronological
order?
 Read the following paragraph.
My twelfth birthday was originally a disappointment
that turned into my best birthday ever. For five or six
months preceding the big day, I begged my parents
for a certain new bicycle. I had seen one in a medium
price range that I figured my folks could afford. I
hinted and even pleaded outright, promising to do
extra chores if I got it. Pointing out that the only bike
I had ever had was a hand-me-down from my older
brother. I showed them how rusted the frame was.
Meanwhile, my brother was begging for a set of tires
for the car he had bought. When my birthday finally
came, my hopes were so high. Instead of the bicycle,
though, I got a new shirt, a pair of sneakers, and an
envelope. At first, I thought it was just a card, but it
turned out to have enough money for the bike in it. It
also contained five “contracts” for extra work around
the house that I could do to earn enough money for a
much nicer bicycle. My parents gave me the gift of
 1. What is the topic
sentence?

2. Which sentence is not in

unity with the rest of the
paragraph?

3. What do you think is the

writer’s reason for writing
this paragraph?
 -II-
Guidelines for a Narrative
Essay

1. Set the scene immediately.

Place readers right at the center
of the action. If you open with
some sort of background
explanation, keep it short and
sweet.
 2. Convey your main point.
If you simply report, then
there is no main point. You
need to have a main point to
help you present or explain
the major events of the
story.
 In a narrative essay, the
Thesis introduces the action
that begins in the first
paragraph.

Now, as I watched the bus

driver set my luggage on the
airport sidewalk, I realized
that my frustration had only
just begun.
 These major events will
become the topic sentences for
the body paragraphs in your
essay.

The paragraphs in the body will

develop the story.
 3.Choose details that directly
advance your story in your
support and bring the
experience to life for the reader.
 4. Choose details that are
concrete and specific enough to
show clearly what happened.
 5. Order details in a clear
sequence. Chronological
ordering often works best in a
narrative because it enables
readers to follow events as they
occurred.
 6. Control your tenses and
transitions. Indicate a clear
time frame for each event:
present, past, past perfect, or
even future. If you move from
one time frame to another, be
sure to keep the tense
consistent within each frame.
Transitions will help signal the
end of action in one paragraph,
and provide a link to the action
of the next paragraph. They
give your story unity and allow
the reader to follow the action
easily.
 7. Tell us what all this means
and what we should remember
about it
You finish describing the action
in the essay in the concluding
paragraph. The final sentence
can have two functions:
1. It can deliver the moral of
the story, or tell the reader
what the characters or you
learned from the experience.

2. It can make a prediction

or a revelation about future
actions that will happen as a
result of the events in the
story.
 Moral:

The little boy had finally learned

that telling the truth was the
most important thing to do.
 Prediction/revelation:

I can only hope that one day I

will be able to do the same for
another traveler who is suffering
through a terrible journey.

Every Christmas Eve, my wife

and I return to that magical spot
and remember the selfless act
that saved our lives.
 When you think of a topic for
your narrative essay, try to
remember something exciting,
difficult, wonderful, or
frightening that has happened
to you. Can this event be
developed into an interesting
narrative essay?
 Ask yourself questions:

► When was an important time in my life?

► What has happened in my experience that I would
enjoy writing about?
► Is there an event in my life that other people would
enjoy hearing about?
► How did I feel about a particular experience?
► Who was involved?
► Why do I remember this event so strongly?
► What effect did it have on me?
► Did anything change because of this experience?
► What interesting experiences do I know of that
happened to other people?
 If you are answering some of
these questions about a specific
experience that you or someone
else had, then you may have a
topic for a narrative essay.
Write a narration paragraph
or essay on one of the
following topics.
1.Explain the most important or
interesting event that has
happened to you in college.
2.Tell about a recent experience
or incident you witnessed that
left a strong impression on you.
3. Write about an event when
you were proud of someone in
your family.

or

Write about an event when you

were proud or ashamed of your
behavior.
4. Think of a time when you had
to do something against your
wishes.

Or

Think of a memorable
experience you have had – it
could be frightening, sobering,
or amusing.
5. Talk about an interesting,
incredible story you heard on
the news recently.

6. How did you meet your

sweetheart?
After you have a suitable topic,
brainstorm some ideas about
your topic.
Organize your ideas.
Remember that it’s not
necessary to tell every detail of
the story. Include only the
most important actions or
events that move the story
forward.
 Introduction:

What is the basic idea of the

story?
Where is the story taking place?
When is the story taking place?
Who is in the story?

a) lead-in
b) connecting information
c) Thesis statement
 Body:

What feeling or atmosphere do

you want to create in the story?
What will happen in the plot?

A) Paragraph 2 – Topic sentence

1.
2.
3. transition sentence
 Conclusion:

What will happen last in the story?

How will you finish the plot?
Will your narrative essay have a
moral or make a prediction or a
revelation?

A) close of the action

B) final sentence (moral, prediction
or revelation
 Steve Berry's 8 Rules of Writing
September 05, 2008

1. There are no rules. You can do anything

you want as long as it works. 
2. Don't bore the reader. You can bore the
reader in a sentence, in a paragraph, by
misusing words, poorly choosing words, using
the wrong length, etc. 
3. Don't confuse the reader. Don't misuse
point of view. Don't do too much at once.
4. Don't get caught writing. Don't let you,
the author, enter the story. (E.g., "And he never
would see Memphis again." How would anyone
other than the author know that the character
would never see Memphis again?)
8 rules for writing – cont’d.

5. Shorter is always better. Write tight. It

makes you use the best words in the right way. 
6. Don't lie to the reader. It's OK to mislead,
but don't lie. If you say the character's
motivation is A and it turns out to be B (and you
haven't foreshadowed it at all), the reader will
feel cheated. 
7. Don't annoy the reader. Don't use names
that are hard to pronounce or write choppy
sentences throughout the entire book. It keeps
people from getting close to your characters.
8. You must tell a good story. Bad writing
can be forgiven with a good story. A bad story