How to Write a Narrative Essay or Speech

A narrative essay or speech is used to tell a story, often one that is based on personal experience. This genre of work comprises works of nonfiction that hew closely to the facts and follow a logical chronological progression of events. Writers often use anecdotes to relate their experiences and engage the reader. In doing so, you can give your narrative a level of emotional appeal. It can be serious or humorous, but this emotional appeal is essential if you want to  give your audience some way to connect with your story. The most successful narrative essays usually share these three basic traits:They make a central point.They contain  specific details  in  support  of that point.They are clearly  organized  in time. Constructing the Essay Magazines like the New Yorker and websites like Vice are known for the pages-long narrative essays they publish, sometimes called long-format journalism. But an effective narrative essay can be as short as five paragraphs. As with other kinds of essay writing, narratives follow the same basic outline: Introduction: This is the opening paragraph of your essay. It contains the hook, which is used to grab the readers attention, and the thesis or topic, which youll detail in the next section.Body: This is the heart of your essay, usually three to five paragraphs in length. Each paragraph should contain one example, such as a personal anecdote or noteworthy event, that supports your larger topic.Conclusion: This is the final paragraph of your essay. In it, youll sum up the main points of the body and bring your  narrative to an end. Writers sometimes embellish the conclusion with an epilogue or a takeaway. Narrative Essay Topics Choosing the topic for your essay may be the hardest part. What youre looking for is a particular incident that you can recount in a well-developed and clearly organized essay  or speech. We have a few ideas to help you brainstorm topics. Theyre quite broad, but something will surely spark an idea. An embarrassing experienceA memorable wedding or funeralAn exciting minute or two of a football game (or  another sporting event)Your first or last day at a job or new schoolA disastrous dateA memorable moment of failure or successAn encounter that changed your life or taught you a lessonAn experience that led to a renewed faithA strange or unexpected encounterAn experience of how technology is more trouble than its worthAn experience that left you disillusionedA frightening or dangerous experienceA memorable journeyAn encounter with someone you were in awe of or afraid ofAn occasion when you experienced rejectionYour first visit to the countryside (or to a large city)The circumstances that led to the breakup of a friendshipAn experience that showed that you should be careful of what you wish forA significant or comic misunderstandingAn experience that showed how appearances can be deceivingAn account of a difficult decision that you had to makeAn event that marked a turning point in your lifeAn experience that changed your viewpoint on a controversial issueA memorable encounter with someone in authorityAn act of heroism or cowardiceAn imaginary encounter with a real personA rebellious actA brush with greatness or deathA time that you took a stand on an important issueAn experience that altered your view of someoneA trip that you would like to takeA vacation trip from your childhoodAn account of a visit to a fictional place or timeYour first time away from homeTwo different versions of the same eventA day when everything went right or wrongAn experience that made you laugh until you criedThe experience of being lostSurviving a natural disasterAn important discoveryAn eyewitness account of an important eventAn experience that helped you grow upA description of your secret placeAn account of what it would be like to live as a particular animalYour dream job and what it would be likeAn invention youd like to createA time when you realized your parents were right An account of your earliest memoryYour reaction when you heard the best news of your lifeA description of the one thing you cant live without Other Types of Essays Narrative essays are one of the three major essay types. The others are: Argumentative: In these essays, the writer makes the case for a specific opinion on a topic, using research and analysis to persuade the reader.Descriptive: This kind of writing relies on detail to describe or define a person, place, thing, or experience. Writing may be either objective or subjective.Expository: Like argumentative essays, expository writing requires research and analysis in order to expound upon a subject. Unlike argumentative essays, the intention is not to change the readers  opinion but to inform the readers. Sources Angelli, Elizabeth; Baker, Jack; and Brizee, Allen. Essay Writing. Perdue.edu. 9 February 2018.Beck, Kate. Instructions to Write a Narrative Essay. SeattlePI.com.Santa Barbara City College staff. Structure of a Personal Narrative Essay. SBCC.edu.