Narrative Essays

A narrative essay is an essay that tells a story; the story told could be fiction or nonfiction. Narrative essays are a great way to share your creative side.

It’s important in a narrative essay for the reader to be able to visualize what you are talking about. A great way to do this is by using adjectives that appeal to the five senses, otherwise known as imagery.

Here is a list of adjectives that can be effective in appealing to the senses:

Taste

Hearing

Sight

Smell

Touch

TasteSour

HearingLoud

SightDark

SmellWoodsy

TouchGrainy

TasteSweet

HearingQuiet

SightBright

SmellRotten

TouchSmooth

TasteFlavorful

HearingWhisper

SightEmpty

SmellMusky

TouchRough

TasteBitter

HearingShouting

SightCrowded

SmellSweet

TouchSharp

TasteSalty

HearingBuzzing

SightCalm

SmellBurnt

TouchHot

TasteDelicious

HearingRinging

SightSparkly

SmellFresh

TouchWet

TasteMouth-watering

HearingEchoing

SightColorful

SmellFloral

TouchSoft

 

Just like a book, your narrative essay will have a plot. A plot consists of the events that occurred to bring your story together. This includes the following:

Exposition:
The exposition is the introduction to your narrative. It will introduce the characters, setting, and conflict/s.
For example, if you are writing a narrative about taking an important test, the exposition would introduce you as a character. The setting would take place in your room/library as you are studying for it. The conflict would be time limitations; the test is tomorrow, and you just started studying at 8 p.m.

Rising Action:
The rising action is the process the character takes to resolve the conflict but fails to resolve it for now. There can be more than one rising action, if necessary to the story. Using the test example from before, a rising action may be the character goes to a coffee shop so they can stay up all night to study. The coffee shop is closed, so not only did the character waste time going to a coffee shop, but you are now unsure if you will be able to study all night.

Climax:
The climax is the turning point of the story.
A climax for the test example could be that you fell asleep while studying. As you wake up in a panic that you missed the class your test was in, you check your phone and see that by some miracle it’s been rescheduled to next week due to “technical reasons.”

Falling Action:
Falling action is all the events that happen after the climax and begins to wrap up your narrative. Because the test is rescheduled, you are attending two tutoring sessions in the next week and have put aside more time to study.

Resolution:
The resolution is the conclusion or end of the story. The ending of the story may not always be happy, but the conflict will be ended (whether successfully or not). The next week has come and you feel fully prepared for your test. You’ve spent countless hours studying and have learned your lesson about time management. After the test is taken, you get immediate results and you pass with a 96%!