How to Write a Narrative Essay

Storytelling is a skill as old as time. Cave drawings that date back to the earliest humans tell tales about the change of seasons, hunts, and everyday family life. Writing a narrative essay is a similar method of storytelling. While it doesn’t have to be difficult, it does take some strategy.

A man editing an essay using a stylus on a tablet.

“Appeal to the reader’s senses so they can feel immersed in the setting.”

Our step-by-step guide will show you how to write a narrative essay the easy way.

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What is a narrative essay?

Understanding the definition of a narrative essay is the first step. A narrative essay is a real-life event that has happened to you, the writer. Because it’s an event that happened to you, it should be written in the first person. Sometimes you’re given a prompt, other times you have to come up with one of your own. Here are some examples of what a narrative essay could cover:

Your most memorable vacation
A time you learned a new skill
The most afraid you’ve ever been
Your first year away at college

The essential elements

A proper understanding of how to write a narrative essay includes knowing the specific elements required. Every narrative essay needs to have a character and plot to follow. The character (that’s you) will progress through a conflict. The conflict doesn’t have to be an earth-shattering event. It can be as simple as trying a food you don’t like.

As you write your narrative essay, remember the phrase “Show, don’t tell.” Your writing will impact your audience more by using words that show them how something happened rather than simply telling them. Appeal to the reader’s senses so they can feel immersed in the setting.

A man sitting at a conference table smiling at a laptop screen.

The format

Every essay type has its own format. While many of them are similar, putting together your essay takes a different shape each time. When it comes to writing a story, there’s a formula that writers must use to ensure that the storyline flows from start to finish and makes sense to the reader. If you think about it, every story follows the format of an introduction to the character and world, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the story conclusion. Let’s address each part individually, so you know the elements of each.

Introduction. Unlike an informative essay, you’re not going to be introducing the points of your story. Rather, you’re introducing the reader to the setting, plot, and characters. A narrative essay doesn’t have to be long, so do your best to be concise about establishing the setting by showing them where the story takes place. For instance, if the narrative takes place at your favorite restaurant, describe the smells, sounds, what you see, how the food tastes, and what it feels like sitting at the table. While it doesn’t make sense to describe the taste of the food before it reaches the table, you can talk about how your mouth is watering in anticipation of your favorite dish.
Rising action. Once you’ve established your setting and gotten the plot moving, it’s time to get into the action. The rising action includes the events leading up to the story’s most exciting part. What events are set into motion that will keep the reader moving toward the climax? Returning to your favorite restaurant, what happened the first time you were there? Highlight your first impressions as you walked in, were seated, and looked over the menu. Again, appeal to the reader’s senses with rising action.
Climax. The climax is the most exciting part of the story. It’s the segment the reader has been anticipating. While a visual representation of a story is often a symmetrical bell curve with the rising action leading uphill toward the climax with the falling action moving downhill, your narrative doesn’t have to be symmetrical. If you take two-thirds of your story building up to your climax, that’s fine, but it needs to be exciting.
Falling action. The falling action of your story is the fallout of the climax. It’s the result of the most exciting part. If the climax of your story is an exciting car chase scene, the falling action could be the characters dealing with the repercussions of the chase. Whether the hero is being chased or doing the chasing will determine how the action falls.
Conclusion. Wrap up your narrative by closing out the story. Leave your reader with some kind of satisfying payoff. Your narrative essay shouldn’t be the first part of a story leading into a sequel because it’s a single event that has happened to you. Ending with something like, “Then I ate the sushi, and it was delicious,” doesn’t reward the reader for reaching the end of the essay. Describe why it was a big deal that the sushi was delicious, or not delicious, and appeal to the reader’s senses.

Knowing how to write a narrative essay is all about storytelling. Building a story requires a character, setting, and plot with rising and falling action—with the climax in the middle. Follow these tips, and you’ll be able to write a narrative that will capture your reader’s attention from start to finish.