THE NARRATIVE ESSAYComposition 9

Mrs. SmithA 413

WHAT IS A NARRATIVE ESSAY? The narrative essay tells a story, usually

written from the viewpoint of one person, often the writer, in the first person singular.

However, the narrative essay can also include third person pronouns such as he and she.

The focus of the narrative essay is the plot, told with enough information to build to a climax.

Like all genres, the narrative essay has a predictable pattern found in any story.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE A personal narrative is a first-person

piece of writing outlining an experience or something that has happened to you. It shares similar elements with a short

story; however, it should be nonfiction so it needs to be about something that actually took place.

SIGNIFICANCE A personal narrative needs to have a

point or hold some kind of significance. This doesn't mean you should just stick a tired moral onto the end of your story. Try to think back to an event that changed

you, or where you learned something. If the experience really held significance for

you, it should be natural to weave this into your narrative and it will really shine through as a subtle hint in your finished piece.

FOCUS The narrative essay should be built

around a main idea that can be explained and supported. The main idea is the thesis of the story, and it conveys a message that emphasizes the significance of a person, object or event.

THESIS Your thesis is a sentence addressing the

main point of your essay, and it should guide your resolution.

Narrative essays often have theses addressing what you've learned or why a particular story is relevant. For example, you might state that, "Through

my disability, I've learned that hard work does pay off, but only when you reach out for help."

Your resolution should re-address this point by providing final evidence of its truth or a final story demonstrating your thesis.

POINT OF VIEW Once a topic is selected, the writer

should decide on a point of view. Most narrative essays are written in the first person, but they can also be written in the third person. If you are writing a fictional narrative essay, you can choose either point of view. However, if your essay is nonfiction, you must write in the first person.

POINT OF VIEW (CONTINUED) The narration in a story provides a distinctive

point of view that adds a layer of depth to the story.

The narrator provides details and perspective to bring the action alive, so point of view is critical because it will color the way the narrator views and reacts to the action in the story.

If you are writing a narrative essay, incorporate your personal experiences and opinions to paint a picture.

If you're writing fiction, any narrator type can have a point of view, even if the narrator is not a participant in the story.

PURPOSE Why are you writing this story, or what

do you want your readers to take away from it? The narrator should convey this information

to readers through the story. In a narrative essay, this can simply be part

of your introduction. The purpose should convey something you

think is significant about life or values.

ACTION The action is one of the most important

elements in a story, and a narrator plays a key role in conveying this information.

The action is what happens to the characters or people in your story or essay. In a narrative essay, you will explain to

readers what happened and why it was important.

In fiction, your narrator will tell readers what the characters are doing.

EMOTIONS

Emotion can be conveyed in a story or essay through dialogue or narration.

It is important to describe how the action makes characters feel about other characters and the world around them.

Also, the narrator can have emotional reactions to the story, if you choose. In a narrative essay, you are a character in the

essay as well as the narrator, so including your emotions is simply part of telling your story.

CONVENTIONS Because the narrative essay is about a

story, it also has the conventions found in any story. This includes the plot, which tells the reader

what is happening, usually in a chronological order; the characters and setting; the climax, which is an important realization that relates to the thesis; and the ending/resolution, which explains how some matter has been solved.

PLOT You need to have a linear plot with a

clear beginning, middle and end. The plot should normally contain a conflict

or a point of tension and a resolution of this conflict.

This resolution often leads to change, whether that change is in yourself, in another character or in the circumstances or events surrounding your narrative.

DETAIL & DEVELOPMENT Details should be incorporated in the narrative

essay that not only tell the story but engage the reader as well.

The narrative essay should have concrete and specific details that support the thesis and add color and depth.

This is done through the use of the scene and summary methods. The scene method uses very detailed descriptions

of a situation, which are reserved for the one or two key scenes in the narrative essay.

The summary method gives a brief outline of events and is used in the rest of the story.

CHARACTERS A personal narrative is written in the first

person, so it should be from your perspective and about you. Essentially you are the main character, so try

to give the reader a good idea of the person you are, through your actions, voice and awareness.

However, you still need to have other characters in your narrative.

Your characters should be interesting and believable.

Try to work on your characters' dialogue, to make it lively and realistic.

DIALOGUE Each speaker gets his or her own paragraph;

a return and indent. This mimics real conversation, indicating pauses and so forth.

Attributions (“He said, “She said” and variations) should be used, but not too much, and varied so they’re not repetitious; they can be used at the start of quotes, in the middle, or at the end. When attributions are overused, they get in the way; the key is that the reader should always know who’s speaking.

Always use a comma after attribution (She said,) when introducing a quote.

DIALOGUE VS. QUOTATION Dialogue is an exchange of speech

between two people. Quotations come from already-existing

texts, such a speeches or other documents. In your essay, you are most likely not

quoting existing texts or speeches, but rather creating a scene in which two people are talking. In essay writing, the dialogue does not need to be exactly what was said, but rather what was said to the best of your memory.

ACTION IN DIALOGUE Dialogue is best broken up by short

paragraphs of action. In real life, we often do not stand still, doing

nothing but speaking to the person in front of us. We complete simultaneous actions, such as moving our hands, walking around, and picking up a glass of water.

Break up sections of dialogue with short paragraphs describing what the people in your essay are doing as they talk.

You can also include sentences describing what one of your characters is thinking and feeling as a conversation is taking place. Dialogue plus action creates more vivid scenes for your reader.

DIALOGUE TAGS Dialogue tags are ways of reminding the

reader who is speaking, such as "he said" or "Mary said". They typically come after the dialogue. For example: "I do not want to go to the

market," Mary said. Try to avoid using adverbs such as "he said

softly" or "she said convincingly". The dialogue should let the reader know

whether a person is speaking softly or convincingly. Rather than relying on adverbs, revise your dialogue so that it conveys the emotion you want to portray.

“See you later”, he said.

PUNCTUATION Each time a person in your essay speaks, start a new

paragraph. Open and close each paragraph of dialogue with quotation

marks. The period at the end of the final sentence in a section of

dialogue should be placed within the closing quotation mark.

If dialogue is interrupted mid-sentence, place a comma at the end of the final word before the break. Then insert closing quotation marks followed by the non-dialogue action or a dialogue tag.

Begin the rest of the dialogue with new quotation marks. Do not capitalize the first word in the second half of the interrupted dialogue. For example: "I'd rather not," she said, "go to the market today."

DIALOGUE EXAMPLES  When I was eight, my father dragged me into my bedroom after I

lit a folded pile of his shirts on fire. I sat on the edge of the bed, not looking up, my hands folded mannerly in my lap.            “What’s wrong with you?” he asked.            “Nothing,” I said.            “You lit my shirts on fire, boy? Where’d you learn that?”            “Daycare.”            “What? Daycare? You learned how to light shirts on fire at daycare?”            I froze and looked up the ceiling, trying to backtrack. I actually learned how to light matches by watching him light his pipe, but I couldn’t tell him that.            “A kid brought matches one day. I told him matches were bad.”            “I’m calling your daycare.”            “No,” I said. Okay, I screamed it, and he scowled at me.            “Tell me the truth, lad.”            I took a deep breath and let it slide out: “I hate your shirts, Dad.”

SETTING

Try to make the story come alive by describing it in detail.

Think back to the place you're writing about and include sensory details about what you saw, heard and smelled, and how you felt.

As well as the physical setting, you need to think about the place it took up in time.

Let the reader know when it took place and give a clear sense of the passage of time.

CONFLICT ELEMENT The narrative essay includes some type

of conflict with which the main character, also known as the protagonist, is forced to acknowledge and deal. It can be an external conflict between two

people, or it can be an internal struggle affecting the protagonist.

RESOLUTION Specifically address the resolution of the

conflict presented in your essay. Avoid saying things like, "In conclusion..." or "I

resolved this by..." Instead, your resolution should be more subtle and give the reader a sense of relief and clarity.

You may also want to address any lingering questions or disagreements the reader might have. For example, if you are arguing that you have

benefited from struggle, you might say something like, "Some people believe that struggle weakens you, but I've found that working through struggle creates a stronger and more resilient person."