How to Write a Narrative Essay about Yourself
A story about personal experience is called a narrative essay. It can provide an excellent opportunity for someone, even yourself to understand you better. Writing about how gained new insight or understanding of something is an excellent way to reveal who you truly are.
What does a Good Narrative Essay Include?
A good narrative essay involves your readers and shows them what happened. Do not simply tell your audience. Use the five senses (sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste) to describe an event in detail within your narrative. Additionally, a good narrative also connects past events, people, and places to the present. Write about the implications and relevance to the present and the future. A personal narrative should also be written from a point of view. In the case that you are the author of the narrative, usually it is your point of view that the readers see.
Planning your Personal Narrative Essay
The first thing you need to do when planning your narrative essay is to choose the noteworthy event you wish to write about it. It can be absolutely anything, be it an epiphany arising out of a failure, success, or any memory you can think of. And it does not have to be an event of huge significance. Any event small or otherwise can be interesting to write about.
Once you have your event chosen, you need to start writing down all the details of the event, even minuscule details. It is better to have too much information than not enough.Your readers will know when you are stretching to make your point because it will not feel natural. The smallest details sometimes have the biggest impact so make sure you have enough information to paint an accurate picture.
Determine the relevance of your chosen event. Write down how this incident provided you with a new outlook on life. Think about your beliefs leading up to the event. Did the event change them? Or did they even make them stronger? Once you have all this information, you are ready for your first draft.
Writing your Personal Narrative
A narrative is a lot like a story so make sure you write it like one. Make sure it has a beginning, middle, and an end. Most narratives tell the story in chronological sequence but sometimes telling the story out of sequence, such as using flashbacks is more suited to the story. After you have written down all the details of your event you will have a better idea of what order in which to tell the story.
After you have written your first draft have a trusted friend or family member read it over. This will be most impactful had no knowledge of the event. Their reaction should be a good gauge to determine other reader’s reactions. After they have read your first draft use their feedback to write your second draft and have them read it again. Keep editing and rewriting until you have essay that satisfies both you and your reader.
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