A NARRATIVE ESSAY

WRITING 1
 WHAT IS A NARRATIVE ESSAY?

• A narative essay TELLS A STORY.

• Even though the narrative essay has the same basic form as
most other academic essays, it allows the writer to be more
creative. (Tips later)
• Every narrative essay has important elements that make up
the story. These are:
 ELEMENTS OF A NARRATIVE I

1. SETTING. The location where the action in a story happens and the time when it
happens.
2. THEME. The basic idea of the story. Very often the theme will deal with a topic
that is common in life or human nature, such as greed, envy, love, independece,
and so on.
3. MODE. The feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the story. It could
be happy, hopeful, suspenseful, or scary. Both the setting and descriptive
vocabulary create the mood in a narrative.
 ELEMENTS OF A NARRATIVE II

4. CHARACTERS. The people in the story. They are affected by the mood and they
react to the events in which they are involved.
5. PLOT. What happens in the story, that is, the sequence of events. The plot often
includes a climax or turning point at which the characters or events change.
 PARTS OF A NARRATIVE I

1. INTRODUCTION. This part should include the following:

• HOOK. Usually the first sentence or two that grabs the reader’s attention. It helps “set
the stage” for the story and makes readers start guessing about what will happen next.
In the introduction, you should make sure you answer these questions:
• WHO? You have to introduce the characters of the story.
• WHERE? This is the setting.
• WHEN? This is the setting.
 EXAMPLE OF A GOOD HOOK

I had never been more anxious in my life. I had just spent the last three endless
hours trying to get to the airport so that I could travel home.
It makes the reader ask:
- who is the narrator?
- why is he/she anxious?
- where is the airport?
- what made the trip to the airport seem endless?
- why is this person going home?
 PARTS OF A NARRATIVE II

2. PLOT. You can write as many paragraphs as necessary, but make sure it:
1. Includes a problem, conflict or event(s)
2. Rises to a climax
3. Attempts to solve the problem
4. Includes sequencers to organize the events
 PARTS OF A NARRATIVE III

3. CONCLUSION. It should solve the problem or conflict explained in the previous

paragraphs of the plot. It may also:
1. Deliver the moral for the story, or tell the reader what the characters learned from
the experience.
2. It can make a prediction or a revelation (disclosure of something that was not
known before) about future actions that will happen as a result of the events in the
story.
 ACTIVITY N. 1

• Sit down in groups of four.

• You will be given different paper strips with paragraphs written on them.
• Your task is to figure out how to order the strips of paper so you can form TWO
DIFFERENT SHORT ESSAYS.
• Make sure you follow the learned structure (introduction, plot, conclusión).

• Discussion about verb tenses with the teacher.

 HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CREATIVITY I

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHOICE OF WORDS

• Adjectives. Compare these two sentences:
• He looked at me.
• Two beady black eyes glared at me with frightening fury.
• Adverbs
• Verbs. Compare these two sentences.
• Melanie was calm, but she was angry.
• Melanie remained calm, but she grew angry.
 HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CREATIVITY II

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHOICE OF WORDS

• Use sensory words. Let readers know how something smells,tastes, or feels.
• Texture words: bumpy, rough, glossy, spongy, scratchy, slick, etc.
• Smells or tastes: aromatic, stinky, putrid, yummy, sour, salty, etc.

• Think of a replacement for overused words, such as “say”, “thing”, etc.

• Look at how many words could substitute the verb “took”: grabbed, snatched, seized,
acquired, filched, pilfered, hijacked, annexed, captured, etc.
 HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CREATIVITY III

• Use an exclamation to show excitement. Compare:

• The Little girl had a funny hat.
• The Little girl was wearing the funniest hat ever!
• Transitions move the reader through the text. Include sequence words such as:
when, finally, as soon as, next, after that…
 HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CREATIVITY IV

• Include all steps. Look at these two sentences:

• Betty ate a sandwich.
• Betty removed the pastrami roll from its silver wrapper, took a hearty bite, and
devoured it in less than ten seconds.
 ACTIVITY N. 2

• Try to improve these lines according to the instructions given in brackets. You may
include/change as many words as you like
1. He looked at her. (try to be romantic)
2. She looked at him. (try to make it scary)
3. I took the strange thing and ran. (try to explain each and every step)
4. They couldn’t breathe. (try to use technical jargon)

• Discuss answers with the teacher.