Writing a Narrative Essay Ways to Make an “A”

What Is a Narrative Essay? Simply put, a narrative essay tells a story. The best stories go beyond the obvious and divulge some personal information.

Questions To Ask Before Writing Your Narrative What story am I going to tell? What is the point of my story? Who is my audience? What will my thesis be? What details do I have to support my thesis? What is the order in which I want to present my story?

What To Include In Your Narrative Plot (sequence of events) Setting (time and place of story) Characters Some dialogue (at least two examples) Specific details and figurative language (similes, metaphors, hyperboles, personification)

Keys to Writing an “A” Paper Pick a narrow and manageable topic, that you are knowledgeable about. Write a clear and focused thesis. Write an interesting introduction (hook, lead). Include specific, but relevant details. Use thoughtful transitions. Pick vivid, active verbs, and powerful descriptors. Vary your sentence structure. End the essay by drawing an effective conclusion. Edit, revise, and proofread.

Sample Essay Topics Good Better Best Ex: First Day of School Ex: Memorable Vacation Better Ex: Lesson Learned Ex: Most Honorable Moment Best Ex: Suspense (“A Noise In the Night”) Ex: Fictional Story (Creative Writing)

What Is a Thesis Statement? A thesis statement is the main idea, or controlling thought, of an essay. A good thesis statement does two things: states your topic makes an assertion about your topic The location of the thesis statement may vary but is usually the last sentence of your introduction.

Other Things To Consider When Writing Your Thesis Statement A thesis statement is more than a statement of fact or observation. A thesis statement takes a stand; it does not simply announce a subject. A thesis statement is the main idea, not the title. A thesis statement is focused and narrow.

Writing Your Introduction Your introduction should contain a lead into your story, or a hook to catch the readers attention. The lead should point your reader to your main idea, and spark your readers interest. You might begin with an intriguing question, a quote, a startling statement, a puzzle, or a piece of the conclusion.

Adding Details Adding details does not mean writing exact information. Instead of being too exact, try using metaphors or similes and cut out the boring tidbits. Remember, if you are bored… so am I!

Word Choice, Word Choice, Word Choice!! Pick thoughtful transitions! Go beyond the obvious and predictable. Take out boring verbs like got, and replace with stronger words like received. Banned Words and phrases: a lot, very, really, you, your, you’re, in this paper Add powerful descriptors and comparisons every where. The big red dog ran through the yard. The big red dog scurried through the yard. The bright red mutt scurried through our yard like a fire-engine out of the station house.

Sentence Structure and Conventions Avoid run-ons, sentence fragments, and comma splices. Vary sentence structure. Edit for spelling, capitalization, punctuations, and other grammar errors. No contractions! (unless in direct dialogue)

Write an Effective Conclusion Your conclusion should be just as interesting as your introduction. Re-state your thesis in a new and fresh way.

Steps of the Writing Process Prewriting (process of generating ideas and organizing thinking) Freewriting, brainstorming, clustering Drafting (synthesizing ideas into essay form) Proofreading/Editing (identifying and correcting errors and weak points) Publishing (composing final draft)

Final Draft Reminders Follow MLA format Use appropriate heading and create a header with last name and page number (omit first page header) Times New Roman 12 pt. font 1-inch margins Double space Center your title without using italics, underlining, or quotation marks. Refer to MLA handbook or http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/ for more information

Now… BEGIN WRITING!