1. Narrative Essay Notes

2. Tells a story. The author may write a narrative about: An event
A person
A place
A thing

3. Mantra:
Beginning
Middle
End

4. Essay Layout - 5 Paragraphs
P1. Intro paragraph
P2. Beginning of your story
P3. Middle of your story
P4. End of your story
P5. Conclusion

5. Ratio of CD’s & CM’s
Your reader needs to know lots of DETAILS about your story, so
2 or more CD’s to 1 CM

6. The narrative essay components:
Narration / Description / Dialogue

7. The narrative essay: is told from a particular point of view
makes and supports a point
is filled with precise detail
uses vivid verbs and modifiers
uses conflict and sequence as does any story
uses dialogue

8. Concrete Details What happened? Who did it happen to? Who was there?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
What did something look like?
What did someone look like?
Who said what? (dialogue)
What were you thinking?

9. How did you feel on the inside?
Commentary
How did you feel on the inside?
How did other people feel on the inside?
Emotions, feelings

10. introduction / rising action / climax / falling action / resolution
The general characteristics of narrative writing include:
plot structure
introduction / rising action / climax / falling action / resolution
conflict
characterization
setting
theme
point of view
sequencing
transitions

11. Point of view
Narrative essays usually use the “I” perspective, relating the experience and story of the author to the readers. The writer can also use “he” or “she.”

12. Details
There must be many descriptions in narrative essays so they must follow the rule “show, not tell.” Simply telling the story does not work, and can be a potential bore to the readers. The details include action verbs, creative adjectives, and character descriptions.

13. Dialogue
Delivering a story is not just relating to the readers what circumstances the characters go through. The best narrative essays use dialogue to make the essay sound more alive and real.

14. Dialogue I told my dad, “I’m afraid to go to the doctor’s.”
Spoken words need to be put in quotations:
I told my dad, “I’m afraid to go to the doctor’s.”
“Stop playing on the freeway!” my mom yelled.

15. Keep in mind:
Remember to involve readers in the story. It is much more interesting to actually recreate an incident for readers than to simply tell about it.
Find a generalization, which the story supports. This is the only way the writer's personal experience will take on meaning for readers.
Remember that although the main component of a narrative is the story, details must be carefully selected to support, explain, and enhance the story.