Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Choosing a topic for your story
• Method 2 of 3: Planning your story
• Method 3 of 3: Write the introduction
• Tips
• Warnings

A narrative essay tells a story, it allows you to stimulate your creative brain. Your story can be fictional or non-fictional, depending on the requirements of your assignment. Writing a narrative essay may seem difficult at first, but you can make your job easier by refining your topic and planning your story. After that, you will be able to easily write the introduction to your story.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Choosing a topic for your story

1. Read the assignment to obtain the correct information and clearly chart the expectations. It is best to read the assignment several times so that you know exactly what is expected of you. If there is a question you need to answer, write it down. Please also review the stated requirements for completing the full credit.
   • If a rubric is taught by your tutor, read it thoroughly to meet the requirements for the full grade. Later you can compare your essay with the rubric before submitting the assignment.
   • If you have any questions about the assignment, ask your supervisor for clarification.
2. Brainstorm about possible story ideas for your story. Initially let all ideas run wild, without trying to narrow the subject. Choose whether you want to write a personal or fictional story. Once you've put together a good list of potential topics, choose a topic that works for you. For example, you could write about the first time you slept with a friend, the day you brought a puppy home for the first time, or a fictional story about a boy who has trouble making a fire while camping. Here are some methods for brainstorming ideas:
   • List the first thoughts that come to mind regarding the topic or question asked.
   • Create a mind map to flesh out your ideas.
   • Use free writing to map story ideas. Simply write whatever comes to mind without worrying about the grammar or the meaning behind it.
   • Create a text outline to list your ideas.
3. Pick one major event to delve into the story. Review your list of ideas to find a suitable topic for the assignment. Then refine your topic into one specific event so that the event fits into a single essay.
   • Don't try to cover too much in one essay, this will be too difficult for your reader to follow.
   • For example, let's say the assignment is, "Write about a setback that taught you perseverance." You could write about an injury you have overcome. To frame your story, focus on the first time you retrained your injured limb after the accident, as well as the difficulties you faced.
4. Determine a theme or message for your story. Refer the idea of ​​your story back to the trigger, and think about how the story makes you feel. Also think about how you want the reader to feel after reading your essay. Based on the answers to these questions, determine a core theme or message for the story.
   • For example, the story about recovering from an injury can be themed about overcoming setbacks or persevering to achieve a goal. You may want your reader to feel inspired and cheerful after reading your story. To achieve this feeling, it is important that you focus on the successes throughout the process and that you close the story with a positive message.

Method 2 of 3: Planning your story

1. Make a list and describe the characters in your story. Start with the main characters, write down their name, age and description. Then you identify the motives, desires and relationships of the characters among themselves. After you create this character outline of your main characters, make a short list of any minor characters you want to add, as well as the important details about them.
   • If you are a character in your story yourself, you must add this step. It is up to you how many details you want to write down about yourself. However, it is useful to make a clear description of yourself, your interests and your wishes as the story unfolds, especially if a lot of time has passed.
   • A description of the main character might look like this: "Kate, 12 - An athletic basketball player who is injured. She wants to recover from her injury so she can return to the field. She is Andy's patient, a physical therapist who helps her. with restore. "
   • A description of the minor character could read like this: "Dr. Lopez is a kind, fatherly middle-aged doctor who treats Kate in the emergency room."
2. Describe the setting of your story with a few short descriptions. Determine the different locations where your story takes place, as well as the time period in which they occur. Write down each setting that you include in your story, although you may not describe all of them in the same detail. Then write down a few descriptions that you associate with the location or locations.
   • For example, a sports injury story may consist of a few settings, such as the basketball court, the ambulance, the hospital, and a physical therapy center. While you want to show the reader each setting, you will spend most of the time in the main setting of your story.
   • You could include the following descriptions about the basketball court: "squeaky floor," "roar of the crowd," "bright skylights," "team colors in the stands," "smell of sweat and sports drink," and "wet jersey covered in my back. "
   • Your story can take place in different places, but you don't have to give the same amount of details about each of those places. For example, you may be in an ambulance in the scene for a while. A full description of the ambulance is not necessary, but you can tell the reader that you "feel cold and alone in the sterile ambulance".
3. Map the plot of your story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. A narrative essay usually follows a standard storyline. Start your story with the introduction of your characters and the setting, followed by the event that draws the readers into the story. Then you present the upcoming action and the climax of your story. Finally, describe the solution to the story and what your reader should understand from it.
   • For example, you can introduce a young basketball player who is about to play a big game. The event that starts the story could be her injury. Then the soaring action, the basketball player's efforts to complete the physical therapy and get back into the game. The highlight could be the day of training with the team. You could solve the story by having her put her name on the team list, then she realizes she can overcome any obstacle.
   • It is useful to use the Freytag's triangle or a graphic planner to organize your essay. Freytag's triangle looks like a triangle with a long line to the left and a short line to the right. It is a tool that helps you plan the beginning of your story (description), an event that initiates the rest of the events in your story, the rising action, a climax, the falling action, and the final resolution and so closing your story.
   • You can find a Freytag's triangle template or a graphic planner for your narrative essay online.
4. Write out the climax of your story in detail or in outline. The climax is the culmination of your story. The beginning and most of the middle of your story builds up to this point. The ending will then resolve the conflict that causes the climax.
   • The most common types of conflict are person vs. person, person vs. nature, and person vs. self. Some stories have more than one kind of conflict.
   • In the story of the young athlete getting injured, her conflict can be person vs. herself, because she has to endure her pain and limitations.
5. Choose a viewpoint for your story, such as 1st person or 3rd person. Your point of view will depend on who is telling the story. If you are telling a personal story, your point of view will always be 1st person. Likewise, you can use 1st person when telling a story from your character's perspective. You will use 3rd person when telling a story about a character or other person and also about yourself.
   • In most cases writing a personal story uses the 1st person "I" point of view. For example, "During my last summer with my grandfather, I learned more than just fishing."
   • If you are telling a fictional story, you may be able to use the 3rd person viewpoint. Use your character's name, as well as the correct pronouns such as "he" or "she". For example, "Mia picked up the locket and opened it."

Method 3 of 3: Write the introduction

1. Start your essay with an attention grabber to engage your reader. Open your story with a sentence or 2 that engages your reader. To do this, create an attention grabber that introduces the topic of your story and suggests what you will say about it. Here are some techniques to get your reader's attention:
   • Begin your essay with a rhetorical question. For example, "Have you ever lost something important to you?"
   • Provide a quote that fits your essay. You could write, "According to Rosa Gomez, you don't know how strong you are until a setback breaks you."
   • State an interesting fact related to your story. For example, "About 70% of the kids stop exercising at the age of 13, and I was almost one of them."
   • Use a short anecdote related to the bigger story. For your essay on overcoming an injury, you could include a short story about your best moment in exercise before getting your injury.
   • Start with a shocking statement. You could write, "As soon as they loaded me into the ambulance, I knew I might never exercise again."
2. Introduce the main characters to your story. Your reader needs a clear idea of ​​who the story is about. Briefly name and describe the main characters in your story. You don't have to give every detail about them in the introduction, but your reader should be able to form a general idea of ​​who they are.
   • Let's say you are your main character. You could write, "As a tall, skinny 12-year-old girl, I easily sidelined the other girls on the field." This gives the reader a sense of what you might look like, as well as your interest in sports and your athleticism.
   • If you're telling a fictional story, you can introduce your character like this: “As she walked to the stage of the high school debate, you saw the confidence beam from her Kate Spade headband to her thrift store Betsey Johnson pumps from Luz. " Not only does this help the audience to visualize Luz, but it also shows that she is committed to her appearance. The fact that she shops in thrift stores might indicate that her family is not as wealthy as she imagines.
3. Describe the setting so that you can stage your story. The setting includes the when and where of the story. Indicate when your story takes place. In addition, provide sensory details to help the reader experience the location.
   • You could write, "I was in the first grade, and I knew I had to work hard if I wanted to get the attention of the high school coaches."
   • Sensory details stimulate your senses to see, hear, touch, smell and taste. For example, “My shoes squeaked across the court as I dribbled toward the goal line, the red basket in plain sight. The sweat made the ball feel slippery against my fingertips and the salty taste of the ball covered my lips.
4. Show an outline of the story and theme in the last sentence. You can also preview the events that will play out in the story, depending on what works best for your story. This statement will serve as your thesis for your narrative essay. It tells the reader what to expect from your essay, without ruining the story.
   • For example, you could write, “I never thought that when I crossed the field that would be the last crossing for the season. However, healing my injury taught me that I am a strong person and can achieve anything I can do. want.

Tips

• A narrative essay always tells a story, so make sure your essay has a clear plot.

Warnings

• Don't use someone else's ideas for your story or copy someone else's work. This is plagiarism and can result in severe academic fines, including credit loss.