ChiefInternetAntelope32
Principles of Narrative Essays The narrative essay offers…
Principles of Narrative Essays
The narrative essay offers writers a chance to think and write about themselves. We all have experiences lodged in our memories which are worthy of sharing with readers.
In the prewriting stage, writers need to select an incident worthy of writing about and to find relevance in that incident. Find a generalization, or a moral, which the story supports. The generalization will be the thesis of your essay, and the story you’re about to tell should prove your thesis. This generalization can be quite personal; it does not have to capture a truth about humanity as a whole. It simply needs to capture a truth about your life and use the story to illustrate its importance to you.
To do this, writers might ask themselves what about the incident provided new insights or awareness. This is a very important step. Your narrative shouldn’t just be a story…it needs to be a story about an incident that has added depth to your personality; there has to be some “meat” to your story; that’s why others will find it interesting and worthy of their time.
Finally,writers must dredge up details which will make the incident real for readers. It’s these details that make your story come alive. Details put your reader on location in your memory…and this is exactly what you want to happen.
Remember that you are writing an essay, not simply telling a story.
Conventions of Narrative Essays
In writing your narrative essay, keep the following conventions in mind.
1) Narratives are generally written in the first person singular, i.e., I. However, third person (he, she, or it) can also be used. Which person you use most often is a function of whose perspective is being captured in the narrative. If it’s your story, use I; if it’s a story about what happened to a friend, use she. That’s logical and simple.
Be consistent. If you begin your narrative in the first person singular, use that throughout.
2) Narratives rely on concrete, specific details to make their point. These details should create a unified, dominant impression.
3) Narratives, as stories, should include these story conventions:
a plot–including setting and characters;
a climax (a peak experience often leading to the thesis–the important
realization);
and an ending (explaining how the incident resolved itself).
Narrative Questions
Read the sample narratives found on the classroom website and use the information found above to answer the following questions.
1. Explain how narratives are more than “just a story”. What makes narratives interesting for others to read? (Hint: your answer should include the word(s) “generalization” or “moral”)
2. What are the generalizations or morals in the two examples, “Leandro” and “Small-Town Terror”?
3. Is the first-person singular convention used in both of the examples? Does this “work” for the story that is being told? Why or why not?
4. The use of details is another convention of a good narrative. Choose one of the two examples and create a list of specific details that the author used. Your list should be at least 10 items long. How do these details help to make this example a successful narrative?
5. Select one of the two sample narratives. Did the author follow the story conventions (plot, climax, ending) as suggested? If so, what were they within the narrative? If not, did the narrative work anyway?
