Writing a Narrative Essay

Essay 3: Narration(15% of overall grade)A narrative essay tells a story about something that happened. When writing a narrative essay, you generally explain events in the order in which they occurred (though your essay could be organized spatially or emphatically), and include information about when these events happened and who was involved.Requirements and GuidelinesYour narrative essay should: Narrate a story from the first-person point of view. This means you will be describing an event that has occurred in your own life or some experience you have had Tell an entire story – beginning, middle, and end. Include the where, when, and who of the story, and elaborate upon the events in the narrative, making people, places, and occurrences seem real. Cover setting (place, surroundings), characters, plot (the action, details of the event), and significance of the incident. Correctly adhere to MLA formatting guidelines: be typed and double-spaced; have numbered pages; use 12pt font; include your name, section, and assignment name at the top of the first page. Be 2-3 pages in length.When selecting a topic to write about, choose an event which spans a short period of time so you can cover it in depth. Don’t try, for example, to write about your entire vacation to Hawaii; instead, write about one event during this vacation – going to a luau, surfing for the first time, or learning to hula.Examples of topics for a narrative essay include an embarrassing job interview, a proud moment as a high school athlete, a frightening childhood encounter with a vicious dog or scary clown or crazy neighbor, etc. – there are plenty of experiences you could write about. For extra help with brainstorming topic ideas, see p.181 in our textbook.