The very first thing you think of when someone mentions essay is that you have to make an argument, find evidence, and write it in a somewhat philosophical manner. But, it doesn�t always have to be like that. Did you know you can tell a story through essay? I�m talking about narrative essays, a unique style of writing that combines the best of both worlds: storytelling and essay composing. The chances are high you�ll have to compose this type of paper sooner or later, and when the time comes this post will come handy. Throughout this article, I�m going to show you how to create an outline for a narrative essay and make your professor or client happy with the quality of your work.

What is a narrative essay?

A narrative essay is defined as a type of writing wherein the author narrates or tells the story. The story is non-fictional and usually, deals with the writer�s personal development. Unlike in other essay forms, using the first person is acceptable in these papers. Narrative essays can also be anecdotal, experiential thus allowing writers to express themselves in a creative and more personal manner.

Despite the fact you�re telling the story through the narrative essay, you must not identify it with a short story. How? Short stories are usually fictional and allow essay writers to change the plot, add different characters or rewrite the ending in a bid to better fit the narrative. On the other hand, with these essays, the author is required to pull a cohesive narrative arc from memory and events that, actually, happened. Just like other forms of essays, this style of writing needs a thesis statement. In fact, the entire narrative in your essay aims to support the thesis you wrote in the introduction. As you already know, short stories don�t require thesis statement and you�re not required to prove anything.

Narrative essay structure

If you�ve never written a narrative essay before and you need help essay online at this moment you�re thinking how complicated it seems. The beauty of this writing style is the ability to get your point across through a story and it�s not that difficult when you know how to structure it correctly.

Just like with other types of essays, a functional outline is essential. That way you know what to include in different parts of the paper and everything it entails. I have created diagram below to help you out.

Introduction

An intro isn�t just a small paragraph that you have to write in order to get to the �real stuff�. If an entrance of some amusement park isn�t interesting, you�d feel reluctant to go in. If the first chapter of the book is boring, you�re less likely to ditch it. Essays aren�t exceptions here, the beginning or starting point is essential. Introductions attract reader�s attention, makes him/her wonder about what you�re going to write next.

The introduction of the narrative essay is written either in the first or third person. It�s recommended to start off your work with a hook including some strong statement or a quote. The sole purpose of the hook is to immediately intrigue your professor, client, audience, and so on. As seen in the diagram above, after the hook you have to write a sentence or two about the importance of the topic to both you and the reader. Basically, this part has to be written in a manner that readers of the paper can relate to. You want them to think �I feel that way�, �I�ve been through that� etc.

The last sentence (or two) of your paper account for the thesis statement, the vital part of your essay. The reason is simple, the thesis informs readers about the direction you�re going to take. It allows the audience to tune into author�s mind. Since exploratory essay questions the primary purpose of every essay is to prove some point and your story is going to be told for a reason, the thesis cements your overall attitude and approach throughout the paper.

The introduction should be:

• Short
• Precise
• Interesting
• Relatable

Our highest-rated tutors & writers for hire

Body paragraphs

Now that your introduction is complete, you get to proceed to write body paragraphs. This is where all the magic happens, it�s the part wherein you start, develop, and end the narration. The number of paragraphs in this section depends on the type of narration or event you want to write about and the plot itself.

This segment starts with the setting or background of the event to allow readers to understand relevant details and other necessary info. Every great story starts with the background, a part where you introduce the reader to the subject. Make sure you enter precise details because that way the readers are more involved in the story.

Besides important details about the subject and event you�re going to describe through the narrative essay, it�s highly practical to introduce characters or people that are involved in some particular situation. Describe their physical and personality characteristics. However, ensure that characteristics you include are relevant to the essay itself. This is yet another point where narrative essay differs from the short story.