How To Write A Narrative Essay: 3 Step Process

If you have received a school assignment asking you to write a narrative essay, but you have never written one in the past, then this article will walk you through the steps that are necessary to craft a well-written document that will earn you a top score. First, let’s go over some background information:

What Exactly is a Narrative Piece of Writing?

The main purpose of this kind of writing is to present the reader with events, conversations, or experiences that have happened to you firsthand. You can write about taking a family trip, or a time when you got sick because of a meal, or a memorable holiday. All of these things are topics you can describe first using vivid details. The key difference between a narrative essay and a descriptive essay is that the goal of the former is to use a chain of events to place the subject within context.

  1. Start the Process of Writing

    A lot of students wait until the last before they start writing the first draft. This is often a result of a lack of confidence or a misbelief that the first draft needs to be close to perfect. Just start writing. Set a goal to write for an hour non-stop and you will have more content than is necessary for this particular kind of assignment. Later on, you will be able to condense material, reword phrases, and draw upon the right word to express your meaning. At this stage, it’s better to just keep going without any hesitation.

  2. Start Revising and Editing

    When you revise the narrative essay you should try to take on an entirely fresh perspective. Identify ways you can improve on the content by reordering, removing, or adding material. If you step away from the assignment for a couple of days you will be able to revise more effectively because you won’t be thinking about it as much. Edit for conciseness and clarity. Rewrite complicated sentences and choose words with more direct meanings than words with confusing definitions.

  3. Formatting and Proofreading

    A lot of students make the mistake of believe that this final step should be combined with the prior. Revising and editing should be done separately because they focus on content. Formatting and proofreading is about finding and correcting all of the little details that are inconsistent or incorrect. Check your margins, line spacing, and page numbers to ensure they align perfectly and adhere to assignment’s requirements. Then proofread for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Fixing everything that you think is minor can make all the difference between an A+ and B-.

It’s always a great idea to have someone you trust reread your work before submitting it into class. You may have access to teachers, tutors, or parents that are willing to give you a second opinion as well as check your narrative essay for small mistakes you might have missed. Professional writing services are great resources because they have teams of academic writers who can assist you through every stage of the writing process for a small fee. Hundreds of students use essay help each day, so if you haven’t already thought about doing so, you should give them a call today.

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