Personal Narrative Essay - Easy Guide & Examples
16 min read
Published on: Apr 18, 2020
Last updated on: Oct 26, 2024
16 min read
Published on: Apr 18, 2020
Last updated on: Oct 26, 2024
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A personal narrative essay can be a fun way to share your life story with friends and family. However, most students have no idea how to write a personal narrative essay.
This can be a challenge. On top of that, it's one of the most common assignments in school.
Is this something that you are also dealing with? Fortunately, you don't have to worry anymore! We are here to simplify the process for you.
This guide will walk you through the process of writing a personal narrative essay step by step. Plus, you can find plenty of examples here to help you get started and avoid common writing mistakes.
So what are you waiting for, take a step forward to make your essay shine!
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What is a Personal Narrative Essay?
A personal narrative essay is also referred to as short storytelling. It depends on the writer's type of story they want to tell the readers. This type of essay can be composed of the personal experience of the writer.
A personal narrative essay is usually written in the first person participle. It helps to depict a clear narrative that's focused on a specific moment.
Usually, high school students are usually assigned to write such essays. Writing these essays helps them to enhance creative writing skills. Also, they help to provide insight into a student’s personal life.
To write a personal narrative essay, the writer specifies a plot around which the entire essay revolves. Moreover, the plot should also discuss the characters that have played some part in the story.
The personal narrative essay requires a balance between objectivity and subjectivity. To write about an event or situation with significance, you must first identify what's important to share with the readers.
As with other types of writing - there are some guidelines you need to follow some guidelines. These are;
1. Choose the Right Topic
A good topic can not just make your essay look good, but also it will make the writing process much easier. Since personal narrative essays are written on personal experiences and thoughts, make sure you choose your most interesting experience.
Keep in mind that the topic you choose matches the intended audience. It is the reader who decides the scope and success of your essay.
2. Choose a Theme
You can also choose a theme for your essay. This will help you focus on what you want to say. You can use your personal experiences to explore the theme in depth.
For example, if you choose the theme of love, you could talk about your experience of love with your sister(s).
Alternatively, you can start writing out the story and see if any ideas might relate to a bigger theme. When you are writing, pay attention to any ideas that keep coming up. See if they might be related to a bigger topic.
3. Create a Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is the most important sentence and tells the reader what your essay will be about.
In a personal narrative essay, the thesis statement can briefly explore the story's events. Or it can tell the reader about the moral or lesson learned through personal experience. The thesis statement can also present the main theme of the essay.
For example, if you are writing an essay about your personal experience as a refugee. You may have a thesis statement that presents the theme of freedom.
Check out more thesis statement examples to learn how to write one!
4. Create an Outline
Once you have your topic, it is time that you create an outline for your essay. The essay outline is an essential element of an essay. It keeps the whole composition in an organized order.
Also, it helps the reader through the essay. With the help of an outline, a writer can provide logic for the essay.
Being a student, you must know how important an outline is for an essay. It provides an organization with the whole content.
To create an outline for a personal narrative essay, you need to follow the following traditional method.
These three major elements of a narrative essay are further elaborated down below.
The introduction is the most important part of essay writing. It is the first impression on the reader; by reading this part, the reader decides the quality of the essay. This part should be the most attention-grabbing part.
It should have an attention-grabbing hook and some background information about the topic. Moreover, it should include the thesis statement, which explains the main idea of your essay.
Keep in mind that the essay introduction should always end with a transition sentence. This will make a logical connection with the rest of the essay.
Personal Narrative Introduction Example
| “It was a beautiful day, the kind you can only find in summer. The sun shone brightly on my face as I stepped outside and took in the fresh air. I had been looking forward to this moment for weeks; today was finally the day that I would be going on an adventure of a lifetime! I had never done anything like this before, but I knew that it would be life-changing experience regardless of how it turned out. With a deep breath and butterflies in my stomach, I started walking towards my destination - not knowing what was waiting for me ahead.” |
After the introduction, the body paragraphs are written. These paragraphs help you to explain the key elements of your personal narrative essay.
In a standard personal narrative essay, there are usually three body paragraphs. These paragraphs help the writer to describe the subject of the essay in all possible aspects.
With the help of these paragraphs, the writer describes their point of view to the readers. To support the essay, the time and place of the event happening are also mentioned. Moreover, these paragraphs have all the information about the characters.
Keep in mind that a body starts with a topic sentence. This sentence is a kind of introductory sentence for that particular paragraph.
Another important thing you need to keep in mind is the order in which you will present the details. Make sure that you use chronological order for this purpose.
Personal Narrative Body Example
“It was a sunny summer day, and I was feeling particularly adventurous. I decided that I wanted to take a hike up the local mountain, and so I gathered my supplies and headed out. I hiked up the mountain trail, taking in the beauty of nature all around me. There were wildflowers growing along the path, birds singing in the trees, and a cool breeze blowing through the air. Eventually, I reached the top of the mountain and stopped to take in the breathtaking view. I could see for miles in every direction and felt a sense of accomplishment from having made it to the top. I spent some time at the summit, enjoying my lunch and reflecting on my journey up the mountain. After that, I began my descent back down the trail. As I wound my way down the path, I kept an eye out for any wildlife I might spot on the way. Sure enough, I was rewarded with sightings of deer, rabbits, and even a fox! Finally, I reached the bottom of the mountain and headed back home. Although my legs were tired from all that walking, my heart was full from having experienced such a beautiful journey. I'll never forget that hike up the mountain, and I hope to do it again soon!” |
In conclusion, you need to provide the climax of the story.
In this section of a personal narrative essay, you should wrap up the whole story. Do it in such a way that you provide a summary of the entire essay.
Your conclusion should be just as impactful as your introduction. End with a memorable sentence or thought that leaves the reader with a lasting impression. You can summarize the main points of your essay or reflect on the significance of the experience in your life.
Make sure that you do not add any new points in this part. It will not give the reader a sense of accomplishment and will leave them in confusion.
Personal Narrative Conclusion Example
| “Reflecting on this experience, I am grateful for the lessons that it taught me. It was an important reminder to always be mindful of my surroundings and take time to appreciate all that life has to offer. Not only did I get a chance to observe nature in its finest form but also learn more about myself and what truly matters most in life. Even though it wasn’t easy at first, with the help of friends and family, I was able to overcome any obstacle standing between me and success. This journey will stay with me forever as a source of motivation when times are tough or things don't go my way; reminding me that no matter how hard something may seem, if you put your heart into it anything is possible!” |
A personal narrative essay is considered very good when it is expressive, and the reader enjoys your personal narrative. The key to writing an amazing personal narrative is to use sensory details as much as possible.
An excellent narrative essay doesn't tell what happened. Instead, it shows what happened precisely and how you have felt at that moment.
Here is how you can write a personal narrative essay:
For any type of essay, a hook statement can be a game-changer. But, particularly for a personal narrative essay, hook sentences are very important.
Usually, the introduction of the essay starts with this sentence. You may use a famous quotation, verse, or an interesting fact for this purpose. This sentence helps to attain the reader’s attention and persuade the reader to read the entire essay.
For a narrative essay, it is a must to be vivid enough to let the reader imagine the whole scene. This is why it is necessary that the writer uses as much descriptive language as possible.
For instance, if you are writing about a visit to the beach, you can describe how the sun felt on your face. On top of that, making use of strong verbs and adjectives will also help to provide an engaging experience for readers.
For any essay, be it an argumentative essay, descriptive essay, or personal narrative essay. It is very important to have some transition sentences and words. These transition words help to make a logical connection in all parts of the essay.
In other words, the transition words help to make links between the storyline. You may use transition words like this, however, whereas, therefore, moreover, etc.
The purpose of a personal narrative essay is to show the reader what and how you have felt. Hence don't forget to add the emotions, as you have to make the reader know about the feelings.
Describe all of the emotions and feelings using very descriptive words.
Consistency is the key to writing an essay in a professional way. Make sure that you don't get distracted by any irrelevant details.
Stay focused on one single point, and add details related to your specific idea.
Make sure that you inter-link all the events of the story in a regular manner. This will help the reader to relate all the events. Also, use first-person impressions as you are writing a personal narrative.
You also want to show the reader that you are telling your own story. Make sure that you follow the same participle in the entire essay.
You know that behind every event, there is a reason. Similarly, let your readers know the reason behind your essay and its significance.
Also, mention that the story you just told was important to share.
As it is a personal narrative, you don't have to provide evidence to prove the significance of your story. Rather, you have to convey a broader message through your story.
Dialogue is an excellent way to bring life to your story and make it more engaging. It can reveal the character’s personalities and add a touch of realism to the essay.
When you use dialogue, make sure to punctuate it correctly and indicate who is speaking.
When writing a personal narrative essay, avoid summarizing events and simply telling the story. Instead, use sensory details to help the reader experience the story with you.
Describe what you saw, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled to bring the story to life.
Reflection is an important part of any personal narrative essay. It is an opportunity for you to reflect on the experience you are writing about and what it means to you. Take the time to think about what you learned from the experience and how it has shaped you as a person.
Once you are done with writing your personal narrative essay. It's time that you put a little effort into making it error-free. Proofread the essay more than once and look for minor spelling mistakes and other grammatical mistakes.
This will ensure that you have written an essay like a pro. You can do this yourself or you may ask a friend to do it for you.
To understand better how to write a personal narrative essay, take a few moments to watch the video below!
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Examples help you to understand things better; here are a few well-written narrative essay examples. Read them thoroughly and use them as a guide to writing a good essay yourself.
Personal narrative essays can be long or short. It depends on the writer how they want to elaborate things.
Personal narrative essays are often assigned to high school students. If you are a high school student and looking for some good examples, you are exactly where you should be.
Being a college student, you will often get to write personal narrative essays. Here are a few examples of well-written personal narrative essays to guide college students.
Want to get a better understanding? Dive into the wide collection of our narrative essay examples!
It is important to choose a good topic before you start writing. Here are some interesting narrative essay topics you can choose from for your essay.
Need some inspiration to craft your essay? Our expansive list of narrative essay topics will provide you with plenty of ideas!
You need to follow a few things in order to start your personal narrative essay in a proper way. Those significant things are as follows:
In conclusion,
Writing a personal narrative essay can be challenging for many students.
So, step into the world of professional essay writing with our specialized narrative essay writing service. We're committed to crafting compelling stories that capture and engage.
For added convenience and innovation, don't forget to check out our essay writer online, an AI tool designed to refine and elevate your writing experience. Join us today and transform your writing journey!
WRITTEN BY
Cathy A. (Literature, Marketing)
For more than five years now, Cathy has been one of our most hardworking authors on the platform. With a Masters degree in mass communication, she knows the ins and outs of professional writing. Clients often leave her glowing reviews for being an amazing writer who takes her work very seriously.
For more than five years now, Cathy has been one of our most hardworking authors on the platform. With a Masters degree in mass communication, she knows the ins and outs of professional writing. Clients often leave her glowing reviews for being an amazing writer who takes her work very seriously.
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