Expanding our Knowledge of Writing Styles

A narrative essay expands on what we already know, but now we have an opportunity to develop our ideas more

The Structure of a Narrative Essay:

Introductory ParagraphBody Paragraphs ( 2 – 3)Concluding Paragraph

Now we will look at each part more closely.

An introductory paragraph has three jobs:

To hook the readerTo provide a setting and introduce the characters

What is the basic idea of the story?Where is the story taking place?When is the story taking place?Who is in the story?

To give a purpose to the essay

Another way to look at an introductory paragraph:

Hook

WhoWhatWhenWhere

Thesis (the purpose of your essay)

The hook is the FIRST sentence of the introductory paragraph.

The purpose of a hook:To pull the readerGrab the reader’s curiosity

Your hook should transition smoothly into the rest of your introductory paragraph.

Your thesis does the same job as the topic sentence in a narrative paragraph.

It has a main idea and a claim.

It is the PURPOSE of your essay. If you don’t have a thesis, you don’t have a purpose and your essay will be very confusing for the reader.

Your entire essay will develop to support your thesis.Your thesis is ONLY ONE sentence.Your thesis is the LAST sentence of your introductory paragraph.

The body paragraphs look similar to the body of a narrative paragraph. They develop the story.

Rising Action:

leading up the event

Climax: the event

Falling Action:

what happens afterwards

The story is told in chronological order.

Transitions will help signal the end of one paragraph and the beginning of the next.

They provide a link between ideas and paragraphs.

They will give your essay a feeling of unity and allow the reader to follow the story easily.

Remember to use a comma after a transition.

Before Second Later Meanwhile

After Then At last Since

During Finally Last Now

First While Eventually Soon

The concluding paragraph has the same function in a narrative essay as in a narrative paragraph. It must synthesize your main idea and claim as well as provide your reflection.

It can:

Make a prediction or revelation about future actions that will happen as a result of the story

It can challenge the reader’s thoughts and beliefs about the main idea

It can tell what the writer has learned from her experiences.

Another way to look at the concluding paragraph:

Synthesizing the main idea and claim

Reflecting on your event

Finishing Sentence “Clincher Sentence”

1. Choose details to move your essay forward and bring your experience to life for the reader by appealing to her 5 senses.

2. Choose details that are specific enough to show clearly what happened.

3. Control your tenses and transitions. Remember a narrative essay shares an event from the past, so you should write in the past tense.