Narrative essays are, usually, the stories. They are to include characters, conflict, and plot. It means that the students should submit a narrative essay based on their personal experiences. Therefore, selecting the proper topic for a narrative essay is very important since it may influence the student’s grade. The good narrative essay must be engaging and able to draw the reader’s attention, involving them in the events.
How to Select the Best Narrative Essay Topic?
First of all, it is recommended to choose the topic you feel the most passionate about. For example, you may take this topic from a certain event in your life which you remember very well. What is more, you may include several events from your life into the narrative essay.
Secondly, you may write about things which seem meaningful to you. It is impossible to capture the reader’s attention if you don’t care about the topic. For instance, you may utilize the episodes from your summer vacations, childhood, hard decisions, school, parties, holidays, etc.
Note that narrative essays must include only true facts. The narrative essay is not a fiction story so no imagined experiences are to be present there. also, your topic should be original and creative. It has to be written in an understandable way and be readable. So we recommend reading the text out loud before you finish writing the essay to correct the possible mistakes.
Tips on Generating Narrative Essays
- Prewrite.
Before you write the essay, think about the event which is related to your class. Note that if you choose the proper topic, it will affect your score. As soon as you choose the topic, identify all the details and events which you want to include in your essay story. Create a proper outline of your paper.
- Be clear.
It will be better not to use complex words because they might scare the readers. Select the simple words to describe the events in your story. Besides, divide all the ideas, putting each one into a certain paragraph. Make sure each statement and description is vivid. This is how to make readers engaged with your story.
- Use the first person.
The main idea in writing a narrative essay is to provide the readers with a story from your autobiography. It supposes writing from the 1st person. If you do it, it will enable you to present the events as if they are happening at the same moment.
- Edit your essay.
Revise your paper as soon as you write it. Doing this, you might remove certain events from the story or add more of them. Revising, you may ask yourself these questions:
- Does the story draw the reader’s attention?
- Is the transition between the events smooth or not?
- Is the narrative interesting to read?
- Are all the events and characters in the essay vivid?
- Is the main message of the story clear for the reader?
Topics for a Personal Narrative Essay:
- A memorable teacher.
- The day you encountered a natural disaster or assisted other people who have had such an experience
- Beginning a new job.
- Gaining or losing faith
- The experience of little inventions which you have made
- A dangerous life experience
- My most memorable school years
- My childhood years
- My family traditions
- My travel experience
- How I maintain relationships
- My experience of living in a hostel
- A conflict with someone else
- An experience which has changed your behavior
- The first another country journey
- A time people assisted each other in a difficult situation.
- Funny episodes grounded on a misunderstanding
- Episodes taken from a summer holiday in your childhood
- Episodes that changed your point of view about other people
- The experience of secret places creating or other things which refer to your childhood
- Life as a college student
- The major events that shaped my life
- The first novel that I read
- How computer literacy has helped me
- How I survived my first speech
- Why I enjoy mountain climbing
- The worst day of my life
- My first time abroad
- An experience that assisted you to understand and perceive that other people or parents were right
- An experience of losing the prejudiced views since the behavior of other people influenced you
- An experience when you have overcome the fear of specific things
- Funny episodes with much greater meaning
- A time when you have decided what the future job must be
- An embarrassing life experience
- The special moment when you have got the first pet
- What makes me stand out
- What I wish I knew back then
- Things my parents taught me
- Have you ever felt a need to impress others?
- What I would do with a billion dollars
- What I could change in the history of mankind
- Losing a close friend
- The first time when you encountered a big storm or even a hurricane
- A time when you have got lost
- An experience you have had with another person who you did not like first, but who have later become the best friend
- Experience of attending certain sports, political or music events
- A sporting life experience
- How you encountered episodes that influenced the whole country
- A moment when the individuals who you underestimated, have acted wisely or kindly
- My favorite childhood stories
- How I relax after a long day
- What my first day at school felt like
- My favorite subjects in middle school
- Things I would do if I became famous
- My greatest accomplishments
- How I overcame my greatest fear
- Rebellion against your parents who you did not agree with
- A time when you have realized that you have been wrong about others
- Your childhood years heroes and how they have influenced your life
- A time when you have realized that other people wished to be like you
- A moment when you have realized the truth that has been hidden from you
- Tell about your most exciting experience which is related to the music you have had
- Tell about your teacher who has inspired you
- Things I love about myself
- My first short story
- My favorite musician
- Things I do to relieve stress
- My first relationship
- People who have an impact on my life
- How I handle depression
- A situation when you have got a present which you didn’t like on the birthday
- A time when you have changed your point of view about younger or older generations
- The most influential things which you had learned in the childhood
- Moments when you have faced religious and racial discrimination
- An episode that has changed the relationship with the parents
- Experience of your fighting against procrastination
- A situation when you have called the police to save other people
- My favorite activities
- The worst argument in my life
- The role of social media in my life
- Places I wish to visit
- My favorite family vacation
- Why I like camping
- My role model
- The day when you have become a leader
- School lessons which had the biggest influence on the behavior
- The day when you have realized that the world is definitely bigger than you had imagined
- The influence of modern technology on your hobbies and behavior
- Experience in dilemma solving
- The moment when you have found out that you would like to have a sibling
- The most exciting tasks that you performed at university or school
- How you have written your first essay
- My favorite childhood memory
- The first time I argued with my best friend
- My favorite activities with my friends
- How I can change the world
- My first heartbreak
- How I maintain my relationship with my family
- Things I could tell my younger self
- The most important principle in life
What You Shouldn’t Do Writing a Narrative Essay:
- You choose not an interesting and appealing topic. Remember, if you are not interested in the topic, no one else will be either.
- There is no structure in the text or the text is unreadable.
- You haven’t included your personal experience in the essay.
- You haven’t used details or attractive words to describe your characters.
- There is no personal attitude to the story and no conclusions, representing the message.
Conclusion
Most college and high school students are required to write a narrative essay. Therefore, it is very important for them to select the right topic when writing such an essay because their score depends on it. When you choose the topic you are interested in, other people will also be interested in it too. So choose the best topic which resonates with your priorities in life. Note that the process of choosing the right topic might be also interesting and fun.