Best Narrative Essay Topics and Tips for Your Next Paper

Narrative essay topics are everywhere—well, at least if you live in the Western world. A personal narrative essay is a story given from an author’s perspective and should contain a storyline, conflict, and characters.

High school and college students are typically expected to present assignments based on their personal life.

Choosing the appropriate narrative essay topics or presentation subjects can have an impact on your narrative essay’s grade.

A well-written essay should captivate the reader’s interest and draw him or her into your story. We will examine topics you could write on and tips for writing an excellent narrative essay.

Let’s dive in!

person holding ballpoint pen writing on notebook
person holding ballpoint pen writing on notebook

How to Choose Appropriate Narrative Essay Topics

You have an edge when choosing a topic for your essay because you can write about anything about which you are passionate and ambitious.

So, how do you select an appropriate topic for your creative writing assignment? This is simple.

You must understand that the best topic for a narrative speech is a personal experience. You may utilize a single memory to create an astonishing story or have numerous memories that are just waiting to be recorded. 

Personal narratives could consist of first-person accounts often concluding with a moral or conclusion of the author’s life. Autobiographies are also life stories told from the first person, but they are much more complex and voluminous.

At other times, you may feel that a class theme is unrelated to personal experience or memory. When faced with this circumstance, you can write a story. Checking online for examples of good narrative essay themes is another viable option.

An example of a personal narrative essay is recalling a childhood encounter with someone who left a profound impression. That person may have had exceptional qualities.

Here are ten narrative essay ideas for high school and college/university students.

  • Childhood years
  • Most memorable school years
  • My travel experience
  • Family traditions
  • My experience of living in a hostel
  • How I maintain relationships
  • The significant events that shaped my life
  • Life as a college student
  • How computer literacy has helped me
  • How I got saved from drugs and debts

Tips to Consider When Writing Narrative Essays

A fundamental distinction between narratives and rhetorical essays is the use of vivid descriptions to lead the reader to a particular conclusion. To complete this assignment, your essay must be well-organized and contain all required elements.

Here are a few recommendations to assist you on your journey.

1. Prewriting Stage

This is the stage where you choose your topic. Before beginning your homework, consider a personal experience that links to the class topic.

Remember that a narrative’s outcome might be affected by its theme. Choose a topic that is meaningful to you so that you may write the finest story.

However, it doesn’t end here. After selecting a theme for your narrative, list the events and facts you wish to include in your article. Create a plan for how events should unfold. This pushes you to compose narrative papers with suitable wording.

2. Be precise

Complex vocabulary might confuse readers. Instead, utilize a straightforward descriptive language to convey the intended point. Additionally, avoid placing all narrative concepts in the same paragraph.

Instead, separate story ideas into separate paragraphs. Do not write in a clinical manner.

Write as if you were communicating with your buddies. Each assertion and depiction should be vivid. Ultimately, it is the only way to engage your audience with your story.

3. Write in the 1st person

The purpose of a narrative essay is to present an autobiographical account of experiences you may have had. This requires writing in the first person rather than the second.

Writing in the first person allows you to describe events as if they are coinciding. It is the most acceptable approach for readers to relate to the protagonist of your story, who, in this case, is you.

4. Revise your account

After completing your narrative essay, be sure to revise it. The revision provides the opportunity to clear errors that may make the entire story less engaging.

During this stage, you can add or eliminate story elements as necessary. Thoroughly reread the narrative. Ask yourself the following review-related questions:

  • What is the smooth transition between events?
  • Will people want to read the story?
  • Will the story make people want to keep reading?
  • Are all the events and people described in detail?
  • Will people get the main point of the stories?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, you are well on learning how to write a narrative essay.

Conclusion

High school and college students must be proficient in narrative writing. Choosing a topic for your narrative essay is one of the most crucial aspects of writing this assignment.

When you select a topic you are enthusiastic about, you can better compose an excellent and fascinating narrative. Using the narrative writing techniques listed above will allow you write a more engaging story.

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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