This essay explores the Narrative Mode, which is perhaps the most natural style of writing for most people. One of the goals of the narrative form is to allow readers to feel as if they are not simply reading someone else’s story, but that they are somehow part of it. Unlike simply telling a story though, a narrative essay has a specific piece of information to share, a lesson for the reader. There should be a clear reason for your telling the story.
This is where the “essay” in the narrative essay becomes apparent. Your assignment this week is to write such an essay. Refer back to your outline of a significant event that you wrote for W2. Keep in mind that you are writing a story and it is important to freely tell your story. But, this is still an academic essay. The goal of your story is to support a clearly stated thesis/lesson for the reader. As such, your tale should be wrapped in a clear introduction and conclusion. Criteria Your essay should contain the following basic features: An introduction with an attention grabbing opening (hook), a well-defined message or argument (thesis), and any background information the reader needs to fully understand your story; Body paragraphs which a tell the story of your clear and specific, singular event that illustrates the essay thesis; Vivid language that works to recreate the event, including descriptions of where the event took place, the people who were involved, and the things these people said and did.
The Narrative and Descriptive Writing Lecture provides information and examples about descriptive and narrative writing. A conclusion that briefly implicitly or explicitly reviews your story, reiterates the lessons you learned and that you hope the reader to learn, and provides a closing thought such as why this event is still personally significant, the state of your life since the event and how you feel about it, future plans related to the event, rhetorical questions for the reader, etc.
In addition to the above, the final draft of your essay should be: From 500-1000 words in length, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. Uses APA style (a title page and citations as needed which are modeled in your APA guide), Written in first person; Edited for spelling, mechanical, grammatical, and typing errors.
