WHAT IS A NARRATIVE ESSAY?

A narrative essay is a “fake” story.

ELEMENTS OF A NARRATIVE ESSAY:1. SETTING – The setting is the location where the action in a story happens.2. THEME – The theme will deal with a topic that is universal in life or human nature, such as love, independence, greed, envy, jealousy, hatred, etc.3. CHARACTERS – The characters are the people in the story. They are affected by the mood, and they react to the events in which they are involved. 4. PLOT – The plot is what happens in a story, that is, the sequence of events, climax, and resolution.5. MOOD – The mood is the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the story. It could be happy, hopeful, suspenseful, or scary. Both the setting and descriptive vocabulary create the mood in a narrative.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROMPT1. Read the prompt at least two to three times before you write. If it

is necessary, break down the prompt into parts so that you will be able to write an effective narrative.

2. Underline or circle important words to help you remember EXACTLY what you need to write about.

3. NEVER write a narrative or any essay without reading the prompt.

Essentially, there should be at least 5 to 6 paragraphs in a narrative. Although there should be no limit to the number of paragraphs that you

can write, given the limited amount of time for you to write, writing a six paragraph narrative is an

accomplishment.

HOW MANY PARAGRAPHS DO I NEED?

The hook in a narrative is the part of the introduction- usually the first sentence or two – that grabs the reader’s attention. HOOKS are

especially important in narrative essays because they help set the stage for the

story. The hook makes readers start guessing what will happen next.

1. WRITING A NARRATIVE HOOKWhat is a HOOK?

TYPES OF HOOK a). Ask a questionb). Sound effects

c). Striking StatementExample: a.Have you ever been without technology for 24 hours? Well, I have.b.Boom! The noise was so loud outside my bedroom window that I just had to go look.c.I had never been more anxious in my life. I had just spent the last three endless hours trying to get to the airport so that I could travel home.

2. CONNECTING INFORMATIONAfter writing the hook, make sure that you write enough information to address the prompt before you narrate the story. It will give the readers a clear understanding of the background information of the story.

Where is the background information? From the prompt!

3. DEVELOP YOUR SETTING

When you write your setting it is always an excellent practice to add description of the time and location of the story. Setting involves time, place, weather, and surroundings, which all

help to create a specific mood or atmosphere. To reveal these elements, writers depend on

descriptive writing—ADJECTIVES!

WRITING THE THESIS STATEMENT

In a narrative essay, the thesis introduces the action that the story will be about. Remember it is your Road Map to your whole essay.

Examples of a Good Thesis 1. Because his pride wouldn’t allow him to

apologize, Ken now had to fight the bully, and he

was pretty sure that he wouldn’t win. 2. I wanted my mother to watch me race down the

steep hill, so I called out her name and then nudged my bike forward.

H.I.S.S.HookBackground InformationSettingThesis StatementLike a snake’s bite, you want to surprise

and “sting” your reader!

DEVELOPING YOUR CHARACTERS It is always important to fully develop your characters in order to make them believable and real. Use descriptive words (adjectives) to fully develop the characters in your story.

Example: I met a homeless man named John. He is a twenty-one-year-old-guy towering 6 foot and 7 inches. I still remember his dark brown moustache and long uncombed, blond hair that looked like skinny ropes in the jungle.

TOPIC SENTENCEThe topic sentence is the Road Map for this paragraph. Remember, your topic sentence needs to set the stage for the rest of the paragraph.

Example: My friends and I had just finished lunch, and wewere meandering around the cafeteria, bored out of our minds.

SUPPORT SENTENCE #1 and #2Using narrative action, advance the plot of your story. What happens, who does it, character’s feelings and mood. Use description!

Example: We ambled up to a door that led to outside of the building, where a concrete path led to another building. I, being the onemanclown troop of the group, decided to entertain my friends with a little physical humor.

Possible DIALOGUEAfter your Narrative Action, put in some dialogue to move the story along.

Example: An idea popped into my head, and I exclaimed to the group, “Hold on; I will be back shortly.”

WRITING DIALOGUE The actual words of the speaker are marked as quotations by being placed between inverted commas (“quote”), and the two parts of the sentence are usually separated by a punctuation mark, traditionally a comma. The first letter of the speech being reported is a CAPITAL (upper case) letter, even after a comma; the first letter of the reporting clause is only a capital if it comes after a full stop, exclamation mark or question mark (or if the first word is a proper noun, like the speaker's name).

Examples: 1.He said, "Good morning!" 2."It's a lovely day," she replied.3. "I think," he said, "that it's going to be a fine day for

the match.”

There should be a new paragraph whenever there is a change of speaker.

More WRITING DIALOGUE Punctuation marks that belong to the speech, such as question marks because the speaker is asking a question, should be inside the speech marks. If the reporter asks a question, then the question mark is outside the speech marks: Examples: 1. "Do you think so?" he asked.

2. Had I heard her right when she said "I want to go now"?

Punctuation marks that belong to the speech, such as exclamation point because the speaker is suggesting a strong feeling, should be inside the speech marks. Examples: 1. "Don’t even dare do that!" I warned him.

2. “Stop! You should not lift it!” she screamed at her classmate.

WRITING DIALOGUE Exercise 1. I am not sure if I did it right Mary told everyone

2. She said Are you willing to join our group

3. I might join you she replied but I have to check with my mom first

4. This is awesome exclaimed Andrey

5. Who asked you to come here John Mrs. Smith asked

6. I responded Well we need to figure out how to solve it

7. My mom I told him is not here

8. It’s really amazing I exclaimed

9. They screamed Help

10. Where did you hide my wallet she asked

TRANSITION SENTENCE

Then, I proceeded to run out of the building.

After your dialogue, you need a transition to the next paragraph.

Example: CHRONOLOGICAL PREPOSITIONS Time words that Begin ClausesFirst (second, third, etc.) After (a moment) after Next at (9:00am) as soon asFinally by (bedtime) beforeLater during (two days) laterNow until from then onThen when

whilewheneveruntil

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

My friends and I had just finished eating an amazing lunch of sandwiches, fruit and chips. We were meandering around the cafeteria, bored out of our minds. An idea popped into my head, and I exclaimed to the group, “Hold on; I will be back shortly.” Then, I proceeded to run out of the building.