Writing a narrative essay is a challenging task. To write a good narrative essay outline, you are required to think about the topic, write down your ideas and then organize them into an interesting story that makes sense!
The good news is that there are several ways you can outline your narrative essay and make sure it’s as engaging as possible:
Section:
Take notes while reading or listening to something interesting; record yourself speaking or writing briefly about what interests you; or brainstorm by answering these questions:
What are my main points?
How will I structure my argument?
How will I support my claims?
What evidence do I have for these claims?
Choose an interesting topic when you write a narrative essay outline.
You’ll want to choose a topic that interests you, is relevant to your life and the lives of others, and relates back to the world around us.
While this may sound like an obvious choice in theory, many people struggle with finding topics that they’re passionate about.
In order for our narrative essays outline template (and hence any other essay) to work well with students who are struggling with this problem or simply need some help choosing their topics as well as organizing them into an outline format (which we also teach), we recommend following these steps:
- Read through some articles online about various subjects – especially ones related by nature but not necessarily directly related by subject matter (e.g., if one article talks about economic issues while another discusses environmental issues).
- Identify which subjects have caught your interest based on what caught yours from reading those articles; then look up more information about each subject online so that when writing your own narratives about those subjects later on down the road!
Provide important background information.
Write the introduction.
Your essay will be a narrative, so you need to provide important background information that helps readers understand the story.
You can do this in two ways: first, with a brief description of what happened before and after your period of interest; second, by providing relevant examples from other works by different authors or time periods (this is called “context”).
You should also mention any events that may have influenced your thinking or writing style, as well as any personal experiences that shaped who you are today.
For example:
- If I was born in 1995 but grew up during the year 2000 (the year when MySpace launched), then my parents’ divorce would have had an impact on me because it happened when I was very young—likely too young for me to fully comprehend what was happening emotionally at home between them during those difficult months following their split up…
Include memorable details.
To make your narrative essay memorable, you’ll want to include details that are not obvious.
These should be details that are not easy to forget and will stick in the reader’s mind long after they’ve read your essay.
For example:
- Include a memory from childhood or adolescence that was so memorable it has stuck with you ever since. This could be an event or experience that shaped how you see the world today, such as being bullied at school or going through a divorce when you were young; it could also be something small and personal like what clothes your grandparents wore on holidays when they came over for dinner every year so long ago…
Write your narrative essay like a story is being told.
Use narrative style and the first person point of view to help you tell your story in an engaging manner.
Use active voice in your writing.
Active voice allows you to cut through the clutter, and it’s more engaging than passive voice.
It makes your story pop off the page!
In active voice, the subject does something.
In passive voice, the subject is acted upon—by someone or something else.
Active voice is more direct and concise than passive voice.
It’s easier to understand, and it gets right to the point.
Active voice can help you achieve a more seamless transition between sentences and paragraphs.
Make use of descriptive words.
You can use descriptive words in your narrative essay outline to help readers visualize the scene.
Some examples of descriptive words include:
- a place of
- a time of
- a feeling of
- a sound of
These are just some examples, but you’ll see that there are many more ways to use them!
You can use some of these words to help readers get a sense of what the setting looks like, or how it feels.
When used in conjunction with sensory details, your readers will have a much stronger sense of what’s going on in your narrative essay.
Descriptive words are a great way to bring your readers into the story.
You can use them to describe a setting, or even just one of your characters.
They can help readers see what’s going on in their mind’s eye, which will make them feel like they’re right there with you!
A narrative essay must have beginning, middle, and end.
A narrative essay must have beginning, middle, and end.
The beginning is where the story starts.
The middle is when things get interesting or dramatic.
Then comes the end where you bring everything together and tie it all up with a bow (or handkerchief).
It’s important to make sure that each part of your story flows into the next.
If you’re writing a narrative essay about your grandmother, don’t just start telling the story from when you were two years old.
You need to tell how she came into your life, what kind of person she was, and all those other details that make up a good story.
It’s also important to make sure that each part of your story flows into the next.
Conclusion of How to Write a Narrative Essay Outline
So, how do you plan a narrative essay?
Here is how to write an essay that you meets all requirements.
Follow these steps:
- Choose an interesting topic.
- Provide important background information.
- Include memorable details.
Section: Write like a story is being told.
Takeaway: A narrative essay must have beginning, middle and end.
In a friendly tone: It’s important to choose what subject matter to write about before starting on your outline!
It will help if there are several ideas floating around at once as well so that when one idea doesn’t work out so well others might still see value in it nonetheless.