How to Write in Narrative Form

The narrative approach is used in various kinds of papers and is aimed to describe a certain event, act, or phenomenon. Writers from writers-house.com use the narrative approach when they want to tell a meaningful story and to push their readers to certain conclusions. The narration must include vivid details that help in understanding the author’s viewpoint.

Narrative Form

Narrative form involves certain requirements regarding your writing approach. Your story should be worth sharing it with others. It should illustrate a solid point or provide insight. Your personal experience plays the most important role. Therefore, you must provide enough details to let your readers feel your experience.

Narrative Paragraph

You may use narrative as a part of your essay, including a narrative paragraph. This paragraph may help you illustrate the topic of your essay or your point, serving as an example. If you want to include such a paragraph, you can introduce it using a transitional paragraph. After that, describe events chronologically, leading your readers to a conclusion. At the end of the narrative paragraph, explain how your story relates to your thesis.

Narrative Essay

Narrative essays focus on a story, describing some events in order to draw a conclusion. Your goal is to help your readers feel the same experience as you did. Thus, we suggest that you provide details and play with different verbs to draw a vivid picture. Introduce your subject in the first paragraph. After this, describe the events, actions, emotions, and feelings in a storytelling manner. These paragraphs should include the description of the setting, climax, and resolution of the story, leading your readers to your thesis. Listing events in chronological order is most common, however, you may also experiment with parallel events, flashbacks, etc.

Perspectives

The use of the first person is common and is considered appropriate when writing narrative essays. You may also occasionally use the third person or the plural first person, depending on the desired effect and your story. The main thing is to be consistent: if you started your story in the first person (“I,” “me”), keep using it and don’t switch to another perspective.

Irony

Irony takes place when the audience suspects that the narrator is not trustworthy. For example, both readers and the author may know more than the narrator. The use of irony is an effective way to lead your readers to a certain conclusion, explaining something about the character.

Principles of Narratives

There are two most important principles. First, your narrative essay should be based on a certain idea, theme, or point, explaining and supporting it with the narrative. Your essay should also appeal to your readers’ imagination, addressing not only the events but also the overall emotional atmosphere, and using emotions to support the author’s point.