Key Elements of Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is a kind of essay in which a writer tells a story from his/her point of view or personal experience, providing specific and sensory details to get readers involved and understand your point. These essays are about telling stories to your readers. It’s their fundamental purpose. You, the writer, tells about the personal experience but also make a point for readers to understand why you tell about it and why your story is important to share. In a narrative essay, you simply guide a reader and allow them to draw their own conclusions. You don’t criticize anything and don’t try to persuade them with arguments or prove them anything. That’s exactly what makes a narrative essay different from other academic papers.

As any of the undergraduate essay writing service available online can tell you, there are seven key elements when it comes to writing a narrative essay. These elements are plot, setting, characters, point of view, theme, symbolism, and conflict. Every writer struggles with these narrative elements. Through reading, exchange with other writers, and practice, you can learn to use these key elements of a narrative.

The plot is thought of as the sequence of events in your narrative. The plot includes background information, conflict, the climax of the story, and lastly, the conclusion. Many writers use the plot to map out their stories before beginning the full writing process. For fiction or non-fiction writing, this can work wonderfully as an outline. On a smaller scale, poets can use the concept of plot to plan the flow of their poems.

When you're reading and feel like you've been transported to another world entirely, that is called setting. This element of the narrative is incredibly important. Setting establishes te time, place, and environment in which the main characters or narrator operates. Crafting a high-quality setting is the difference between a believable story and one that falls flat.

I create my own characters as I write my essay. These are the building blocks that help me to create a story. Characters are the reason your readers fall in love. Characters keep you up at night. Invest time researching your character's identities, behaviors, circumstances, and motivations. All of this will help you to create a world that readers (and you) are invested in whole-heartedly.

Establishing a point of view in your story or poem is essential. This allows readers to understand the motivations behind why the story is being told. While it can be challenging to craft a consistent point of view, mastering the narrative will provide your work with the guiding voice readers crave. 

The theme of a work should be clear. While this seems like a fundamental literary element, the theme helps to focus a narrative.  Additionally, having a focused and clear theme will help you and publishers to market your book to the right audience.  

When studying literature, there is a lot of talk surrounding symbolism. While this may seem like an overrated literary element, symbolism helps to layer meaning within a narrative. The green light in The Great Gatsby and Harry's scar in the Harry Potter series are some of the symbols that we observe in modern English Literature and novel writing. In narratives, symbols are what readers hold onto long after the story is over. Symbolism is what readers gravitate to.

Conflict motivates characters, affects the plot, and ultimately dictates the theme of a narrative. What is the defining conflict in your story? What conflict inspired a poem? Having a defined conflict allows your readers to better understand your work, sympathize with essay writer characters or narrator, and ultimately appreciate the complexity of the plot you've created.

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