9.5: Tips on Writing the Narrative
- Page ID
- 4980
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- Make sure it is on an important event in your life.
- Make sure you pick an event that caused you to learn an important life lesson.
- You should pick an event that caused you to change and grow in some way.
- Although you certainly do not have to write on something negative, most great steps or leaps in learning have resulted from negative events.
- That is not the only good thing that comes from negative events.
- Some of your best writing will come from them too.
- Once you have written your rough draft, you will print it out, read it to look for places to enhance, sharpen, and focus the story. Revise.
- Use the feedback from your peers or tutors to revise again. Make sure you are giving your readers the best "telling" of your story.
Topic Ideas
- An emergency that brought out the best or worst in you
- An incident that made you believe in fate
- Your best or worst day at school or work
- A major decision
- An encounter with a machine
- An important learning experience
- A narrow escape
- Your first date, first day on the job, or first anything
- A memorable childhood experience
- An event that precipitated a change in your opinion on a significant issue
- A painful moment
- A significant family event
- An experience in which a certain emotion (pride, anger, regret, or some other) was dominant
- A surprising coincidence
- An act of heroism
- An unpleasant confrontation
- A cherished family story
Chapter Questions for Comprehension
Answer the following questions based on your reading of the chapter. Be sure to use complete sentences.
- What are four elements (or characteristics) of the narrative essay?
- Why is it important to use vivid descriptions?
- How does active voice make stories more engaging?