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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.

    1. What are four elements (or characteristics) of the narrative essay?
    2. Why is it important to use vivid descriptions?
    3. How does active voice make stories more engaging?

    9.5: Tips on Writing the Narrative is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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