Narrative Essay Topics : Structure, And Writing Tips In 2024

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”- Maya Angelou

Picture this. You are put in a time capsule with an artificial intelligence chauffeur. He asks you which one of your memories you would love to access.

This scenario is applicable while writing a narrative essay. Your voice, storyline, and writing style differentiate this piece of work from others.

Narrative writing will show up in different instances for the rest of your life. You will be required to tell life stories in grad school applications, college and school essays, wedding speeches, and the like. Hence, crafting an exceptional narrative essay is a unique skill that will stick with you forever.

But, where to start? Undeniably, by coming up with intriguing narrative essay topics.

Selecting an exceptional narrative essay topic can be a challenging task as such issues are usually hard to find. It hugely depends on the life experiences of an individual.

An excellent life experience will offer you an excellent idea instantly. Certain experiences cannot be transformed into useful writing pieces.

To help you get started, we have compiled an extensive list of 100+ topics that could be easily turned into excellent narrative essays. All these topics are engaging, inspiring, and unique and will have you writing in no time.

Let’s get started!

What is a Narrative Essay? A Proper Definition

Before you go knee-deep to understand how to choose personal narrative topics and ideas, it is crucial to get the hang of the narrative essay definition. Let’s take a molecular look –

• A narrative essay is a kind of essay where the writer tells a story or narrates it in a way that appeals to the audience. This can be an adventure, an incident, or a life story.  

• The primary objective of a narrative paper is to engage the reader with your personal experience while making an intriguing point. 

• A good narrative story will always depend on character growth, settings, and dialogue.

• It takes the readers on an emotional rollercoaster ride. With every twist and turn, it promises something new.

• Unlike most other kinds of essays, narrative essays have enough room for literary devices, like metaphor and onomatopoeia.

• You can be creative while writing an essay. This is mainly because you will be writing a story instead of presenting and dissecting others’ work or statements.

• Finally, remember, it must be well-structured and clearly organized so that the reader can follow your story effectively.

Getting the hang of it? We are sure you are. Well, then let’s proceed to understand the different types of narrative essays.

Types of Narrative Essays

Countless people have been narrating stories since ancient times. All kinds of stories have one thing in common – they are all part of narrative writing.

On that note, let’s have a look at the common types of narrative essays enlisted below –

• Linear Narrative

This kind of narrative essay presents the events of a story in chronological order. The linear narrative aims to create an immersion effect for the readers. It immerses the reader in the daily life of the protagonist, as they watch the events of a character’s life unfold in chronological order.

This remarkable thing can be achieved through any narrative perspective, whether first-person, second-person, or third-person narration.

Example – In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, one can find different instances of linear narrative essays. The novel offers various narrative perspectives. It also unfolds the plot in a chronological and linear way. 

• Non-Linear Narrative

As the name implies, a non-linear narrative essay tells the story out of order. It uses flashbacks and other excellent literary devices to shift the readers back and forth through the story’s timeline.

This technique is employed to put emotional emphasis on certain parts of the narrative. It also helps in establishing a thematic connection between the events. 

Example – A remarkable example of a non-linear narrative is ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer.  This develops suspense throughout the long narrative poem. The reader is left to wonder how the ordeals of the Odyssey actually started.

• Quest Narrative

This narrative is a story where the protagonist works toward a goal tirelessly. The pursuit of these objectives becomes their all-consuming passion and they must face huge obstacles along the way.

Typically, this pursuit is geographically remote so the character must make a long journey to acquire it. 

Example – An excellent example of a quest narrative is ‘The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings’ of J.R.R. Tolkien. Here, the protagonist embarks on a long journey that takes them through numerous dangers and challenges. 

• Viewpoint Narrative

A viewpoint narrative aims to show a specific perspective or personal experience of one or more characters in the story. In such essays, the moods and feelings of the narrator are expressed from their perspective.

This narrative style usually uses first-person narration. This kind of narrative enables the possibility of an unreliable narrator. It can also be used to develop suspense differently by getting the reader to question the narrator.

Example – A remarkable example of viewpoint narrative is ‘Lolita’ by Vladimir Nabokov. Here, the first-person narratives originate from Humbert Humbert. This man is a patient in a psychiatric clinic who has been admitted multiple times. He narrates the whole story in his subjective way and doesn’t essentially always offer the truth to the readers.

How to Structure a Narrative Essay?

Undeniably, your narrative essay will be unique since it is detailing an event that happened in your life. However, following a basic structure will make it excessively easier to read and follow.

The structure of a narrative essay is quite straightforward. There are four key parts – the introduction, the thesis statement, the body, and the conclusion.

• Introduction– Here, you are required to introduce the topic and the incident you will describe. Discuss why it is significant to you.

• Thesis Statement– Here, you need to sum up quickly what you have learned as a result of the incident you are describing.

• Main Body Paragraphs– Here, you need to speak about the incident involved in detail. Ensure to incorporate all important points like –

• Who was involved?
• Where did it happen?
• Why did it happen?

Also, do not forget to explain what exactly occurred, with the inclusion of your feelings and thoughts on the matter. 

• Conclusion– Refer back to your thesis statement and discuss how your experiences influenced your knowledge of the subject at hand.

With this clear overview in mind, you are now ready to find out how to choose personal narrative essay topics and ideas!

How to Choose Narrative Essay Topics?

Know half the battle of turning in a stellar narrative essay is won when you choose the right narrative essay ideas. Undoubtedly, the creative process is not easy.

To aid you, below we have enlisted certain sure-fire strategies that will help you choose unique personal essay topics effectively –

• Remember to Tell a Story

Always make sure the personal essay topics you choose must connect with the readers. The story you tell should be such that the experiences, life lessons, skills, etc., must connect with the readers. Otherwise, it will ruin your entire writing and result in boredom.

Try to remember how you felt when you read the story of some renowned writer. You developed a connection with that story, right? Even some of you felt sad when reading it as you felt it was your own. This is the art of narration. Try to learn and master it.

• Choose Relevant Topics

Ensure to consider your audience when choosing narrative essay ideas. The topic should be meaningful and familiar to your audience. You must be able to express your thoughts on the subject and relate your personal experiences to it.

If you are a younger student, always go for ideas that deal mostly with reporting or descriptions. If you are a high school student, try to choose a topic that is persuasive and reflective,

• Select an Idea Worthy of Discussion

Do not randomly select any idea for your essay. Instead, try to select one on which excellent discussions can be made. To make sure you are choosing a useful idea, try to figure out the answers to the below-enlisted questions –

• What are my associations with the selected idea?
• Will I be able to express to the readers the way I have an association with the topic?
• If yes, how am I going to convey it?
• Do I have adequate information or memories connected with the idea?

Answering questions like these will make your essay rigorous. You can also change the topic or idea of the essay if at any point you feel the aforementioned questions are not answered.

• Consider Your Adventures

Draw from your own experiences to choose the best narrative essay topics. Reflect on a noteworthy occurrence in your life that you can share with your readers. This can be a monotonous event, a journey, or an achievement of yours.

• Develop the Purpose

Understand what message or notion you desire to present in your narrative essay. This can help you refine your possible topic choices. It can also enable you to craft a more centered and consistent paper. 

• Choose an Unusual Perspective

Select personal essay topics that will help you explore an uncommon viewpoint or outlook to make your narrative essay stand out. This could be a unique way of investigating a commonplace subject or a novel interpretation of a familiar story.

• Do Not Be Afraid to Experiment

Remember, the narrative essay is one of the very few papers that offers you space for experiment and creativity. So, make sure not to miss this opportunity. Feel free to experiment with different narrative essay topic ideas, techniques, and styles. Further, do not forget to look for possible ways to make your essay stand out.

• Choose an Exciting Moment

Narrative essays should always capture the reader with an intriguing story. Ensure to choose narrative essay topic ideas that involve excitement, humor, or adventure to hook your audience from the very beginning.

• Try to Find Your Comfortable Writing Style

Successful subjects for a narration essay are those you feel comfortable with. Choosing a comfortable idea is the key to a powerful essay as it determines your writing style.

To do this successfully, try to think about what you love to tell about.  Figure out –

• Do you like describing events in a vivid and detailed manner?
• Are you a fan of self-analysis and recollections?
• Do you like narrating stories in a factual and concise way?

When you identify your writing style – recollecting, imaginative, analyzing, projecting, or insightful, it will enable you to generate narrative essay prompts.

These effective steps can enable you to choose a compelling topic and craft an engaging story that captures your readers effectively. But if you are still facing issues you can get help from our expert writers from allessaywriter.com.

Now that you know how to choose unique narrative essay ideas, let us spoil you with choices of some of the best narrative essay topic examples. Here you go!

Inspiring and Interesting Narrative Essay Topics Examples

• Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

1. Write about the lessons you learned from the first novel that you read in high school
2. Discuss how reading Macbeth converted your views about life
3. Discuss your experience on reading the best speech of Barack Obama
4. Explain how writing your book opened the doors to a new career
5. Write about the song lyrics that uplift your mood and energy
6. Write about the chapter in ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell that awakens the human fighter in you
7. Write how ‘I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr. fits perfectly to your personal life

• Narrative Essay Topics for High School

1. Write about a time when you learned something new
2. Discuss a time when made a mistake and then rectified it
3. Write about a time when you needed to take a stand for yourself or someone else
4. Write about a time when you had to make a tough decision
5. Write about the time when someone disappointed you
6. Discuss an unexpected event that transformed your life
7. Write about a person who transformed your opinion of something

• Narrative Essay Topics for University Students

1. Discuss the time when you got lost in your city or town
2. Discuss the significance of community and social responsibility
3. Write about the time when you had to adapt to a new environment
4. Discuss how your thinking and principles evolved over time
5. Did your teachers contribute to the person you are today?
6. Write about a moral choice that you regret
7. Discuss a rebellious act from your life

• Narrative Essay Topics with Conflict

1. Have you ever been afraid of something but tried hard to appear fearless? If we, describe that experience
2. Have you ever succeeded when you thought you might fail?
3. Write about your secret survival strategies
4. Explain a time when you last became immensely stressed and anxious. If so, why?
5. Write about a situation where you needed to react quickly to solve a problem. What was at stake, who was involved, and how did you beat the odds? What lessons you learned from your experience?
6. Write about the first time you truly experienced dishonesty
7. Speak about the time when you got into a fight. What were your reasons for fighting? How do you feel about the experience now that you are older and wiser? Did you do the right thing or you regret you acted aggressively?

• Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 7

1. Write about something that scared you the most till now in life
2. Describe your conflict with your mother
3. Write about a unique family tradition
4. Describe the most unpleasant experience you ever had in life
5. Describe your adventures on a walking tour
6. Tell a story where you helped a stranger
7. Describe the day when you were called to the Dean’s office

• Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics

1. Write about the moment in detail when you learned the biggest lesson in life
2. Discuss the vital things you do to relieve stress
3. Write about the special homecoming court moment
4. Discuss how your dad is the most intriguing person
5. Write about the house of your dreams
6. Discuss how can one make the world a better place to live in
7. Describe how your life has changed since the COVID-19 outbreak 

• Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 9

1. Write about your visit to the countryside
2. Describe how you lost your faith in humanity
3. Discuss a bad experience that changed your behavior completely
4. Describe your experience of a cyclone or a tornado
5. Explain an error that demonstrated to you the value of traveling
6. Explain your passion for fashion in terms of fascination with style and the latest trends
7. Describe the day when you learned to appreciate your strengths and weaknesses