Anecdotes and personal stories are a part of everyday conversation. In fact, these make up a significant chunk of what is communicated by people among themselves since stories are often the best way to make a point, impart a lesson, or drive home an argument. In speaking, these may be fairly simple to relate, and the flow of conversation provides enough context for easy understanding of the point the narrator may be trying to make. However, writing a personal narrative essay that successfully puts one point of view across may be more challenging. This article outlines a basic structure to produce an ordered and comprehensible personal narrative essay. It also provides several examples that illustrate how personal narratives are written.
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What is a Personal Narrative Essay?
When one talks or writes about an incident that is personal to them, they are weaving a personal narrative. A personal narrative essay is a form of creative nonfiction writing; here, the writer describes something they have personally experienced and uses it to put forth and support a line of reasoning or comment on a broader idea.
Personal narratives focus on real-life events and involve real people. This reality lends the writer’s argument strong credibility, and it may (more successfully than even a logical explanation) persuade readers.
Most academic essays require the writer to take a formal and objective approach to the subject. Personal narrative essays, on the other hand, are more informal and encourage (though not necessitate) the use of the first person point of view. Creative writing along with the personal nature of the essay will more likely provoke an emotional response from the reader. This makes personal narratives a powerful tool for persuasion.
Personal narrative essays are frequently required as part of college applications as “personal statements.” In such cases, the essay may or may not need to revolve around a particular incident. It does, however, need to give the admissions committee an insight into who the writer/applicant is by sketching out their personal thoughts and experiences.
Below are a few examples of personal narrative essays:
How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay
Unlike other academic essays, the personal narrative essay is a more fluid and creative form of writing for most students. Writers may choose to employ more unconventional formats to capture the reader’s attention and to get their message across.
Elements such as the use of first person set the personal narrative essay apart from all other types of essays, except narrative essays. However, the flexibility offered by the essay can also intimidate writers and make it difficult to express their point effectively. Thus, the tried and tested three part split—intro, body, and conclusion—can make the essay more manageable and simpler to write. (The three part split does not refer to the number of paragraphs; the writer can choose to divide up their essay into as many paragraphs as they like, as long as the final product is coherent and easy to follow for the reader.)
The first step to writing a personal narrative essay is to select the topic to focus on. Stories that show personal growth, how one overcame a challenge, or are unusual incidents in the writer’s life may be chosen. These ought to demonstrate the message the writer would like to convey through the essay.
The writer may develop a rough outline of the story they are choosing to tell. This simplifies the sequence of events and keeps the plot flowing smoothly. A clear outline also helps order the arguments that the writer wishes to make and to pick the sections of the story that are most illustrative.
Outlines also aid in structuring the personal narrative in a coherent manner. Thus, the writing of the essay itself may begin.
Once the writing is finished, revisions and editing weed out any errors or mistakes that have snuck into the essay.
The following examples elucidate the process of writing an impactful personal narrative essay:
Structure of a Personal Narrative Essay
The following is a basic structure for a personal narrative essay that may be adapted to fit the writer’s requirements and preferences.
Introduction
Opening the essay with a hook ensures that the reader’s interest has been aroused and their attention has been captured. This may be an unusual statement or rhetorical question that relates to the topic at hand. In this manner, the writer has built curiosity as well as introduced their subject at once.
For the rest of the introduction, the writer may state the point they are trying to make with the narrative that will follow. It should be kept as brief as possible without giving too much away. Good personal narrative essays show the reader the validity of their argument through the narrative and not tell it to them.
Body
The body of the essay should be dedicated only to narrating the personal story. The outline made before the writer began writing will help here.
The scene should be set to provide sufficient context, and then the action of the story should be laid out.
The narration must be clear without muddling the story or confusing the reader. Judiciously used transition words and phrases aid in this, keeping the narrative flowing. Figurative language makes descriptions easier to visualize and keeps the reader engaged.
The body can be divided into as many paragraphs as the writer feels they need to tell their story in the most effective manner.
Conclusion
Once the writer has arrived at the end of their narrative, they move on to the conclusion in the final paragraph. Like the introduction, this too must not be heavy on explanation. Instead, a quick restatement of the point the writer wishes to make along with a sentence or two connecting it with the personal narrative will suffice.
Another set of personal narrative essays that present a lucid representation of the structure are present in the below list.
