A Narrative Essay Outline

Writing a narrative essay is simply crafting a story from scratch only that this story is personal in nature. The fundamental element of this type of essay is presenting your point of view against a backdrop of personal experiences. Thus, it may entail you conveying your emotions and feelings in a presentable manner.

In another sense, a narrative essay is your reflection on a certain matter or personal experience as an author. The essay thus takes the form of a story. When writing a personal narrative essay, the format should take that of a story whereby there should be a plot, a setting, characters, an outcome, and an ending. These are the building blocks of your narrative essay outline.

This article will, therefore, show you how to write a narrative essay outline and give you a narrative essay outline worksheet that you can use to craft your own essay.

Narrative Essay Outline Example

• Introduction
• Thesis Statement
• Body Paragraphs
• Conclusion

Narrative Essay Outline Introduction

The introduction is a make or break point in your narrative essay. This is to mean that if you mess it up, the whole essay will have a negative implication. The introduction gives the reader a picture of what you are going to talk about. It introduces the topic, main ideas, and the ordeal that you will dwell on in the entire essay. The sentiments that you put forth in the introduction will explain why the subject you are considering is of the essence to you and the reader.

The introduction should include the following aspects:

• The hook
• The setting
• The clear description of the topic
• The significance of the topic

The hook is an introductory sentence that is meant to hook or engage the reader. It is a statement that evokes a lot of interest and arouses curiosity.

Illustration:

“Success is not a phenomenon that is to be pursued, but it is something that is to be attracted by the person you will become.”

How not to do it:

“Success is something that you attract.”

Both hooks point out to the subject matter, that is, success. However, the first hook is more captivating as it has a personal appeal. The reader will think that you are speaking to them on an individual basis. The last hook is direct, but it may pass as a general statement.

It is vital that you work on your hook as it is what a reader will first read in your narrative essay. If they meet a dull hook, then possibly they won’t be stimulated intellectually to read the whole piece.

The setting is also vital as it gives the reader a brief background on the subject. It lets the reader place the issue into context and makes him/her visualize the starting point and bearing of the narrative essay.

The Thesis Statement

Once you’ve written the hook of your essay, it is crucial that you categorically mention your goal of writing the narrative essay. It could be because you are trying to prove a point, justify some sequence of events or possibly garner support for a particular school of thought. Your thesis statement thus serves as a quick sum-up of what you’ve learned in relation to the subject that you’re writing about. It is your main argument in the story, and all other assertions that you will put forth in the essay will be to justify it.

Illustration:

“Though it is good to pursue success, becoming the embodiment of success is worthwhile.”

The thesis statement should be placed right at the end of the introductory paragraph for it to bear more weight.

Narrative Essay Outline Body

Right after introducing your essay and writing a powerful thesis statement, the next step is to write the body of your essay.

The body contains about three paragraphs depending on the extent that you want to tell the story. It is where you place your central arguments in favor of the subject and your thesis. It is also where the characters of your essay are introduced and contribute to the plot of your story. The central theme of your essay is conveyed in the body paragraphs.

Primarily, as you write your body, your narrative essay outline template should strive to answer the following questions:

• Who was involved in the story?
• Where did the events unfold?
• Why did things happen as they did?
• What is the objective view or opposing view of what happened?

As you write the body of your essay, use some literary techniques to describe the events. An excellent method that always works is foreshadowing, suspense, etc. Describe the events vividly. Make use of all descriptive adjectives at your disposal. Also, use some humor to break the monotony. Remember, that the essay is not a research paper. It is a personal narration of events. Therefore make it as enjoyable as possible.

Before disclosing the main event, give a brief onset of the circumstances that may have led to the event. And right after you disclose the event, follow it up with a climax. The climax should automatically be followed up by a verdict or resolution.

Body paragraph 1

Topic sentence: “I had always wanted to be proficient in the French language.”

1^st supporting sentence: “I initially had a hard time pronouncing French words and mastering French grammar.”

2^nd supporting sentence: “I became discouraged since most of my classmates seemed to get better every day in French while I lagged behind.”

3^rd supporting sentence: “My French tutor, who coupled as my mentor, told me to envision myself speaking French and picture myself being able to speak French fluently.”

Conclusion: “I then resolved to imagine myself being a French linguist and day by day I worked towards being that French linguist.”

Last body paragraph:

Topic sentence: “I decided to approach matters from a French linguist point of view to be the French linguist I always desired to be.”

1^st supporting sentence: “I started attending French workshops to learn more about the language.”

2^nd supporting sentence: “I befriended proficient French speakers and tried to emulate them.”

3^rd supporting sentence: “I surrounded myself with supportive friends who always reiterated the goals that I wanted to achieve; with calculated steps, I was able to express myself well in the French language and sooner rather than later I started receiving accolades for my effort.”

Verdict: “Indeed, my strides in speaking French are rightly attributable to my change of mindset: to be the person I wanted to be and later success did follow.”

As denoted by the above illustration, a vivid and sequential flow of events is what will make your body paragraphs appeal to the readers.

The Conclusion of Your Narrative Essay Outline

After narrating the events in your body paragraphs and giving a final verdict, you can now conclude your essay. Remember that your conclusion is also important just as your introduction and body. Endeavor to end your narrative essay with a powerful conclusion.

Your conclusion should have the following:

• A restatement of your thesis statement
• The lessons learned
• A viable call-to-action
• How to do it:

“Truly, success is not something to be pursued, but rather it is something that is attracted by the person you become. It dawned on me that pursuing success is good in all that you do. But it is even more fruitful to embody the successful person that you want to be. In my endeavor to learn French, I got a better sense of accomplishment when I started to take matters from a French linguist’s perspective. Eventually, my approach paid off as I quickly mastered the French language and even received accolades that I didn’t even think I would get. Everyone should take this approach to life to reach great heights in their endeavors.”

How not to do it:

“Truly if you want to be successful, you should strive to be the person you want to become first so that you attract success. I did, and I became successful.”

The first conclusion of the narrative essay outline example has factored in all the aspects that a conclusion should have, that is, restating the thesis, summarizing the main points, giving the moral of the story and the lessons learned. It has also given the significance of the subject to everyday life and has put a viable call-to-action.

The second conclusion, even though having a final sentiment that is close to the subject, has not factored in all these aspects. Thus, the reader would not remember the key points in the essay as such. S/he wouldn’t have anything to take home out of the essay.

Conclusion

In essence, a narrative essay is a write-up that should be enjoyable to write since it draws from your personal experiences. It gives you the liberty of expressing your own opinions and perspectives on matters. The above outline for narrative essay should guide you to craft a fantastic write-up that would give every reader smiles. Follow it keenly and apply it to your narrative essay writing and you are sure of writing an excellent story!