11AP English Language and CompositionName: ______
Mr. Meader
Narrative Essay AssignmentDue: ______
The Narrative Essay
As a mode of expository writing, the narrative approach, more than any other, offers writers a chance to think and write about themselves. We all have experiences worthy of sharing with readers. All of these experiences, some good some bad, are stored in our memories as narratives (always, as discussed, a constructed reality); yet sometimes they are so fused to other memories that the writing lacks precision. A lot of the time spent in writing narrative is in the prewriting stage.
In this stage, writers first need to select an incident worthy of writing about. Second, writers must find relevance in the incident. To do this, writers might ask themselves what about the incident provided new insights or awareness. Finally, writers must dredge up details which will make the incident real for readers.
Principles of Writing Narrative Essays
Once an incident is chosen, the writer should keep three principles in mind:
- Remember to involve readers in the story. It is much more interesting to actually recreate an incident for readers than to simply tell about it. “Show Don’t Tell.”
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” (Anton Chekhov)
- Find a generalization, a theme the story supports. This is the only way the writer's personal experience will take on meaning for readers. This generalization does not have to encompass humanity as a whole; it can concern the writer, men, women, or children of various ages and backgrounds. There are many ways to make your story universal.
- Remember that although the main component of a narrative is the story, details must be carefully selected to support, explain, and enhance the story.
Conventions of Narrative Essays
When writing your narrative essay, keep the following conventions in mind:
- Narratives are generally written in the first person; that is, using "I." However, third person ("he," "she," or "it") can also be used.
- Narratives rely on concrete, sensory details (focus on imagery) to convey their point. These details should create a unified, forceful effect, a dominant impression. Don’t get lost in the abstract. Be precise.
- Narratives, as stories, should include these story conventions: a plot - including setting and characters, a climax, and an ending.
Assignment:
Kurt Vonnegut uses Slaughterhouse-Five to excavate his personal history. His novel is an incredibly creative narrative essay that focuses (in a disjointed way) on a single, life altering event. Yours need not be so schizophrenic or nearly as long, but be creative and prewrite until you find something that you really want to write about. I would like your narrative essays tied to an image, a picture. The picture can be personal (a picture of you when you were younger or a picture of a family member or friend) or the picture may be more universally known (capturing a significant event in history, a culturally significant moment, etc.). I do not want the essay to focus solely on description of the picture, rather, I would like the picture to serve as a stimulant, a launching pad, an opening into the bigger ideas of the story you wish to tell.