An author tells a story or describes his or her real experience with writing a narrative essay. That type of essay is similar to a composition, but the former must interest readers, force them to empathize with the described events, and that task is not so simple as it seems.
The author of a high-quality essay is able to convince and inform, he or she studies a sufficient number of sources with various information and gives us to see the point of the chosen topic, using strong arguments and demonstrating originality of thought.
So, there are 5 tips to create a unique and gripping essay.
Choose extraordinary topics
The hardest part of writing an essay is getting started. If you face any difficulties, you can look for inspiration on the Internet while reading other people’s works. But choosing a title for your masterpiece do not forget that the topic should be original. Plagiarism will not help you to demonstrate the level of knowledge and creativity. Besides, there are a lot of websites defining plagiarism easily.
A narrative essay can be devoted to a concrete issue or concept, but it’s always based on a personal story to illustrate the ideas, described in the text. Choose subjects which won’t leave anybody indifferent, and support the ideas with the most illustrative examples, using the semantic richness of the language.
Bad narrative essays are usually too extensive. “My First Year at Work” and “Final Year at University” illustrate titles which are not suitable for giving an adequate detailed story. To create a special essay, contrive the story of a concrete event, ex. “My First Day at College”.
Think over the structure
The narration itself has to be logical, that’s why it’s better to stick to a customary structure. A high-grade essay contains:
- Introduction — background information of an event, that prepares readers for the story.
- Main body. This part can consist of several paragraphs to describe a place and time of action and main characters.
- Climax. The climax reflects a dramatic resolution of the conflict, which is given at the starting point of the narration. For example, you manage to pass the difficult exam during the climax of the story about the day of examination.
- Conclusion. There has to be a kind of moral of the whole story. Show how the described events influenced you.
Be truthful
It’s not an important fact that in the essay the writer’s experience is described. Your essay has to contain the number of fascinating details in order to keep readers’ attention while delving into the story. The details should create a strong emotional effect, a dominant impression. Avoid sounding too clinical. Try using vivid slang words, idiom and phraseological units, which you commonly practice in speech. However, remember that your purpose is to unfold a “non-fiction” story, that can’t be made up. Stay as honest as you can to clearly transmit the message.
Use quotes
A good author doesn’t forget to defend his or her point of view writing a narrative essay. That’s why you should study numerous critical articles connected with the chosen subject, analyze them and quote the authors, whose opinion coincides with yours. Don’t hesitate to show your erudition.
Mark the sources of all quotations and ideas borrowed from other people in footnotes or brackets. Plagiarism might backfire when you are too lazy to give your own reasons and take existing ones. In the world of science, plagiarism causes serious problems, you can even be expelled for that. In other words, by stealing some points from other’s works you take chances with your reputation.
Read your text attentively
How many times have you printed the word “form” instead of “from”? By the way, it a very popular mistake missed during the check. You shouldn’t miss typos, grammatical errors in your text. Don’t forget to read your work after writing. Make certain that you use a readable font, for example, Times New Roman. Avoid using a fancy Gothic font, even if you are going to write about the Gothic direction in literature. Such a small detail risks spoiling readers’ experience.
To create a text that will be easy to read and comprehend do not use long words, lists, needless abbreviations. Before writing a new section, fix your thoughts somewhere on the draft not to forget something important. There is no need to overload your memory with extra information.
