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Essay guides and tips

7 Steps To Composing A Solid Personal Narrative Essay

When building a personal narrative essay, there are several different steps that students should use. In this style of writing, the student must convey a narrative about a personal experience. This narrative essay should have a profound impact upon the reader. Long after the reader is finished with it, they should still be thinking about the topics covered in the paper.

  1. Write in First Person
  2. A personal narrative essay is intended to express the writer's personal experience. Due to that, it should always be written in the first person. The reader should be able to understand the author's viewpoint and get a personal knowledge of the story.

  3. Be Profound
  4. Every narrative paper should leave an emotional impact with the reader. It should include descriptions and narrative that helps to ground the story. As the reader understands the story, they should gain a thorough knowledge of what the author is trying to express.

  5. Be Creative
  6. Many papers are written about similar topics and experiences. Instead of writing a standard paper on a vacation, students should consider topics that really stand out. They may want to write about the birth of a sibling, a challenging experience or a time when they gained a new understanding about life. By choosing a creative, unusual topic, the writer can make sure that their writing really stands out.

  7. Use a Recording
  8. Many people have problems just sitting down and writing. To get an outline and the story in order, students can record themselves telling the story to a friend.

  9. Think About Anecdotes
  10. For this type of writing to be considered a narrative, it needs to include personal experiences. Interesting anecdotes, personal experiences, details and vivid imagery will really help the story to come alive in the reader's mind.

  11. Vary the Sentence Structure
  12. If every sentence is nine words long and contains the same type of formatting, it will make the personal narrative essay extremely boring to read. Students need to vary the length of the sentence. They may want to use compound or complex sentences to really make the writing unique. Transitory words should also be used to connect different sentences.

  13. Edit!
  14. Like any type of writing, a personal narrative essay requires editing. Without the proper editing, the writing will be difficult to read and confusing. Students should edit their paper so that the grammar, syntax and sentence structures are easy to understand. Likewise, they should also check for any typos or spelling errors.