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Read ALL instructions CAREFULLY.
***Save your final essay, typed double-spaced, in your network folder as
Narrative Essay. NOTE: Print a hard copy as well.
When you
write a narrative essay, the idea is to tell a story.
Narrative essays are told from a defined point of view, most
often in first person or from the author's point of
view. It is best to provide
sensory
details to get the reader involved in the elements and sequence of the story.
Utilize vivid and precise verbs.
Avoid "to be" verbs (am, is, are, were, be, been, being),
since they can be dull.
The narrative essay has a
specific point, which is often defined in the
opening sentence (thesis
sentence), but can also be located last in
the opening paragraph.
Be sure to include all
the conventions of storytelling: plot, character, setting, climax, and ending
in your NARRATIVE.
SPECIAL NOTE: You MUST pre-write this
essay, show evidence of editing and revision and provide a final, polished
draft.
Give your prewriting and evidence of
revision to the grader/course facilitator and SAVE your final draft as
Narrative Essay in your network folder.
Choose one
of the following prompts over which to write a
well-planned, multi-paragraph narrative. Remember to demonstrate your VOICE,
using diction, figurative language and imagery. Show your readers, don't just
tell them your story. Your final draft should be at least 2 pages, typed,
double-spaced in length (Times New Roman size 12 font).
Save your final draft in your network
folder as Narrative Essay.
After you choose and before you begin writing, check out this
LIST of prewriting
techniques for narrative writing.
-
Choose a
memorable time from your childhood -- Consider
the first time that you rode a school bus or bike,
of a time when you had a particularly GOOD day,
a particularly great party or event, earning money
to buy something that you really wanted, an excellent
vacation trip, and so on. In the narrative style
retell the events related to your
childhood memory, so that your readers
are able to understand and visualize why the event
and why it was important and memorable.
Remember to show and not just
tell, using
dialogue, figurative language,
imagery and
diction.
Include
dialogue in
your story.
-
Read a
newspaper article about an event, like a robbery, a car crash, a movie
premiere, a business opening, lost jobs, a political protest, etc. and then
retell the event as if you were there. Your narrative should demonstrate your
own voice and be written from your point of view. Remember to show and not
just tell, using
dialogue, figurative language,
imagery and
diction.
-
Find a
children's book - check your school or local library or perhaps you have a
younger sibling or have kept some of your childhood books. Read the story.
Then write a personal narrative in which you retell the tale as if you were
there. Embellish
the original with your own voice by adding
dialogue,
details and by using figurative language,
imagery and
diction.
-
Using your
imagination. Imagine if you woke up one day when your alarm sounded and found
out that everything and everyone you knew and loved were different or gone.
You are not in your own house or room, your parents are gone, your
neighborhood is completely different, as is your city, school and community.
Write a personal narrative describing that day. What would you do, how would
you act or feel, what might conversations be like and so on. Describe
everything in detail, using VOICE,
figurative language,
diction and
imagery.
Tips for writing
Narrative Essays.
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