Writing a Narrative
After identifying your focus and gathering details about it, you are ready to write your narrative. Remember that a narrative is more than a chronological list of events. It is a true-life story with characters and conflict, so you need to build it like a story. The activities on this page will help.
Writing the Narrative Beginning
The beginning of your narrative has a number of jobs:
- Catch the reader's attention.
- Introduce the main character (person of focus).
- Describe the setting (time and place).
- Create conflict.
Write the beginning.
Experiment with strategies for capturing the reader's interest. Use the examples below for inspiration. Then develop a beginning that introduces the main character, describes the setting, and sets up the conflict.
- Start in the middle of the action.
Flush with determination, I stepped up to the podium. I had a strong speech. I had a strong message. I was ready to fight for equal rights. So how did I know it was all doomed?
- Use interesting dialogue.
"There goes Drama Jess again. Making something out of nothing." Girls with an opinion get that a lot in high school.
- Pose a fascinating question.
What does justice mean to you?
- Set up the conflict.
I’m a sports fanatic. I’m also a girl. I thought by now my gender wouldn't be an issue, but last school year showed it still is.
Writing the Middle Paragraphs
The middle part is the heart of the story. It uses action, dialogue, description, and other story-telling strategies to bring the event to life. If you are writing about your own experience, you'll have to rely on your memory, filling in gaps as best you can. If you are developing a story about someone other than yourself, you will use the details you gathered during your research. If you get stuck, refer to your gathering grid or spend a little more time researching.
Use narrative strategies.
Review each narrative strategy and write examples that could work in your own narrative.
- Use key sensory details. They help readers see, hear, and feel the experience.
I tapped the microphone, hoping to silence the murmur of the sold-out auditorium.
- Work in dialogue. The characters’ words can help move the action along.
I received just as much negative feedback from girls. One called me “abrasive.” Another asked, “What’s up with that outfit?”
- Try short, punchy paragraphs, especially after longs ones. They are good for emphasizing ideas.
Hold up, what?
As a sports fan and athlete who happened to be a girl, I was deeply troubled by their response. Girls deserve to be on a level playing field.
- Include explanations when necessary. They help keep things clear.
At the start of junior year, I noticed other things. The football team got new equipment, while the girls' volleyball team wore the same tattered jerseys as the previous year. The JV boys’ and varsity girls’ basketball teams practiced at the same time, but the girls’ team got bumped to the secondary gym.
- Use specific nouns and vivid verbs. They help with energy and pacing.
I discussed the social pressures, body objectification, and poor playing conditions female athletes face. My platform alienated many of the guy athletes. The irony is that I never would have noticed the inequality if I wasn’t a crazy supporter of their teams to begin with.
- Add reflective details. They help readers understand how the story affected the main character.
Hey, at least she was more opposed to my clothes than to my message. The entire experience made me almost as self-conscious about being a girl as going through puberty had. It also emboldened my resolve for change.
Write your middle paragraphs.
Write the middle part of your narrative, combining many of the narrative strategies from the previous activity.
Writing the Ending
The ending of your narrative should provide a resolution to the story and describe the lessons learned.
Write the ending.
Experiment with each ending strategy, using the examples for inspiration. Then choose your best ideas and weave them together into an effective ending for your narrative.
- Revisit your opening strategy.
I'm still a girl who loves sports, just like I'm a high school athlete who happens to be a girl. My hope is that future generations of high school girls won't feel the need to make those distinctions.
- State the change directly.
The experience strengthened my resolve for equality in high school sports.
- Leave readers with a strong final impression.
One thing's for sure: I'm not going to just shut up and play.
Reading a Narrative Essay
Read a student sample.
As you read this draft, notice how the writer puts the parts together.
Sample Narrative
Listen to “Uneven Play”
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Uneven Play
Beginning I’m a sports fanatic. Football, basketball, soccer. I love it all.
I’m also a girl.
I thought by now my gender wouldn’t be an issue, but last school year showed it still is. That’s when I learned that my passion for watching and playing sports wasn’t very “ladylike” and that I should shut up about gender inequality in high school athletics.
Middle Paragraphs Here’s how it went down: At the start of junior year, I noticed some things. The football team received new equipment, while the girls’ volleyball team wore the same tattered jerseys as the previous year. The JV boys’ and varsity girls’ basketball teams practiced at the same time, but the girls’ team got bumped to the secondary gym. The baseball team played on a beautifully renovated field even though the previous version was newer than the divot-dotted softball diamond we girls played on.
Dialogue I shared my concerns with my girlfriends, many of whom stopped playing sports after freshmen year. “You see the types of girls that still play,” they said. “I’m not getting judged like that.” Then, in no uncertain terms, they told me that boys’ teams deserve better resources because they are more popular.
Hold up, what?
As a sports fan and athlete who happened to be a girl, I was deeply troubled by their response. Girls deserve to be on a level playing field.
Action I knew I had to do something about it, so I ran for student council president, making my athletics pitch my campaign platform. In my campaign speech, I lamented how girls drop out of high school sports earlier than guys. I identified the social pressures, body objectification, and poor playing conditions female athletes face. And I asked my fellow classmates to support me and my push for equality.
It didn't happen. My platform alienated many of the guy athletes. The irony is that I never would have noticed the inequality if I weren’t a crazy supporter of their teams to begin with. Meanwhile, I received just as much negative feedback from girls. One called me “abrasive.” Another asked, “What’s up with that outfit?” Hey, at least she was more opposed to my clothes than to my message. Reflection The entire experience made me almost as self-conscious about being a girl as going through puberty had.
Ending The experience also emboldened my resolve for change. I realized we don't talk enough about gender equality in high school, and not just in athletics.
One thing's for sure: I'm not going to just shut up and play.
Teaching Tip
You may notice that the sample is not as developed as you might expect from a traditional narrative. However, it's actually a proper length for building a narrative argument, which may include only sections that fit the overall argument. Encourage your students not to get too bogged down by the details in their narratives. For this assignment, a short, focused narrative is more effective than a long, meandering one.