“Just tell a story,” the teacher said. “It will be fun.”

Yet the student stares at a blank screen, uncertain what to write, and it’s far from a fun experience.

The narrative essay -- a personal form of storytelling about true experiences -- requires the writer to abandon familiar tools such as topic sentences, thesis statements, and supporting authority. But this doesn’t mean the writer should just type words until the pages are filled. Rambling freeform narratives are not what most writing instructors hope to see. There is a better method, and it can be found in this short booklet.

This booklet explains everything the writer needs to generate a successful narrative essay in step-by-step fashion. Starting with a story goal, proceeding through a timeline, and finishing with two targeted paragraphs, this booklet will turn a blank screen into a finished paper.

Table of Contents
How to Use This Booklet
What is a narrative essay?
Special Note Regarding Use of the Word “Narrative”
Assignment Analysis: beginning, middle, end: outline the event on a timeline
Thesis: the Goal
Beginning: the Setup
-   Premise/Theme
-   Characters
-   Your point of view
Middle: Events on a timeline
-   Action
-   Dialogue
-   Description
A Special Note About Paragraphing
A Special Note About One Exception to the Timeline
A Special Note About the Second-to-Last Paragraph
End: the Resolution: how you changed/how things changed
Proofreading

Here's what students have said about this method:

"This made it all seem really easy."

"I thought I should just write about what happened. If I had done that, I would have left out some important things. Thanks for showing me what was missing!"

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