Just like any tasty meal that you grew up with, there was a secret ingredient that made it like no other. When you have a task to deliver a personal narrative essay, it is alike to cooking something unique from what you have experienced and learned as a person. You have to be creative, yet all the writing mechanics, format rules, and structure easily take the inspiration away!
Thanks to Nerds, you can receive timely and professional guidance on all stages of narrative essay writing. Starting from the great topic ideas and outline to finding the right sources and getting the essay proofread, you can get the work done your style with a personal twist!
#1: A Personal Narrative Essay Starts From The Right Ingredients
According to the college professors we have surveyed, the most challenging part of a personal narrative essay for the college students is preparation. When a student cannot find a suitable topic and academic sources for the reference, the essay becomes vague, forcing the college professors to decrease the final grade.
According to college professors, when writing a narrative essay, a student should come up with a topic, compose an outline, use a draft, and learn the structure. Only when it is done, you can start writing down your ideas.
A personal narrative essay has to be engaging, which means that you have to include good ideas with the key points of information. What instantly makes the personal narrative essay stand out from the other essay types is that it is written in the first person. You have to walk an extra mile to have an emotional impact on your audience. Just think about what motivates you and what you know well because if you choose something generic, it will not inspire you in the first place.
A personal narrative is a reflection, your knowledge, and personality, a something that can teach your audience a lesson or call for action!
#2: The Nerds Help You Come Up With Personal Narrative Essay Topics
The cornerstone of a successful personal narrative essay is a good topic! If you do your homework right, it makes writing and finding sources easier right from the beginning. Unlike what seems obvious for a topic — choosing something popular and relevant is not always correct because it easily turns to “the best of the facts” essay.
Your topic idea should not be “Save the dolphins” or “First Nations People of Canada.” It has to be personal and reflective. For example, “A Way How A Dog’s Story Made Me Become a Volunteer” already has a hook, subject, story, and a result. Likewise, “A Lesson on Honesty” idea keeps your audience interested and does not reveal that you tell of First Nations People’s wisdom.
The college students spend 85% of their essay time not for writing, but trying to find a good topic idea.
One of the most frequent requests that we receive from students is assistance with a good topic idea. To come up with a good topic Nerds suggest to ask yourself the following:
- What inspires you the most and what would you tell a friend in a meeting?
- What are your interests and how would you share them with the others?
- What troubles you the most as a person?
- What would you like to change in your life, education, and society?
- Who inspires you the most and who is an important person in your life?
- What is the most important lesson that you have learned?
- What would you like to change about your character and life?
In most cases, it instantly keeps students inspired and helps them to come up with topics that relate to them and make them feel safe.
#3: How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay Safe and Quick
In order to save some time Nerds advice you to do the following:
- Always write down the opening sentence that will describe your point of view if you speak in an opinion. Likewise, engage your letter with a twist, if you are to tell a story.
- The body part of your narrative essay should have topic sentences that provide a very clear idea of what has happened and how you feel about it.
- If you need to know where to start from, use chronology, but do not give all details away.
- Your final essay paragraph has to state your point of view again and highlight the moral of a story or an issue.
- Try to read your essay aloud to eliminate repetition.
- If you are stuck in writing, try to record yourself and speak freely. Listen and see how you can get your ideas organized.
- In order to move on chronologically, use dialogue in your narration.
- Use emotion, be descriptive, and remember to add interrogative sentences.
- Always remember that you have to meet the word count, so do not underestimate the power of a draft!
#4: Personal Narrative Essay Outline
Now that we have our topic ideas and thoughts more or less brought together, it is the right time to start with an outline. It is your inner guide that helps you to see what has to be included.
Majority of students that receive assistance in formation of a narrative essay outline and the thesis statement learn how to connect the topic idea to each body paragraph’s topic sentence.
Since it is for your eyes only, unless requested otherwise, you can write down the key thoughts and ideas (topic sentences) in a free form. However, to make it easier for you here is the basic personal narrative essay structure:
- Introduction. It includes the first sentence that we call “the hook.” It has to make the reader interested. Start with an interesting fact or your feelings that were caused by an event. The introduction is where you set the scene and include the key facts before your thesis statement comes in.
- Your thesis statement should have a great transition to the first body paragraph. For example, “The day has started just like it always did, but once the unknown car stopped by the porch, I knew that my life would change.”
- Body. The most important thing is to include topic sentences. If you can provide examples of the lessons learned, do so. If you write of an event or an issue, this is the right place to include quotes to back up the facts. Since it is your story, the number of paragraphs is up to you!
- Conclusion. The moral of the story and the lessons you have learned. If you have made a choice, explain why. Make your opinion and position clear.
#5: Personal Narrative Essay Examples
While there are no universal recipes of a perfect personal narrative essay, we know that an example is the best way to learn. Here are several freely available narrative essay examples that will help you see the different writing styles:
- Holiday Warfare (Narrative Style)
- Diller’s Dilemma (Descriptive Style)
- Leandro (Narrative Style)
#6: The Nerds Help With Essay’s Structure and Logic.
A reason why help from Nerds makes a difference is the experience that helps them to see the flaws in any kind of narrative essay. While a student may have a great idea to write about, one has to follow structure because if thoughts are scattered all over the place, there is a risk of a low grade.
A personal Nerd is like an experienced friend who will make suggestions to your essay that can help you put your amazing ideas in a perfect frame. Editing together with a Nerd, you are not only becoming a better writer but also learn about how to keep up with structure rules as you write.
#7: The Nerds Know The Way Out of Sources and Formatting Mazes
Finally, the last, but not the least ingredients we have to remember are the sources and formatting issues.
Nerds can help you with the complex citation rules and academic sources for any narrative essay topic.
Nerdy checklist:
- If you include the facts that are not generally known, make sure to back up your information with the academic sources.
- Make sure to comply with the format and citation rules.
- Always proofread your narrative essay before submitting it.
This is it! Remember, your personal narrative essay is like cooking, so do your best the way that only you can! :)
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