Personal narrative essays are told from the point of view of the writer. Most times, they include characters, a plot, and conflict. They are also based on the lives of the writer in relation to the topic being studied in the class.
Finding personal narrative ideas can be difficult, especially if your professor doesn’t assign a topic to you. You need good narrative essay topics because it has an impact on your grades. So how can you pick personal narrative topics?
How to Choose Narrative Essay Ideas/Topic?
Choosing a topic for your essay is important because it allows you to write on something that you are passionate about. So even if you are not given a topic, you can find one that you can relate to easily. When you pick a topic you can relate with, the writing becomes easier because you will always have content to work with.
To start, it is important to know that a good narrative topic can come from a life event you have experienced. Pick a memory and build a story from it. If you brainstorm, you may just find some memories for the essay.
There are a lot of narrative story ideas to work with, and this guide will highlight some common ones.
- Common narrative writing ideas
- Top travel experience
- Unique family traditions
- Most memorable childhood experience
- School hostel living experience
- Past relationships
- College student life
- Top events that reshaped my life
- The best novel I ever read
- The importance of computer literacy in my life
- Why I love mountain climbing
- How I coped during my first public speech
- The worst thing that has ever happened to me
- My first time on a plane
- My unique features
- Important lessons my parents taught me
- Why I don’t try to impress others
- What I would change in history if I could
- How I lost a friend
- My favorite storybook
- How I will spend a billion dollars
- How I rest after a long day
- How I felt on the first day of school
- My best subjects in high school
- What I would do after gaining fame
- How I got over my greatest fear
- My favorite musician
- Top things I love about my body
- My first love
- Things I do to destress
- My first short story
- How I cope with depression
- My favorite activities
- People who have impacted me positively
- The worst argument I ever had
- My favorite family tours
- Social media’s role in my life
- Why I love camping
- Landmarks I wish to visit
- My role model
- My first heartbreak
- My favorite game with friends
- How I plan to change the world
- The first fight with my best friend
- Things I want to tell my younger self
- Why my cat makes me laugh
- The most important life principle
- How I maintain a balance between work and family life
- Why I document my life
- My favorite poem
- How technology impacts my life positively
- Teachers who inspire me
- My best childhood tv show
- How I overcame my phobia for public speeches
- My favorite author
- The most difficult thing I ever did
- My biggest regret
- How I got motivated to write my thesis
- My first time alone
- How I learned to overcome challenges
- My first article
Personal Narrative Essay Writing Tips
The main difference between rhetorical essays and narratives is that the readers are given vivid descriptions that help them to reach a conclusion. To do this, you need to structure the essay an add all the necessary components. Here are some tips to help:
- Prewriting phase
Before starting the paper, think about life events that relate to the theme of the assignment. This is the best place to pick a topic. The topic influences the outcome of a narrative. After picking a topic, identity details, and events that will be included in the paper. Draw an outline of how these events will occur.
- Start with clarity
Use clear and concise words and avoid complex words because they can confuse the readers. Simple descriptive words can be better for the situation as they pass the message clearly. Don’t add all narrative ideas in one paragraph. Spread them out in different paragraphs. Don’t be too formal, write like you are talking to your friends. Your descriptions should be vivid to ensure that the readers are fully engaged with the story.
- The first-person narrative is better
Narrative essays are better off written in the first person. This is because you are providing a story or autobiography of important life events you have experienced. The first person narrative is ideal for this type and not second or third person styles. This style of writing allows the readers to be in the same moment you were in when the events occurred. They can share in your pain and joy because of how personal it is. They can connect with you as the main character in the story.
- Edit and proofread your work
After completing the paper, ensure that you proofread and revise it. This will give you an opportunity to spot the errors in the work and make some corrections. You can also give it to a friend or a professional editor to help you proofread. As you edit, you may find more events to add or ideas to remove if they do not fit the narrative. After revising, read it all over again.
