Copy of Constructs of the Narrative Essay

Setting the scene of the story

After a scenic drive through the glorious mountains, Trudy and Jeff arrived at the camping area. A ranger at the booth handed them a map and asked, “Have you ever camped with us before?” “A better question would be if we ever camped before,” Jerry answered sarcastically.

“You’ll be fine. Just remember, this is not a hotel. We do have bears and other animals in the area, so lock your food up in the car,” said the ranger as he handed them a lists of Do’s and Don’ts.

Let’s read the essay – the introduction

Developing the plot

It was a wonderful week to camp in the great outdoors, even if some of their friends thought it was a strange way to honeymoon. Trudy and Jeff were looking forward to their week at the Great Smoky Mountains National park in Tennessee. Little did they know what a learning experience this trip would be. Oftentimes people do not follow simple directions; however, these campers learned just how important following directions can be.

Exhausted from their first attempt at setting up a campsite, Trudy and Jeff crawled inside the tent that evening, giggling and whispering to each other. They doused the light inside the tent and ignored the world outside the canvas. The ranger’s list was left laying on the tent floor.

Outline the parts of the story to write it!

Continuing the action with vivid word choices

An informal outline of the story:

Just before sunrise, Jerry was awakened by the sounds of metal ripping. He quietly slipped out of the tent. A fully grown black bear was sitting on their picnic table busily prying the lid off the cooler they neglected to store in the car the night before. Finding the pound of bacon he prized, the bear leaned back on his hind legs and began to devour the bacon. Jerry started screaming at the bear, “Get out of here! What do you think you’re doing?”

-Two campers go camping and ignore rules.

-They leave out food.

-One of the campers tries to scare off the animal.

-Campers learn to follow the rules.

Start with a thesis statement

The Narrative Essay:

Reaching the climax

• The thesis will depend upon the story to be proven.
• The thesis can be something general in the case of a narrative essay.
• For example, you may write “Oftentimes people do not follow simple directions. However, these campers learned just how important following directions can be.”

By this point, most of the other campers had exited their own tents and watched the scene unfold. The bear was not amused by Jerry’s threatening, especially with the remainder of the bacon at stake. The black bear stood on top of the picnic table to his full height. While the bear actually stood only four feet tall, the extra height of the table caused him to loom over Jerry’s head. The bear suddenly fell forward, striking the table with his full weight and snarled. The table moaned in response.

What would you expect from this thesis?

• To learn why following directions is important.
• The story is about camping.
• A twist in the action.

Planning the narrative essay

The climax continues

It differs from a simple story!

Much more quickly than anyone anticipated, the bear reached out his huge, menacing paw towards Jerry. Fear leapt into Jerry’s eyes as he turned and ran back into his tent. Zip! Closed the zipper.

Now, one can only imagine how much time passed before Jerry and Trudy realized the futility of his preventive actions. How was a flimsy flap of canvas going to stop a full-sized, angry bear?

• Brainstorm
• Outline or web the important parts of the story.
• Write a thesis statement.
• Write an introductory paragraph.
• Use as many paragraphs as necessary to tell the story.
• Write the conclusion.

What else does the Narrative essay need?

Finding the solution

• a plot
• characters
• a problem
• a climax
• often uses dialogue
• flashbacks and flash forwards

What should be included in a narrative essay?

What is a Narrative Essay?

• Written in 1st person – I or we.
• Can also be written in 3rd person - he, she, them, etc.
• NEVER written in 2nd person - you/your
• Chronological order.
• Sensory details and vivid descriptions.

Fortunately, the bear was much more interested in the left-over bacon than in Jerry and Trudy. The bear cautiously turned around, climbed back on top of the table, and continued to eat his early breakfast. He carefully examined the remaining contents of the cooler. Finding nothing else as delectable as the bacon, the bear jumped off the picnic table, grunted, licked his paws and then lumbered off into the deeper woods that surrounded the campground.

• A story.
• Has a specific point.
• Strives to teach a lesson or strives to make a specific point.

The concluding paragraph

The audience that had gathered applauded spontaneously, then slowly returned to their own campsites, shaking their heads in disbelief. Meanwhile, inside the thin canvas tent, Trudy and Jeff had lit their lantern and were carefully studying the items listed on the Do’s and Don’ts list. The rest of their trip was blissfully peaceful as they made sure to follow all the rules at the campsite.

Additional ideas for your thesis

-Without a thesis, or a point, you are not really writing a narrative essay but a narrative – make sure to have a point.

-You can get help finding a point when you think about sayings or quotes that teach a lesson.

-Think about a time when you learned something valuable.

-Read quotations to spawn ideas.

Thank you