Hi Eve, a narrative essay tells a story. The focus of a narrative essay is the plot, which is told using enough details to build to a climax. Here's how:
•It is usually told chronologically.
•It usually has a purpose, which is usually stated in the opening sentence.
•It may use dialogue.
•It is written with sensory details and vivid descriptions to involve the reader. All these details relate in some way to the main point the writer is making.
All of these elements need to seamlessly combine. Narrative essays can be quite long, so instead of a full length example of an entire essay, only the beginning of this essay is below:
Learning Can Be Scary
This excerpt about learning new things and new situations is an example of a personal narrative essay that describes learning to swim.
Learning something new can be a scary experience. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was learn how to swim. I was always afraid of the water, but I decided that swimming was an important skill that I should learn. I also thought it would be good exercise and help me to become physically stronger. What I didn't realize was that learning to swim would also make me a more confident person.