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How to Choose Among Numerous Narrative Essay Topics?

A personal narrative essay is supposed to describe a significant life experience. In this type of essay, you can get really personal and tell your own story. Such an essay should contain characters, a plot, and a conflict. You should be able to make your essay captivating by involving the potential reader in your story. That’s why it’s better to write about something you feel truly passionate about so that you can incorporate genuine emotions and numerous particulars into your writing. You are free to expose your beliefs, values, and qualities, giving your readers a chance to evaluate your personality. Many tutors use narrative essays to assess the overall potential of their students, as well as their mindset, knowledge, and skills. 

For some students, the freedom of choice may be a serious challenge. You may become stressed out when it’s up to you to make a decision that will determine the quality of your writing.

So, how do you make the right choice when you have to deal with this kind of assignment? To begin with, think about significant events from your life. Select one memory and try to describe it in as many interesting details as possible to build a captivating narrative. Here is a list of 100 narrative essay topics that might be inspirational and help you come up with your own unique idea.

1. The most wonderful childhood memory 
2. My first day at college/school
3. The luckiest day of my life
4. My worst day ever
5. My favorite teacher
6. How I met my best friend
7. People who seriously impacted my life
8. How I became friends with my teacher
9. People who inspire me
10. How I lost a close friend
11. How someone I didn’t like at first became my good friend
12. The biggest fight with my best friend
13. My unforgettable experience of camping with friends
14. My most unforgettable family vacation
15. A time when something really bad happened during a trip
16. How traveling changed my personality and influenced my life
17. The craziest adventure in my life
18. How I experienced a significant historical event
19. An experience that shaped my life
20. The most exciting music event I’ve experienced
21. The best place I’ve seen 
22. How I got my first pet
23. My childhood dream that came true
24. How I fulfilled someone’s dream
25. My childhood heroes and how they shaped me
26. A childhood experience that made me grow up
27. My most memorable birthday party 
28. The most disappointing party in my life
29. How social media changed my life
30. A post on Facebook I wish I’ve never written
31. How I lived without social media for a month
32. How I composed my first poem/short story
33. My first little invention
34. My biggest accomplishment
35. How I started my own project
36. How I conquered my greatest fear
37. How I overcame my phobia
38. The most overwhelming decision in my life
39. How I overcame depression
40. How I earned my first money
41. My experience of living on my own
42. How I judged someone by their appearance and was completely wrong about that person
43. How my principles saved my life
44. A time when I rebelled against injustice
45. Qualities that help me in life
46. My most exciting performance
47. My most hilarious karaoke experience
48. How doing sports transformed me?
49. How I started eating healthy
50. A story about giving up sweets and junk food
51. How I became a vegetarian
52. My experience as a leader of the group
53. How I handled my first speech
54. My method of dealing with stressful situations 
55. The moment I realized that I was growing up
56. How I realized that someone wants to be like me
57. The advice I would give to my younger self
58. How I fell in love for the first time
59. My experience of participating in a charity event
60. How I adopted a stray dog
61. My experience as an animal shelter volunteer
62. How I witnessed a great act of kindness
63. My experience of dealing with bullies at school
64. What would I do if I won a million dollars
65. The hardest experience which was totally worth it in the end
66. How I saved someone from getting hurt
67. How I avoided getting seriously, hurt
68. How I called the police and helped another person
69. My first encounter with the police
70. How I faced racial discrimination
71. The day I faced a natural disaster
72. How a complete stranger changed my life
73. How I got lost in a new city
74. My first heartbreak
75. A story about the most disastrous date I’ve ever had
76. Things my older brother taught me
77. The book that impressed me the most
78. My first time away from home
79. My first trip abroad
80. How I broke a bone
81. A very spooky experience
82. The weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced
83. The most embarrassing experience I will never forget
84. A sad experience with a close person
85. My most dangerous experience in life
86. The most disastrous thing that happened in class
87. How I survived an extremely hot summer day
88. The day my parents shocked me
89. The worst fight with my father
90. A situation that changed the relationship with my parents
91. How I found out that I will have a sibling
92. How my biggest secret got revealed
93. How someone found my diary
94. How I realized that someone hides the truth
95. A moral choice I regret the most
96. Three days without Internet access
97. An interesting story about waiting inline
98. The most meaningful conversation in my life
99. I never thought I would feel such emotions

100. The day when I decided to change my life

Even the tiniest event is enough to provide a plot for a captivating story. However, a truly good narrative should be enlightening and convey some meaning. If it comes to this type of essay, the writer is supposed to teach the readers, introduce a lesson learned. Your real-life example serves an illustration of your point of view.

Recommendations on How to Write a Brilliant Narrative Essay

How is a narrative essay different from a rhetorical essay? Remember: narrative essays are supposed to give the readers lively emotional descriptions. Your work should be well structured and include all the essential components. These helpful tips will aim you in the right direction.

Prewrite

Prewriting phase is when you make your first step and select the topic. This stage is crucial, as it will determine the outcome of your work. Write about something important and memorable in order to come up with a truly compelling story. 

After you decide on your personal narrative topic, think about the major details you would like to include in your story: events, characters, meaningful specifics. Make an outline of what will happen in your narrative. 

Be clear

Don’t overuse complex or abstruse words as it may confuse the readers. Use simple informative descriptions that will convey the message and its meaning. Besides, avoid inserting all narrative ideas into one paragraph. Instead, spread your ideas throughout the whole narrative. 

Don’t write in a cold and clinical manner – imagine that you are sharing this story with your friends and make your descriptions vivid. This is the only way to fully engage readers.

Use the 1st person

Make your story autobiographical – after all, this is the main idea of a personal narrative essay. It means that you should write in the first person, as though everything was happening at the same moment. In this case, readers are likely to connect with the main character – you.

Edit your story

Make sure to revise your narrative after you finish writing. Revising provides an opportunity to make corrections or add something that might be worth mentioning. Don’t miss this step, and you will surely improve an entire story. Reread the narrative and consider if:

• There is a smooth transition from one event to another
• Your story may actually be interesting to read
• The narrative is likely to encourage readers to read it to the end
• The descriptions of all the main characters and events are vivid enough
• The main message of your narrative is clear and has meaning

If every answer is positive, it’s a very good start, and your narrative essay has all the chances to be well-written and captivate the readers. 

Conclusion

Writing narrative essays is something that every high school or college student must deal with. Selecting a topic for your paper is the most crucial step in such an assignment. It might not be easy, but if you take your time and reflect on the possible topics – the right idea will come into sight. If you feel truly passionate about your story, the result will be exceptional, and you will be surprised in a good way! Don’t take shortcuts and avoid using the first idea that pops into your head – the outcome may not be as good as you would like. If you have any doubts, it’s better to change the topic than to understand you are stuck with something unpromising when the deadline is near. Take the process with responsibility and choose wisely.

Feel free to contact professional writers if you need help with your assignment. High-quality work is guaranteed.