There are few things more intimidating for a writer than a blank page and a creeping deadline. Whether writing their first essay or publishing their umpteenth book, the anxiety and palpitation of developing fresh content, no matter what kind, is very much real and strikes one & all. Commonly known as writer’s block, the key to overcoming it is staying calm, making a plan, and just writing your heart out.
The overall roadmap for developing an arresting story for your narrative essay is similar. If you have gone blank while coming up with ideas or developing a narrative on a given topic, then the key is to remain calm, dwell deeper into the topic, and gradually chalk out an effective writing plan. Careful researching and planning are the only true ways to craft amazing stories/narratives.
This write-up will show you how to weave amazing stories for your narrative essay assignments. It comes to you straight from a professional essay helper at MyAssignmentHelp.com, one of the largest online academic service providers in Canada.
Let’s get started.
The Elements of Story Building
Any narrative, be it for a high-school essay or a fantasy novel, is made up of certain core elements. It doesn’t matter whether the overall premise is factual or fictional; the following elements are fundamental to narratives of all kinds à
- The Theme
- The Plot
- The Characters
- The Setting
- The Perspective or Point of View
The above five are fundamental in that you can’t have a narrative without them. Certain genres, topics, and approaches may require certain additional elements such as rising & falling actions, side characters & parallel points, conflict & resolution, etc.
Nevertheless, to get any narrative into gear, you will need to:
- Develop an intriguing theme that serves as the overarching idea for your narrative essay. The theme of your essay is closely related to its topic but, at the same time, distinctively unique. The difference to keep in mind is that the essay topic pertains to what you are writing about. The theme is the overarching idea or message that the essay and its writers are putting across to the reader. It is the writer’s commentary and overall thoughts on the subject pertaining to the topic.
Themes may be obvious for certain topics and not so much for certain others. Dwell deeper into the topic to understand the subject and determine what kind of overarching theme you can present. Use different kinds of literary elements, plot & character development techniques, set-ups, & hooks, etc., to conjure a pertinent & appealing theme for your essay.
- Craft an interesting plot- The plot of your essay is actually the overall structure of the story or narrative. Most narrative essays tend to follow the traditional path of progress involving:
- Exposition – introducing the setting & characters;
- Rising Action – events that lead to conflicts, clashes, problems, etc., involving the protagonist/s, deuteragonist/s, tritagonist/s, etc. and the antagonist/s.
- Climax – the peak of the narrative and the culmination of all prior action, the most intense & highest point;
- Falling Action – the events following the climax;
- Resolution/Denouement/Conclusion – the ultimate resolution and, in some cases, laying the seeds of a new narrative or continuing the existing one;
Plot development is one of THE MOST important aspects of narrative development. It is no less important for a narrative essay than it is for a novel or a movie plot. If you are struggling to come up with an interesting topic for your narrative essay, expert essay writing help from MyAssignmentHelp.com can be just what you need to get your creative juices flowing.
- Create & develop arresting, relatable characters – Characters breathe life into your story. They are the people who carry the story forward and act as the media for presenting your ideas, message, opinion, perspective, and the like.
Protagonist, deuteragonist, antagonist, foil, stock character, the hero & the anti-hero, the mentor, the game-changer – there are different archetypes and cookie-cutter personas you can include. Depending on the topic, theme, and approach, you can create distinctively unique characters for your essay. Your audience should be able to relate to most, if not all, the characters of your story & essay. Bring about variation in your characters and make them interesting.
Character development is another extremely important aspect of any narrative. Alongside developing the plot, you need to think of the best ways to build and bring your characters to life. Developing your characters is a common trope for taking the narrative forward.
- Think of an appropriate setting in which to place the narrative. The setting is one of the first things to think about when you are working on your narrative and world-building. Narrative essay topics in high school generally suggest the overall setting (location, timeline, events) to keep in mind when writing.
Settings can be unique to a topic, can be symbolic, or just serve as a backdrop to the story. The setting can be used as a major factor in influencing the overall story, progressing the plot, and developing/modifying the characters.
- Present the story from an appropriate point of view – Point of view is the perspective of narration. You can write your essay in the first-person, the third-person, or any other perspective that aligns perfectly with other essay elements. What’s important is clarity and connectivity.
Your readers should be able to understand and identify with a point of view. The justification behind choosing a specific perspective is how well it gels with other elements of the essay, how it engages the audience, and how successful the essay is.
Read short stories & novels, biographies & autobiographies, memoirs & recounts carefully. Look at the different perspectives used across fiction and non-fiction. Find inspiration from established authors and look closely at how they tell their stories.
Those were the five core elements of narrative development in essay & story writing. Hope the info above helps anyone who’s struggling to craft their narrative essays. The key to becoming a good writer is to read and write as much as possible. Do so and if you are struggling with your essay assignments, do connect with MyAssignmentHelp.com, a leading academic service online.
All the best!
