How do I create an outline for a narrative essay?

Does writing a narrative essay feel difficult?

Here's a solution! Create an outline to plan your essay. It will keep you organized and make the rest of the writing process flow more quickly!

A narrative essay:

📙 tells a story (a true story or made up)

😇 includes a moral or lesson learned

☝️ is usually told in first person point of view (I, me, my, we)

🎆 uses vivid details

🏛 follows a narrative story structure

Did you fill out plot diagram worksheets in elementary school reading class?

All of the parts you used to diagram will be included in your narrative essay!

⭐️ Exposition: The beginning of the story. The characters and setting are introduced.

😬 Conflict: The problem or challenge in the story.

↗️ Rising Action: A series of events that build up the climax.

‼️ Climax: The point of greatest suspense in the story.

⏬ Falling Action: The events that wrap up the story.

🎀 Resolution: How the story ends.

That time you spent in elementary school reading stories will support you now!

The INTRODUCTION sets your reader up for the story.

⭐️ Plan to:

• Grab your reader's attention with a good hook.

• Include a thesis statement that states your moral.

Check out this Byte: 3 steps to writing an effective essay introduction

The BODY includes all of the narrative elements from the plot diagram and is at least three paragraphs in length.

⭐️ Plan to:

• Introduce the setting, characters, and conflict.

• Tell the story events in order, leading to the climax.

• Share the resolution of the story.

The CONCLUSION wraps up the narrative essay for your reader.

⭐️ Plan to:

• Remind the reader of the moral or message of the story.

• Explain how the lesson can relate to others.

Things will not go well if you ask your younger sister to cut your hair. I found that out the hard way.

Once upon a time, I got a haircut from my sister.

Did you know that most kids get their first haircut around age 2?

INTRODUCTION

• Hook: "You're not old enough yet!" How many times did you hear that when you were a kid?

• Moral or message: Don't be in a rush to grow up.

BODY

Body Paragraph 1:

• Setting: My cousin's driveway.

• Characters: Me, my cousins, my brother, my mom and dad, aunts and uncles.

• Conflict: I really wanted to ride my cousin's bike with hand brakes, but I didn't know how to use hand brakes yet.

  

Body Paragraph 2:

• Event 1: I spot the bike with no one on it and climb on.

• Event 2: The bike starts to roll backwards.

• Event 3: I try to brake, but the pedals just spin backwards.

• Event 4 (Climax): Go down my cousin's driveway backwards, faster and faster, headed for the street.

  

Body Paragraph 3:

• Story resolution: I go backwards down the entire driveway, across the street, and land in the pile of garbage bags on the curb across the street.

CONCLUSION

• Reminder of moral or message: Don't rush to grow up — you might not be ready yet.

• Application to others: Make sure you are ready when you try something new.

Get to writing!