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Writing a Narrative
writing workshop
You have probably been writing narratives for as long as you have been in school.
Because narratives are about you and your experiences, they are a great way to
practice writing in a familiar context. Since this is a type of writing you’re likely familiar
with, our focus here is not just on how to write a narrative, but how to write one using
the essential elements of narrative writing that professional writers use. You will be
writing this narrative from your own point of view, but you’ll also be thinking about
yourself as a writer, focusing on the choices you make in how you tell your story.

Step 1. Getting Started

Without a doubt, for many students, the most challenging part of writing a narrative is
trying to decide what to write about. All of the narratives in this chapter were written by
adults who have many years of experiences to draw from and who feel inspired — not
assigned — to write their stories. It would be a mistake, however, to think that nothing
has happened to you yet that might make an interesting narrative. A narrative does not
have to be based on a huge, life-changing event. If you think back on the narratives in
this chapter, the stories don’t always scream “I am important!” Many of them focus on
simple things like Halloween candy (Sedaris), watching a movie with friends (Kaling),
or the first day at school (Rau). In a lot of ways, an effective narrative has far less to do
with the event itself than with the telling of the event.
That said, you do need to decide on an event from your life that you think you can write
about in an interesting way. The point, sometimes, is to think smaller rather than larger.

activity Brainstorming

Write for a few minutes in response to some of the following prompts. Don’t feel that
you need to try to answer all of them. Some may not apply to you at all, but don’t
narrow down too quickly to a single one at this point. Use them as a way to generate
a list of possible events you could write about:
1. Describe a time when you misjudged someone based on appearance or when

someone misjudged you.

2. Tell about a time in your life when you experienced disappointment and how you
handled it.
3. Describe a time when telling a lie had some kind consequence for you, or when

you got away with a lie without consequence.

4. Describe a time when you wished for something and got it — and then wished you
hadn’t.

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Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
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