Writing an essay in one of the most common assignments in school or college.
Essays reinforce knowledge on a particular subject matter, and are a valuable tool to
gauge the student's overall writing and comprehension ability.
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This is Сorrie from Essaypro.com.
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If you look back at our video Narrative Essay 2019, published last July, we spoke about
the creative process involved in writing a narrative essay, and we gave you helpful tips
and hints to make this process easier.
This video is a follow-up to July's content, and we're going a step further today.
Today, we're going to actually write a narrative essay with you guys, as we believe that people
learn better by doing rather than just listening.
First things first.
Let's do a quick recap about July's video.
Remember that we said that being asked to write a narrative essay is a bit like being
asked to become an author?
Most of us can write an email, or a text message,
but being an author is something totally different altogether,
isn't it.
Essays are, essentially, short stories.
And storytelling matters.
We may soon publish content specifically on storytelling, but we'll stick to
narrative essays just for this moment.
July's video introduced a key concept about writing:
Passion.
Passion usually drives the best writing.
When you write about something, or someone that you're passionate about, words just seem
to flow easily, don't they.
When a topic excites you, intrigues you, and piques your curiosity, you feel naturally
inclined to talk more about it.
Key takeaway from this recap, choose topics that you feel passionate about.
If you watched July's video (and if you haven't, we strongly recommend that you check it out),
you learned the 11 steps we gave you to write a narrative essay.
Well, now is the time to put those skills to the test, by actually writing a narrative essay yourself.
But you won't be alone.
We'll stick with you every step of the way, and you can always go back and forth to
any video of ours to help you out.
Remember how we discussed the importance of structured writing?
Structured writing is good writing.
Always remember, even for your day to day stuff.
Emails, or whatever else you write at your job or school.
If you frame your writing properly, it will look neat, elegant, coherent, and easy to understand.
Structure, as always, is your friend.
Now, as we said before, a narrative essay is essentially a story, and as such, you,
the writer, enjoy a certain amount of liberty when crafting your story.
As a general guideline, it will help to narrow down the scope of the essay
and focus on a single event.
Essays are not novels, after all, so focusing your writing will help you achieve a better
outcome.
But what about the plot?
All stories do have a plot, and in this case,
the plot might be your own life story.
If you're talking about something that happened to you, either recently or in the distant
past, it is because you remember that time well.
This might be for good or not so good reasons, but the key is that you feel passionate about
this moment in your life.
And remember what we said about passion?
It drives the best writing style.
All good stories need a conflict.
We have spoken about the concept of literary conflict in the past.
Within the confines of literature, conflict is a device characterised by the struggle
between two or more opposing forces.
In Romeo and Juliet, for instance, the conflict lies in the seemingly impossible love between
two people from different social classes.
So your narrative essay needs a conflict.To dig deeper with real examples of how conflicts
can be described in narrative essays - check our Blog’s articles on Essaypro.com.
So what do I write about?
That's the million dollar question.
And the answer is that you can write about anything you want.
You are the author now.
You enjoy freedom of creativity.
But whatever you choose to write about, you need to feel passionate about it.
The story you write must mean something to you.
If it does, the readers will feel that through your words, and will be engaged with it.
They will want to know how it ends.
And at the end, your readers will feel as in you, the writer, have been inside their
minds for a little while.
You guys know that here at Essaypro.com, we like to teach you stuff by doing, rather than
just telling, cause telling is kind of boring, isn't it.
One of the golden rules of storytelling is 'show, don't tell’.
So that's just exactly what we're going to do right now.
We’re going to show you how to write a narrative essay.
We don’t have the time or the space to write a full essay, but we’ll get you started
on the right path.
The piece we have picked is an introspective one.
It tells the story of a moment in the writer’s life.
Ready?
Let’s write!
Visiting the Top of the Rock in New York
The title of the essay is concise and straight to the point.
It immediately conveys what the essay is about, leaving no room for ambiguity.
A simple but accurate title is essential for your essay, as it frames the story right away.
New York, New York.
The city that never sleeps.
With a population of over 8.5m people, someone's always bound to be awake!
And so many sights to see, hear, and experience across this sprawling metropolis.
A visitor could spend a lifetime there and see something new every day.
I recently traveled to New York, my first time in fact, and spent four days in this iconic city of the world.
I visited some of the best known landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty,
Central Park, and of course, the Top of the Rock down in central Manhattan.
This paragraph nicely sets the story in motion.
The plot, if you will.
All stories need a plot.
Note also that this piece is written in the first person.
Most narrative essays -but not all- would be written in the same fashion.
The Top of the Rock is located in the Rockefeller Center, a huge complex of 19 commercial buildings
spanning from 48th to 51st Streets in downtown Manhattan.
The Rockefeller Center houses Radio City, an ice skating rink, shops, restaurants, and
of course, the Top of the Rock.
A must-see attraction in NY, if the reviews are to be believed.
And reviews there are aplenty.
People have a lot to say about the Top of the Rock.
Amazing views, for starters.
850ft (260m) up in the air.
The observation deck towers over NY, offering incredible views.
On a clear day, one can see the city below for miles and miles.
You can witness the world go around beneath you, and it is an unforgettable view.
Try to use colourful and evocative language to inspire the reader.
By writing awe-inspiring text, the reader will feel like they want to be up there and
experience the journey with you.
So I decided to experience it for myself.
And I had a good reason to visit the Top of the Rock.
You see, I am a keen amateur photographer.
I never go anywhere without my trusty camera.
I wanted to photograph that amazing view that everyone was talking about.
And specifically, I wanted to photograph the sunset from the Top of the Rock.
You can purchase special sunset tickets, as well.
They cost a bit more, but they're worth it, especially on clear day.
So I got my tickets, and (im)patiently waited for the day and the time set for my visit.
But there was a problem.
A huge problem.
Here comes the conflict of the story.
Conflict is part of any storytelling endeavour.
It creates uncertainty and a desire to read more.
So, keep going.
The sky was overcast on the evening of my planned visit.
Oh no.
The whole point of me visiting the Top of the Rock was to take clear photographs of
the NY sunset.
So I went back to the ticket desk, explained the situation, and luckily, the good folks
working there have no issue with exchanging the tickets for another day, where
the sun would hopefully be shining, with no clouds to obstruct the view.
I got tickets for the following day instead.
I (im)patiently waited, again.
The morning dawned sunny.
It remained sunny throughout the afternoon.
I waited.
Not a cloud in the sky.
Time to go up to the Top of the Rock.
The elevator ride takes about 45 seconds from the ground to the top.
The ride itself is quite cool, as the cabin's ceiling is transparent.
Images are projects on it as the elevator soars upwards, making for a short, but entertaining
journey.
Once the elevator doors slide open, there is a short walk to the Observation Deck.
It is an awesome, inspiring place with views that open up a world of spectacle below you and
all around you.
The views are breathtaking.
Then the sun begins to set, and magic is born.
Watching the sun setting from the Top of the Rock is a truly unforgettable experience.
The fading light casts ochre and golden shades everywhere as the shadows become longer and longer.
Twilight is a witching moment, an instant in time that burns an afterimage of dreams
and inspirations.
Again that flourished, vivid language.
Evoke feelings in the reader.
And to witness it from The Top of the Rock takes your mind to another plane.
And there you have it.
We hope you enjoyed the video, and remember to subscribe to our channel.
In case you need any essay for your school or just want to see really good examples, we
can do it for you on Essaypro.com.
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You know who to use?
Essaypro.com.
Goodbye