A narrative essay tells a story. It can be about a personal experience or an imaginary tale. You will need to use descriptive language to ensure that your reader is fully immersed in the story. When choosing a topic for your narrative essay, it is important to select something that will engage the reader and hold their attention until the end.
When considering narrative essay topics, it is important to consider the following:
- What personal experiences can you share that will engage the reader?
- What imaginary tales can you tell that will capture the reader’s attention?
- What descriptive language will you use to ensure that the reader is fully immersed in the story?
Once you have considered these factors, you can narrow down your topic options and select the one that will work best for your narrative essay.
To check if the topic you chose is good for a narrative essay, ask yourself these questions:
- Is the topic personal and significant to you?
- Does the topic allow you to share a story that is interesting, unique, and memorable?
- Does the topic give you the opportunity to reflect on a lesson learned or an experience that changed you?
Here’s a checklist template that you can use to make sure you’re choosing well. Now, straight to topic examples.
Personal Narrative Essay Topics
A personal narrative essay is a story that is told from the writer’s point of view. It can be about something that has happened to you or someone you know, and it should be written with the intention of sharing a personal experience.
When choosing a topic for your personal narrative essay, it is important to select something that is significant and memorable. You should also consider the purpose of your essay, as this will help you choose a topic that is appropriate for the audience you are writing for.
Some personal narrative essay topics might include:
- A time when you had to overcome a challenge
- A time when you were disappointed or betrayed
- A time when you achieved something significant
- A time when you failed at something
- A memory that makes you laugh or cry
- A significant event from your childhood
- An experience that changed your life
If you are having trouble with personal narrative topics, consider brainstorming some ideas with a friend or family member. You can also look through old journals or photo albums for inspiration. Once you have chosen a topic, try to think of specific details that will make your story more interesting and enjoyable to read.
Topics for an Imaginary Narrative
An imaginary narrative is a story that is not based on personal experience. Instead, it is based on your own creativity and imagination. When choosing a topic for an imaginary tale, it is important to consider what kind of story you want to tell.
Do you want to tell a story that is funny, heartwarming, or suspenseful? Once you have decided on the type of story you want to tell, you can narrow down your topic options and choose one that will be engaging for the reader.
Just make sure your essay has the necessary features of a good narrative essay: a specific event, some kind of conflict, a resolution of that conflict, and a lesson to be learned.
Some ideas for imaginary narrative essays include:
- A story about a lost space station that is discovered by a group of astronauts
- A story about a dragon that terrorizes a kingdom but is eventually pacified
- A story about a wizard who must save the world from an evil demon lord
- A story about a group of friends who found traces of an ancient civilization
- A story about a family of mysterious dryads who live in the forest and protect it
- A story about a group of animals that suddenly started speaking the human language
These are just a few examples of the many possibilities for imaginary tales. If you can use your imagination, the sky is the limit when it comes to choosing a topic for your story (and, of course, the word count of your assignment). No matter what topic you choose, imaginary narratives provide a great opportunity to be creative and let your imagination run wild!
Elementary School Level Narrative Essay Topics
In elementary school, students are just beginning to learn how to write essays. For this reason, it is important to choose a topic that is simple and easy to understand.
One way to find a good topic is to think of a time when you had an interesting or memorable experience. This could be something as simple as a trip to the park or a day at school.
Another way to find a good topic is to think of something that you are passionate about. This could be a hobby, an animal, or a sport.
Here are some ideas for elementary school narrative essay topics:
- A time when you got lost
- A time when you were extremely embarrassed
- A time when you met someone new
- A time when you were very proud of yourself
- A time when you were disappointed
- A time when something surprising happened to you
- A time when you were very scared
- A time when you did something you thought you couldn’t do
- A time when you made someone else very happy
- You first pet
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once you have chosen a topic, you can begin writing your essay.
Middle School Level Narrative Essay Topics
In middle school, students are expected to write more complex essays. This means that the topics you choose should be able to be developed into a full-fledged essay.
Note: If you want to find out more about steps to writing narrative essays, here’s our guide for that: How to Write a Narrative Essay
Some things to keep in mind when choosing a topic for your middle school narrative essay include:
- The essay should be about an event or experience that was significant to you.
- The essay should be able to be developed into a full-fledged story with a beginning, middle, and end.
- The essay should be engaging and interesting for the reader.
Here are some interesting narrative essay topics for this level:
- The time you got lost in the city and how you found your way home
- Your first day of middle school
- When you had to stand up for yourself or someone else
- The time you made a new friend
- A time when you had to face your fears
- A time when you learned something valuable
- Your best birthday ever
- The funniest thing that ever happened to you
- The most exciting day of your life
- A time when everything went wrong
- The time you overcame a challenge
- A time when you made someone else’s day
- A time when you were really proud of your friend or sibling
- A time when you showed someone else kindness
- A time when you were grateful for something or someone in your life
- The day you met your best friend
- A time when you had to be brave
- A time when you made a difference in someone else’s life
These narrative essay ideas should give you a good starting point for your middle school essay. Remember to choose a topic that you’re passionate about and to focus on telling a story that is memorable and unique.
High School Level Narrative Essay Topics
In high school, students are expected to write more sophisticated and complex essays.
Some things to keep in mind when choosing a topic for your high school narrative essay include:
- The topic should be something that you are passionate about. This will make the writing process more enjoyable and also help you create a more compelling and interesting essay.
- The topic should be something that can be properly researched. This will ensure that you have enough material to work with when writing your essay.
- The topic should be something that is not too general. This will make it easier to focus your essay and create a more concise and well-organized piece of academic writing.
Here are some high school narrative essay topics to consider:
- The most memorable moment of your life
- A time when you faced a challenge or overcame an obstacle
- An experience that changed your perspective on life
- A defining moment in your relationship with a friend or family member
- A period of personal growth or development
- An event that made you realize the importance of something in your life
- A memory that still brings a smile to your face (or a tear to your eye)
- A moment when you were proud of yourself or accomplished something significant
- An experience that taught you a valuable lesson
- The first time you ever did (or saw) something memorable
- A random act of kindness that changed your or someone else’s life
- The most embarrassing moment of your life that you need to overcome
- Your favorite childhood memory that will never fade away
In high school, narrative essay writing is a common assignment. To write a high school-level narrative essay, the author should choose a topic that can be effectively developed in the given word count.
College Level Narrative Essay Topics
College and university students are expected to write high-level research papers that go beyond summarizing information. These papers should have a clear purpose, such as analyzing data, comparing and contrasting ideas, or persuading readers to accept a certain viewpoint. The best way to accomplish this is to choose a compelling topic that will get your readers thinking critically about the issue at hand.
But, writing narrative and reflective essays can also be faced during your college years. In such a case, choosing a narrative essay topic that is too broad, general, or simply not interesting to your reader can make for a very dull essay.
To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of potential narrative essay topics for college students. These topics are meant to get your creative juices flowing and help you develop a unique and interesting angle for your paper.
- What was your most transformative experience during your time in college?
- How did you grow and change as a result of your interactions with diversity on campus?
- What was your biggest challenge during your first year of college, and how did you overcome it?
- What is your fondest memory from your time in college?
- How did your college experience prepare you for life after graduation?
- What did you learn about yourself during your time in college?
- How did your relationships with others change during your time in college?
- What was the most difficult class you took in college, and why?
- What are your plans for after college, and how did your time in college help you develop those plans?
- What class did you most enjoy during your time in college, and why?
- What would you have done differently if you could go back to your first year of college?
- What advice would you give to a first-year college student?
We hope these topics give you a starting point for writing your own narrative essay. Remember to be creative and unique in your approach and to focus on the experiences that have been most meaningful to you. Good luck!