Before we go any further, Purdue Online Writing Lab defines a narrative paper as a form of academic assignment in which the writer relates a tale about his or her own experience in order to make a point. It's not simply about telling a good story. Setting, character development, conversation, conflicts and resolutions, and turning points are all important elements in narrative essays. Another goal of this type of writing is to emphasize the importance of the experience as well as the reasons for sharing it. The narrative essay is more free-form than the persuasive essay, which is extensively planned. A beginning, middle, and end are all present in every story.

Keep in mind that there are four different varieties of such paper, and you must distinguish between them:

1. Exposition
2. Description
3. Narrative
4. Argument

How do you choose topics for a narrative essay?

1. Remember that stories are told through narratives.

The theme you chose should allow the audience to relate to your personal experiences, abilities, and life lessons.

2. Select discussion topics that are relevant to you.

Select challenges that you have struggled with if you are passionate about something. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to avoid writing about yawn-inducing topics.

3. Prepare yourself — don't skip the planning phase.

Because your paper must prove a point, double-check how much data you'll need on various themes.

4. Don't stop experimenting.

Experiment with different topics by combining different incidents from your life. Consider a topic that will provide your readers with the most emotional impact.

5. Remember the framework of the essay.

In terms of organization, every academic work necessitates a golden formula. Consider whether you can build meaningful, logical parts based on the intro-body-conclusion structure for the list of ideas you can choose from. Decide whether you'll be able to come up with at least three claims (subject sentences) to support your thesis statement in the body section of your paper, which will take at least three paragraphs.

To assist you, our custom dissertation writing service has put up a list of narrative essay ideas with descriptions. Check out the list below for some great college narrative essay themes.

Topics for Narrative Essays

Experience may be a great teacher.

Take up a pen and paper and scribble down any memories that come to mind. It's possible that an unpleasant experience will change into a great one, or vice versa. The most interesting aspect of a bad situation is how you dealt with it and, ideally, came out on top. Provide a setting for your reader to feel like they're a part of your story and experiencing this moment of transition with you.

1. Fear is an honest and understandable emotion. Describe the moment you conquered your greatest fear.
2. In certain situations, heroism requires daring... or foolishness. Write about a brave moment you've had.
3. Nobody is without flaws, and everyone makes mistakes. Discuss a blunder you've made and the lessons you've learnt from it.
4. It's always a good idea to get out of your comfort zone when life becomes too mundane. Share a story about a moment when you tried something new.
5. Students' first employment experiences teach them responsibility and offer them a taste of adulthood. Create a story about your first job.

Topics for Personal Narrative Essays

Your personal experience is the focus of a personal narrative essay. It must elicit an emotional response from the reader. To accomplish so, the picture you're painting (with words) must be vivid and emotionally appealing to the reader. Using a lot of information to attain this goal is a terrific way to proceed.

The following are some examples of personal narrative topics:

1. An event that put your life in jeopardy
2. You have a funny story about something that happened to you.
3. A memory from your youth
4. Your first international travel
5. An incident from your high school years
6. A narrative about a friend who died.
7. A narrative about mastering a new skill (like playing a musical instrument or surfing)
8. You have an embarrassing story about something that occurred to you.
9. A narrative about you partaking in a non-academic activity, such as football or gymnastics.
10. Attending a concert or sporting event is a memorable experience.
11. A story about you assisting others in need
12. A time when you unearthed a mystery
13. Mention a family member with whom you have the strongest bond.
14. Describe a class you've taken that has inspired you.
15. You remember a time when you felt alone and afraid.
16. A story about being lost
17. When was the last time you rescued someone?
18. When was the last time you cooked a dinner on your own?

Related: Marijuana Research Paper Topics 

Topics for Narrative Essays

The reader of a narrative essay should be able to see exactly what the writer has gone through. Because you won't be able to show your readers a picture, you'll have to make one with words. Make sure you choose something that you remember well, as giving the reader with all of the details is critical.

1. It'll be a trip you'll never forget.
2. Once upon a time, you met pals in an odd situation.
3. It's your first day of school at a new school.
4. Discuss anything that has frightened you a lot.
5. The most memorable birthday celebration you've ever attended
6. A time when someone you didn't anticipate to assist you
7. Reminisce on the happiest day of your life.
8. You've had a tragic occurrence in your life.
9. What happened when you received your first pet?
10. How you met your best friend
11. A tale about how you misplaced something
12. Talk about assisting a person in need.
13. Tell us about a time when you had to deal with a natural disaster.
14. There was a moment when you were summoned to the dean's office.
15. Tell me about a time when you went to summer camp.
16. It's your first time on a bicycle.
17. You remember a time when you were depressed.
18. When was the last time you had a big disagreement with someone?
19. A narrative about someone who has been unjust to you.
20. Providing assistance to a stranger
21. When was the last time you were subjected to racial prejudice?
22. When was the last time you made a mistake and felt bad about it?
23. The beach day that will live in infamy
24. The most memorable gift you've ever received
25. A story about you being hurt
26. Your first time behind the wheel
27. Breaking up with someone
28. Getting into a relationship
29. Your first flight and your first flight experience
30. Getting to know someone new
31. Anecdotes from a vacation
32. When you were chastised
33. When you found out the truth about someone.
34. A life lesson is being learned.
35. Being involved in a vehicle accident
36. Hiking is your favorite pastime.

Topics for Cultural Narrative Essays

Cultural narrative essays allow you to demonstrate a reader a facet of culture while still keeping it interesting and instructive. Because culture is such a broad and sophisticated system, avoid addressing multiple parts in the same story at the same time. Cultural narratives are excellent conversation starters because they allow people to ask questions about culture and express any prejudices they may have against a culture or certain components of that society. Some samples of cultural story essays are as follows:

1. Family customs that are unique
2. You were astonished by a tradition.
3. What is your favorite holiday and how is it observed in your culture?
4. Why is it necessary to understand your culture?
5. When you were ashamed because you didn't understand a certain facet of a group's culture,
6. Changes in culture as a result of circumstances
7. The media's impact on culture
8. Your family's culinary customs
9. What a person's culture says about them
10. Your cultural background

Related: Topics on Urbanization and Sustainability

Argumentative Narrative Essay Topics

A narrative argument essay tells a story about something that has piqued your interest or had a significant impact on your life. It must also offer a compelling or arguing point that has arisen from your story. Your story serves as both an argument and an example for persuading the reader.

1. When was the last time you had a fight with a friend?
2. A narrative about a time when you had a disagreement with someone.
3. When was the last time you had to deal with bullying?
4. Someone who has taken their own life.
5. The day you received your high school diploma
6. A time when your doctor appeared to be, or actually was, negligent
7. You were involved in an automobile accident.
8. When was the last time you were humiliated?
9. You performed a charitable act.
10. A problem you solved for a friend
11. Someone was once assaulted at school.

Topics for Narrative Essays that are Interesting

Looking for a unique topic to write about? You've come to the right place. Here are some uncommon and excellent narrative essay themes.

1. You had to make a difficult decision.
2. A individual who had a lasting impact on your life
3. There was a time when you flooded your next-door neighbor's apartment.
4. A day you'd like to revisit
5. You remember a period when you failed a class.
6. The most terrifying experience of your life
7. You recall a period when you were quite ill.
8. You once saved someone's life.
9. When was the last time you went to a haunted house?
10. When you were given a gift
11. Your first position
12. When you had a flat tire
13. Things you do while you're alone
14. When was the first time you went to the ER?
15. Your first run-in with the cops

Childhood Recollections

Take a journey down memory lane to your early years and come up with a bizarre narrative to tell. You can always make up a story if you have a setting and a concept but no story. People will think your life is fascinating if you make it compelling! Write about a childhood experience that taught you the value of working together.

1. Remember when you didn't need alcohol to have a good time at a party? Recall the wildest party you ever attended as a kid.
2. Write about your first physical or mental suffering experience. How did you get through it?
3. In the viewpoint of children, role models who resemble superheroes are common (from Hollywood actors to rock band players). Who did you look up to as a role model and why?
4. Write about a childhood dream you recall having.

High School Experiences

In some manner, everyone reminisces about their school days. It's a time for learning, growth, and development—or for skipping courses and hunting for trouble. Make a narrative essay out of something exciting from your high school experience.

1. The school was largely boring, although there were a few exceptions. Concentrate on a subject in school that you were passionate about.
2. Describe a humiliating experience, whether it was yours or someone else's. What were the reactions, and what did you learn?
3. When you finished your homework, you looked forward to your hobbies (football, guitar, gaming, and traveling). What did you do after school?
4. Describe your high school best friend and how you've both evolved since then.
5. Write about your proudest achievement in school.

Topics for Personal Narrative Essays

Families are the foundation of all relationships. As a person grows older, his or her relationship with their family expands to include friendships, sexual interests, professional relationships, and much more. Investigate the flaws and strengths of the people you've met.

1. People change; some stick together, while others disintegrate. Write about a long-lost friend and the circumstances behind their disappearance.
2. A person's perception of things can be altered with a few words. Write about a conversation that had a profound impact on your life.
3. Discuss a successful business partnership in which you and your partner have accomplished something outstanding.
4. Dads can be the voice of reason and moral discipline in their children's lives. Discuss how your father has influenced your life.
5. People's groups of friends alter as they mature and travel about. Have you ever had a similar experience? Discuss how it feels to meet a completely new set of individuals and share experiences, become friends, and form relationships.

Moral and Ethical Issues

The world is kept in order by laws. Do they, or do they not? Students from all across the world debate a variety of difficult moral issues. When a person's ethical standards require them to choose between doing the legal thing and doing the right thing, they must make a decision. These considerations make morality an endless source of writing inspiration.

1. Discuss an instance when you did something unlawful but felt it was the proper thing to do.
2. Talk about a cowardly act you witnessed. Explain why you believe it was cowardly, and what you would have done in its place.
3. Teachers, parents, law enforcement, and the government — Examine the morals they preach and whether they are occasionally incorrect. Give specifics about your act of defiance against "the man in authority."
4. Discuss an instance when you had to do something that went against your morals.
5. How do you feel about it from a moral standpoint?

Interests & Hobbies

Hobbies are the activities that people enjoy the most. Hobbies can lead to lifelong passions or commitment in one's community. When their passions can be incorporated into their professions, most individuals are happier. Furthermore, people are drawn to each other by the things they do and the places they visit. "What do I enjoy doing?" you might wonder. Alternatively, “Why do I enjoy this particular genre of music?”

1. Discuss an instance when you put your responsibilities aside in order to pursue a pastime.
2. Write about your skills and how you've honed them.
3. Would you consider turning your interest into a school-based course?
4. Tell us about a time when your interest or obsession landed you a job.
5. Parents frequently overlook their children's hobbies. They want their children to succeed academically. How do you believe parents should react to children who are more concerned with their interests than with their grades?

Inspirational Moments

Have you ever had a moment that encouraged you to achieve greatness? As students, we are frequently inspired by the most basic observations. You can always transform any source of inspiration into a compelling piece of writing, whether it's a field trip, a stunning vista, a moving film, or a classic book like "Catcher in the Rye."

1. Have you ever seen a film that encouraged you to achieve greatness?
2. Have you ever been inspired to act a specific way by a fictional character? How do you feel about this character?
3. Millions of times, the most successful people have failed to achieve success. Tell us about someone accomplished who motivates you to keep trying.
4. Write about a time when you were tremendously inspired by something seemingly inconsequential (examples: a close person, a heroic deed, an event, etc.)
5. Have you ever had the feeling that you could do a better job? Remember a time when you saw someone accomplish something and felt compelled to do it better.

Student Life at College

Going to college entails being thrown into a new world full of new experiences — new social circles, a new educational system, student living conditions, and so on. There are plenty of narrative essay themes for college, and about college, that you can write about. Whether you're there to party or use textbooks as pillows, there are plenty of narrative essay topics for college, and about college, that you can write about.

1. Tell us about a moment when passing an exam seemed improbable, yet you did it anyway—and how you prepared for it.
2. Professors in colleges are open to debates and reinterpretations. Describe a moment when you felt your lecturer was incorrect.
3. Describe a lecture that has motivated you to go out and achieve amazing things.
4. There is always a time when a student snaps and realizes they are in college after a difficult transition from high school. Tell us about the turning point in your college career.
5. College can relate to a variety of activities such as partying, studying, or pursuing a goal — which one do you think best describes your meaning of the term?

Scenarios of "What If"

In most narrative essays, students are expected to write about their own life. What are the exceptions to this rule? Narratives are sometimes dramatized in favor of telling a good story rather than simply stating facts. One of the most common sub-genres in essay writing is "Imagine If..." scenarios, which are massively dramatized interpretations of reality. Allow your mind to run wild and see where it takes you:

1. What would your reality show be like if you had one?
2. Where would you go if you could travel back in time, and why? Would you go back in time and change things?
3. Which superpower would you select if you had one, and why? Would you utilize it for your own benefit or to serve others?
4. What if you had an infinite budget as a movie director? Tell us about the film you'd like to make!
5. What would you do if you were a best-selling musician who had just released your most successful record ever?

Places You've Visited

You don't have to talk about simply places from your past; you can also describe places you'd like to visit and explain why. Among the possibilities are:

1. History's tales: an impression from a visit to the National Museum of American History
2. You traveled overseas for the first time in your life. Describe how you felt on that flight.
3. When comparing your first trip to Paris to your most recent trip to the ‘City of Love,'
4. Trying your favorite dish in a quaint seaside restaurant
5. Seeing one of your favorite rock bands in one of the most prestigious venues

Read also: Civil Rights Movement Essay Topics

Favorite Recreational Activities

This one is similar to your "hobbies" but differs somewhat. Instead of making up memories, focus on what you do well and provide some helpful ideas. Describing something you're passionate about always gives you a unique perspective.

1. What would you change about the plot of season three of "Game of Thrones" if you were a scriptwriter?
2. Would you suggest a book to others if it changed your mind about a certain topic, and why?
3. Do your favorite Marvel and DC heroes share any similarities?
4. Which type of game would you release first if you were the CEO of a mobile app development company?
5. Is there a piece of music that always makes you happy, no matter what?

Strong Points or Expertise of the Author

If you consider yourself an expert in a specific field, give the reader some pointers on how to excel in that same sector. Recall personal experiences and elements that have shown to be beneficial. It may appear to be recommendations, but keep in mind that you're writing a narrative essay, so be more creative and descriptive.

1. The reasons why people can cry on my shoulder and instantly feel better
2. There are several factors that contribute to my status as a leading expert in the field of social media marketing.
3. The art of deception: how my imagination once saved the day
4. Characteristics that distinguish me as the best football player on my team
5. A document for those who want to learn how to make Japanese dishes.

Topics for Narrative Essays Without a Category

The previous narrative essay themes are all related to a specific genre or theme. Still, there are a plethora of interesting narrative essay subjects to choose from that are both unpredictable and entertaining to write about. Here are some more ideas for narrative essay topics that we've come up with:

1. The first vehicle you ever purchased
2. Something that makes you ‘grind your gears'.
3. The saddest day of my life
4. Your step-by-step approach to party dancing
5. When you realized that Google saves all of your information, it was a wake-up call.
6. Your stress-relieving guide
7. Reading books, listening to music, and watching movies has never been easier.
8. While you're waiting in line, there are a few things you can do.
9. If you had a billion bucks for a single day, what would you do?
10. A dream realized—either by chance or through hard labor.

Read also: Topics for Terrorism Research

Topics for Narrative Essays that are Fun for High School Students

This area is a welcome addition for our younger readers! In writing, a good sense of humor is a fantastic ace under your sleeve. By using a pertinent joke or narrative, you may be able to convert a serious issue into something entertaining and calming. The remainder of your article will feel more alive and thrilling as a result. These suggestions will help you get motivated:

1. A horrible date with a female or a boy
2. The moment you were on the verge of dying because you did something stupid
3. When your carefree and naive high school persona becomes imprisoned in a difficult real-world predicament.
4. The most significant digital experience of your life
5. The time when math literally saved your life
6. If you were in the film ‘My Sweet Sixteen,'
7. If you were in the movie "Sixteen and Pregnant,"
8. What's the most unusual manner you've made a friend?
9. When you recognized that partying is harmful to your health and decided to stop.
10. It was your first time drinking, smoking, or using drugs. What would you say to someone who has never tried either of these things?

Personality-Related Narrative Paper Topics

Every one of us has a distinct personality. By writing a narrative paper on your strengths, faults, characteristics, mood, and so on, you can represent yourself in any light. We've looked at some of the most interesting topics for you.

1. When you have to wait for something important, how patient can you be?
2. What is your level of self-control?
3. Have you had the opportunity to lead at least once in your life?
4. What would your life be like if you lost your parents when you were young?
5. Are you a competitive athlete who enjoys participating in a variety of sports?
6. When your best pals are around, do you take greater chances?
7. Make a list of your personal superstitions and talk about them.
8. Discuss all of the pranks, jokes, tales, and hoaxes you've been duped by.
9. Discuss the common preconceptions others have about you.
10. What kind of daredevil do you consider yourself to be?

Read also: American History Research Topics, Criminal Justice Research Topics, Persuasive Essay Topics and Ideas for 2023 and Informative Speech Topics

Sexuality and Gender

Any discussion of gender is fraught with sensitivity. Writers should avoid treading on grain if possible. A paper on sex and gender issues should be objective and unbiased in tone. Here are some topics for discussion that you might find interesting:

1. Do any of the boys at your office see women as "prey"?
2. Is there an excessive amount of pressure on women to have perfect bodies?
3. Based on your family and parents, the differences between male and female roles
4. Effective strategies to deal with sexual content on the internet
5. The most effective technique to learn about sexuality in school
6. The feminist movement's fundamental ideals and goals
7. Is it permissible to teach students about gender and sexuality in school?
8. Why do so many parents have different expectations for their sons vs their daughters?
9. The portrayal of sexuality in the “Game of Thrones” book series
10. Have you ever had a bad experience with gender bias at school?

Related: 10 Ideas For Narrative Essay Writing

Do some brainstorming after you've found a topic that suits your mood. On a sheet of paper, write down all of the conceivable scenarios and organize them into a unique story essay framework. Your professor's instructors should be followed. The majority of your questions are likely to be answered there. Eprowriters has created a list of writing suggestions to assist you in effectively managing your essay.

Alternatively ...

We have a group of essay writing experts that can crank out a narrative essay in no time! Avail our services to get a professional who can help you with your assignment. We write custom essays as well as edit and proofread them. Every paper we work on is produced by a team of professionals and triple-checked, ensuring that you receive high-quality work. Place your order right now!

Other Servicers Offered by Eprowriters

• Coursework Writing Help 
• Nursing Papers Writing Help
• Capstone Project Help
• Custom Review Help
• University Assignment Writing
• Homework Writing Help
• Creative Writing Assignment Help

About Us

Eprowriters.net is an afilliate blog of Eprowriters.com, a custom essay writing service that has been providing academic support with great success for more than five years. We are constantly updating our objectives in order to improve the quality of service we deliver and increase client satisfaction. We've progressed to an original concept as a result of our success. Our years of experience, consumer input, and market resources have resulted in the formation of Eprowriters, a one-of-a-kind online business.