Narrative writing | Definition & Examples
Narrative writing is a form of writing that tells a story. It presents a sequence of events, real or imagined, through characters, a setting, and a plot that usually builds toward a conflict and resolution.
Narrative writing is the foundation of most creative writing. That includes novels, short stories, memoirs, and narrative poems. It can also appear in school assignments such as the personal narrative essay.
Key takeaways
- Narrative writing tells a story. It presents a sequence of events through characters, a setting, and a plot that usually builds toward a conflict and resolution.
- It can be true or invented. A memoir about a family road trip and a fantasy novel are both narratives, because both answer the question “what happened?”
- Conflict gives a narrative its shape. What separates a story from a list of events is a character facing a problem, making choices, and living with the consequences.
- There are four main types: personal narratives, fictional narratives, narrative nonfiction, and narrative poetry.
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What is narrative writing?
Narrative writing is any writing that tells a story, whether it is fiction or nonfiction. The word “narrative” comes from the Latin narrare, meaning “to tell” or “to relate.” At its simplest, a narrative answers the question, “What happened?”
What separates narrative writing from a simple list of events is its shape. A narrative follows one or more characters as they face a problem, make choices, and experience consequences.
Narrative writing can be fiction or nonfiction. A fantasy novel and a memoir about a family road trip are both narratives, because both tell a story with characters, a setting, and a plot.
- A story: It presents connected events with a beginning, middle, and end.
- Characters: It focuses on people, animals, or other beings who act and are affected by events.
- Conflict: A problem or struggle drives the plot and creates tension.
- A narrator: Someone tells the story from a particular point of view.
- Purpose: A narrative entertains, but it often also conveys a theme, lesson, or insight.
Types of narrative writing
Narrative writing can take many forms and writing styles. The four types below differ mainly in whether the story is true and whether it is written in prose or verse.
Personal narrative
A personal narrative tells a true story from the writer’s own life, usually in the first person. It focuses on a meaningful experience and reflects on what the writer learned from it. Personal narratives range from short school essays to full-length memoirs.
- Educated by Tara Westover: Recounts growing up in a survivalist family in Idaho and educating herself until she reaches Cambridge.
- Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt: Describes the author’s impoverished childhood in Limerick, Ireland.
- Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell: An essay in which Orwell reflects on an incident from his time as a colonial police officer in Burma.
Fictional narrative
A fictional narrative tells an invented story. The characters, events, and sometimes the entire world are created by the author, although they may be inspired by real life. Novels, novellas, and short stories are all fictional narratives.
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Scout Finch witnesses racial injustice in her small Alabama town.
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister’s place in a televised fight to the death.
- The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: A short story about a village that holds a disturbing annual tradition.
Narrative nonfiction
Narrative nonfiction, also called creative nonfiction, tells a true story about other people or events using the techniques of fiction, such as scenes, dialogue, and suspense. It is common in journalism, biography, and history.
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: Reconstructs the 1959 murder of a Kansas family and the lives of the killers.
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer: Recounts the deadly 1996 disaster on Mount Everest, which the author survived.
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: Tells the story of the woman whose cells were taken without her consent and used in countless medical breakthroughs.
Narrative poetry
Narrative poetry tells a story in verse. Unlike lyric poetry, which focuses on expressing emotion, a narrative poem has characters, events, and a plot. Epics and ballads are the most traditional forms.
- The Odyssey by Homer: An epic poem about Odysseus’s ten-year journey home from Troy.
- The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe: A grieving narrator is visited by a mysterious talking raven.
- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: A sailor tells of the curse he brought on his ship by killing an albatross.
Frequently asked questions about narrative writing
- What are examples of short narrative writing prompts?
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Short narrative writing prompts give you a starting point for a story in just one or two sentences. They can lead to personal narratives based on your own life or to fictional stories.
Some examples of short narrative writing prompts are:
- Write about a time you got lost.
- Describe the day you met your best friend.
- A character finds a letter addressed to them, dated 50 years in the future.
- Write about a family tradition from the point of view of an object used in it.
Once you have an idea, develop it with Quillbot’s AI Writer and experiment with different points of view
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