Key Concept
A narrative essay can be either fiction or nonfiction. A nonfictional narrative is a story you tell about events you experienced or witnessed. A personal narrative is an example of a type of narrative that is usually nonfiction. A fictional narrative is a story you create using your imagination. A fictional narrative can help you understand events that you have not experienced. You can use point of view to imagine what it would be like to have those experiences.  

You can write a fictional narrative essay about almost any topic. What would you like to learn about? Choose a topic that interests you and would make a good fictional narrative essay. You can choose an event in history, a current event, or even a work of art. After you choose a topic, identify a single event about which you can tell an interesting and meaningful story.

Whose story do you want to tell? Read about your topic and identify a main character, either real or imaginary. Then, decide from whose point of view you will tell the story. You can imagine that you are the character and tell the story in first person. You may choose to narrate the story about your main character, writing in third person.

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