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20 Prompts for Narrative Writing That Spark Creativity

prompt-for-narrative-writing

Using prompts for narrative writing motivates kids and gets them excited to write. Read on to learn more about narrative writing, mentor texts, ideas, and assessments. Plus you will find 20 fun prompts for narrative and personal narrative writing. These will be sure to spark student’s creativity and imagination!

What’s Narrative Writing?

Narrative writing tells a story using a beginning, middle, and end.  It includes elements such as characters, setting, problem, and solution.  The author’s purpose is usually to entertain or teach a lesson.  Narrative writing can be fact or fiction but the process is the same.  When it’s a real story from the author’s life, it is considered a personal narrative.  

Examples for Narrative Writing

There are so many wonderful examples of narrative writing.  Some are even written as personal narratives.  Below you will find a list of mentor texts for elementary school.  It’s helpful to immerse students in the genre before and during a narrative writing unit.  These books model different strategies that kids can try in their writing.

Narrative Writing Mentor Texts:

  • Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
  • Come on, Rain! by Karen Hesse
  • Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
  • Fireflies! by Julie Brinckloe
  • Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
  • Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
  • Enemy Pie by Derek Munson
  • Blackout by John Rocco

what-are-prompts-in-writing

Narrative Writing Teaching

There are many features to include in narrative writing, but it depends on the grade level being taught.  For the lower grades, it’s important to start with the concept of beginning, middle, and end written in sequential order.  Then you can expand to the introduction, body, and conclusion using details.  Other important elements are character, setting, problem, and solution.  As the student’s abilities increase the number of sentences will grow and expand to paragraphs.

For the older grades, you can introduce plot structure.  It follows the beginning, middle, and end format but on a higher level.  This story arc includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.  Use the diagram below to see how these features overlap.

Plot Structure

diagram-of-plot-structure

Topics for Narrative Writing

The possibilities are endless when it comes to narrative writing ideas.  Kids can create a fiction piece or write about an experience in their life.  Check out some writing prompt ideas below for narrative and personal narrative writing. You might also like this blog post about opinion writing prompts: 20 Prompts for Opinion Writing That Motivate Kids

Writing Prompts for Narratives

  • I was taking my friend’s picture in front of the volcano when all of a sudden . . .  
  • What if you were given 3 wishes but couldn’t use them on yourself.  Tell a story about what you would wish for and why.
  • Write a story called, “The Luckiest Day of My Life.”
  • Imagine you went to the zoo and could take home any animal for the day.  Tell a story about your time together.
  • Write a silly story that uses these words: airplane, grapes, elephant, and book.
  • You have just been shrunk down to the size of an ant.  Write a story including the good and bad things about being so small.
  • Think about your favorite character from a book.  Tell a story about getting to meet them for the first time.
  • What would happen if you lived during a time when there was no electricity?  Write a story about your school day.
  • Finish this story: The pirates set sail on their ship in search of . . .
  • Suppose you were teacher for a day.  Write a story about the changes you would make.

prompt-for-narrative-writing

Writing Prompts for Personal Narratives

  • Have you ever been so proud of yourself for learning something new?  Write a story about a time this happened.
  • Write a story about a time you felt your heart race.  What happened and how were you feeling at the end?
  • What was your most memorable vacation?  Tell a story from part of that trip and why it stands out in your mind.
  • Have you ever done something you knew would get you in big trouble?  Write a story about a time this happened and how you felt about it.
  • Write a story about the strangest thing that has ever happened to you.  Why was it so unusual?
  • What was your most memorable moment from this year?  Write a story telling why it’s so special.
  • Tell a story about a time when you were so excited and couldn’t wait for an event to happen.
  • Write a small moment story about a time you had with your favorite person.
  • Write about a time that you lost something important.  Tell whether or not you found it.
  • Think about the worst day you ever had.  What made it so terrible and did it get better by the end?

prompt-for-narrative-writing

Rubrics for Narrative Writing

I often hear from teachers that one of the most difficult parts of teaching writing is how to assess it.  Assessments should be accurate and helpful for both the student and teacher.  When it comes to narrative writing, there are many different approaches.  Some teachers prefer to do a more informal assessment for daily writing pieces and then a formal assessment for the final copy.  Informal assessments can be completed with written comments or student-teacher conferences.

It would be very difficult to use a rubric for every narrative writing a student completes in their notebook.  Instead, most teachers prefer to choose one to three writing pieces to assess with a rubric.  These assessments are ideal for benchmarks, progress reports, and report cards.  Below you will find three types of narrative writing rubrics.  Check out this blog post to learn more about student-friendly, teacher-friendly, and time-saving rubrics: 3 Types of Writing Rubrics for Effective Assessments

writing-rubrics-2nd-grade

Narrative writing enables kids to be creative and use their imagination. They can write a fiction story or about a real event from their life. Writing prompts are a helpful tool to get kids engaged and ready to get started. Did you grab your Free Writing Prompt Guide yet? I love using prompts for morning work, writing time, centers, or as a homework assignment. The possibilities are endless! Be sure to try these prompts for narrative writing with your students!

Genre Based Prompts

prompt-for-narrative-writing

Related Articles:

  • 20 Prompts for Opinion Writing That Motivate Kids
  • What is Narrative Writing
  • A Complete Guide to Narrative Writing
  • Personal Narrative Writing for Elementary School
  • Narrative Writing: How to Teach a Story Arc That’s as Exciting as a Roller Coaster

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Home / Book Writing / Narrative Writing Prompts: 50+ Ideas for Your Literary Masterpiece

Narrative Writing Prompts: 50+ Ideas for Your Literary Masterpiece

Narrative writing is the style of writing used in fiction and creative nonfiction, such as memoirs. It's the telling of a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. As such, becoming proficient at narrative writing is essential if you want to make a living writing.

Even if you want to write only as a hobby, you'll need to be more than passingly familiar with this kind of writing. Luckily, this article will help you do just that. First, we'll discuss a bit more about narrative writing, then dive into some narrative writing prompts to get the ideas flowing.

  • Kinds of narrative writing.
  • Who narrative writing prompts are for.
  • List of narrative writing prompts.

Table of contents

  • Different Types of Narrative Writing
  • Who Should Use Narrative Writing Prompts?
  • Linear Narrative Prompts
  • Non-Linear Narrative Prompts
  • Viewpoint Narrative
  • Descriptive Narrative
  • Finding Your Market Niche

There are several types of narrative writing that are used in fiction and some nonfiction books. The most common type is the linear narrative, in which the story progresses in a logical manner. Most fiction is of the linear narrative type .

There's also the non-linear narrative, in which the story jumps around through time. A couple of well-known non-linear story examples include movies such as Pulp Fiction , Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind , and Memento .

Then you have the viewpoint narrative, in which the story is written from the narrator's point of view. Memoirs are examples of viewpoint narrative works, but there are also many first-person point-of-view works of fiction.

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Finally, you have the descriptive narrative, in which a scene, person, place, or thing is described with detailed description using the five senses. A good story will contain enough description to immerse the reader in the story.

We've grouped the creative writing prompts below according to these narrative types. You can pick a prompt from each and get writing, or you can choose only ones that are interesting/pertinent to whatever work-in-progress you're currently involved with.

But before we get to the prompts, do you really need to practice narrative writing?

Whether you're a middle school or high school student, a young writer or an old hand, practicing your craft can only help your writing. While it's true you may remember narrative writing exercises from your elementary school days (no matter how long ago they were), that doesn't mean these exercises can't help you today.

The best writers work on their craft constantly. Like anything else, writing skills need to be sharpened and honed. And one of the best ways to do that is through the various types of narrative writing.

Narrative writing prompts can also help you overcome writer's block so you can get back to writing, whether it's a horror story or a narrative essay. Getting the creative gears turning is great for overcoming creative blocks.

So it doesn't matter where you are in your writing career, narrative writing prompts can help!

Narrative Writing Prompts

These prompts provide a fun way to sharpen your writing skills. You can choose one narrative prompt at a time, or work on multiple to really make things interesting.

Make sure to include a beginning, middle, and end for these linear prompts. They should tell a story in which the main character has to solve a problem or overcome some obstacle , whether physically, emotionally, or both.

1. Write a short story about a fantasy character who gets stuck in our world and has to find their way back home.

2. Write a scene in which a kid has to get home for dinner across a treacherous landscape and through a gauntlet of imaginary monsters and evil sorcerers.

3. Pick three tropes from your favorite writing genre and use them to inform your story. (Example: Horror story (genre), vampires, mad scientist, and a questionable ally.)

4. Write about a character who goes on a blind date that either goes really well or really poorly.

5. Write about a character who wants nothing more than to ride a Ferris wheel, but has a phobia of balloons.

6. Write about an art thief going to great lengths to steal a piece of art.

7. Write about a police officer who must talk someone out of doing something drastic and terrible.

8. Write a scene about a woman meeting a date at a coffee shop and running into her ex.

9. Write about a woman who must brave a violent storm to get home to her children.

10. Write a story detailing a harrowing visit to another country.

Get creative with these prompt ideas. Non-linear narrative prompts are often told from multiple perspectives and/or through the use of epistolary means (i.e. letters, journal entries, news reports, etc.).

11. Write about a fictional character through ripped-out pages from a journal that another character finds.

12. Write a story about a group of friends who go camping and end up getting assaulted by strange creatures. But piece the story together from the point of view of two or more characters.

13. Recount the end of a relationship from the POV of the two participants. Is there a misunderstanding at work, or do both people have the exact same story about why the relationship ended?

14. Write about a family who experiences an earthquake in different parts of the city.

15. Write a scene in which a cop and a criminal are matching wits in an interview room.

16. Start with the end of a story you know well, and then write it backward.

17. Write a story about a character with amnesia who remembers events out of order.

18. Explore a major historical event through the eyes of fictional characters who were “there.”

19. Start in the middle of a story about a long journey, then use flashbacks to fill in essential plot elements.

20. Using an unreliable narrator , tell the story of a disastrous music festival.

Viewpoint narrative can be completely made up or a product of your own personal experience. You can always combine fiction and personal narrative for a great writing exercise . If you're having trouble with writer's block , then the following prompts may be the easiest way to get your writing back on track.

21. What's your favorite memory from childhood? Write it down in as much detail as possible.

22. What's the proudest moment of your life so far? Use it as a starting point to craft a scene in which the moment gets even better.

23. What drew you to creative writing? Describe what inspired you to become a writer.

24. Think back to a day in 7th grade when you had a great day. Describe the day and what made it so great.

25. Write a comedic scene about your family on vacation.

26. Have you ever broken the law? Don't answer that. Instead, write a fictional story in which you do break the law.

27. Think of a famous person who gives you inspiration. Write about what you would do if you ever met them.

28. Write about what you would do on your dream vacation.

29. Write a short story about becoming a superhero.

30. Write a story from the viewpoint of a fictional character planning something nefarious.

31. Write a romantic story about meeting the love of your life.

32. Write a journal entry from the viewpoint of a character who has just accomplished their biggest goal.

33. Write a story about a day in the life of someone from a different cultural background.

34. Write a personal narrative in which you become a professional athlete in your favorite sport.

35. Write a story in which you're a rock star or a movie star.

36. Write a story from the POV of a character struggling to change the world for the better.

37. Write a first-person story about a police officer cracking the big case.

38. Write about a time you tried and failed at something. Explore your feelings and the aftermath.

39. Write about the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you.

40. Write about a near-death experience you've had.

In descriptive narrative, plot is secondary. It's more about getting the details down using all five senses . This can really help strengthen your fiction writing by helping readers feel immersed in the world of your story.

41. Describe a haunted house in detail.

42. Describe a fantasy creature you've made up or one from existing lore.

43. Write about the neighborhood park, including people who frequent it.

44. Write about a breathtaking building you've always liked.

45. Write about a landfill.

46. Write about a fantasy world in which dragons, demons, and elves exist.

47. Write about a building you're intimately familiar with.

48. Write about a spooky forest.

49. Write about a person (either real or fictional) without leaving any details out.

50. Describe the most beautiful sunset or vista you've ever seen.

While most of these writing prompts are mere exercises to strengthen your writing, you may find that they result in a story idea or two. So whether you use them as journal prompts for creative, stream-of-consciousness writing or as a way to come up with stories doesn't really matter. What matters is the writing activity you get out of them. Each hour you spend writing (and not just staring at the screen or surfing social media) adds to the 10,000 hours it takes to become an expert at something.

But what do you do when you want to put your writing out into the world? Well, if you want to make some money from your craft, you'll need to find the right market for your work.

Just as getting to know your characters is important for writing a good story, getting to know your market niche is essential for getting your story in front of readers . There are a couple of ways to do this, but only one that leaves you more time for actual writing. And that means using Publisher Rocket , made by the team here at Kindlepreneur.

With Publisher Rocket, you can get data in seconds that would otherwise take you hours if you were to comb through Amazon yourself. The main PR tools allow you to:

  • Learn what keywords Amazon customers use to search for books like yours — and how many searches a given keyword (or phrase) receives per month.
  • See what's working for other authors in your genre with data on book price, monthly sales, ranking, and book cover styles.
  • Find niche categories with the right amount of demand and competition for your books.
  • Gather keywords to use in your Amazon Ad campaigns.

Check out Publisher Rocket here to learn more.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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  • Knowledge Base
  • How to write a narrative essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .

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Table of contents

What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.

When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.

A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.

These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.

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narrative writing prompt examples

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Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.

  • Write a story about your first day of school.
  • Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.

You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.

  • Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
  • Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?

In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.

Narrative essays in college applications

When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.

For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.

In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

  • Ad hominem fallacy
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College essays

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If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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The New York Times

The learning network | 500 prompts for narrative and personal writing.

The Learning Network - Teaching and Learning With The New York Times

500 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/03/10/can-writing-on-a-college-entrance-exam-be-properly-assessed">Related Article</a>

Updated, March 2, 2017 | We published an updated version of this list, “650 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing,” as well as a companion piece, “401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing.”

Every school day since 2009 we’ve asked students a question based on an article in The New York Times. Now, five years later, we’ve collected 500 of them that invite narrative and personal writing and pulled them all together in one place (available here as a PDF ).

The categorized list below touches on everything from sports to travel, education, gender roles, video games, fashion, family, pop culture, social media and more, and, like all our Student Opinion questions , each links to a related Times article and includes a series of follow-up questions. What’s more, all these questions are still open for comment by any student 13 or older.

So dive into this admittedly overwhelming list and pick the questions that most inspire you to tell an interesting story, describe a memorable event, observe the details in your world, imagine a possibility, or reflect on who you are and what you believe.

Childhood Memories

<a href="//well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/a-firm-grasp-on-comfort/">Related Article</a><a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/opinion/sunday/living-with-less-a-lot-less.html"><br /></a>

  • What Was Your Most Precious Childhood Possession?
  • What Were Your Favorite Childhood Shows and Characters?
  • What Were Your Favorite Picture Books When You Were Little?
  • What Things Did You Create When You Were a Child?
  • What Places Do You Remember Fondly From Childhood?
  • Have You Ever Felt Embarrassed by Things You Used to Like?
  • Do You Wish You Could Return to Moments From Your Past?
  • Was There a Toy You Wanted as a Child but Never Got?
  • What Objects Tell the Story of Your Life?
  • What Are Your Best Sleepover Memories?
  • What’s the Best Gift You’ve Ever Given or Received?
  • What’s the Most Memorable Thing You Ever Got in the Mail?
  • What Nicknames Have You Ever Gotten or Given?

Coming of Age

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/03/01/opinion/sunday/what-you-learn-in-your-40s.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Have You Learned in Your Teens?
  • What Personal Achievements Make You Proud?
  • What Are Some Recent Moments of Happiness in Your Life?
  • What Are You Grateful For?
  • What Rites of Passage Have You Participated In?
  • What Advice Would You Give Younger Kids About Middle or High School?
  • What Can Older People Learn From Your Generation?
  • What Do Older Generations Misunderstand About Yours?

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/opinion/sunday/too-much-helicopter-parenting.html">Related Article</a>

  • Who Is Your Family?
  • What Have You and Your Family Accomplished Together?
  • What Events Have Brought You Closer to Your Family?
  • What’s Your Role in Your Family?
  • Have You Ever Changed a Family Member’s Mind?
  • How Do You Define ‘Family’?
  • What Are Your Family Stories of Sacrifice?
  • What Possessions Does Your Family Treasure?
  • What Hobbies Have Been Passed Down in Your Family?
  • How Much Do You Know About Your Family’s History?
  • Did Your Parents Have a Life Before They Had Kids?
  • How Close Are You to Your Parents?
  • How Are You and Your Parents Alike and Different?
  • Do Your Parents Support Your Learning?
  • What Have Your Parents Taught You About Money?
  • Do You Expect Your Parents to Give You Money?
  • How Permissive Are Your Parents?
  • Do You Have Helicopter Parents?
  • How Do Your Parents Teach You to Behave?
  • How Do You Make Parenting Difficult for Your Parents?
  • If You Drink or Use Drugs, Do Your Parents Know?
  • Do You Talk About Report Cards With Your Parents?
  • Would You Mind if Your Parents Blogged About You?
  • How Well Do You Get Along With Your Siblings?
  • How Well Do You Know Your Pet?
  • What Role Do Pets Play in Your Family?
  • What Is Your Racial and Ethnic Identity?
  • Have You Ever Tried to Hide Your Racial or Ethnic Identity?
  • How Do You Feel About Your Last Name?
  • What’s the Story Behind Your Name?
  • What Are Your Favorite Names?
  • How Have You Paid Tribute to Loved Ones?

Community and Home

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/opinion/sunday/here-comes-the-neighborhood.html">Related Article</a><a href="//learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/lesson-plans/"></a>

  • Would You Most Want to Live in a City, a Suburb or the Country?
  • How Much Does Your Neighborhood Define Who You Are?
  • What’s Special About Your Hometown?
  • What Would You Name Your Neighborhood?
  • Who Is the ‘Mayor’ of Your School or Neighborhood?
  • Who Are the ‘Characters’ That Make Your Town Interesting?
  • What Would a TV Show About Your Town Spoof?
  • What ‘Urban Legends’ Are There About Places in Your Area?
  • What Local Problems Do You Think Your Mayor Should Try to Solve?
  • Do You Know Your Way Around Your City or Town?
  • Have You Ever Interacted With the Police?
  • How Often Do You Interact With People of Another Race or Ethnicity?
  • Who Would Be the Ideal Celebrity Neighbor?
  • What Is Your Favorite Place?
  • How Much Time Do You Spend in Nature?
  • What Small Things Have You Seen and Taken Note Of Today?
  • What Would Your Dream Home Be Like?
  • What is Your Favorite Place in Your House?
  • How Important Is Keeping a Clean House?
  • Is Your Bedroom a Nightmare?
  • Do You Plan on Saving Any of Your Belongings for the Future?
  • With Your Home in Danger, What Would You Try to Save?
  • What Would You Put in Your Emergency ‘Go-Bag’?
  • Have You Ever Lost (or Found) Something Valuable?

Personality

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/business/29shortcuts.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Is Your Personal Credo?
  • What Motivates You?
  • What Makes You Happy?
  • What Are You Good At?
  • How Much Self-Control Do You Have?
  • How Good Are You at Waiting for What You Really Want?
  • What Role Does Procrastination Play in Your Life?
  • When in Your Life Have You Been a Leader?
  • How Well Do You Perform Under Pressure?
  • How Well Do You Take Criticism?
  • Are You Hard or Easy on Yourself?
  • How Full Is Your Glass?
  • Do You Have a Hard Time Making Decisions?
  • How Good Are You at Time Management?
  • How Productive and Organized Are You?
  • How Would Your Life Be Different if You Had Better Listening Skills?
  • How Competitive Are You?
  • Do You Perform Better When You’re Competing or When You’re Collaborating?
  • Do You Take More Risks When You Are Around Your Friends?
  • Do You Unknowingly Submit to Peer Pressure?
  • How Much of a Daredevil Are You?
  • What Pranks, Jokes, Hoaxes or Tricks Have You Ever Fallen For or Perpetrated?
  • How Do You React When Provoked?
  • How Often Do You Cry?
  • Do You Think You’re Brave?
  • What Are You Afraid Of?
  • What Are Your Fears and Phobias?
  • What Are Your Personal Superstitions?
  • Do You Like Being Alone?
  • How Impulsive Are You?
  • Are You a Novelty-Seeker?
  • What Annoys You?
  • Do You Apologize Too Much?
  • Do You Have Good Manners?
  • Are You a Saver or a Tosser?
  • Are You More Introvert or Extrovert?
  • Are You Popular, Quirky or Conformist?
  • Are You a Nerd or a Geek?
  • What Would Your Personal Mascot Be?
  • What Assumptions Do People Make About You?

Overcoming Adversity

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/opinion/sunday/what-id-say-to-my-fat-son.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Challenges Have You Overcome?
  • What Do You Do When You Encounter Obstacles to Success?
  • What Are Your Secret Survival Strategies?
  • How Do You Find Peace in Your Life?
  • How Have You Handled Being the ‘New Kid’?
  • Do You Ever Feel Overlooked and Underappreciated?
  • How Stressed Are You?
  • How Do You Relieve Stress?
  • Does Stress Affect Your Ability to Make Good Decisions?
  • What Challenges Have You Set for Yourself?
  • How Often Do You Leave Your ‘Comfort Zone’?
  • What Did You Once Hate but Now Like?
  • Does Your Life Leave You Enough Time to Relax?
  • Do You Set Rules for Yourself About How You Use Your Time?
  • Is ‘Doing Nothing’ a Good Use of Your Time?
  • What’s Cluttering Up Your Life?
  • What Work Went Into Reaching Your Most Difficult Goals?
  • When Have You Ever Failed at Something? What Happened as a Result?
  • When Have You Ever Succeeded When You Thought You Might Fail?
  • What Life Lessons Has Adversity Taught You?
  • What’s the Most Challenging Assignment You’ve Ever Had?
  • What Kind of Feedback Helps You Improve?
  • Is Trying Too Hard to Be Happy Making You Sad?
  • Do Adults Who Are ‘Only Trying to Help’ Sometimes Make Things Worse?
  • What Are Five Everyday Problems That Bother You, and What Can You Do About Them?

Gender and Sexuality

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/nyregion/city-unveils-a-campaign-to-improve-girls-self-esteem.html">Related Article</a><a href="//learning.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/tyell/"></a>

  • How Do Male and Female Roles Differ in Your Family?
  • Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?
  • Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have ‘Perfect’ Bodies?
  • How Much Pressure Do Boys Face to Have the Perfect Body?
  • How Did You Learn About Sex?
  • How Should Parents Address Internet Pornography?
  • What Experiences Have You Had With Gender Bias in School?
  • What Have Been Your Experiences With Catcalling or Other Kinds of Street Harassment?
  • Do You Know Boys Who Regard Girls as ‘Prey’?
  • Do You Consider Yourself a Feminist?

Morality and Religion

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/opinion/sunday/does-everything-happen-for-a-reason.html">Related Article </a>

  • How Do You Help?
  • What Ethical Dilemmas Have You Faced?
  • Would You Help an Injured Stranger?
  • When Is the Last Time You Did Something Nice for a Stranger?
  • Have You Ever ‘Paid It Forward’?
  • How Much Do You Gossip?
  • How Comfortable Are You With Lying?
  • Have You Ever Taken Something You Weren’t Supposed To?
  • What Could You Live Without?
  • Do You Ever Feel Guilty About What, or How Much, You Throw Away?
  • Do You Ever Eavesdrop?
  • How Important Is Your Spiritual Life?
  • Do You Believe That Everything Happens for a Reason?
  • Can You Be Good Without God?
  • Are You Less Religious Than Your Parents?
  • Can You Pass a Basic Religion Test?
  • What Can You Learn From Other Religions?

Role Models

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/jobs/drowning-in-dishes-but-finding-a-home.html">Related Article</a>

  • Who Is Your Role Model?
  • Who Are Your Heroes?
  • Who Inspires You?
  • What’s the Best Advice You’ve Gotten?
  • Who Outside Your Family Has Made a Difference in Your Life?
  • If You Had Your Own Talk Show, Whom Would You Want to Interview?
  • To Whom, or What, Would You Like to Write a Thank-You Note?
  • What Leader Would You Invite to Speak at Your School?
  • What Six People, Living or Dead, Would You Invite to Dinner?

Technology and Video Games

narrative writing prompt examples

  • Are You Distracted by Technology?
  • Do You Always Have Your Phone or Tablet at Your Side?
  • What Tech Tools Play the Biggest Role in Your Life?
  • What New Technologies or Tech Toys Are You Most Excited About?
  • To What Piece of Technology Would You Write a ‘Love Letter’?
  • Does Your Digital Life Have Side Effects?
  • Do Apps Help You or Just Waste Your Time?
  • Do You Spend Too Much Time on Smart Phones Playing ‘Stupid Games’?
  • When Do You Choose Making a Phone Call Over Sending a Text?
  • Do You Know How to Code? Would You Like to Learn?
  • Whom Would You Share Your Passwords With?
  • What Are Your Favorite Video Games?
  • What Have You Learned Playing Video Games?
  • Do You Play Violent Video Games?
  • When Should You Feel Guilty for Killing Zombies?
  • Who Are Your Opponents in Online Gaming?
  • Do You Like Watching Other People Play Video Games?

The Internet

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/04/23/science/super-awesome-sylvia-video-grid.html#index">Related Article</a>

  • How Careful Are You Online?
  • Do You Ever Seek Advice on the Internet?
  • How Do You Know if What You Read Online Is True?
  • How Much Do You Trust Online Reviews?
  • How Do You Use Wikipedia?
  • What Are Your Favorite Internet Spoofs?
  • What Are Your Favorite Viral Videos?
  • What Would You Teach the World in an Online Video?
  • What Are Your Experiences With Internet-Based Urban Legends?
  • What Story Does Your Personal Data Tell?
  • Do You Worry About the Lack of Anonymity in the Digital Age?
  • Do You Wish You Had More Privacy Online?
  • California Notice
  • Have You Ever Been Scammed?

Social Media

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/booming/in-your-face-book-heres-the-party-you-werent-invited-to.html">Related Article<br /></a>

  • How Do You Use Facebook?
  • What Is Your Facebook Persona?
  • What Memorable Experiences Have You Had on Facebook?
  • Does Facebook Ever Make You Feel Bad?
  • Would You Consider Deleting Your Facebook Account?
  • Do You Have ‘Instagram Envy’?
  • Do You Use Twitter?
  • Why Do You Share Photos?
  • How Do You Archive Your Life?
  • Have You Ever Posted, Emailed or Texted Something You Wish You Could Take Back?
  • Have You Ever Sent an Odd Message Because of Auto-Correct?
  • Would You Want Your Photo or Video to Go Viral?
  • Do You Worry Colleges or Employers Might Read Your Social Media Posts Someday?

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/nyregion/seeking-clues-to-gangs-and-crime-detectives-monitor-internet-rap-videos.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Are You Listening To?
  • Who in Your Life Introduces You to New Music?
  • How Much Is Your Taste in Music Based on What Your Friends Like?
  • What Music Inspires You?
  • How Closely Do You Listen to Lyrics?
  • Which Pop Music Stars Fascinate You?
  • Who Is Your Favorite Pop Diva?
  • What’s Your Karaoke Song?
  • What Song/Artist Pairings Would You Like to Hear?

Movies, Theater and Television

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/movies/from-internet-chat-to-related-projects-mean-girls-endures.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Were the Best Movies You Saw in the Past Year?
  • What Movies Do You Watch, or Reference, Over and Over?
  • What Movies, Shows or Books Do You Wish Had Sequels, Spinoffs or New Episodes?
  • Do You Like Horror Movies?
  • Who Are Your Favorite Movie Stars?
  • Would You Pay Extra for a 3-D Movie?
  • What Is Your Favorite Comedy?
  • What Are the Best Live Theatrical Performances You’ve Ever Seen?
  • Have You Ever Stumbled Upon a Cool Public Performance?
  • What Role Does Television Play in Your Life and the Life of Your Family?
  • What Television Shows Have Mattered to You?
  • Do Your Television Viewing Habits Include ‘Binge-Watching’?
  • How Often Do You Watch a Television Show When It Originally Airs?
  • What Old Television Shows Would You Bring Back?
  • Why Do We Like Reality Shows So Much?
  • What Ideas Do You Have for a Reality Show?
  • What Are Your Favorite Commercials?
  • How Much Are You Influenced by Advertising?

Reading, Writing and Fine Arts

narrative writing prompt examples

  • Read Any Good Books Lately?
  • Do You Read for Pleasure?
  • What Are Your Favorite Books and Authors?
  • What Are the Best Things You’ve Read, Watched, Heard or Played This Year?
  • What Are Your Favorite Young Adult Novels?
  • What’s on Your Summer Reading List?
  • What Memorable Poetry Have You Ever Read or Heard?
  • What Are Your Favorite Cartoons?
  • What Magazines Do You Read, and How Do You Read Them?
  • Do You Enjoy Reading Tabloid Gossip?
  • When Have You Seen Yourself and Your Life Reflected in a Book or Other Media?
  • Do You Prefer Your Children’s Book Characters Obedient or Contrary?
  • Do You Read E-Books?
  • Would You Trade Your Paper Books for Digital Versions?
  • To What Writer Would You Award a Prize?
  • Why Do You Write?
  • Do You Keep a Diary or Journal?
  • Do You Have a Blog?
  • Do You Want to Write a Book?
  • When Do You Write by Hand?
  • Do You Write in Cursive?
  • Do You Write in Your Books?
  • What ‘Mundane Moments’ From Your Life Might Make Great Essay Material?
  • What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in a Museum?
  • What Are the Most Memorable Works of Visual Art You Have Seen?
  • What Are Your Favorite Works of Art?

Language and Speech

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/opinion/sunday/like-degrading-the-language-no-way.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Are Your Favorite and Least Favorite Words?
  • What Words or Phrases Do You Think Are Overused?
  • How Much Slang Do You Use? What Are Your Favorite (Printable) Words?
  • How Much Do You Curse? Why?
  • Why Do So Many People Say ‘Like’ and ‘Totally’ All the Time?
  • Do You Sometimes ‘Hide’ Behind Irony?
  • How Good Is Your Grammar?
  • What New Emoticons Does the World Need?
  • Are You Fluent in Vocal Fry, Creaky Voice or Uptalk?
  • How Much Information Is ‘Too Much Information’?
  • When Did You Last Have a Great Conversation?
  • Do You Speak a Second, or Third, Language?
  • When Do You Remember Learning a New Word?

School and Teachers

<a href="//well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/better-ways-to-learn/">Related Article</a>

  • Do You Like School?
  • What Are You Really Learning at School?
  • What Are You Looking Forward To, or Dreading, This School Year?
  • Would You Want to Be Home-Schooled?
  • Would You Like to Take a Class Online?
  • Would You Rather Attend a Public or a Private High School?
  • How Would You Grade Your School?
  • What Can Other Schools Learn — and Copy — From Your School?
  • Is Your School Day Too Short?
  • What Do You Hope to Get Out of High School?
  • Do You Have Too Much Homework?
  • Does Your Homework Help You Learn?
  • What Is Your Best Subject?
  • What Memorable Experiences Have You Had in Learning Science or Math?
  • Are You Afraid of Math?
  • Do We Need a New Way to Teach Math?
  • What Are the Best Ways to Learn About History?
  • How Would You Do on a Civics Test?
  • How Important Is Arts Education?
  • What Is Your Most Memorable Writing Assignment?
  • What Would You Like to Have Memorized?
  • Does Your School Value Students’ Digital Skills?
  • What Was Your Favorite Field Trip?
  • Do You Participate in Class?
  • What Are Your Best Tips for Studying?
  • Do You Use Study Guides?
  • Is Everything You’ve Been Taught About Study Habits Wrong?
  • How Well Do You Think Standardized Tests Measure Your Abilities?
  • Do You Have a Tutor?
  • Are Your Grades Inflated?
  • When Has a Teacher Inspired You?
  • What Teacher Do You Appreciate?
  • What Teacher Would You Like to Thank?
  • What Do You Wish Your Teachers Knew About You?
  • Do Your Test Scores Reflect How Good Your Teachers Are?
  • Do Your Teachers Use Technology Well?

School Social Environment

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/04/02/us/20130403_RESTORATIVE.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Role Do School Clubs and Teams Play in Your Life?
  • Who Has the Power in School Social Life?
  • How Big a Problem Is Bullying or Cyberbullying in Your School or Community?
  • Does Your School Seem Integrated?
  • What’s the Racial Makeup of Your School?
  • Do You Ever ‘Mix It Up’ and Socialize With Different People at School?
  • Can Students at Your School Talk Openly About Their Mental Health Issues?
  • Is Your School a ‘Party School’?
  • How Common Is Drug Use in Your School?
  • Do You Know People Who Cheat on High-Stakes Tests?
  • How Does Your School Deal With Students Who Misbehave?
  • How Much Does Your Life in School Intersect With Your Life Outside School?
  • Would You Ever Go Through Hazing to Be Part of a Group?

Senior Year, College and Applications

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/opinion/sunday/a-simple-way-to-send-poor-kids-to-top-colleges.html">Related Article</a>

  • Where Do You Want to Go to College?
  • What Are Your Sources for Information About Colleges and Universities?
  • Is College Overrated?
  • How Much Does the SAT or ACT Matter in Your Life?
  • What Personal Essay Topic Would You Assign to College Applicants?
  • What Qualities Would You Look For in a College Roommate?
  • What Would You Do With a Gap Year?
  • What Makes a Graduation Ceremony Memorable?
  • How Do You Feel About Proms?

Work and Careers

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/business/high-debt-and-falling-demand-trap-new-veterinarians.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Are Your Longtime Interests or Passions?
  • Do You Have a Life Calling?
  • What Do You Want to Do With Your Life?
  • Do You Think You Will Have a Career That You Love?
  • What Investment Are You Willing to Make to Get Your Dream Job?
  • Would You Consider a Nontraditional Occupation?
  • Would You Want to Be a Teacher?
  • What Hidden Talents Might You Have?
  • What Do You Hope to Be Doing the Year After You Graduate From College?
  • Would You Rather Work From Home or in an Office?
  • What Career or Technical Classes Do You Wish Your School Offered?
  • What ‘Back-to-the-Land’ Skills Do You Have, or Wish You Had?
  • What Have You Made Yourself?
  • What Would You Create if You Had Funding?
  • How Did You Start Doing Something You Love?
  • Did You Ever Take a Break From Doing Something You Love?
  • What Have You Done to Earn Money?
  • Do You Have a Job?
  • Would You Quit if Your Values Did Not Match Your Employer’s?
  • What Are Your Attitudes Toward Money?
  • Can Money Buy You Happiness?
  • Where Do You See Yourself in 10 Years?
  • What Do You Want to Be Doing When You’re 80?
  • Do You Want to Live to 100?
  • What Do You Want Your Obituary to Say?

Dating and Friendship

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/fashion/the-etiquette-for-having-your-friends-befriend-each-other.html">Related Article</a>

  • Have You Ever Been in Love?
  • What Are the Most Meaningful Relationships in Your Life?
  • What Advice Would You Give to Somebody Who Just Started Dating?
  • What Are the Basic ‘Rules’ for Handling Breakups?
  • What Are Your Beliefs About Marriage?
  • Are You Allowed to Date?
  • Is Dating a Thing of the Past?
  • Do You Have a Best Friend?
  • How Do You Feel About Introducing Friends from Different Parts of Your Life?
  • How Should You Handle the End of a Friendship?
  • How Often Do You Have ‘Deep Discussions’?

Sports, Exercise and Games

<a href="//well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/are-you-programmed-to-enjoy-exercise/">Related Article</a>

  • Do You Like to Exercise?
  • How Has Exercise Changed Your Health, Your Body or Your Life?
  • Why Do You Play Sports?
  • What Is the Most Memorable Sporting Event You’ve Ever Watched or Played In?
  • What’s the Most Impressive Sports Moment You’ve Seen?
  • When Has a Sports Team Most Disappointed You?
  • What Sports Teams Do You Root For?
  • Does Being a Fan Help Define Who You Are?
  • How Far Would You Go to Express Loyalty to Your Favorite Teams?
  • What Fan Memorabilia Would You Pay Big Bucks For?
  • What Rules Would You Like to See Changed in Your Favorite Sports?
  • What Game Would You Like to Redesign?
  • What Are Your Favorite Games?

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/01/10/travel/2014-places-to-go.html">Related Article</a>

  • Where in the World Would You Travel if You Could?
  • What Is Your Fantasy Vacation?
  • What Would Your Fantasy Road Trip Be Like?
  • What Crazy Adventure Would You Want to Take?
  • How Has Travel Affected You?
  • What Famous Landmarks Have You Visited?
  • What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in Nature?
  • What Are the Best Souvenirs You’ve Ever Collected While Traveling?
  • Would You Like to Live in Another Country?
  • Would You Want to Be a Space Tourist?

Looks, Fashion and Health

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/01/12/opinion/sunday/goodnight-sleep-clean.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Does Your Hairstyle Say About You?
  • How Far Would You Go for Fashion?
  • What Are the Hot Fashion Trends at Your School Right Now?
  • Do You Have a Signature Clothing Item?
  • Has Anyone Ever Said That You Look Like Someone Famous?
  • Would You Ever Consider Getting a Tattoo?
  • What Are Your Opinions on Cosmetic Surgery?
  • Do Photoshopped Images Make You Feel Bad About Your Own Looks?
  • What Are Your Sleep Habits?
  • How Much of a Priority Do You Make Sleep?
  • Do You Get Enough Sleep?
  • What Health Tips Have Worked for You?

Shopping and Driving

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/us/report-finds-americans-are-driving-less-led-by-youth.html">Related Article</a>

  • What’s Your Favorite Store? Why?
  • To What Company Would You Write a Letter of Complaint or Admiration?
  • To What Business Would You Like to Give Advice?
  • How Would You Make Over Your Mall?
  • Do You Shop at Locally Owned Businesses?
  • What Are the Best Things You’ve Acquired Secondhand?
  • How Important Is It to Have a Driver’s License?
  • Are You a Good Driver?

Food and Eating

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/dining/the-best-in-the-box-chocolate-covered-salted-caramels-for-valentines-day.html">Related Article</a>

  • What Are the Most Memorable Meals You’ve Ever Had?
  • What’s Your Favorite Holiday Food Memory?
  • What’s Your Comfort Food?
  • What Are Your Favorite Junk Foods?
  • What Food Would You Like to Judge in a Taste-Off?
  • Do You Prefer Your Tacos ‘Authentic’ or ‘Appropriated’?
  • Do You Pay Attention to Nutrition Labels on Food?
  • How Concerned Are You About Where Your Food Comes From?
  • Are Your Eating Habits Healthy?
  • What Are Your ‘Food Rules’?
  • Do You Eat Too Quickly?
  • What Do You Eat During the School Day?
  • Do You Eat Cafeteria Food?
  • How Much Food Does Your Family Waste?
  • What Messages About Food and Eating Have You Learned From Your Family?
  • What’s Your Favorite Restaurant?
  • What Restaurant Would You Most Like to Review?
  • Do You Cook?
  • What Would You Most Like to Learn to Cook or Bake?

Holidays, Seasons, Weather and Weekends

<a href="//rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/home-for-the-holidays-or-not-tell-us-your-stories/">Related Article</a><a href="//learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/student-opinion/"><br /></a>

  • How Can People Make the Most of Long Holiday Weekends?
  • What’s Your Sunday Routine?
  • What’s on Your Fall Fashion Shopping List?
  • Will You Be Wearing a Halloween Costume This Year?
  • Do You Like Scary Movies and Books?
  • Do You Believe in Ghosts?
  • What Are Your Thanksgiving Traditions?
  • What Are Your Tips for Enjoying the Holiday Season?
  • How Will You Spend the Holiday Break?
  • Do You Make New Year’s Resolutions?
  • How Do You Fight the Winter Blues?
  • What Are Your Experiences With Severe Weather?
  • How Do You Feel About Valentine’s Day?
  • How Do You Celebrate Spring?
  • What Would Your Fantasy Spring Break Be Like?
  • How Careful Are You in the Sun?
  • What Are You Looking Forward to This Summer?
  • What Would Your Ideal Summer Camp Be Like?
  • What Are Your Favorite Summer Hangouts?
  • What’s Your Favorite Summer Food?
  • What Is Your Favorite Summer Movie?
  • Do You Have a Summer Job?
  • Do You Choose Summer Activities to Look Good on Applications?
  • What Are the Best Things You Did This Summer?
  • How Do You Prepare to Go Back to School?

Beliefs, Politics and Current Events

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/health/new-tool-to-ease-difficult-births-a-plastic-bag.html">Related Article</a>

  • How Would You Like to Help Our World?
  • What Cause Would Get You Into the Streets?
  • What Would You Risk Your Life For?
  • When Have You Spoken Out About Something You Felt Had to Change?
  • What Would You Invent to Make the World a Better Place?
  • How Do You Feel About Zoos?
  • What Is Your Relationship With Guns?
  • Do You Trust Your Government?
  • Do You Know Your First Amendment Rights?
  • Do You Worry About Terrorism?
  • Do You Believe in Intelligent Alien Life?
  • Given Unlimited Resources, What Scientific or Medical Problem Would You Investigate?
  • What Would You Do if You Were President?
  • Would You Vote This Year if You Could?
  • Do You Consider Yourself a Republican, Democrat or Independent?
  • What Event in the Past Do You Wish You Could Have Witnessed?
  • What Are the Most Important Changes, in Your Life and in the World, in the Last Decade?
  • What Do You Remember About Sept. 11, 2001?
  • What News Stories Are You Following?
  • How Do You Get Your News?
  • Why Should We Care About Events in Other Parts of the World?
  • What Questions Do You Have About How the World Works?
  • What Big Questions Do You Have?

If Only…

<a href="//www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/magazine/outsource-your-way-to-success.html">Related Article</a><a href="//learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/current-events/"><br /></a>

  • What Would You Do if You Won the Lottery?
  • What Superpower Do You Wish You Had?
  • What Era Do You Wish You Had Lived In?
  • Would You Want to Be a Tween or Teen Star?
  • Would You Want to Grow Up in the Public Eye?
  • What Kind of Robot Would You Want?
  • What Would You Outsource if You Could?
  • What Would You Like to Learn on Your Own?
  • What Would You Wait in Line For?

This resource may be used to address the academic standards listed below.

Common Core E.L.A. Anchor Standards

3   Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

This is such a fabulous resource for inspiration! Thank you so much for putting this list together. I’ll refer to it often and share it with my readers on my poetry and writing blog.

These are great writing prompts. These remind me of the questions on StoryShelter.com. It’s nice to write there and have all your personal stories in one place where you can share them with friends or post anonymously. Anyone who does narrative or personal writing will find it really useful.

For example, this is how a bunch of people answered the question: “What would you do if you won the lottery?” https://www.storyshelter.com/question/what-if-i-won-the-lottery

Cool, right?

Wonderful list! The topics are thought-provoking and exciting to write. I can go writing on and on, on these topics.

How much do you know about your family history?

I know a little bit about my family history. My grandma talks about our religion sometimes, not every day. So I get to hear some facts about my religion. For example what we do on New Year’s or what happened when I wasn’t born yet. My family history is very interesting.

My mom she is Cambodian and my dad is Thai so I’m mixed Asian. Everybody say that I mostly look like my dad than my mom, and that’s interesting to me.

My dad side of the family, my great great grandma, grandpa and aunts and uncles. They are living in Thailand. I want to go to Thailand really bad. My mom side of the family, my great great grandpa, grandma and my grandma siblings. They are living in Cambodia. My grandma took some pictures in Asia. It looks so different than the United States of America.

So first off, my dad he was born in Thailand and my mom I think she was born in Cambodia. She said that she didn’t went to Cambodia so I really don’t know. So my family (parents, grandparents, aunts and uncle immigrated to the United States of America and became citizens. That time they lived in Stockton, California. I could of live there still. But my dad he went to school in New Hampshire and got a job here and the job over here paid a lot more money than California. So Then my mom side of the family came with my parents, and my dad side of the family stayed in California that was in the 1990s when they moved to New Hampshire. Then they separated, so now we don’t live together anymore.

Now my aunt lives in Massachusetts and my other aunt lives in Rhode Island. So when my parents lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I wasn’t born yet. But I wish that we still lived in California. So we

My life is interesting to me. I have families in Cambodia and Thailand, and I haven’t met them yet. Also the things we do on New Year’s and other occasions. So that’s what I know about my family history.

Very interesting

OMG!! Where have you been all my life I am very excited about this!!

I wish I was more of a journaler. These are some fantastic prompts for writing personal stories. With 500 listed here, there’s no way you wouldn’t find an inspiring prompt.

I’m more of a fiction writer, and I’ve chosen to write prompts that help fiction writers expand their imagination.

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  • 51 Prompts for Narrative Writing to Spark the Imagination
  • Teaching English
  • James Prior
  • No Comments
  • Updated January 29, 2024

Narrative writing is an important part of any English student’s development and can form a key component of language acquisition. These 51 prompts for narrative writing invite students to recount personal stories, describe memories, and use their imagination.

narrative writing prompt examples

Being able to teach writing is often a challenge, but it’s one of the many good teaching qualities you’ll need to help your students find success with their language acquisition. Narrative writing plays a key role in this. It allows students to use their imagination to practice using previously learned vocabulary and grammar. and helps improve student’s writing skills.

To get you started, we have included a mixture of prompt ideas here. Some will be more suitable for adult students and others are intended for younger learners. So, get stuck in and start inspiring those stories!

Table of Contents

Personal Narrative Writing

Personal narrative writing is a form of writing in which the author recounts a personal experience or story. It typically involves the use of a first-person perspective and focuses on the author’s thoughts, feelings, and reflections on the events described. The goal of personal narrative writing is to engage the reader by providing a vivid and detailed account of a specific moment or series of events from the author’s life.

Personal narrative writing skills tend to become more important later in life when you’ll need them to apply for a job. However, it’s still vital that students practice this form of writing from a young age.

You can use these personal narrative writing prompts to get students to describe a personal experience or something that left an impression on them.

Prompts for Personal Narrative Writing

  • Write about a time you overcame a challenge at work. Tell the story of the challenge and write about what you did to overcome it.
  • Write about a time when you played the role of teacher. Tell the story of what you did that day.
  • Think about a time when you worked really hard to get something. Tell the story of what you had to do to get it and what it felt like when you finally obtained it.
  • Write about the accomplishment you are most proud of.
  • Write about where you see yourself in 10 years. What position will you be in? How will life look?
  • Write about the most influential person in your life. How have they influenced you?
  • Write about a time when you influenced someone else. How did you influence them and what was the outcome?
  • Think about your favorite boss. Write a story about a time when they did something that left a lasting impression on you.
  • What is your dream job? Write about why it is your dream job.
  • Write about a professional achievement you are proud of. What is this achievement? How did you accomplish it?
  • Tell a story about a day when nothing went right for you. How did you overcome this?
  • Write about the person you look up to and explain why you look up to them.
  • If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be and why? Write a story about meeting that person.
  • Write about your best friend. How do you know them? What do you like about them? What do you like to do with them?
  • Think about the first holiday with your friends. Write about where you went, what it was like and what happened on the holiday. If you haven’t been on holiday with your friends yet, write about the sort of holiday you would like to have with your friends.
  • Write about your favorite family holiday. Where did you go? Who was there? Why was it your favorite?
  • If you got lost in a foreign country and didn’t know the language, how would you communicate? Write a story about how you would manage this if you ever experienced it.
  • Write a story about a time you experienced an embarrassing incident and describe how you dealt with it.
  • Everyone has a favorite time of the year. What is your favorite time of the year and what do you like to do then? Write a story about your favorite time of the year.
  • Write about your favorite holiday you celebrate. Why is it your favorite holiday? What are your traditions?
  • Tell a story about your dream place to live. What would it be like to live there?
  • Write a story about a special day you had, one which you will always remember.
  • What is your favorite thing you do for fun? What do you like about it?
  • Write about your best childhood memory.
  • Write a story about a memorable day you had at school.
  • What was your favorite subject in school and why?
  • Write a story about a place you’ve always wanted to visit. What would you do there?
  • Write about your favorite film. What is the film and why is it your favorite?
  • What is the best gift you ever received? Who gave it to you and why do you like it? Do you still have it? If not, what happened to it?
  • Write about a time a family member had an important impact on your life. What did they do and how did it impact you?

Fictional Narrative Writing

Fictional narrative writing involves creating stories that are not based on real events but are products of the author’s imagination. In fictional narratives, the writing process involves writers inventing characters, settings, and events to tell a story. The goal is to entertain, engage, and sometimes convey a deeper meaning or message.

Fictional narrative writing can take various forms, including short stories, novels, novellas, and even scripts for plays or films.

This style of writing is commonly taught in elementary school or middle school where students are often encouraged to use their imagination to write a short story.

You can use these fictional narrative writing prompts to get your students to engage their creative writing skills.

Prompts for Fictional Narrative Writing

  • Write a story about what it would be like if animals could talk.
  • Imagine you had a time machine. Write a story about where you would go.
  • Write a story about trading places with your favorite movie star.
  • What would happen if aliens visited Earth? Write a story about their day on Earth.
  • Imagine you wake up one day and a friendly alien is in your bedroom. The alien wants to be shown around your neighborhood. What would you do and where would you take the alien? Write a story about your day with the alien.
  • What it would be like if you could fly? Write a story about this.
  • Write a story about what it would be like if you were invisible. Where would you go?
  • One day you got stuck in a shop late at night and the mannequins came to life. Write a story about what happened that night.
  • Imagine you live 200 years in the future. What is it like and how different is it compared to today? Write a story about the future.
  • Pretend you lived in the time of the dinosaurs. Think about how your life would be a write a story about it.
  • Imagine you woke up one morning and you had switched places with a cat. What would it be like? Where would you go? Write a story about your day as a cat.
  • Imagine a world where nobody had to work. What would it be like? What would you do? Write a story about a world where nobody had to work.
  • Imagine you found a portal that allowed you to travel anywhere you wanted within seconds. Where would you go and what would you do there?
  • What would your life be like if you became friends with a genie who would grant you any wish you wanted? Write a story about what would happen if you were friends with a genie.
  • One day you are in a remote forest. In the distance, you notice trees walking around and as you get closer you hear that they are talking to each other. What would you do? What would happen if you met talking trees? Write about the experience.
  • Imagine that your hearing was much better than everyone else’s and you could hear things 200 meters away. What might you hear? How might it change your life? Write a story about a person with special hearing powers.
  • Imagine you had a flying bike and you could go anywhere you wanted for one day. Think of where you would go and tell the story of how you got there and what it was like.
  • One day you see a mysterious spacecraft drop a glowing box in your street and you decide to investigate. What’s in the box and what does it do? Write a story about what happens when you open the box.
  • Imagine a world where money didn’t exist. What would people do? How would you buy or sell things? Write a story about a world where money doesn’t exist.
  • One day you find an abandoned cave. Inside the cave, you find secret treasure with special powers. What powers does the treasure have and how do you use them?
  • If you could be someone else for the day, who would you be and why? Write an account of how your day would be.

These prompts for narrative writing are all great for sparking the imagination of your students and getting them to start writing. The next step is to get them to structure their ideas and learn how to write a conclusion . And remember, they don’t always need to use “in conclusion”. There are over 55 other ways to say in conclusion and you should encourage some variation.

We hope that you liked this list! If you have any prompts for narrative writing of your own that you use and would like to share, feel free to post them in the comments.

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Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students

Complete guide to Narrative Writing

MASTERING THE CRAFT OF NARRATIVE WRITING

Narratives build on and encourage the development of the fundamentals of writing. They also require developing an additional skill set: the ability to tell a good yarn, and storytelling is as old as humanity.

We see and hear stories everywhere and daily, from having good gossip on the doorstep with a neighbor in the morning to the dramas that fill our screens in the evening.

Good narrative writing skills are hard-won by students even though it is an area of writing that most enjoy due to the creativity and freedom it offers.

Here we will explore some of the main elements of a good story: plot, setting, characters, conflict, climax, and resolution . And we will look too at how best we can help our students understand these elements, both in isolation and how they mesh together as a whole.

Visual Writing Prompts

WHAT IS A NARRATIVE?

What is a narrative?

A narrative is a story that shares a sequence of events , characters, and themes. It expresses experiences, ideas, and perspectives that should aspire to engage and inspire an audience.

A narrative can spark emotion, encourage reflection, and convey meaning when done well.

Narratives are a popular genre for students and teachers as they allow the writer to share their imagination, creativity, skill, and understanding of nearly all elements of writing.  We occasionally refer to a narrative as ‘creative writing’ or story writing.

The purpose of a narrative is simple, to tell the audience a story.  It can be written to motivate, educate, or entertain and can be fact or fiction.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING NARRATIVE WRITING

narrative writing | narrative writing unit 1 2 | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

Teach your students to become skilled story writers with this HUGE   NARRATIVE & CREATIVE STORY WRITING UNIT . Offering a  COMPLETE SOLUTION  to teaching students how to craft  CREATIVE CHARACTERS, SUPERB SETTINGS, and PERFECT PLOTS .

Over 192 PAGES of materials, including:

TYPES OF NARRATIVE WRITING

There are many narrative writing genres and sub-genres such as these.

We have a complete guide to writing a personal narrative that differs from the traditional story-based narrative covered in this guide. It includes personal narrative writing prompts, resources, and examples and can be found here.

narrative writing | how to write quest narratives | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

As we can see, narratives are an open-ended form of writing that allows you to showcase creativity in many directions. However, all narratives share a common set of features and structure known as “Story Elements”, which are briefly covered in this guide.

Don’t overlook the importance of understanding story elements and the value this adds to you as a writer who can dissect and create grand narratives. We also have an in-depth guide to understanding story elements here .

CHARACTERISTICS OF NARRATIVE WRITING

Narrative structure.

ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Set the scene by introducing your characters, setting and time of the story. Establish your who, when and where in this part of your narrative

COMPLICATION AND EVENTS (MIDDLE) In this section activities and events involving your main characters are expanded upon. These events are written in a cohesive and fluent sequence.

RESOLUTION (ENDING) Your complication is resolved in this section. It does not have to be a happy outcome, however.

EXTRAS: Whilst orientation, complication and resolution are the agreed norms for a narrative, there are numerous examples of popular texts that did not explicitly follow this path exactly.

NARRATIVE FEATURES

LANGUAGE: Use descriptive and figurative language to paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read.

PERSPECTIVE Narratives can be written from any perspective but are most commonly written in first or third person.

DIALOGUE Narratives frequently switch from narrator to first-person dialogue. Always use speech marks when writing dialogue.

TENSE If you change tense, make it perfectly clear to your audience what is happening. Flashbacks might work well in your mind but make sure they translate to your audience.

THE PLOT MAP

narrative writing | structuring a narrative | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

This graphic is known as a plot map, and nearly all narratives fit this structure in one way or another, whether romance novels, science fiction or otherwise.

It is a simple tool that helps you understand and organise a story’s events. Think of it as a roadmap that outlines the journey of your characters and the events that unfold. It outlines the different stops along the way, such as the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, that help you to see how the story builds and develops.

Using a plot map, you can see how each event fits into the larger picture and how the different parts of the story work together to create meaning. It’s a great way to visualize and analyze a story.

Be sure to refer to a plot map when planning a story, as it has all the essential elements of a great story.

THE 5 KEY STORY ELEMENTS OF A GREAT NARRATIVE (6-MINUTE TUTORIAL VIDEO)

This video we created provides an excellent overview of these elements and demonstrates them in action in stories we all know and love.

Story Elements for kids

HOW TO WRITE A NARRATIVE

How to write a Narrative

Now that we understand the story elements and how they come together to form stories, it’s time to start planning and writing your narrative.

In many cases, the template and guide below will provide enough details on how to craft a great story. However, if you still need assistance with the fundamentals of writing, such as sentence structure, paragraphs and using correct grammar, we have some excellent guides on those here.

USE YOUR WRITING TIME EFFECTIVELY: Maximize your narrative writing sessions by spending approximately 20 per cent of your time planning and preparing.  This ensures greater productivity during your writing time and keeps you focused and on task.

Use tools such as graphic organizers to logically sequence your narrative if you are not a confident story writer.  If you are working with reluctant writers, try using narrative writing prompts to get their creative juices flowing.

Spend most of your writing hour on the task at hand, don’t get too side-tracked editing during this time and leave some time for editing. When editing a  narrative, examine it for these three elements.

  • Spelling and grammar ( Is it readable?)
  • Story structure and continuity ( Does it make sense, and does it flow? )
  • Character and plot analysis. (Are your characters engaging? Does your problem/resolution work? )

1. SETTING THE SCENE: THE WHERE AND THE WHEN

narrative writing | aa156ee009d91a57894348652da98b58 | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

The story’s setting often answers two of the central questions in the story, namely, the where and the when. The answers to these two crucial questions will often be informed by the type of story the student is writing.

The story’s setting can be chosen to quickly orient the reader to the type of story they are reading. For example, a fictional narrative writing piece such as a horror story will often begin with a description of a haunted house on a hill or an abandoned asylum in the middle of the woods. If we start our story on a rocket ship hurtling through the cosmos on its space voyage to the Alpha Centauri star system, we can be reasonably sure that the story we are embarking on is a work of science fiction.

Such conventions are well-worn clichés true, but they can be helpful starting points for our novice novelists to make a start.

Having students choose an appropriate setting for the type of story they wish to write is an excellent exercise for our younger students. It leads naturally onto the next stage of story writing, which is creating suitable characters to populate this fictional world they have created. However, older or more advanced students may wish to play with the expectations of appropriate settings for their story. They may wish to do this for comic effect or in the interest of creating a more original story. For example, opening a story with a children’s birthday party does not usually set up the expectation of a horror story. Indeed, it may even lure the reader into a happy reverie as they remember their own happy birthday parties. This leaves them more vulnerable to the surprise element of the shocking action that lies ahead.

Once the students have chosen a setting for their story, they need to start writing. Little can be more terrifying to English students than the blank page and its bare whiteness stretching before them on the table like a merciless desert they must cross. Give them the kick-start they need by offering support through word banks or writing prompts. If the class is all writing a story based on the same theme, you may wish to compile a common word bank on the whiteboard as a prewriting activity. Write the central theme or genre in the middle of the board. Have students suggest words or phrases related to the theme and list them on the board.

You may wish to provide students with a copy of various writing prompts to get them started. While this may mean that many students’ stories will have the same beginning, they will most likely arrive at dramatically different endings via dramatically different routes.

narrative writing | story elements | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

A bargain is at the centre of the relationship between the writer and the reader. That bargain is that the reader promises to suspend their disbelief as long as the writer creates a consistent and convincing fictional reality. Creating a believable world for the fictional characters to inhabit requires the student to draw on convincing details. The best way of doing this is through writing that appeals to the senses. Have your student reflect deeply on the world that they are creating. What does it look like? Sound like? What does the food taste like there? How does it feel like to walk those imaginary streets, and what aromas beguile the nose as the main character winds their way through that conjured market?

Also, Consider the when; or the time period. Is it a future world where things are cleaner and more antiseptic? Or is it an overcrowded 16th-century London with human waste stinking up the streets? If students can create a multi-sensory installation in the reader’s mind, then they have done this part of their job well.

Popular Settings from Children’s Literature and Storytelling

  • Fairytale Kingdom
  • Magical Forest
  • Village/town
  • Underwater world
  • Space/Alien planet

2. CASTING THE CHARACTERS: THE WHO

Now that your student has created a believable world, it is time to populate it with believable characters.

In short stories, these worlds mustn’t be overpopulated beyond what the student’s skill level can manage. Short stories usually only require one main character and a few secondary ones. Think of the short story more as a small-scale dramatic production in an intimate local theater than a Hollywood blockbuster on a grand scale. Too many characters will only confuse and become unwieldy with a canvas this size. Keep it simple!

Creating believable characters is often one of the most challenging aspects of narrative writing for students. Fortunately, we can do a few things to help students here. Sometimes it is helpful for students to model their characters on actual people they know. This can make things a little less daunting and taxing on the imagination. However, whether or not this is the case, writing brief background bios or descriptions of characters’ physical personality characteristics can be a beneficial prewriting activity. Students should give some in-depth consideration to the details of who their character is: How do they walk? What do they look like? Do they have any distinguishing features? A crooked nose? A limp? Bad breath? Small details such as these bring life and, therefore, believability to characters. Students can even cut pictures from magazines to put a face to their character and allow their imaginations to fill in the rest of the details.

Younger students will often dictate to the reader the nature of their characters. To improve their writing craft, students must know when to switch from story-telling mode to story-showing mode. This is particularly true when it comes to character. Encourage students to reveal their character’s personality through what they do rather than merely by lecturing the reader on the faults and virtues of the character’s personality. It might be a small relayed detail in the way they walk that reveals a core characteristic. For example, a character who walks with their head hanging low and shoulders hunched while avoiding eye contact has been revealed to be timid without the word once being mentioned. This is a much more artistic and well-crafted way of doing things and is less irritating for the reader. A character who sits down at the family dinner table immediately snatches up his fork and starts stuffing roast potatoes into his mouth before anyone else has even managed to sit down has revealed a tendency towards greed or gluttony.

Understanding Character Traits

Again, there is room here for some fun and profitable prewriting activities. Give students a list of character traits and have them describe a character doing something that reveals that trait without ever employing the word itself.

It is also essential to avoid adjective stuffing here. When looking at students’ early drafts, adjective stuffing is often apparent. To train the student out of this habit, choose an adjective and have the student rewrite the sentence to express this adjective through action rather than telling.

When writing a story, it is vital to consider the character’s traits and how they will impact the story’s events. For example, a character with a strong trait of determination may be more likely to overcome obstacles and persevere. In contrast, a character with a tendency towards laziness may struggle to achieve their goals. In short, character traits add realism, depth, and meaning to a story, making it more engaging and memorable for the reader.

Popular Character Traits in Children’s Stories

  • Determination
  • Imagination
  • Perseverance
  • Responsibility

We have an in-depth guide to creating great characters here , but most students should be fine to move on to planning their conflict and resolution.

3. NO PROBLEM? NO STORY! HOW CONFLICT DRIVES A NARRATIVE

narrative writing | 2 RoadBlock | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

This is often the area apprentice writers have the most difficulty with. Students must understand that without a problem or conflict, there is no story. The problem is the driving force of the action. Usually, in a short story, the problem will center around what the primary character wants to happen or, indeed, wants not to happen. It is the hurdle that must be overcome. It is in the struggle to overcome this hurdle that events happen.

Often when a student understands the need for a problem in a story, their completed work will still not be successful. This is because, often in life, problems remain unsolved. Hurdles are not always successfully overcome. Students pick up on this.

We often discuss problems with friends that will never be satisfactorily resolved one way or the other, and we accept this as a part of life. This is not usually the case with writing a story. Whether a character successfully overcomes his or her problem or is decidedly crushed in the process of trying is not as important as the fact that it will finally be resolved one way or the other.

A good practical exercise for students to get to grips with this is to provide copies of stories and have them identify the central problem or conflict in each through discussion. Familiar fables or fairy tales such as Three Little Pigs, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Cinderella, etc., are great for this.

While it is true that stories often have more than one problem or that the hero or heroine is unsuccessful in their first attempt to solve a central problem, for beginning students and intermediate students, it is best to focus on a single problem, especially given the scope of story writing at this level. Over time students will develop their abilities to handle more complex plots and write accordingly.

Popular Conflicts found in Children’s Storytelling.

  • Good vs evil
  • Individual vs society
  • Nature vs nurture
  • Self vs others
  • Man vs self
  • Man vs nature
  • Man vs technology
  • Individual vs fate
  • Self vs destiny

Conflict is the heart and soul of any good story. It’s what makes a story compelling and drives the plot forward. Without conflict, there is no story. Every great story has a struggle or a problem that needs to be solved, and that’s where conflict comes in. Conflict is what makes a story exciting and keeps the reader engaged. It creates tension and suspense and makes the reader care about the outcome.

Like in real life, conflict in a story is an opportunity for a character’s growth and transformation. It’s a chance for them to learn and evolve, making a story great. So next time stories are written in the classroom, remember that conflict is an essential ingredient, and without it, your story will lack the energy, excitement, and meaning that makes it truly memorable.

4. THE NARRATIVE CLIMAX: HOW THINGS COME TO A HEAD!

narrative writing | tension 1068x660 1 | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

The climax of the story is the dramatic high point of the action. It is also when the struggles kicked off by the problem come to a head. The climax will ultimately decide whether the story will have a happy or tragic ending. In the climax, two opposing forces duke things out until the bitter (or sweet!) end. One force ultimately emerges triumphant. As the action builds throughout the story, suspense increases as the reader wonders which of these forces will win out. The climax is the release of this suspense.

Much of the success of the climax depends on how well the other elements of the story have been achieved. If the student has created a well-drawn and believable character that the reader can identify with and feel for, then the climax will be more powerful.

The nature of the problem is also essential as it determines what’s at stake in the climax. The problem must matter dearly to the main character if it matters at all to the reader.

Have students engage in discussions about their favorite movies and books. Have them think about the storyline and decide the most exciting parts. What was at stake at these moments? What happened in your body as you read or watched? Did you breathe faster? Or grip the cushion hard? Did your heart rate increase, or did you start to sweat? This is what a good climax does and what our students should strive to do in their stories.

The climax puts it all on the line and rolls the dice. Let the chips fall where the writer may…

Popular Climax themes in Children’s Stories

  • A battle between good and evil
  • The character’s bravery saves the day
  • Character faces their fears and overcomes them
  • The character solves a mystery or puzzle.
  • The character stands up for what is right.
  • Character reaches their goal or dream.
  • The character learns a valuable lesson.
  • The character makes a selfless sacrifice.
  • The character makes a difficult decision.
  • The character reunites with loved ones or finds true friendship.

5. RESOLUTION: TYING UP LOOSE ENDS

After the climactic action, a few questions will often remain unresolved for the reader, even if all the conflict has been resolved. The resolution is where those lingering questions will be answered. The resolution in a short story may only be a brief paragraph or two. But, in most cases, it will still be necessary to include an ending immediately after the climax can feel too abrupt and leave the reader feeling unfulfilled.

An easy way to explain resolution to students struggling to grasp the concept is to point to the traditional resolution of fairy tales, the “And they all lived happily ever after” ending. This weather forecast for the future allows the reader to take their leave. Have the student consider the emotions they want to leave the reader with when crafting their resolution.

While the action is usually complete by the end of the climax, it is in the resolution that if there is a twist to be found, it will appear – think of movies such as The Usual Suspects. Pulling this off convincingly usually requires considerable skill from a student writer. Still, it may well form a challenging extension exercise for those more gifted storytellers among your students.

Popular Resolutions in Children’s Stories

  • Our hero achieves their goal
  • The character learns a valuable lesson
  • A character finds happiness or inner peace.
  • The character reunites with loved ones.
  • Character restores balance to the world.
  • The character discovers their true identity.
  • Character changes for the better.
  • The character gains wisdom or understanding.
  • Character makes amends with others.
  • The character learns to appreciate what they have.

Once students have completed their story, they can edit for grammar, vocabulary choice, spelling, etc., but not before!

As mentioned, there is a craft to storytelling, as well as an art. When accurate grammar, perfect spelling, and immaculate sentence structures are pushed at the outset, they can cause storytelling paralysis. For this reason, it is essential that when we encourage the students to write a story, we give them license to make mechanical mistakes in their use of language that they can work on and fix later.

Good narrative writing is a very complex skill to develop and will take the student years to become competent. It challenges not only the student’s technical abilities with language but also her creative faculties. Writing frames, word banks, mind maps, and visual prompts can all give valuable support as students develop the wide-ranging and challenging skills required to produce a successful narrative writing piece. But, at the end of it all, as with any craft, practice and more practice is at the heart of the matter.

TIPS FOR WRITING A GREAT NARRATIVE

  • Start your story with a clear purpose: If you can determine the theme or message you want to convey in your narrative before starting it will make the writing process so much simpler.
  • Choose a compelling storyline and sell it through great characters, setting and plot: Consider a unique or interesting story that captures the reader’s attention, then build the world and characters around it.
  • Develop vivid characters that are not all the same: Make your characters relatable and memorable by giving them distinct personalities and traits you can draw upon in the plot.
  • Use descriptive language to hook your audience into your story: Use sensory language to paint vivid images and sequences in the reader’s mind.
  • Show, don’t tell your audience: Use actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal character motivations and emotions through storytelling.
  • Create a vivid setting that is clear to your audience before getting too far into the plot: Describe the time and place of your story to immerse the reader fully.
  • Build tension: Refer to the story map earlier in this article and use conflict, obstacles, and suspense to keep the audience engaged and invested in your narrative.
  • Use figurative language such as metaphors, similes, and other literary devices to add depth and meaning to your narrative.
  • Edit, revise, and refine: Take the time to refine and polish your writing for clarity and impact.
  • Stay true to your voice: Maintain your unique perspective and style in your writing to make it your own.

NARRATIVE WRITING EXAMPLES (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of narratives.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to read these creative stories in detail and the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the critical elements of narratives to consider before writing.

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of story writing.

We recommend reading the example either a year above or below, as well as the grade you are currently working with, to gain a broader appreciation of this text type.

narrative writing | Narrative writing example year 3 1 | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

NARRATIVE WRITING PROMPTS (Journal Prompts)

When students have a great journal prompt, it can help them focus on the task at hand, so be sure to view our vast collection of visual writing prompts for various text types here or use some of these.

  • On a recent European trip, you find your travel group booked into the stunning and mysterious Castle Frankenfurter for a single night…  As night falls, the massive castle of over one hundred rooms seems to creak and groan as a series of unexplained events begin to make you wonder who or what else is spending the evening with you. Write a narrative that tells the story of your evening.
  • You are a famous adventurer who has discovered new lands; keep a travel log over a period of time in which you encounter new and exciting adventures and challenges to overcome.  Ensure your travel journal tells a story and has a definite introduction, conflict and resolution.
  • You create an incredible piece of technology that has the capacity to change the world.  As you sit back and marvel at your innovation and the endless possibilities ahead of you, it becomes apparent there are a few problems you didn’t really consider. You might not even be able to control them.  Write a narrative in which you ride the highs and lows of your world-changing creation with a clear introduction, conflict and resolution.
  • As the final door shuts on the Megamall, you realise you have done it…  You and your best friend have managed to sneak into the largest shopping centre in town and have the entire place to yourselves until 7 am tomorrow.  There is literally everything and anything a child would dream of entertaining themselves for the next 12 hours.  What amazing adventures await you?  What might go wrong?  And how will you get out of there scot-free?
  • A stranger walks into town…  Whilst appearing similar to almost all those around you, you get a sense that this person is from another time, space or dimension… Are they friends or foes?  What makes you sense something very strange is going on?   Suddenly they stand up and walk toward you with purpose extending their hand… It’s almost as if they were reading your mind.

NARRATIVE WRITING VIDEO TUTORIAL

narrative writing | Copy of Copy of Copy of HOW TO WRITE POEMS | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

When teaching narrative writing, it is essential that you have a range of tools, strategies and resources at your disposal to ensure you get the most out of your writing time.  You can find some examples below, which are free and paid premium resources you can use instantly without any preparation.

FREE Narrative Graphic Organizer

narrative writing | NarrativeGraphicOrganizer | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

THE STORY TELLERS BUNDLE OF TEACHING RESOURCES

narrative writing | story tellers bundle 1 | Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students | literacyideas.com

A MASSIVE COLLECTION of resources for narratives and story writing in the classroom covering all elements of crafting amazing stories. MONTHS WORTH OF WRITING LESSONS AND RESOURCES, including:

NARRATIVE WRITING CHECKLIST BUNDLE

writing checklists

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES ABOUT NARRATIVE WRITING

narrative writing | Narrative2BWriting2BStrategies2Bfor2Bjuniors2B28129 | Narrative Writing for Kids: Essential Skills and Strategies | literacyideas.com

Narrative Writing for Kids: Essential Skills and Strategies

narrative writing | narrative writing lessons | 7 Great Narrative Lesson Plans Students and Teachers Love | literacyideas.com

7 Great Narrative Lesson Plans Students and Teachers Love

narrative writing | Top narrative writing skills for students | Top 7 Narrative Writing Exercises for Students | literacyideas.com

Top 7 Narrative Writing Exercises for Students

narrative writing | how to write a scary horror story | How to Write a Scary Story | literacyideas.com

How to Write a Scary Story

The content for this page has been written by Shane Mac Donnchaidh.  A former principal of an international school and English university lecturer with 15 years of teaching and administration experience. Shane’s latest Book, The Complete Guide to Nonfiction Writing , can be found here.  Editing and support for this article have been provided by the literacyideas team.

Academic Writing Success

13 Thought-Provoking Personal Narrative Prompts

by Suzanne Davis | Sep 12, 2019 | Writing Essays and Papers | 2 comments

To be a person is to have a story to tell. –Isak Dinesen

What stories are within you?  A personal narrative is a story from your life. So, it is simple to write.  Maybe.  If you come up with an experience you’re dying to share–it is easy to get started. But, it isn’t always easy to think of an idea for a personal narrative.  So, I put together a list of 13 personal narrative prompts to help you find a compelling story you long to write about.

The idea of longing to write it is important because personal narratives need to show readers what your experience was like.  Desire to write inspires you to put more effort into your narrative’s description, character development, and plot.  Sounds a lot like writing a fictional story doesn’t it? Both are narratives, they need to engage your readers and show them something unique.

Personal narrative writing shows settings, people, actions, and feelings. When you write a personal narrative, you describe a story so that your reader sees, feels, and understands what you experienced.    When you write a personal narrative, you describe a story so that your reader sees, feels and understands what you experienced. Click To Tweet

You show (don’t tell) readers a personal story .  Check out the post “How to Master Writing a Compelling Personal Narrative Essay” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/writing-a-personal-narrative/   to see how to use the show don’t tell approach in writing personal narratives.

Finding an engaging personal narrative prompt will help you discover a memorable essay.  Let’s find the right topic for you.

13 Personal Narrative Prompts

One of the best ways to show a personal story is to select a small episode or anecdote from your life and dig deep into it.  These 13 personal narrative prompts help you find a great essay topic.

#1 Favorite School Memory

Write a story about your favorite school memory.  Who was there? Where was it?  How did it happen?  How does it end?  Focus on one single event.  For example, if you played the violin in school you could tell a story about playing the violin in a concert.  Or if you played on a soccer team, you could tell the story of your tryout.

# 2 Worst School Memory

This is the opposite of #1.  Select a memory that is focused on a terrible situation.  What triggered that situation and what happened?  What was the result?  For example, this could be a situation where you were bullied.  Describe what happened, and how it ended for you.  Did anyone defend you, or help you?  Or did the bullying continue?

#3 Frightening Story

Write a story about a scary or frightening moment in your life.  What happened?  How was it scary?  Are you still frightened?  Fear is a strong emotion and it motivates people to keep reading and find out what followed.  Some examples of frightening moments are being trapped in a cave, lost in the woods or inside an old house with strange noises, or a traumatic event.  A frightening experience could also be any personal event where you didn’t feel safe and were afraid something terrible was going to happen.

# 4 “Just Between Friends” 

Write a story about something that happened between you and a friend.  Is it something important you experienced together?  Did your friend do something to help you?  Did that person hurt you?  Or did you do something to help your friend?  Did you hurt a friend?  Some ideas for this topic are an activity or event you both participated in, something you both started, a great act of kindness, a sacrifice one of you made to help the other.  It could also be something where you betrayed your friend, or your friend betrayed you.

#5 Family Story

This is similar to the topic of friendship except in this case it’s something that happened within your family.  What occurred, who was there, and what did you do? Is there an important funny, sad, or happy event in your family?  Did you do something important or special with your family?   Some examples of this topic are the birth of someone in your family, the death of a loved one, or something fun you did with your parents, siblings or grandparents, etc.

Personal Narrative Prompt--The Journey

Write a story of the best, strangest, or worst thing that happened to you on a vacation or trip to another place.  Focus on one event or experience. One mistake writers make with this essay idea is they describe an entire travel experience, and that isn’t interesting to your readers.  Some ideas for this writing prompt are getting lost in a city, being pickpocketed on a trip, or visiting a historical site.

#7 First Love

First loves are powerful and vivid stories.  Consider a story about how you met that person or a significant memory between you. This could be something wonderful, funny, or even terrible,  If the relationship is over how did it end?  Were you heartbroken?  These stories, or a story about any important relationship, leave an imprint on us.

#8 Success Story

Write a story about something you accomplished.  Describe what you did to achieve success, and how you reached your goal.  Were there obstacles you had to overcome? This is a tricky essay topic because sometimes people focus on the feelings of success or the final achievement rather than the story of how they succeeded.  Some ideas for this topic are to write about winning an event, earning an honor, confronting a personal challenge, or getting over a phobia.

#9 Personal Failure

Write about how you failed to do or failed to achieve something.  Describe what you tried to do, how you failed, and what you gained/learned from it.  Everyone fails at something.  Your readers understand the feeling of failure.  Some people connect with these personal narratives more than stories of success because they empathize with you. People learn a lot through failure, so when you write this type of story, hint or convey what you learned from failing.

#10 Accident

Write a story about an accident you caused or an accident that happened to you.  This could be negative as in a car accident or maybe it’s an accident of good fortune.  Describe how the accident occurred, who was involved, and how it ended.  Was it a bicycle accident?  How did it happen?  Did someone get hurt?

#11 Unresolved Experience

Personal Narrative Prompt--The Unresolved Experience

Describe something that happened to you, but where there’s no resolution.  What was the experience and how did it occur? What don’t you understand or know about the experience? Then, instead of having a resolution to the story, convey how you feel about not knowing what happened.

#12 An International or National Event or Incident

Write a personal story describing how you acted, witnessed, or responded to a significant national or international event or incident.  Did you play in the Olympics, or join a protest?  Did you survive a natural disaster?  What was your role in this circumstance?  What did you do?  For example, if you were in a hurricane describe what happened, who you were with, and how you survived.

#13 Change the World Experience

One of the best experiences I had in my life was creating and organizing a family literacy program for public schools. There are several stories within that experience I could write. If you were a volunteer for an organization or participated in a service project, think about what happened.  Was there a moment that changed everything? What occurred? Did any of those stories change you, your community, or another person?  These stories can be very moving because they have impacted you, what you believe, and how you see or view others. 

Choose a Personal Narrative Prompt and Write

The most important factor to consider in a personal narrative is yourself.  Choose an idea for a personal narrative that intrigues you.  If your narrative bores you, it’ll bore readers.  You want to write a descriptive personal story with vivid characters, actions, and emotions.

Also, select a story you want to share with others.  You’re revealing not just what happened to you, but also a piece of yourself.  Is your personal story something you want people to know?

It’s your story .  You decide what to write and who reads it.  Then write it well.

What is your favorite personal narrative topic?  Please share it below! 

Great prompts, Suzanne! I especially liked #10 the unresolved experience. Very thought provoking. These prompts would also be great for personal journaling.

Terri, thank you. You’re right. These writing prompts would work well with personal journaling. I’m glad you liked #10. It’s one of my favorites!

[…] So which descriptive essay prompt inspires you?  And if you want more creative writing prompts, check out my blog post, “13 Thought-Provoking Personal Narrative Prompts” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/13-thought-provoking-personal-narrative-prompts/ . […]

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Over 170 Prompts to Inspire Writing and Discussion

Here are all of our Student Opinion questions from the 2020-21 school year. Each question is based on a different New York Times article, interactive feature or video.

narrative writing prompt examples

By The Learning Network

Each school day we publish a new Student Opinion question, and students use these writing prompts to reflect on their experiences and identities and respond to current events unfolding around them. To introduce each question, we provide an excerpt from a related New York Times article or Opinion piece as well as a free link to the original article.

During the 2020-21 school year, we asked 176 questions, and you can find them all below or here as a PDF . The questions are divided into two categories — those that provide opportunities for debate and persuasive writing, and those that lend themselves to creative, personal or reflective writing.

Teachers can use these prompts to help students practice narrative and persuasive writing, start classroom debates and even spark conversation between students around the world via our comments section. For more ideas on how to use our Student Opinion questions, we offer a short tutorial along with a nine-minute video on how one high school English teacher and her students use this feature .

Questions for Debate and Persuasive Writing

1. Should Athletes Speak Out On Social and Political Issues? 2. Should All Young People Learn How to Invest in the Stock Market? 3. What Are the Greatest Songs of All Time? 4. Should There Be More Gender Options on Identification Documents? 5. Should We End the Practice of Tipping? 6. Should There Be Separate Social Media Apps for Children? 7. Do Marriage Proposals Still Have a Place in Today’s Society? 8. How Do You Feel About Cancel Culture? 9. Should the United States Decriminalize the Possession of Drugs? 10. Does Reality TV Deserve Its Bad Rap? 11. Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished? 12. How Should Parents Support a Student Who Has Fallen Behind in School? 13. When Is It OK to Be a Snitch? 14. Should People Be Required to Show Proof of Vaccination? 15. How Much Have You and Your Community Changed Since George Floyd’s Death? 16. Can Empathy Be Taught? Should Schools Try to Help Us Feel One Another’s Pain? 17. Should Schools or Employers Be Allowed to Tell People How They Should Wear Their Hair? 18. Is Your Generation Doing Its Part to Strengthen Our Democracy? 19. Should Corporations Take Political Stands? 20. Should We Rename Schools Named for Historical Figures With Ties to Racism, Sexism or Slavery? 21. How Should Schools Hold Students Accountable for Hurting Others? 22. What Ideas Do You Have to Improve Your Favorite Sport? 23. Are Presidential Debates Helpful to Voters? Or Should They Be Scrapped? 24. Is the Electoral College a Problem? Does It Need to Be Fixed? 25. Do You Care Who Sits on the Supreme Court? Should We Care? 26. Should Museums Return Looted Artifacts to Their Countries of Origin? 27. Should Schools Provide Free Pads and Tampons? 28. Should Teachers Be Allowed to Wear Political Symbols? 29. Do You Think People Have Gotten Too Relaxed About Covid? 30. Who Do You Think Should Be Person of the Year for 2020? 31. How Should Racial Slurs in Literature Be Handled in the Classroom? 32. Should There Still Be Snow Days? 33. What Are Your Reactions to the Storming of the Capitol by a Pro-Trump Mob? 34. What Do You Think of the Decision by Tech Companies to Block President Trump? 35. If You Were a Member of Congress, Would You Vote to Impeach President Trump? 36. What Would You Do First if You Were the New President? 37. Who Do You Hope Will Win the 2020 Presidential Election? 38. Should Media Literacy Be a Required Course in School? 39. What Are Your Reactions to the Results of Election 2020? Where Do We Go From Here? 40. How Should We Remember the Problematic Actions of the Nation’s Founders? 41. As Coronavirus Cases Surge, How Should Leaders Decide What Stays Open and What Closes? 42. What Is Your Reaction to the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris? 43. How Worried Should We Be About Screen Time During the Pandemic? 44. Should Schools Be Able to Discipline Students for What They Say on Social Media? 45. What Works of Art, Culture and Technology Flopped in 2020? 46. How Do You Feel About Censored Music? 47. Why Do You Think ‘Drivers License’ Became Such a Smash Hit? 48. Justice Ginsburg Fought for Gender Equality. How Close Are We to Achieving That Goal? 49. How Well Do You Think Our Leaders Have Responded to the Coronavirus Crisis? 50. To What Extent Is the Legacy of Slavery and Racism Still Present in America in 2020? 51. How Should We Reimagine Our Schools So That All Students Receive a Quality Education? 52. How Concerned Do You Think We Should Be About the Integrity of the 2020 Election? 53. What Issues in This Election Season Matter Most to You? 54. Is Summer School a Smart Way to Make Up for Learning Lost This School Year? 55. What Is Your Reaction to the Senate’s Acquittal of Former President Trump? 56. What Is the Worst Toy Ever? 57. How Should We Balance Safety and Urgency in Developing a Covid-19 Vaccine? 58. What Are Your Reactions to Oprah’s Interview With Harry and Meghan? 59. Should the Government Provide a Guaranteed Income for Families With Children? 60. Should There Be More Public Restrooms? 61. Should High School-Age Basketball Players Be Able to Get Paid? 62. Should Team Sports Happen This Year? 63. Who Are the Best Musical Artists of the Past Year? What Are the Best Songs? 64. Should We Cancel Student Debt? 65. How Closely Should Actors’ Identities Reflect the Roles They Play? 66. Should White Writers Translate a Black Author’s Work? 67. Would You Buy an NFT? 68. Should Kids Still Learn to Tell Time? 69. Should All Schools Teach Financial Literacy? 70. What Is Your Reaction to the Verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial? 71. What Is the Best Way to Stop Abusive Language Online? 72. What Are the Underlying Systems That Hold a Society Together? 73. What Grade Would You Give President Biden on His First 100 Days? 74. Should High Schools Post Their Annual College Lists? 75. Are C.E.O.s Paid Too Much? 76. Should We Rethink Thanksgiving? 77. What Is the Best Way to Get Teenagers Vaccinated? 78. Do You Want Your Parents and Grandparents to Get the New Coronavirus Vaccine? 79. What Is Your Reaction to New Guidelines That Loosen Mask Requirements? 80. Who Should We Honor on Our Money? 81. Is Your School’s Dress Code Outdated? 82. Does Everyone Have a Responsibility to Vote? 83. How Is Your Generation Changing Politics?

Questions for Creative and Personal Writing

84. What Does Your Unique Style Say About You? 85. How Do You Spend Your Downtime? 86. Would You Want to Live to 200? 87. How Do You Connect to Your Heritage? 88. What Do You Think Are the Secrets to Happiness? 89. Are You a Sneakerhead? 90. What Role Have Mentors Played in Your Life? 91. If You Could Make Your Own Podcast, What Would It Be About? 92. Have You Ever Felt Pressure to ‘Sell Your Pain’? 93. Do You Think You Make Good Climate Choices? 94. What Does TikTok Mean to You? 95. Do Your Parents Overpraise You? 96. Do You Want to Travel in Space? 97. Do You Feel You’re Friends With Celebrities or Influencers You Follow Online? 98. Would You Eat Food Grown in a Lab? 99. What Makes You Cringe? 100. What Volunteer Work Would You Most Like to Do? 101. How Do You Respond When People Ask, ‘Where Are You From?’ 102. Has a School Assignment or Activity Ever Made You Uncomfortable? 103. How Does Your Identity Inform Your Political Beliefs and Values? 104. Are You an Orchid, a Tulip or a Dandelion? 105. Are You Having a Tough Time Maintaining Friendships These Days? 106. How Is Your Mental Health These Days? 107. Do You Love Writing or Receiving Letters? 108. What Has Television Taught You About Social Class? 109. Are You Easily Distracted? 110. What Objects Bring You Comfort? 111. What Is Your Favorite Memory of PBS? 112. Have You Ever Felt Embarrassed by Your Parents? 113. What Are You Doing to Combat Pandemic Fatigue? 114. Have You Ever Worried About Making a Good First Impression? 115. What Do You Want Your Parents to Know About What It’s Like to Be a Teenager During the Pandemic? 116. How Have You Collaborated From a Distance During the Pandemic? 117. How Important Is It to You to Have Similar Political Beliefs to Your Family and Friends? 118. How Are You Feeling About Winter This Year? 119. Which Celebrity Performer Would You Like to Challenge to a Friendly Battle? 120. How Mentally Tough Are You? 121. What Smells Trigger Powerful Memories for You? 122. What Are You Thankful for This Year? 123. Do You Miss Hugs? 124. Are You a Good Conversationalist? 125. What Habits Have You Started or Left Behind in 2020? 126. What Was the Best Art and Culture You Experienced in 2020? 127. What’s Your Relationship With Masks? 128. What Role Does Religion Play in Your Life? 129. How Will You Be Celebrating the Holidays This Year? 130. What Is Something Good That Happened in 2020? 131. What New Flavor Ideas Do You Have for Your Favorite Foods? 132. What Are Your Hopes and Concerns for the New School Year? 133. How Has 2020 Challenged or Changed You? 134. What Do You Hope for Most in 2021? 135. How Do You View Death? 136. What Is Your Favorite Fact You Learned in 2020? 137. What Are the Places in the World That You Love Most? 138. Have You Ever Experienced ‘Impostor Syndrome’? 139. How Well Do You Get Along With Your Siblings? 140. Do You Talk to Your Family About the Cost of College? 141. Do You Have a Healthy Diet? 142. How Do You Feel About Mask-Slipping? 143. Do You Believe in Manifesting? 144. How Do You Express Yourself Creatively? 145. What Are Your Family’s House Rules During the Covid Crisis? 146. What Online Communities Do You Participate In? 147. Have You Experienced Any Embarrassing Zoom Mishaps? 148. What Does Your Country’s National Anthem Mean to You? 149. Are Sports Just Not the Same Without Spectators in the Stands? 150. Would You Volunteer for a Covid-19 Vaccine Trial? 151. What ‘Old’ Technology Do You Think Is Cool? 152. Have You Ever Tried to Grow Something? 153. How Has the Pandemic Changed Your Relationship to Your Body? 154. How Do You Find New Books, Music, Movies or Television Shows? 155. Are You Nervous About Returning to Normal Life? 156. How Do You Celebrate Spring? 157. How Do You Talk With People Who Don’t Share Your Views? 158. Would You Want to Be a Teacher Someday? 159. What Would You Recommend That Is ‘Overlooked and Underappreciated’? 160. What Children’s Books Have Had the Biggest Impact on You? 161. What Is Your Gender Identity? 162. Have You Hit a Wall? 163. What Is the Code You Live By? 164. Do You Think You Have Experienced ‘Learning Loss’ During the Pandemic? 165. What Are the Most Memorable Things You’ve Seen or Experienced in Nature? 166. Do You Want to Have Children Someday? 167. What Have You Learned About Friendship This Year? 168. What Seemingly Mundane Feats Have You Accomplished? 169. Has a Celebrity Ever Convinced You to Do Something? 170. How Have You Commemorated Milestones During the Pandemic? 171. How Often Do You Read, Watch or Listen to Things Outside of Your Comfort Zone? 172. Do You Think You Live in a Political Bubble? 173. What Is Your Relationship With the Weight-Loss Industry? 174. What Have You Made This Year? 175. How Are You Right Now? 176. What Are You Grateful For?

Want more writing prompts?

You can find even more Student Opinion questions in our 300 Questions and Images to Inspire Argument Writing , 550 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing and 130 New Prompts for Argumentative Writing . We also publish daily Picture Prompts , which are image-centered posts that provide space for many different kinds of writing. You can find all of our writing prompts, added as they publish, here .

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Last updated on Oct 31, 2022

10 Personal Narrative Examples to Inspire Your Writing

Personal narratives are short pieces of creative nonfiction that recount a story from someone’s own experiences. They can be a memoir, a thinkpiece, or even a polemic — so long as the piece is grounded in the writer's beliefs and experiences, it can be considered a personal narrative.

Despite the nonfiction element, there’s no single way to approach this topic, and you can be as creative as you would be writing fiction. To inspire your writing and reveal the sheer diversity of this type of essay, here are ten great examples personal narratives from recent years: 

1. “Only Disconnect” by Gary Shteyngart

narrative writing prompt examples

Personal narratives don’t have to be long to be effective, as this thousand-word gem from the NYT book review proves. Published in 2010, just as smartphones were becoming a ubiquitous part of modern life, this piece echoes many of our fears surrounding technology and how it often distances us from reality.

In this narrative, Shteyngart navigates Manhattan using his new iPhone—or more accurately, is led by his iPhone, completely oblivious to the world around him. He’s completely lost to the magical happenstance of the city as he “follow[s] the arrow taco-ward”. But once he leaves for the country, and abandons the convenience of a cell phone connection, the real world comes rushing back in and he remembers what he’s been missing out on. 

The downfalls of technology is hardly a new topic, but Shteyngart’s story remains evergreen because of how our culture has only spiraled further down the rabbit hole of technology addiction in the intervening years.

What can you learn from this piece?

Just because a piece of writing is technically nonfiction, that doesn’t mean that the narrative needs to be literal. Shteyngart imagines a Manhattan that physically changes around him when he’s using his iPhone, becoming an almost unrecognizable world. From this, we can see how a certain amount of dramatization can increase the impact of your message—even if that wasn’t exactly the way something happened. 

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2. “Why I Hate Mother's Day” by Anne Lamott

The author of the classic writing text Bird by Bird digs into her views on motherhood in this piece from Salon. At once a personal narrative and a cultural commentary, Lamott explores the harmful effects that Mother’s Day may have on society —how its blind reverence to the concept of motherhood erases women’s agency and freedom to be flawed human beings. 

Lamott points out that not all mothers are good, not everyone has a living mother to celebrate, and some mothers have lost their children, so have no one to celebrate with them. More importantly, she notes how this Hallmark holiday erases all the people who helped raise a woman, a long chain of mothers and fathers, friends and found family, who enable her to become a mother. While it isn’t anchored to a single story or event (like many classic personal narratives), Lamott’s exploration of her opinions creates a story about a culture that puts mothers on an impossible pedestal. 

In a personal narrative essay, lived experience can be almost as valid as peer-reviewed research—so long as you avoid making unfounded assumptions. While some might point out that this is merely an opinion piece, Lamott cannily starts the essay by grounding it in the personal, revealing how she did not raise her son to celebrate Mother’s Day. This detail, however small, invites the reader into her private life and frames this essay as a story about her —and not just an exercise in being contrary.

3. “The Crane Wife” by CJ Hauser 

Days after breaking off her engagement with her fiance, CJ Hauser joins a scientific expedition on the Texas coast r esearching whooping cranes . In this new environment, she reflects on the toxic relationship she left and how she found herself in this situation. She pulls together many seemingly disparate threads, using the expedition and the Japanese myth of the crane wife as a metaphor for her struggles. 

Hauser’s interactions with the other volunteer researchers expand the scope of the narrative from her own mind, reminding her of the compassion she lacked in her relationship. In her attempts to make herself smaller, less needy, to please her fiance, she lost sight of herself and almost signed up to live someone else’s life, but among the whooping cranes of Texas, she takes the first step in reconnecting with herself.

With short personal narratives, there isn’t as much room to develop characters as you might have in a memoir so the details you do provide need to be clear and specific. Each of the volunteer researchers on Hauser’s expedition are distinct and recognizable though Hauser is economical in her descriptions. 

For example, Hauser describes one researcher as “an eighty-four-year-old bachelor from Minnesota. He could not do most of the physical activities required by the trip, but had been on ninety-five Earthwatch expeditions, including this one once before. Warren liked birds okay. What Warren really loved was cocktail hour.” 

In a few sentences, we get a clear picture of Warren's fun-loving, gregarious personality and how he fits in with the rest of the group.

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4. “The Trash Heap Has Spoken” by Carmen Maria Machado

The films and TV shows of the 80s and 90s—cultural touchstones that practically raised a generation—hardly ever featured larger women on screen. And if they did, it was either as a villain or a literal trash heap. Carmen Maria Machado grew up watching these cartoons, and the absence of fat women didn’t faze her. Not until puberty hit and she went from a skinny kid to a fuller-figured teen. Suddenly uncomfortable in her skin, she struggled to find any positive representation in her favorite media.

As she gets older and more comfortable in her own body, Machado finds inspiration in Marjory the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock and Ursula, everyone’s favorite sea witch from The Little Mermaid —characters with endless power in the unapologetic ways they inhabit their bodies. As Machado considers her own body through the years, it’s these characters she returns to as she faces society’s unkind, dismissive attitudes towards fat women.

Stories shape the world, even if they’re fictional. Some writers strive for realism, reflecting the world back on itself in all its ugliness, but Carmen Maria Machado makes a different point. There is power in being imaginative and writing the world as it could be, imagining something bigger, better, and more beautiful. So, write the story you want to see, change the narrative, look at it sideways, and show your readers how the world could look. 

5. “Am I Disabled?” by Joanne Limburg 

The titular question frames the narrative of Joanne Limburg’s essay as she considers the implications of disclosing her autism. What to some might seem a mundane occurrence—ticking ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘prefer not to say’ on a bureaucratic form—elicits both philosophical and practical questions for Limburg about what it means to be disabled and how disability is viewed by the majority of society. 

Is the labor of disclosing her autism worth the insensitive questions she has to answer? What definition are people seeking, exactly? Will anyone believe her if she says yes? As she dissects the question of what disability is, she explores the very real personal effects this has on her life and those of other disabled people. 

Limburg’s essay is written in a style known as the hermit crab essay , when an author uses an existing document form to contain their story. You can format your writing as a recipe, a job application, a resume, an email, or a to-do list – the possibilities are as endless as your creativity. The format you choose is important, though. It should connect in some way to the story you’re telling and add something to the reader’s experience as well as your overall theme. 

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Literary Devices Cheatsheet

Master these 40+ devices to level up your writing skills.

6. “Living Like Weasels” by Annie Dillard

narrative writing prompt examples

While out on a walk in the woods behind her house, Annie Dillard encounters a wild weasel. In the short moment when they make eye contact, Dillard takes an imaginary journey through the weasel’s mind and wonders if the weasel’s approach to life is better than her own. 

The weasel, as Dillard sees it, is a wild creature with jaws so powerful that when it clamps on to something, it won’t let go, even into death. Necessity drives it to be like this, and humanity, obsessed with choice, might think this kind of life is limiting, but the writer believes otherwise. The weasel’s necessity is the ultimate freedom, as long as you can find the right sort, the kind that will have you holding on for dear life and refusing to let go. 

Make yourself the National Geographic explorer of your backyard or neighborhood and see what you can learn about yourself from what you discover. Annie Dillard, queen of the natural personal essay, discovers a lot about herself and her beliefs when meeting a weasel.

What insight can you glean from a blade of grass, for example? Does it remind you that despite how similar people might be, we are all unique? Do the flights of migrating birds give you perspective on the changes in your own life? Nature is a potent and never-ending spring of inspiration if you only think to look. 

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7. “Love In Our Seventies” by Ellery Akers

“ And sometimes, when I lift the gray hair at the back of your neck and kiss your shoulder, I think, This is it.”

In under 400 words, poet Ellery Akers captures the joy she has found in discovering romance as a 75-year-old . The language is romantic, but her imagery is far from saccharine as she describes their daily life and the various states in which they’ve seen each other: in their pajamas, after cataract surgeries, while meditating. In each singular moment, Akers sees something she loves, underscoring an oft-forgotten truth. Love is most potent in its smallest gestures.  

Personal narrative isn’t a defined genre with rigid rules, so your essay doesn’t have to be an essay. It can be a poem, as Akers’ is. The limitations of this form can lead to greater creativity as you’re trying to find a short yet evocative way to tell a story. It allows you to focus deeply on the emotions behind an idea and create an intimate connection with your reader. 

8. “What a Black Woman Wishes Her Adoptive White Parents Knew” by Mariama Lockington

narrative writing prompt examples

Mariama Lockington was adopted by her white parents in the early 80s, long before it was “trendy” for white people to adopt black children. Starting with a family photograph, the writer explores her complex feelings about her upbringing , the many ways her parents ignored her race for their own comfort, and how she came to feel like an outsider in her own home. In describing her childhood snapshots, she takes the reader from infancy to adulthood as she navigates trying to live as a black woman in a white family. 

Lockington takes us on a journey through her life through a series of vignettes. These small, important moments serve as a framing device, intertwining to create a larger narrative about race, family, and belonging. 

With this framing device, it’s easy to imagine Lockington poring over a photo album, each picture conjuring a different memory and infusing her story with equal parts sadness, regret, and nostalgia. You can create a similar effect by separating your narrative into different songs to create an album or episodes in a TV show. A unique structure can add an extra layer to your narrative and enhance the overall story.

9. “Drinking Chai to Savannah” by Anjali Enjeti

On a trip to Savannah with her friends, Anjali Enjeti is reminded of a racist incident she experienced as a teenager . The memory is prompted by her discomfort of traveling in Georgia as a South Asian woman and her friends’ seeming obliviousness to how others view them. As she recalls the tense and traumatic encounter she had in line at a Wendy’s and the worry she experiences in Savannah, Enjeti reflects on her understanding of otherness and race in America. 

Enjeti paints the scene in Wendy’s with a deft hand. Using descriptive language, she invokes the five senses to capture the stress and fear she felt when the men in line behind her were hurling racist sentiments. 

She writes, “He moves closer. His shadow eclipses mine. His hot, tobacco-tinged breath seeps over the collar of my dress.” The strong, evocative language she uses brings the reader into the scene and has them experience the same anxiety she does, understanding why this incident deeply impacted her. 

10. “Siri Tells A Joke” by Debra Gwartney

One day, Debra Gwartney asks Siri—her iPhone’s digital assistant—to tell her a joke. In reply, Siri recites a joke with a familiar setup about three men stuck on a desert island. When the punchline comes, Gwartney reacts not with laughter, but with a memory of her husband , who had died less than six months prior.

In a short period, Gwartney goes through a series of losses—first, her house and her husband’s writing archives to a wildfire, and only a month after, her husband. As she reflects on death and the grief of those left behind in the wake of it, she recounts the months leading up to her husband’s passing and the interminable stretch after as she tries to find a way to live without him even as she longs for him. 

A joke about three men on a deserted island seems like an odd setup for an essay about grief. However, Gwartney uses it to great effect, coming back to it later in the story and giving it greater meaning. By the end of her piece, she recontextualizes the joke, the original punchline suddenly becoming deeply sad. In taking something seemingly unrelated and calling back to it later, the essay’s message about grief and love becomes even more powerful.

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COMMENTS

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  15. Personal Narrative Prompts by Grade (K-12) » JournalBuddies.com

    And… Our list prompts shown below can guide students and inspire them to craft their own stories and create their own dialogue. As they begin to explore the concept of a personal narrative, they learn to become storytellers in their own right. Personal narrative writing is the first step toward creating fiction. Further…

  16. 51 Prompts for Narrative Writing to Spark the Imagination

    These 51 prompts for narrative writing invite students to recount personal stories, describe memories, and use their imagination. Being able to teach writing is often a challenge, but it's one of the many good teaching qualities you'll need to help your students find success with their language acquisition.

  17. Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students

    A narrative can spark emotion, encourage reflection, and convey meaning when done well. Narratives are a popular genre for students and teachers as they allow the writer to share their imagination, creativity, skill, and understanding of nearly all elements of writing. We occasionally refer to a narrative as 'creative writing' or story writing.

  18. 13 Thought-Provoking Personal Narrative Prompts

    #1 Favorite School Memory Write a story about your favorite school memory. Who was there? Where was it? How did it happen? How does it end? Focus on one single event. For example, if you played the violin in school you could tell a story about playing the violin in a concert.

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  21. 10 Personal Narrative Examples to Inspire Your Writing

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  22. 7 Imaginative Narrative Writing Prompts To Create The Perfect Story

    Prompt 6 - Saturday. After a long day at work, Amy comes home later than usual and is worried about the kids and her husband. She gets into the house, but everyone is shocked to see her and wouldn't talk to her, even her husband. Amy thinks it's a game until she walks into her room and sees herself lying on the bed.

  23. 30 Narrative Writing Prompts for 1st Grade

    Write about a time when you got to stay up late. What did you do with the extra time? Write a story about the coolest place you ever went to. Why did you like it so much? Write about a time when your family went to a carnival or festival. What was the most exciting thing you saw? Write about your first day at school. How did you feel?