Tips for Writing Top-Notch Narrative and Expository Essays
- Boon Yih Mah
- Nov 9, 2020
- 9 min read
Updated: 19 hours ago
Essay writing is crucial for academic success, as it helps students effectively communicate their thoughts. Narrative and expository essays serve different yet important roles in developing writing skills. Understanding the essay's objectives and structures is essential for crafting engaging and informative content. Mastering these types of essays enables writers to captivate their audience while conveying their message.
Narrative essays immerse readers in rich, imaginative landscapes by presenting personal anecdotes and experiences. These essays often include vivid descriptions, emotional reflections, and dynamic characters, allowing readers to connect personally. Through storytelling, writers share their unique perspectives and invite readers to explore themes such as growth, conflict, and resolution, creating a powerful emotional impact.
On the other hand, expository essays serve a different purpose by focusing on delivering information and insights with clarity and precision. These essays are structured logically, often beginning with an introduction that outlines the topic, followed by body paragraphs that present evidence, examples, and explanations. The goal is to inform or educate the reader about a specific subject, employing a straightforward and analytical approach that prioritises facts over emotions.
A. Tips for Writing a Narrative Essay Solutions
A narrative essay unfolds like a tapestry, intricately woven from personal experiences that resonate emotionally with the reader. It invites you into a world where stories come alive, painting vivid images that stir the heart and mind. Within these narratives lies a lesson or theme that extends beyond the individual tale, offering a glimpse into universal truths.
To craft an effective narrative, one must blend rich, sensory descriptions that spark the imagination, a clear and compelling structure that guides the reader through the story, and thoughtful reflections that provide depth and insight. Each element works harmoniously to create an immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression. Here are some tips for writing an excellent narrative essay.
a. Choose a Meaningful Topic
Selecting a topic with personal significance allows the writer to convey genuine emotions and reflections, creating a more authentic and impactful narrative.
According to Calkins (2013), narrative writing reaches its fullest potential when it draws inspiration from authentic experiences.
This process cultivates a deep sense of empathy and ignites pathways for cognitive growth, allowing readers to connect with stories on a profound level.
b. Structure the Story Clearly
Though narratives can be rich and imaginative, they must unfold coherently or logically to guide the reader smoothly through the story.
The classic narrative structure — exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution — helps maintain coherence (Burke, 2015).
Without a clear organisation, the reader may struggle to follow the storyline.
c. Show, Don’t Tell
Rather than relying on exposition, engaging the reader through vivid sensory details and dynamic action draws them into the story's heart.
As Wyrick (2013) eloquently points out, "effective narrative depends on vibrant imagery and specific details, immersing the audience in a rich, evocative experience."
The narrative comes alive by painting scenes with descriptive language and unfolding events in a lively manner, allowing readers to feel the journey's sights, sounds, and emotions.
d. Incorporate Reflection
A strong narrative essay does not simply recount events; it also includes introspection on their meaning or significance.
Calkins (2013) vividly illustrates that reflection opens a gateway for writers and readers to weave their personal experiences into the rich tapestry of universal human themes.
This deep connection enriches the narrative and amplifies the essay's emotional resonance, making its impact more significant.
B. Tips for Writing an Expository Essay Solutions
An expository essay objectively explains, informs, or describes a topic using evidence and logical organisation, excluding personal opinions or emotional appeals. A topical essay, often assigned to students, involves a detailed analysis of a specific subject, linking it to the reader's life. Effective writing requires formal language, avoidance of contractions, clarity, conciseness, a professional tone, and proper grammar.
To write an excellent expository essay, follow three stages: pre-writing, writing, and post-writing. In pre-writing, brainstorm, gather information, and outline. During writing, structure the essay into five paragraphs: an introduction with a thesis, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In post-writing, proofread and edit for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and coherence. Here are some tips for writing an excellent expository essay:
a. Start with a Clear Thesis Statement
A robust expository essay is anchored by a clear and compelling thesis statement articulating the central idea or argument with precision.
Hacker and Sommers (2020) highlight that this thesis should be "specific enough to provide sharp focus for the essay, yet broad enough to allow for rich and detailed support."
By skillfully balancing specificity and breadth, the thesis invites readers into a well-defined topic exploration, setting the stage for an insightful and engaging narrative.
b. Organise with Logical Progression
Ideas should be thoughtfully organised into cohesive body paragraphs, each beginning with a clear and engaging topic sentence that sets the tone.
Transitional phrases act like bridges, smoothly guiding readers from one thought to the next, ensuring an effortless flow of information (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz, 2019).
A consistent structure, such as the five-paragraph format, can provide clarity and help illuminate the main points, making the overall message more impactful and accessible.
c. Use Reliable Evidence
Enhancing an essay with credible sources bolsters its objectivity and elevates its overall reliability.
The argument is imbued with a sense of authority and trustworthiness by incorporating compelling studies, striking statistics, and authoritative expert opinions (Graff & Birkenstein, 2021).
It is vital, however, to skillfully navigate the fine line between facts and opinions, ensuring that readers can clearly discern evidence from personal viewpoints.
d. Maintain an Objective Tone
Expository writing calls for a clear and impartial academic tone, akin to a guiding light that illuminates understanding without veering into personal opinion.
Personal anecdotes and emotive language should be set aside unless specifically allowed, ensuring that the focus remains on delivering information.
Hacker and Sommers (2020) eloquently express that "the writer's role is to inform, not to persuade or entertain," reinforcing the genre's commitment to clarity and objectivity.
C. Differences Between Narrative and Expository Essays
Narrative and expository essays serve different purposes in writing. Narrative essays tell engaging stories, often based on personal experiences, to evoke emotions and imagination in readers. In contrast, expository essays provide clear, concise explanations or analyses of a specific topic, using logical organisation and factual evidence to clarify complex concepts. This distinction shapes the content and the reader's experience, making each essay unique.
Aspect | Narrative Essay | Expository Essay |
Purpose | To tell a story and reflect on its meaning (Calkins, 2013) | To inform, explain, or describe a topic objectively (Graff & Birkenstein, 2021) |
Tone | Personal, emotional, and reflective (Burke, 2015) | Objective, factual, and neutral (Hacker & Sommers, 2020) |
Structure | Chronological or event-driven (Wyrick, 2013) | Logical progression based on ideas or arguments (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz, 2019) |
Content Focus | Personal experiences, feelings, and insights | Facts, evidence, and logical explanation |
Use of Sources | Generally minimal; based on personal experience | Essential; relies on credible, external sources |
Language Style | Vivid, descriptive, creative | Clear, concise, formal |
D. Writing Stages Solutions
a. Pre-Writing
Spend 20-30 per cent of this stage's total writing time duration.
Before writing, remember this: You are not required to discuss, express your opinion, argue, or persuade the reader when writing an expository essay.
If you are given an essay title to write, interpret the keywords from the task, such as state, explain, express, discuss, and opinion, to determine the required essay genre.
Identify the topic or subject matter and the scope from the keywords in the given essay title.
Make sure your ideas are confined within the scope based on the title.
Use the mapping technique to brainstorm and list out your points.
Select, sort out, and arrange your points into introduction, first body paragraph, second body paragraph, third body paragraph, and conclusion clusters.
Outline your essay based on the selected points in the clusters and write them in point form instead of complete sentences for your draft.
Ensure the thesis statement is written in the last sentence of the introduction.
The topic sentence, supporting details (two or three sentences), and concluding sentence (optional) should be stated in each body paragraph.
The conclusion summarises all the body paragraphs' main ideas (topic sentences).
Emphasise the thesis statement instead of providing a new point in the conclusion.
b. Writing
Spend 50-60 per cent of the total writing time duration in this stage.
Follow the draft by elaborating the points into complete sentences.
You can modify the points while writing based on the draft in a clear structure of introduction, body, and conclusion.
Below are the tips for writing different sections in an expository essay.
Introduction:
Write a well-developed and engaging introduction using attention grabbers like statistics, quotes, and anecdotes.
Ensure the thesis statement is clearly stated and effectively written in a general or specific form.
The introduction should be shorter than any of the body paragraphs.
Body:
Each body paragraph must contain only one main and new idea expressed in a topic sentence.
Do not repeat the same idea in different body paragraphs.
Write an effective topic sentence with well-developed details and examples given.
Your word choice must be accurate and concise.
Write in an objective tone from the third-person perspective.
A first-person or second-person perspective is acceptable if it links to a personal experience.
To minimise grammatical, spelling, capitalisation, and punctuation errors, read and remember all the correct language uses by referring to Which One Is Correct in English?
Use sentence patterns like simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.
Avoid constructing a wordy sentence written in more than two lines.
Use linkers to achieve effective, mature, and appropriate transitions in each well-organised body paragraph.
Make sure the length of each body paragraph is almost similar.
Conclusion:
Write an effective and powerful closure beyond restating the thesis statement.
Do not add new ideas to the conclusion.
Emphasise the topic's importance, impact, or implication to end your conclusion.
c. Post-Writing
Spend 10-20 per cent of this stage's total writing time duration.
Revise your content to ensure that the essay has fulfilled the tasks' requirements.
Ensure your essay's total length does not exceed the word limit.
Ensure the thesis statement, main ideas, supporting details, and concluding sentences (optional) are clearly stated and well-supported.
Edit your language on grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Proofread the essay's correctness, conventions, format, and organisation (cohesiveness and coherence).
To request editing, proofreading, and translating services, refer to Does a Writer Need an Editor?
Submit or publish your essay before the deadline if relevant.
E. Samples
Here are examples of titles for narrative and expository essays:
a. Narrative Essay Titles
How I Learned the Importance of Social Harmony in My Community
How Using Social Media Wisely Changed My University Life
A Time I Helped Less Fortunate Students at University
How I Improved My Learning Experience in the Classroom
How Watching Violent Movies Affected My Teenage Years
How I Found Productive Ways to Spend My Leisure Time
My Internship Experience: Preparing for My Future Career
How Taking Care of Personal Hygiene Became Part of My Routine
How I Helped Raise Awareness About Endangered Animals
How the Internet Changed the Way I Communicate with Others
b. Expository Essay Titles
The ways to create social harmony in the community
How can university students use social media wisely?
Ways to contribute to the less fortunate students at the university
Ways to improve the university's classroom learning experience
The effects of watching violent movies on teenagers
Productive ways for students to spend their leisure time
The benefits of an internship in preparing university students for their future careers
The benefits of taking care of personal hygiene
Ways to create awareness of endangered animals among students
How has the internet changed the way people talk to each other?
To Conclude
Mastering both narrative and expository writing strengthens a student’s overall communication skills. Narrative essays cultivate creativity, empathy, and introspection, while expository essays foster clarity, objectivity, and analytical thinking. By applying strategies such as clear structure, vivid description, logical organisation, and evidence-based support, writers can excel in both genres.
Overall, the topical essay is an effective way to assess a student's writing and analytical skills. As academic writing continues to evolve, distinguishing and effectively composing different types of essays remains a vital educational and professional skill. By providing a detailed analysis of a specific topic, the writer can inform and engage the reader on a particular subject matter.
References
Burke, J. (2015). The English teacher's companion: A completely new guide to classroom, curriculum, and the profession (4th ed.). Heinemann.
Calkins, L. (2013). The art of teaching writing (2nd ed.). Heinemann.
Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2021). They say / I say: The moves that matter in academic writing (5th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Hacker, D., & Sommers, N. (2020). A writer's reference (10th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Lunsford, A. A., & Ruszkiewicz, J. J. (2019). Everything's an argument (8th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Wyrick, J. (2013). Steps to writing well (12th ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Let's Recall...
What are the main structural and stylistic differences between narrative and expository essays?
Why is reflection considered an important element in writing a narrative essay?
How can a writer maintain objectivity when composing an expository essay?
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This guest post was written by Boon Yih Mah, an associate professor at the Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, and the Founder and CEO of WeCWI Integrated Solutions, and co-written by Wang Jing, a lecturer at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Zhejiang College, China.
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