Narrative Essay Topics: TOP 200 Choices for Students

narrative essays topic ideas

Imagine yourself facing a blank page, ready to fill it with your memories and imagination. What story will you tell today?

As students, you often have to write narratives that capture people's attention. But with so many stories to choose from, where do you start? How do you find the perfect topic that will grab our readers' interest and make them think?

Join our essay service experts as we explore 200 topics for college where stories are waiting to be told, and experiences are ready to be shared. From everyday events to unforgettable moments, each topic is a chance to connect with your readers and make them feel something.

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Ideas for Narrative Essay Topics

After exploring how students write narrative paragraphs, we've put together a list of narrative essay topics designed specifically for college and school students. This list covers a wide range of subjects, so pick one that speaks to you!

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

How about delving into captivating literacy narrative essay topics designed specifically for college-level writing? Exciting, isn't it?

  • How did a childhood book shape your view of the world?
  • What challenges did you face when learning to read in a second language?
  • How has storytelling within your family influenced your literacy journey?
  • Can you recall a pivotal moment that ignited your love for reading?
  • How did a specific teacher inspire your passion for literature?
  • Have you ever encountered a character in a book who profoundly impacted your perspective on life?
  • What role did writing play in helping you navigate a difficult period in your life?
  • How has your relationship with technology affected your reading habits?
  • What cultural or historical event sparked your interest in a particular genre of literature?
  • How has poetry shaped your understanding of language and emotion?
  • Have you ever experienced a breakthrough moment in your writing process?
  • How has reading aloud impacted your comprehension and enjoyment of literature?
  • Can you recall a time when a book challenged your beliefs or worldview?
  • How has participating in a book club enriched your reading experience?
  • What strategies have you developed to overcome reading difficulties or distractions?

Personal Narrative Essay Topics on Relationships

Take a moment to reflect on your past experiences and craft compelling personal narratives with these essay ideas.

  • How did a specific friendship shape who you are today?
  • Can you recount a moment that strengthened your bond with a family member?
  • What challenges have you faced in maintaining a long-distance relationship?
  • How has a mentor influenced your personal and professional development?
  • Have you experienced a betrayal in a relationship? How did it impact you?
  • Can you describe a memorable conflict resolution process within a relationship?
  • How has your relationship with a pet affected your emotional well-being?
  • What lessons have you learned from navigating a romantic relationship?
  • How has your relationship with a sibling evolved over time?
  • Can you recall a time when you had to set boundaries in a friendship?
  • How has volunteering or community involvement enriched your relationships?
  • What cultural differences have influenced your relationships with others?
  • Can you share a moment when you felt truly understood by someone?
  • How has technology affected the dynamics of your relationships?
  • Have you ever experienced a reconciliation that transformed a strained relationship?

Best Narrative Essay Topics on Education and Learning

Consider the beauty of sharing your personal experiences and emotions in a captivating manner through these ideas for personal narrative essays.

  • What was the most valuable lesson you learned outside of the classroom?
  • Can you recount a moment when a teacher's unconventional method transformed your understanding of a subject?
  • How has a field trip or experiential learning opportunity impacted your education?
  • What challenges have you faced in balancing extracurricular activities with academics?
  • Have you ever had a "Eureka!" moment while studying? Describe it.
  • How has learning a new skill outside of school influenced your academic performance?
  • Can you recall a time when a peer's perspective challenged your own understanding of a topic?
  • How has technology enhanced or hindered your learning experience?
  • What role does creativity play in your approach to learning?
  • Have you ever experienced a setback that ultimately propelled you forward academically?
  • How has your cultural background influenced your learning style?
  • Can you describe a time when you had to advocate for yourself within an educational setting?
  • How has mentorship shaped your educational journey?
  • What strategies have you employed to overcome academic challenges or obstacles?
  • Can you reflect on a time when failure taught you a valuable lesson about learning?

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Personal Narrative Essay Ideas on Reflection on Life

Why not ignite your creativity with a range of narrative essay topics, from extraordinary moments to everyday experiences?

  • How has a moment of failure ultimately led to personal growth and resilience?
  • Can you recount a pivotal decision that significantly altered the course of your life?
  • What lessons have you learned from navigating a crossroads or major life transition?
  • How has your perspective on success evolved over time?
  • Can you reflect on a time when you had to confront and overcome a deeply held fear?
  • What role has gratitude played in shaping your outlook on life?
  • How have your values and beliefs been influenced by significant life experiences?
  • Can you describe a moment when you found clarity and purpose amidst chaos or uncertainty?
  • What impact has traveling to a new place had on your understanding of the world and yourself?
  • How has adversity strengthened your character and determination?
  • Can you recall a time when a random act of kindness profoundly impacted your life?
  • What lessons have you learned from embracing vulnerability and authenticity in relationships?
  • How has practicing mindfulness or self-reflection enhanced your well-being and happiness?
  • Can you reflect on a period of personal transformation or self-discovery?
  • How have you found meaning and fulfillment in pursuing your passions and interests?

Ideas for a Narrative Essay on Culture and Society

Engaging your readers with narrative essays on culture and society is a great way to spark interest, offering captivating ideas for exploration.

  • How has your family's unique culinary heritage influenced your cultural identity?
  • Can you reflect on a specific cultural artifact or heirloom that holds deep significance for your family?
  • What challenges have you faced in preserving traditional customs while adapting to modern societal expectations?
  • How has a local festival or celebration revealed the intricacies of your community's cultural tapestry?
  • Can you recount a moment when you navigated a cultural clash between your upbringing and the dominant culture?
  • How has your experience as a first-generation immigrant shaped your understanding of cultural assimilation?
  • What lessons have you learned from participating in intercultural exchange programs or initiatives?
  • Can you describe a unique cultural practice or tradition within your community that outsiders might find intriguing or misunderstood?
  • How has the revitalization of indigenous languages contributed to the preservation of cultural heritage in your region?
  • Can you reflect on a personal journey of reconnecting with your cultural roots after a period of assimilation or disconnection?
  • What role does storytelling play in passing down cultural wisdom and values within your family or community?
  • How has the portrayal of your culture in mainstream media affected your sense of belonging and self-perception?
  • Can you recount a moment when you challenged cultural stereotypes through creative expression or advocacy?
  • How has the migration of a specific cultural group enriched the social fabric and economic landscape of your community?
  • What initiatives or grassroots movements are currently underway to promote cross-cultural understanding and cooperation in your society?

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Narrative Writing Topics on Hobbies and Interests

Wow your readers by turning your passions and hobbies into compelling narrative essay topics that will get them thinking.

  • How has your passion for urban gardening transformed neglected spaces in your community?
  • Can you recount a thrilling adventure from your hobby of urban exploration?
  • What lessons have you learned from restoring vintage motorcycles in your spare time?
  • How has your fascination with birdwatching deepened your connection to nature and conservation efforts?
  • Can you describe a memorable moment from your hobby of foraging wild edibles in the wilderness?
  • What unique skills have you developed through your hobby of beekeeping, and how have they impacted your daily life?
  • How has your interest in historical reenactment brought the past to life in unexpected ways?
  • Can you reflect on a transformative experience from your hobby of landscape photography?
  • What insights have you gained from practicing the art of bonsai cultivation and nurturing miniature ecosystems?
  • How has your passion for stargazing inspired awe and wonder in the vastness of the universe?
  • Can you recount a challenging project from your hobby of woodworking and the satisfaction it brought upon completion?
  • What cultural connections have you discovered through your hobby of traditional folk dancing?
  • How has your interest in sustainable fashion influenced your consumer habits and environmental awareness?
  • Can you describe a moment of serenity and mindfulness experienced while practicing the art of tea ceremony?
  • How has your hobby of letterpress printing preserved the tactile beauty of handmade craftsmanship in a digital age?

Narrative Essay Titles on Life-Changing Moments

Life is full of unexpected twists that can lead to life-changing moments. Take a look at these narrative essay titles for stories that have had a lasting impact on your life.

  • How did surviving a natural disaster reshape your perspective on life?
  • Can you recall a single conversation that drastically altered the course of your life?
  • What was the pivotal moment that inspired you to pursue your dreams against all odds?
  • How did a chance encounter lead to a life-changing friendship or partnership?
  • Can you reflect on the decision that transformed your career trajectory?
  • What profound lesson did you learn from facing a life-threatening illness or injury?
  • How did traveling to a new country open your eyes to new possibilities and opportunities?
  • Can you recount the moment when you discovered your true passion or calling in life?
  • What was the turning point that allowed you to break free from a toxic relationship or environment?
  • How did experiencing failure or rejection ultimately lead to personal growth and resilience?
  • Can you describe the moment when you found the strength to overcome a deep-seated fear or insecurity?
  • What life-changing realization did you have while experiencing a period of solitude or introspection?
  • How did a profound act of kindness from a stranger restore your faith in humanity?
  • Can you reflect on the moment when you forgave someone who had deeply hurt you, and how it changed your perspective on forgiveness?
  • What pivotal decision did you make that allowed you to reclaim control over your own happiness and destiny?

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Good Narrative Topics on Travel and Adventure

Consider creating intriguing titles for your narrative essay ideas by exploring thrilling travel adventures.

  • Can you recount a memorable encounter with wildlife during your solo hiking adventure?
  • How did a spontaneous decision to explore an unfamiliar city lead to unexpected discoveries?
  • What lessons did you learn from navigating a foreign country with only a map and your instincts?
  • Can you describe the exhilaration of conquering a challenging mountain peak for the first time?
  • How did immersing yourself in a local culture during your travels broaden your perspective on the world?
  • What unexpected obstacles did you encounter while embarking on a backpacking journey through rugged terrain?
  • Can you reflect on the transformative experience of volunteering abroad in a community-driven project?
  • How did getting lost in a labyrinthine city alleyway lead to serendipitous encounters and newfound friendships?
  • What was the most memorable meal you had while sampling street food in a bustling market abroad?
  • Can you recount the adrenaline rush of participating in an extreme sports activity in a foreign land?
  • How did witnessing a breathtaking natural phenomenon during your travels leave a lasting impression on you?
  • What cultural traditions or rituals did you participate in during a homestay experience with a local family?
  • Can you describe the sense of wonder and awe you felt while exploring ancient ruins or historical sites?
  • How did navigating a language barrier challenge and ultimately enrich your travel experience?
  • What valuable life lessons did you learn from the mishaps and misadventures encountered during your journey off the beaten path?

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas on Career and Work Experience

College students can uncover captivating narrative essay ideas by exploring potential career paths or reminiscing about past job experiences.

  • How did a challenging project at work showcase your problem-solving skills and resilience?
  • Can you reflect on a pivotal mentorship experience that guided your career trajectory?
  • What valuable lessons did you learn from a career setback or failure, and how did it shape your future success?
  • How did a workplace conflict lead to personal growth and improved communication skills?
  • Can you recount a moment when taking a professional risk paid off in unexpected ways?
  • What insights did you gain from transitioning to a new industry or career path?
  • How did participating in a cross-functional team project enhance your collaboration and leadership abilities?
  • Can you describe the satisfaction of achieving a long-term career goal after years of hard work and perseverance?
  • What impact did a meaningful recognition or award have on your motivation and sense of accomplishment?
  • How did volunteering or pro bono work contribute to your professional development and sense of purpose?
  • Can you reflect on the decision to leave a stable job in pursuit of passion or fulfillment?
  • What strategies did you employ to navigate a toxic work environment and maintain your well-being?
  • How did a career setback lead to unexpected opportunities for personal and professional growth?
  • Can you describe a moment when mentorship or sponsorship played a crucial role in advancing your career?
  • What lessons did you learn from a challenging client or customer interaction, and how did it shape your approach to customer service and relationship-building?

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics about Challenges and Obstacles

If you're not sure what to write about for your narrative essay, think back to the tough times you've had and how you managed to get through them.

  • How did you conquer a once-paralyzing fear to chase your dreams?
  • What new strengths did you discover while adapting to a physical challenge?
  • Can you recall a creative solution you used during a tough financial period?
  • When did you bravely stand against injustice, despite opposition?
  • How did overcoming a language barrier broaden your horizons?
  • What key lessons did you learn from a major setback in your life?
  • How did you manage overwhelming stress and responsibilities?
  • What inner reserves of resilience did you draw upon after personal loss?
  • Describe a time when you defied societal norms to pursue your goals.
  • Reflect on a moment when failure fueled your determination for success.
  • When did you find the courage to leave your comfort zone behind?
  • How did community support bolster you through a challenging time?
  • Share a time when self-doubt led to newfound confidence.
  • Can you recount a tragedy that spurred your personal growth?
  • What insights did overcoming a monumental obstacle reveal about life?

Best Narrative Essay Topics: How to Choose the One That Resonates 

A narrative essay is a type of writing that tells a personal story, including characters, plot, setting, and the order of events. Its main goal is to connect with readers emotionally and share a specific message or insight through the retelling of a meaningful experience.

Students write narrative essays as part of their studies for several reasons. Firstly, it allows them to express themselves creatively by sharing their unique experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Secondly, it helps them develop important writing skills like organizing ideas and thoughts effectively.

Narrative Essay topics

Choosing good narrative essay ideas involves looking at personal experiences, interests, and the potential for engaging storytelling. Here's a simple guide to help you pick the right topic:

  • Think about significant moments in your life that had a lasting impact, such as personal growth or overcoming challenges.
  • Choose topics related to your hobbies, interests, or areas of expertise to make your story more engaging.
  • Consider what your audience would be interested in and choose topics that resonate with them.
  • Focus on a specific event or detail to make your narrative more focused and impactful.
  • Look for universal themes like love or personal transformation that connect with readers on a deeper level.
  • Brainstorm ideas and write freely to uncover compelling topics.
  • Decide on storytelling techniques like flashbacks or foreshadowing and choose a topic that fits.
  • Get feedback from friends, peers, or instructors to see if your topics are interesting and impactful.
  • Choose topics that evoke strong emotions for a more compelling narrative.
  • Select a topic that you personally connect with to make your story authentic.

Once you've chosen a topic, brainstorm ideas and create an outline for your essay. Follow your professor's instructions carefully and consider seeking help from our narrative essay writing service if needed.

Bring your stories to life with EssayPro. Select from a vast array of narrative essay topics and let our professionals help you weave your tales into captivating essays. Whether it's adventure, reflection, or imagination, we're here to assist.

Final Remarks

As we wrap up, our list of 200 narrative essay topics is here to fuel your creativity for your next writing project! Whether you're sharing a memorable event, reliving a childhood memory, or expressing a profound insight, crafting a narrative essay can be an uplifting experience that resonates deeply with readers.

And if you're gearing up for college admissions, why not check out our admission essay writing service ? We've already assisted countless students in securing their spots at their dream colleges, and we'd love to help you, too!

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Daniel Parker

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

narrative essays topic ideas

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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Narrative Essay

Narrative Essay Topics

Caleb S.

Best Narrative Essay Topics 2024 for Students

12 min read

Narrative Essay Topics

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Crafting a Winning Narrative Essay Outline: A Step-by-Step Guide

Many students have a hard time picking interesting topics for their narrative essays.

Without a good topic, their stories can be boring and won't get good grades.

Here we’ve made a list of simple and fun narrative essay topics to help your essay stand out.

So, keep reading to find the perfect narrative essay idea for you!

Arrow Down

  • 1. Narrative Essay Topics for Students
  • 2. Unique Narrative Essay Topics for Students
  • 3. Narrative Essay Topics on Different Themes
  • 4. How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?
  • 5. Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Narrative Essay Topics for Students

If you're a student looking for a diverse range of topics, we've got you covered with a diverse selection of narrative essay topics. 

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 3

  • My favorite birthday party
  • A day at the zoo
  • The best trip I ever took
  • My first pet
  • A time I helped someone
  • My funniest school day
  • A rainy day adventure
  • My favorite family tradition
  • The day I learned to ride a bike
  • A visit to the park

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 4

  • My best friend
  • The most exciting day of my life
  • A time I got lost
  • A memorable sleepover
  • A day at the beach
  • My favorite holiday memory
  • The day I found a hidden treasure
  • A special family vacation
  • A time I overcame a fear
  • An unexpected surprise

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5

  • My First Day at a New School
  • The Time I Learned to Ride a Bike
  • A Visit to a Haunted House
  • The Day I Met a Real-Life Superhero
  • My Most Memorable Family Vacation
  • A Surprising Encounter with an Animal
  • The Mystery of the Missing Homework
  • The Best Birthday Party I Ever Had
  • When I Lost a Tooth
  • My Adventure in a Fantasy World

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 6

  • An Unforgettable Camping Trip
  • The Day I Discovered a Hidden Talent
  • A Mysterious Letter and Its Consequences
  • A Time I Had to Stand Up for What's Right
  • The Thrilling Mystery of a Forgotten Diary
  • A Memorable Encounter with a Famous Person
  • My Journey Through a Fantasy Land
  • The Day I Learned a Valuable Life Lesson
  • An Unexpected Act of Kindness
  • A Secret Adventure in an Abandoned Place

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 7

  • The Most Exciting Adventure of My Life
  • The Day I Overcame a Fear
  • A Memorable School Field Trip
  • The Strangest Mystery I Ever Encountered
  • An Unforgettable Encounter with Wildlife
  • A Life-Changing Decision I Had to Make
  • The Best Book I Ever Read and Why
  • A Day in the Life of a Time Traveler
  • The Importance of Friendship in My Life
  • A Valuable Lesson Learned from a Mistake

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 8 

  • A Time I Faced a Difficult Moral Dilemma
  • The Most Memorable Summer Vacation
  • The Impact of a Life-Altering Decision
  • An Unexpected Act of Kindness I Received
  • The Day I Stepped Out of My Comfort Zone
  • A Historical Event I Would Like to Witness
  • A Special Family Tradition and Its Significance
  • A Personal Achievement I'm Proud Of
  • A Challenging Obstacle I Overcame
  • A Journey Through My Creative Imagination

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 9

  • The Transition to High School: Challenges and Triumphs
  • A Life-Changing Encounter with an Inspiring Mentor
  • My First Part-Time Job and What I Learned
  • The Day I Realized the Power of Empathy
  • The Impact of a Personal Passion or Hobby
  • An Unforgettable Travel Experience Abroad
  • A Meaningful Community Service Project I Participated In
  • The Role of Technology in My Life
  • A Defining Moment in My Cultural Identity
  • My Vision for the Future: Dreams and Aspirations

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 10

  • The most challenging experience of my life
  • A time I stood up for something I believed in
  • How I overcame a major obstacle
  • The impact of a special teacher or mentor
  • A moment that changed my perspective on life
  • An unforgettable road trip
  • My experience with peer pressure
  • A time I failed and what I learned from it
  • A significant cultural or family tradition
  • A memorable high school event

Narrative Essay Topics for O-Levels 

  • The Day I Took a Leap of Faith
  • An Unforgettable Journey into the Unknown
  • A Life-Altering Decision I Made in High School
  • An Encounter with a Stranger That Changed My Perspective
  • The Role of Resilience in Overcoming a Personal Challenge
  • The Impact of a Cultural Exchange Experience
  • A Lesson Learned from a Unique Life Experience
  • The Importance of Perseverance in Achieving a Goal
  • My Most Memorable Academic Achievement
  • A Glimpse into My Future: Aspirations and Ambitions

Narrative Essay Topics for Highschool

  • The Moment I Discovered My Passion
  • A Life-Changing Journey Abroad
  • A Challenging Decision That Shaped My Future
  • An Unexpected Act of Kindness That Touched My Heart
  • The Role of Resilience in Overcoming Adversity
  • A Personal Experience That Shaped My Values
  • The Impact of Technology on My Generation
  • A Time I Took a Stand for a Cause I Believe In
  • A Memorable Leadership Role I Assumed
  • A Glimpse into My Ideal Future: Aspirations and Goals

Narrative Essay Topics for College

  • The Journey to Finding My Academic Passion
  • A Life-Altering Study Abroad Experience
  • The Transformational Impact of a Challenging Decision
  • Navigating the Transition from College to the Professional World
  • An Unforgettable Encounter with a Mentor or Role Model
  • The Role of Adversity in Shaping My Personal Growth
  • A Significant Ethical Dilemma I Faced in College
  • How My College Experiences Have Shaped My Worldview
  • The Impact of Technology on My College Education
  • A Personal Reflection on My Career Aspirations and Goals

Narrative Essay Topics for University Students

  • The Evolution of My Academic and Career Goals at University
  • An Eye-Opening Internship Experience That Impacted My Future
  • A Transformative Study Abroad Journey
  • Navigating the Complexities of Balancing Work, Academics, and Social Life at University
  • The Role of a Unique Research Project in My Academic Growth
  • A Personal Account of Overcoming a Significant Academic Challenge
  • A Meaningful Leadership Role in a University Organization
  • The Journey of Self-Discovery Through Elective Courses at University
  • The Impact of Peer Relationships and Networking at University
  • How My University Education Has Shaped My Perspective on Global Issues

Unique Narrative Essay Topics for Students

We've gathered distinct narrative topic ideas to fuel your creativity. Let’s look at some personal narrative ideas to inspire your narrative writing.

Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics

  • A Peaceful Day by the Riverside
  • Exploring a Haunted House
  • My Favorite Childhood Memory
  • A Walk Through an Ancient Forest
  • The Perfect Winter Wonderland
  • An Evening at a Carnival
  • A Visit to a Vibrant Art Gallery
  • The Spectacular Colors of Autumn
  • A Day in the Life of a Beach
  • An Exciting Night in the City

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

  • A Life-Changing Decision I Made
  • A Moment of Personal Triumph
  • Overcoming My Greatest Fear
  • A Meaningful Lesson from a Personal Challenge
  • The Role of a Special Friend in My Life
  • A Time When I Broke a Personal Record
  • The Impact of a Mentor on My Life
  • My Journey to Self-Discovery

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

  • My Earliest Memory of Learning to Read
  • The Book That Sparked My Love for Reading
  • A Life-Changing Experience in a Library
  • The Impact of a Special Teacher on My Writing Skills
  • How Technology Has Shaped My Writing Habits
  • A Personal Reflection on My Writing Journey
  • The Role of Literature in Shaping My Perspective
  • Writing as a Tool for Self-Expression and Healing
  • How I Overcame Writer's Block
  • The Significance of Storytelling in My Life

Engaging Narrative Essay Topics

  • The Mystery of a Lost Treasure Map
  • An Unlikely Friendship That Changed My Life
  • A Day in the Life of a Professional Athlete
  • The Journey of Starting My Own Business
  • A Haunting Experience in a Historic Place
  • A Memorable Road Trip with Friends
  • My Encounter with a Famous Celebrity
  • The Day I Conquered My Greatest Fear
  • An Adventure in a Foreign Land
  • A Life-Altering Decision at a Crossroads

Narrative Essay Topics on Different Themes

Narrative essays allow you to share personal stories on various themes, such as funny moments, childhood memories, vacations, and happy times. Here are some themes with topic ideas to inspire your creativity and reflection:

Funny Narrative Essay Topics

  • The funniest thing that ever happened to me
  • A time I embarrassed myself in public
  • A prank that went hilariously wrong
  • The day everything went wrong but turned out great
  • My most awkward moment at school
  • A silly misunderstanding
  • A funny family tradition
  • A comical incident with my pet
  • The time I tried to cook and failed
  • A laughable sports mishap

Childhood Narrative Essay Topics

  • My first day of school
  • A memorable playdate with friends
  • A childhood dream that came true
  • A lesson I learned from my parents
  • A favorite toy and the adventures we had
  • The day I met my best friend
  • A family trip from my childhood
  • A time I got into trouble and how I handled it
  • My favorite birthday as a child
  • A special holiday memory

Vacations Narrative Essay Topics

  • My best summer vacation ever
  • An unexpected adventure during a vacation
  • The most relaxing vacation I’ve had
  • A family road trip
  • A visit to a place I've always wanted to go
  • An unforgettable experience at a resort
  • Exploring nature on a camping trip
  • The funniest moment on vacation
  • A cultural experience in a new city
  • The day I got lost on vacation

Narrative Essay Topics About Happy Moments

  • The happiest day of my life
  • A time I felt really proud of myself
  • A moment of pure joy with family
  • A celebration I'll never forget
  • Achieving a goal I worked hard for
  • A surprise that made me smile
  • The day I made a new friend
  • A happy memory with my pet
  • A time I helped someone and felt happy
  • A fun day at the park

Narrative Essay Topics About Pets

  • The day I got my first pet
  • A funny incident with my pet
  • Training my pet
  • The adventures of my pet and me
  • A time my pet comforted me
  • A day in the life of my pet
  • My pet's quirky habits
  • A time my pet saved the day
  • How my pet changed my life
  • A special bond with my pet

Narrative Essay Topics About Favorite Places

  • My favorite place in my hometown
  • A visit to a place of historical significance
  • A place where I feel at peace
  • The most beautiful place i've ever seen
  • A hidden gem I discovered
  • My favorite place to hang out with friends
  • A place that holds special memories
  • The best vacation spot i've been to
  • A place I visit when I need inspiration
  • A place that makes me feel happy

How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?

Choosing the right topic for your narrative essay can be a daunting task. Before you start writing, it is important to invest some time in researching and brainstorming. 

Here are a few tips to help guide you in selecting an interesting and engaging narrative essay topic: 

  • Reflect on Your Personal Experiences: If you are writing about a personal narrative topic, consider the impactful moments in your life and think about experiences that have left a strong impression on you.
  • Identify a Clear Message or Theme: Determine the central idea or theme of your narrative. Decide what lesson, insight, or emotion you want to convey.
  • Engage Your Audience: Consider your target audience and what will resonate with them. Choose a topic that captures their interest and keeps them engaged.
  • Play with Different Perspectives: Explore the option of incorporating different viewpoints. Combining personal and external perspectives can add depth to your narrative.
  • Test Your Idea: Get feedback from a friend or classmate. Assess if your chosen topic is likely to resonate with your audience.
  • Stay True to Your Voice: Balance considering your audience with being authentic. Let your unique voice and storytelling style shine through in your writing

Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Once you have selected a topic for your narrative essay, it is time to start writing. 

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you write your story: 

  • Start with a Strong Hook: Begin your narrative essay with a captivating hook, such as an engaging anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid description. 
  • Follow a Clear Structure: Organize your narrative essay outline with a clear structure. Most narratives follow a chronological order, but you can also use flashbacks or nonlinear storytelling when it serves your narrative. 
  • Build Tension and Conflict:  Create tension and conflict in your narrative to add depth and maintain reader engagement. Whether it's a personal struggle, a moral dilemma, or an external challenge, these obstacles will keep readers eagerly anticipating what comes next.
  • Revise and Edit:  After completing your first draft, take the time to revise and edit your work. Review it for grammar and spelling errors, but also examine the overall structure and flow of your narrative.
  • Practice, Practice, Practice:  Like any form of writing, improving your narrative essay skills takes practice. Keep writing and experimenting with different topics, styles, and approaches to develop your storytelling abilities.

Before you start writing, make sure you read some narrative essay examples to learn how to organize your thoughts and structure your story.

In summary, no matter the type of essay you are writing about, you need a topic to start with. Our collection of narrative essay topics offers fresh, distinct ideas. 

These topics are crafted to ignite your creativity and captivate your audience. They cover a diverse range of experiences, making it easier for you to connect with your readers on a personal level.

Still, struggling to write a compelling narrative essay? MyPerfectWords.com  is here to help you out!

We stand as the most reliable narrative essay writing service with a specialized focus on crafting exceptional essays designed for high school and college students. Our customer support team is also available 24/7, request write my essays online whenever you need assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are narrative essay topics different from other essay types.

FAQ Icon

Narrative essay topics are usually based on personal experiences, so they are more emotional and creative than other types of essays. Also, they are often more open-ended, so you have more freedom to choose what to write about. 

Where can I find good narrative essay topics?

There are a few ways to find good topics for your narrative essay. You can look through books or magazines for ideas, or search online for inspiration. You can also brainstorm with friends or family members to come up with ideas. 

What do I write a narrative essay about?

You can write a narrative essay about anything, but it is usually based on personal experience. Try to recall interesting incidents from your life to develop a narrative about. 

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160+ Best Narrative Essay Topics for Students in 2024

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Table of contents

  • 1.1 Personal Achievements and Experiences Essay Ideas
  • 1.2 Narrative Essay Ideas about Community and Home
  • 1.3 School-Related Narrative Essay Topics for Students
  • 1.4 Good Narrative Essay Topics for College Students
  • 1.5 Personal Narrative Essay Topics
  • 1.6 Personal Experience Narrative Essay Topics
  • 1.7 Narrative Essay Topics About Childhood
  • 1.8 Relationship Narrative Essay Topics
  • 1.9 Personal Narrative Stories Ideas on Traveling and Holidays
  • 1.10 Personal Narrative Ideas on Morality and Religion
  • 1.11 Narrative Essay Topics on Politics and Current Events
  • 1.12 Interesting Narrative Essay Topics About Health
  • 1.13 Narrative Essay Topics on Technology and Video Games
  • 1.14 Overview

In academic practice, the narrative essay is probably one of the key elements to train students in expressing their opinions. It teaches well how to tell a story in a clear, concise manner, that’s why it is so welcome in the language and composition classes.

Narrative essays are not only valuable as such: their contribution lies in the ability to elaborate students’ storytelling and narration skills. To touch the reader’s nerves, you should opt for exciting narrative essay ideas. There are plenty of them – but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of essay ideas.

Narrative Essay Topics for Students

We’ve analyzed trainees’ experience in writing narrative paragraphs and selected narrative essay topics for college and school students. This profound list covers a wide range of subjects, so pick one!

Personal Achievements and Experiences Essay Ideas

  • How did I overcome my biggest fear?
  • When did I feel truly independent?
  • What was the first major decision I made on my own?
  • What did I learn from my first job experience?
  • How did volunteering change my perspective?
  • What challenges did I face while learning a new skill?
  • How did I achieve a personal fitness goal?
  • What was the most important lesson from a personal failure?
  • How did I manage a conflict and what did it teach me?
  • What role has mentorship played in my personal development?
  • What was my experience with cultural exchange and how did it impact my views?
  • What happened when I took a significant risk?
  • How do I contribute to my community’s well-being?
  • What were the effects of moving to a new city?
  • What did I gain from a year off before college?
  • How did I evolve from shyness to confidence?
  • How did I achieve a goal I never thought possible?
  • What did I learn from a financial mistake?
  • How did a book or movie profoundly change my outlook?
  • What impact has a family tradition had on my personal growth?

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Narrative Essay Ideas about Community and Home

  • Describe a local tradition that feels like home to you.
  • How did you contribute to a community project for the first time?
  • Describe a dispute in your community and how it was resolved.
  • What was the biggest change your neighborhood has undergone?
  • What is your role in maintaining your home or community environment?
  • How has a community leader positively impacted your life?
  • What local issue are you passionate about and why?
  • Describe your experience of moving from one community to another.
  • What family tradition has strengthened your family bonds?
  • How did you help a neighbor in need?
  • Describe a community celebration that brought everyone closer.
  • How has the sense of community in your neighborhood influenced your upbringing?
  • Describe the most peaceful place in your community.
  • How did your family or neighbors handle a local emergency?
  • What lesson did you learn from a community elder that has stayed with you?
  • Describe a character from your town who could be the star of their own show.
  • What popular misconceptions or jokes might a TV show about your town explore?
  • Are there any myths or famous stories associated with landmarks in your area?
  • What is one issue in your community that needs more attention from local leaders?
  • How do your interactions with diverse cultures enrich your community experience?

School-Related Narrative Essay Topics for Students

High school students normally feel comfortable about describing their study routine. Below you’ll find interesting topics to convey some of the things at school familiar to every pupil.

  • Describe an unexpected day off and what you did.
  • Who was your favorite teacher and why?
  • What was your most memorable sports event participation?
  • Describe your toughest debate competition.
  • What was your best role in a school theater production?
  • What activities did you engage in after school?
  • What was the craziest incident on your campus?
  • How did you fail an exam?
  • Describe how you successfully got through a challenging exam.
  • What were the consequences when you got caught cheating?
  • What was your most transformative moment in high school?
  • Describe a time when you challenged a popular opinion among your peers.
  • How did you handle your first significant test of responsibility?
  • What event marked your transition from childhood to adolescence?
  • What was your most memorable school trip?
  • How did a teacher influence your path in a subject you either love or hate?
  • What was your proudest moment in an extracurricular activity?
  • Describe the first time you felt that you had let someone down.
  • How did you cope with peer pressure in a challenging situation?
  • What lesson did you learn from your first major failure at school?
  • How did you manage your time between school and a personal hobby?
  • What was the most unexpected friendship you developed?
  • How did a particular book or project change your understanding of the world?
  • What was the biggest risk you took and what was the outcome?
  • How has technology affected your learning experience?
  • Describe a moment when you had to stand up for your beliefs.
  • What does your school ritual before exams look like?
  • Who in your life has set a remarkable example of courage and integrity?
  • How has your understanding of global issues changed due to a school project?
  • What was your most challenging moment while working on a group project?

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Good Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

Like high schoolers, college and university students are fond of talking about their everyday matters. Whether a topic about students’ affairs or reflection on new relationships, the most popular narrative topics for college students are collected here.

  • What did you feel on your first day at higher education?
  • Describe your emotions on the last day with your high school friends.
  • Which course at college was your favorite and why?
  • How did you meet your significant other during your studies?
  • Share the details of a significant breakup during your college years.
  • What was the highlight of your high school experience?
  • Recount how you reconnected with an old friend during college.
  • Who was your favorite professor and what made them stand out?
  • Tell us about a humorous event you experienced on campus.
  • What event during your college years had the most symbolic meaning to you?
  • Describe the day you moved to college.
  • How did you travel to your college for the first time?
  • What were your initial impressions of the college campus?
  • How did you meet your college roommate?
  • Describe how you made your first friends in college.
  • What challenge did you overcome to pursue a college education, and what did you learn from it?
  • Describe a moment when you changed your major or career path based on a profound experience or realization.
  • How did participating in a student organization or club fundamentally change your perspective or goals?
  • What was the most impactful piece of advice you received from a college advisor or mentor, and how did it influence your academic journey?
  • Recount an experience where you had to advocate for yourself or others in the college setting, and describe the outcome.

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

Each of us had moments in life the story of which would be interesting to others. Develop your narration mastery and tell the world a story about the very best, most memorable, extremely scary, or awkward situations. Our list is here to assist you.

  • Describe the moment you realized what you wanted to do with your life.
  • How did a significant event change your perspective on family?
  • What was a pivotal moment of self-discovery during your teenage years?
  • Who has been your biggest influence outside of your family, and why?
  • What experience first taught you about the importance of community?
  • Describe a time when you had to stand up for your beliefs.
  • What was your most challenging moral dilemma and how did you handle it?
  • How has a failure led to success in your personal or academic life?
  • What was the most enlightening travel experience you’ve had?
  • Discuss a time when you helped someone in need and how it affected you.
  • What is your most cherished memory with a grandparent or elder?
  • Describe your first major responsibility and what you learned from it.
  • How did a particular book or movie fundamentally alter your outlook on life?
  • What unexpected friendship has had the greatest impact on your life?
  • Discuss a tradition in your family that has deep meaning for you.
  • How have your goals evolved over the past five years?
  • What was your most profound spiritual or religious experience?
  • Describe an encounter that taught you something important about prejudice or discrimination.
  • What is the most difficult decision you’ve ever made, and how did you arrive at your choice?
  • How did you deal with your first significant heartbreak?

Personal Experience Narrative Essay Topics

Personal experiences are way more exciting for writers. Unfortunately, personal narrative essays are not always just as fascinating for listeners unless they are presented in an entertaining manner. We’re sure that the ideas for personal narratives below will help you pick your topic to maximize readers’ engagement.

  • Describe a moment that made you exceptionally proud. Why did it have such a significant impact?
  • Recall your first visit to an opera house. What did you experience, and how did it change your perception of the arts?
  • Share the story of the strangest accident you ever witnessed. What made it so unusual?
  • What was your first encounter with Asian cuisine like? Describe the flavors and your reaction.
  • Detail the most memorable birthday gift you’ve ever received. Why does it stand out in your mind?
  • Imagine you are a character in your favorite book. Who would you be and what adventures would you have?
  • Revisit a memory you wish you could experience again. What makes this memory so precious?
  • If you were a superhero from a movie, which one would you choose and why?
  • Tell the story of how you lost something that wasn’t yours. What ensued?
  • Describe your first trip to the sea. What did you feel and discover about the ocean and yourself?
  • Explore what makes you unique. What are some traits or experiences that set you apart?
  • Narrate your first journey into the wilderness. What challenges did you face and what did you learn?
  • Reflect on your first job interview. How did you prepare, and what was the outcome?
  • Discuss the most significant loss you’ve experienced. How did it affect your life thereafter?
  • Describe the most memorable Christmas you have had. What happened that year to make it unforgettable?

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Narrative Essay Topics About Childhood

Childhood is probably the sweetest period of our lives and the one with the most number of insights. The most powerful experiences come from it, and most of our reflections are related to a child’s perception in this or that way. Check out our list of captivating topics about childhood and pick one.

  • Describe your earliest memory. What makes it stand out?
  • What was your favorite game to play as a child, and why was it special to you?
  • Recall a time when you learned a lesson the hard way. What happened?
  • Share a story about a childhood friendship that influenced who you are today.
  • What was your most treasured childhood possession and what became of it?
  • Describe a family vacation from your childhood that left a lasting impression.
  • Who was your hero as a child and how did they influence your values?
  • What childhood book had the biggest impact on your imagination or dreams?
  • Tell the story of a day you felt you grew up a little bit.
  • What was your favorite hiding spot as a child, and what did you hide from?
  • Describe a moment when you got lost as a child. What did you discover during that experience?
  • Share a story about a childhood event that you looked forward to all year.
  • What was a typical birthday like for you as a child?
  • Describe a childhood hobby or activity and why it was meaningful to you.
  • Recall a significant event at school that shaped your childhood.
  • Tell about a time you faced a fear as a child. How did you overcome it?
  • What was your favorite family tradition as a child, and how has it evolved?
  • Describe a moment when you felt misunderstood as a child.
  • What was your proudest accomplishment as a child and why was it significant?
  • Share a story about a time when a seemingly mundane event turned out to be memorable.

Relationship Narrative Essay Topics

Writing about this huge layer of experience – relationships – is surely thrilling. We’ve picked just some of the great variety of narrative topics about relationships for you. Even if you don’t find here exactly what you want to talk about, you’ll definitely hit upon an appropriate idea.

  • Describe the details of your first romantic date. What made it memorable?
  • How did meeting your best friend transform your life? Share specific changes.
  • Discuss the saddest moment you’ve experienced in a relationship. How did it affect you?
  • Describe a pivotal moment in a significant relationship. What changed after that?
  • Identify a relationship from a book or movie that you see as a role model. Why does it inspire you?
  • Share the story of your first romantic relationship. What lessons did you learn?
  • What do your parents mean to you? Describe their influence on your life.
  • What is the best piece of relationship advice you have ever received? Who gave it and why was it impactful?
  • Why is your significant other so crucial in your life? Explore the depth of your bond.
  • Narrate a situation that helped you mend a damaged relationship. What steps did you take?
  • What are your most cherished memories with friends? Detail one or two specific events.
  • Describe the experience of making your first confession. What prompted it and how did it feel?
  • Share how you supported someone battling depression. What did you learn from the experience?
  • Discuss a film or book that profoundly affected your views on relationships. What resonated with you?
  • Have you ever fallen in love at first sight? Describe the experience and the aftermath.
  • What are the most significant relationships in your life outside of family? Explain their value.
  • What advice would you give someone who is about to start their first relationship?
  • How do you navigate the complexities of modern dating? Share your insights and personal rules.
  • Discuss the end of a close friendship. How did you handle the situation, and what did you learn?
  • Describe your best friend from summer camp. What made your friendship special?
  • How did you reconnect with a friend after a significant quarrel? What steps did you take?
  • Share a story of how you covered for a friend in a difficult situation.
  • What was it like meeting your online friend in person for the first time? Describe the experience.
  • How did you help a friend reconnect with a loved one? What role did you play?
  • Narrate the coolest adventure you’ve had with your best friend. What made it unforgettable?
  • What was your first visit to your friend’s house like? Describe your impressions and feelings.
  • Describe the worst quarrel you had with a friend. How did it affect your relationship?
  • Who is your best older friend, and what have you learned from them?
  • How did an enemy become a friend? Describe the transformation in your relationship.
  • What was the toughest situation you and your friend faced together? How did you overcome it?
  • Describe your relationship with your friend’s sibling. What role do they play in your friendship?
  • Narrate a situation where you had to choose between two friends. What was the outcome?
  • How did you meet a friend on the Internet? Describe the journey from online to offline friendship.

Personal Narrative Stories Ideas on Traveling and Holidays

This segment of subjects covers individual experiences. Respectively, it has to do with reflections, opinions, and feelings. Our list of personal narrative ideas related to trips and celebrations is here for your convenience.

  • What was your best entertainment during the winter holidays?
  • Describe your first experience traveling abroad. What did you learn?
  • How did it feel visiting a warm country for the first time in winter?
  • Share the story of a time you missed your flight, train, or bus. What happened next?
  • What was the happiest moment you experienced during the holidays?
  • How did you make a new friend during a holiday trip? What bonded you?
  • Describe your first time traveling alone. What were the highlights and challenges?
  • What made your most memorable holiday ever so special?
  • What was the saddest incident you experienced on a holiday? How did you cope?
  • Describe your best visit to a foreign city during a holiday. What did you explore?
  • What was your best travel experience to a big city? What impressed you the most?
  • Recount the worst quarrel you had while on holiday. What was the resolution?
  • What were the best encounters you had during a holiday? Who did you meet?
  • Describe your best trip to the countryside. What made it unforgettable?
  • How did you feel returning home after a long vacation? What was the transition like?
  • How do you make the most of long holiday weekends?
  • What is your typical Sunday routine during the holidays?
  • What are your favorite fall activities during holiday breaks?
  • What traditions do you follow for Halloween? Do you wear a costume?
  • How do you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family?
  • What are your tips for enjoying the holiday season to the fullest?
  • How do you plan to spend your next holiday break?
  • Do you make New Year’s resolutions? What are your goals for the new year?
  • How do you combat the winter blues during the colder months?
  • What has been your most severe weather experience while traveling?
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Personal Narrative Ideas on Morality and Religion

Strong argumentation is one of the indications of a successful academic paper and a prerequisite for a higher grade. You should pick a topic you are confident in to provide your effective arguments as your objective is to persuade your readers. Opt for a narrative essay topic that speaks to you.

  • Describe the toughest decision you had to make between right and wrong.
  • What choice do you regret the most?
  • How did you help a friend even when it meant breaking the rules?
  • Describe a situation where you were involved in a conflict between other people.
  • Share the experience of getting caught lying.
  • How did you feel when you let down a friend by following the rules?
  • Describe a time when you shifted the blame to someone else.
  • What was the toughest yet most important experience you have had?
  • How did helping someone for personal benefit make you feel?
  • Describe a prank you played on a friend.
  • How did you react when you saw someone being bullied?
  • Share a story about a time your friend took the blame for you.
  • Do you believe justice truly exists?
  • Describe a time when you ignored someone’s wrong behavior.
  • How do you generally help others?
  • What ethical dilemmas have you faced?
  • Would you help an injured stranger?
  • When was the last time you did something nice for a stranger?
  • Have you ever ‘paid it forward’?
  • How often do you gossip?
  • How comfortable are you with lying?
  • Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours?
  • What could you live without that others might find essential?
  • 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 believing in God?
  • Are you less religious than your parents?
  • What can you learn from other religions?

Narrative Essay Topics on Politics and Current Events

  • Describe a time when you participated in a political protest and what motivated you to join.
  • What local political issue are you most passionate about and why?
  • Explain how a recent event changed your perspective on government policies.
  • Share an experience where you volunteered for a political campaign and what you learned.
  • Describe a time when you had a political debate with someone and the outcome of that debate.
  • How did a current event influence your view on international relations?
  • What political figure do you admire the most and why?
  • Describe an experience where you felt the impact of a political decision on your community.
  • What recent news story made you rethink your stance on a social issue?
  • Explain how a political event affected your school or university.
  • Share a story about a time you felt proud of your country’s actions on the world stage.
  • How did a significant political change in your country affect your family?
  • Describe your first experience voting in an election and what it meant to you.
  • What event prompted you to follow politics more closely?
  • Explain how a political scandal influenced your trust in government officials.
  • Describe an experience where you advocated for a cause you believe in and the result.
  • How did a major political event shape the discussions in your household?
  • Share a story about a time you met a political leader and what the interaction was like.
  • Explain how a piece of legislation impacted your life or the life of someone you know.
  • Describe an experience where you participated in a school or community event about current affairs and what you took away from it.

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics About Health

  • Describe a time when you had to make a difficult health-related decision and what influenced your choice.
  • Share an experience where you made a significant lifestyle change for your health.
  • What was the most challenging health obstacle you faced and how did you overcome it?
  • How did a health scare in your family impact your perspective on wellness?
  • Describe a time when you helped someone improve their health.
  • Explain how a specific diet or exercise program affected your well-being.
  • What was your first experience with a mental health issue and how did you handle it?
  • Share a story about how you maintained your health during a stressful period.
  • Describe a time when you struggled with maintaining a healthy balance between work and life.
  • How did a health-related event change your relationship with a loved one?
  • What was your experience with a significant illness or injury and what did you learn from it?
  • Explain how participating in a health-related event or challenge impacted you.
  • Describe a time when you had to support a friend or family member through a health crisis.
  • What was the most memorable health advice you received and how did it influence you?
  • Share an experience where you discovered the importance of mental health.
  • Describe a time when you had to advocate for your health needs in a medical setting.
  • How did a specific health goal motivate you to change your daily habits?
  • What was your first encounter with alternative medicine and what was the outcome?
  • Explain how a health awareness campaign influenced your actions or beliefs.
  • Describe a time when you witnessed the positive effects of a healthy lifestyle on someone close to you.

Narrative Essay Topics on Technology and Video Games

  • Describe a time when a new piece of technology significantly impacted your life.
  • How did you first get into video games and what was your initial experience like?
  • Describe a situation where you relied on technology to overcome a challenge.
  • What was your most memorable moment in online gaming and why?
  • Explain how a specific video game helped you develop a new skill.
  • Describe a time when you experienced the negative effects of technology addiction.
  • How did you balance technology use with other activities in your daily life?
  • Share a story about a friendship you made through online gaming.
  • How did a particular video game affect your relationship with friends or family?
  • Describe an experience where you used technology to create something meaningful.
  • What was your first experience with virtual reality and how did it feel?
  • Share a story about a time you participated in a gaming tournament.
  • How did a tech-related project at school or work change your approach to tasks?
  • Describe a time when a malfunctioning piece of technology caused a significant problem.
  • Explain how you used a video game to escape from a stressful situation.
  • What was your experience with learning to code and how did it impact you?
  • Describe a time when you taught someone else to use a new technology.
  • Share a story about a video game that brought your family together.

When writing a narrative essay, it is important to choose an interesting topic that can engage your readers. Finding the right topic can be a challenge, but there is no need to worry as there are many resources available, such as online essay writers , that can help you choose the best topic for your narrative essay.

Whether a personal experience essay, a story about your best childhood birthday, a narration about your most meaningful travel, or the way you reacted to essential world events, are all worth writing. Bear in mind that each of them requires research, adhering to a structure, and planning. Focus on what’s inspiring for you and may be of interest to your readers, and you’ll get a list of the narrative ideas working best for you.

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100 Narrative Essay Topics

narrative essays topic ideas

Welcome to our narrative essay topics! A well-crafted narrative essay can transport readers into a whole new world, filling their imagination with vivid imagery and compelling stories! We’ve prepared a list of 100 narrative essay topics that are perfect prompts for students at all academic levels—from elementary to high school. These topics are designed to spark creativity and encourage students to write impactful narratives. Don’t hesitate to copy/paste and print the entire list; it’s a treasure trove of ideas for your upcoming narrative essay assignments!

The list of 100 narrative essay topics that we’ve compiled is a versatile and expansive set designed to inspire students at various educational levels. The topics range from lighter, more relatable experiences like your “first job interview” or “a memorable birthday party,” to deeper, more introspective themes such as “an experience that changed your relationship with your parents” or “a moment when you realized the importance of time.”

The collection is organized to offer a wide spectrum of experiences, allowing students to delve into aspects of personal growth, family, friendship, moral dilemmas, and even social issues. This ensures that there’s something for everyone, regardless of their interests or life experiences.

The aim of these topics is to prompt introspection and storytelling, encouraging students to paint vivid images and evoke emotions through their writing. Whether it’s recounting an adventurous trip that didn’t go as planned, a funny misunderstanding, or a challenging moral decision, each topic is intended to offer a platform for students to showcase their narrative skills and individual perspectives.

Moreover, the topics are adaptable for different age groups. Younger students might find it easier to write about more straightforward subjects like “a memorable snow day” or “your first experience with a pet,” while older students might appreciate the complexity of topics like “cultural shock” or “the experience of failure.”

Overall, the list serves as a comprehensive resource for sparking creativity and facilitating meaningful written expression, no matter the student’s grade level. Feel free to use it as a starting point, and adapt the topics to better fit the specific needs and interests of your students. Be sure to check out our writing prompts and descriptive essay topics too! Planning a debate anytime soon? You’ll also love our funny debate topics !

List of Narrative Essay Topics

  • Your first encounter with a best friend.
  • The most challenging homework assignment you’ve ever had.
  • Your first public speaking experience.
  • The most memorable book you’ve ever read.
  • A time when you felt proud of yourself.
  • Your first experience with failure.
  • The first time you cooked a meal.
  • A trip that didn’t go as planned.
  • An unexpected guest at a family gathering.
  • The most memorable dream you’ve ever had.
  • A time when you felt out of place.
  • Your first experience with love.
  • A time when you faced a moral dilemma.
  • An experience that made you question your beliefs.
  • A time when you were the center of attention.
  • A family tradition that means a lot to you.
  • An incident that made you change your behavior.
  • A time when you had to comfort someone else.
  • The most beautiful place you’ve ever visited.
  • A memorable train or plane journey.
  • A lesson learned from a disappointment.
  • A time when you received an important piece of advice.
  • Your first job or internship experience.
  • A time when you felt like a hero.
  • An experience that made you laugh until you cried.
  • A memorable sporting event you attended.
  • Your first concert experience.
  • The most difficult choice you’ve ever had to make.
  • A time when you helped someone in need.
  • An experience that made you appreciate life more.
  • The day you learned the value of money.
  • A moment of failure or success.
  • A surprise that made your day.
  • The most memorable meal you’ve ever had.
  • An adventure with friends that you will never forget.
  • Your first encounter with social media.
  • A time when you had to rely on someone else.
  • A time when you felt extremely happy.
  • A moment when you knew you had made a big mistake.
  • A life-changing realization.
  • An experience that restored your faith in humanity.
  • A family reunion that left an impression on you.
  • A time when you felt really stressed.
  • An encounter with a wild animal.
  • A memorable New Year’s Eve.
  • A time when you had to deal with jealousy.
  • Your experience of learning a new language.
  • The most memorable gift you’ve ever received.
  • A lesson you learned from a child.
  • A time when you experienced culture shock.
  • An event that changed your relationship with your parents.
  • A moment when you lost something valuable.
  • Your first experience in a big city.
  • A memorable snow day.
  • A close call while driving.
  • An event that made you stronger.
  • The most unexpected compliment you’ve received.
  • A time when you felt lonely.
  • A vivid childhood memory.
  • A strange coincidence that happened to you.
  • A memorable fishing trip.
  • The first time you had a serious argument with a friend.
  • Your experiences during a natural disaster.
  • A vacation that turned into a disaster.
  • A time when you had to navigate without a map.
  • A time when you were falsely accused of something.
  • Your first experience with peer pressure.
  • A time when you procrastinated and the outcome.
  • A moment when you felt truly content.
  • An embarrassing mistake you made.
  • The first time you voted in an election.
  • An experience that taught you about forgiveness.
  • A job interview that changed your life.
  • An experience of attending a live performance.
  • Your journey to becoming more eco-friendly.
  • A lesson learned from a pet.
  • Your experience with online learning.
  • A time when you had to be brave for someone else.
  • A moment that made you feel incredibly lucky.
  • A conflict that turned out to be a misunderstanding.
  • A time when you had to adapt to a new environment.
  • A moment when you felt extremely sad.
  • An act of courage that you witnessed.
  • A meaningful conversation that affected you.
  • A time when you missed an opportunity and what you learned from it.
  • An event that made you lose your fear.
  • A time when you realized your parents were right.
  • A funny misunderstanding between you and a teacher.
  • An experience that made you want to become a better person.
  • The day you discovered your passion.
  • A day when everything seemed to go wrong.
  • An experience of being stuck somewhere.
  • A time when you had to wait in a long line.
  • A special moment with your grandparents.
  • Your experience with a long-lost friend or family member.
  • A skill you learned while working with someone else.
  • A moment when you were surprised by your own abilities.
  • A time when you stood up to a bully.
  • Your first experience of earning money.
  • A moment when you realized the importance of time.

Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

50 Narrative Essay Topics

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a narrative essay can also tell an exciting story and create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind! We’ve got 50 narrative essay topics designed to prompt students to craft memorable written narratives. These can be modified for students in elementary, middle and high school. Feel free to print the entire narrative essay topics list for plenty of inspiration for your next narrative essay assignment!

Narrative Essay Topics

  • Your first day of school.
  • Your most exciting day of school
  • A field trip that your class took.
  • Your favorite summer vacation.
  • A trip that included something unexpected or surprising.
  • A time that you experienced something spooky.
  • A time that you experienced something truly frightening.
  • A time that you learned something new that changed you in some way.
  • The moment when you met someone who changed your life.
  • The day that you got your first pet.
  • A move from one place to another.
  • Something funny that happened to you.
  • Something funny that happened to one of your family members or friends.
  • Something embarrassing that happened to you.
  • Your favorite birthday party.
  • A birthday that was disappointing.
  • A big storm (rain, snow or even a tornado!).
  • A time that the power went out.
  • A summer day when the temperature got much higher than expected.
  • A time when you went to an amusement park.
  • A time when you got lost somewhere.
  • A memorable experience with a favorite family member.
  • A sad experience with someone about whom you care.
  • Your most exciting moment playing sports.
  • Your most exciting moment performing in a play, singing, playing music or dancing.
  • An experience that left you feeling frustrated.
  • An experience that was hard but ended up being worth it.
  • A time that you experienced rejection.
  • A weird encounter with a stranger.
  • A random act of kindness.
  • A time that you took a stand for someone or for an issue that you care about.
  • A moment when you thought you might get hurt but didn’t.
  • Breaking a bone (or otherwise suffering an injury).
  • Your first time away from home for the night (or longer).
  • A time when you experienced a historic event.
  • Where you were when a major event happened. (Note: You don’t need to have been at the site of the event; this prompt is about where you were when you found out about the event and how you reacted.)
  • A time when you rebelled against your parents or teacher.
  • A dangerous experience.
  • A misunderstanding between yourself and someone else.
  • A difficult decision that you had to make.
  • The end of a friendship or relationship.
  • The beginning of a friendship or relationship.
  • A time when you judged someone first and then realized that you were wrong about the person.
  • A time when someone judged you first and then realized that he or she was wrong about you.
  • A moment when you felt that you were starting to grow up.
  • A time when you saw one or both of your parents in a different light.
  • A time when you looked up to your older sibling.
  • A time when your younger sibling looked up to you.
  • A time when you were grateful to be an only child.
  • An experience that you think has only ever happened to you!

Looking for more essay topics? Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Descriptive Essay Topics Cause and Effect Essay Topics Persuasive Essay and Speech Topics

200 Narrative Essay Topics: Academic, Funny, Personal Life

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A narrative essay tells a story about a specific event or experience. A well-written essay helps readers visualize the exciting story clearly and vividly. However, students often struggle to write a narrative essay because they don’t have the best topic.

To tell the reader an exciting story, first, you must choose good narrative essay topics for your story. Once you select the right idea, it means you are half done with your essay.

Table of Contents

What Is A Narrative Essay

A narrative essay uses primarily descriptive and sensory information to validate the author’s point and story.

In simple words, a narrative essay is all about storytelling from the author’s perspective, which attracts the reader’s attention and helps them create a vivid and exciting image of the story.

According to (Students” writing: 84-91), A narrative essay has three mandatory elements:

  • Character:  The essay has two main characters, the author and some other characters, who relate to each other and the story.
  • Theme:  A theme or motif is always the central point of the narrative essay, primarily portrayed in the thesis statement.
  • Dialogue:  The conversation between the characters is referred to as dialogue.

Whenever you come up with  writing a narrative essay , please consider these elements to make it perfect.

How Do We Make A List of Top Narrative Essay Topics?

To create lists, we start by brainstorming our experiences, emotions, and situations that happen most often. Then, we note our ideas by focusing on which are most common in other students and how they can engage and inspire the readers.

We are sure that our crafted list includes a mix of narrative essay topics, including personal experiences, funny topics, fictional ideas, and sports events. Finally, we develop a wide collection that showcases our creativity and connects with our audience on a deeper level.

Our efforts are the key to your solution to the narrative essay topic. With that in mind, let’s begin.

Choose Topics For A Narrative Essay In 4 Simple Steps

Choosing a narrative essay topic can be straightforward if you follow these four simple steps:

Recall Your Personal Experiences

Think about the critical events, challenges, and moments of joy in your life. Consider the moments that have shaped you and left a lasting impression. Using this practice, you can choose a specific moment of your life from the narrative essay topics below.

Identify Themes and Emotions

Determine the central theme or emotion you want to convey in your essay. Every student has their own emotional state, allowing them to write about their interests. Choose a topic that matches your desired message, whether you want to talk about personal growth, school life, or sharing a funny incident.

Keep your audience in mind

Think about what would engage and resonate with your readers. For example, pick a motivational incident from your life if your target audience is broader. Furthermore, if your target audience is just a class of teenagers, try to choose funny topics for a narrative essay.

Narrow Down Your Choices

Make a list of top narrative essay topics and check out each one by one based on their significance and the details you can provide. Select a topic on which you have a lot of information, offer the wealthiest narrative, and allow you to tell a compelling story.

By following these steps, you can select a  narrative essay writing  topic that is meaningful and engaging.

70 Most interesting and trendy Narrative topics for Students

Interesting and trendsetter narrative essay topics always remain the top priority for students. What sets these ideas apart from others? The topics were primarily adopted from everyday student life, and after brainstorming, we evaluated 70 mostly relatable issues.

We have further categorized these topics on different academic levels in the section below. Read further and find a suitable topic of interest from the lists below.

Narrative Essay Ideas for Middle School

  • Things to do when bored in the classroom
  • A funny classroom incident that makes us laugh
  • The day when I met my best friend for the first time
  • A unique family tradition that inspires me a lot
  • Why did I learn to play a musical instrument
  • A Christmas day I will never forget
  • Riding a bike for the first time: my review
  • The time I got lost in the jungle
  • Helpful advice from my Grandparents
  • My first sports game in school
  • It was the best summer vacation I spent
  • A time when I stood up for my rights
  • My experience in solving mathematical problems in fun ways
  • A school trip to a historical place
  • The most exciting book I’ve read
  • A time I got in trouble
  • Making new friends in school
  • The best gifts I’ve ever received
  • What I learn from a challenging school project
  • I learn to perform publicly

Narrative Essay Topics for High School

  • My experience with high school bullying
  • My major academic achievement
  • A mentor helps me in creative learning
  • My experience with peer pressure
  • How do I manage to overcome school obstacles
  • The moments when I make the difficult decision
  • How I prepare myself for future career
  • The Impact of social media on my life
  • My challenge in sports
  • Volunteering myself for student councils
  • The Importance of friendship in my life
  • My tricks to balance school and extracurricular activities
  • A book or movie that inspired me a lot
  • My plans to get admission to college
  • How do I overcome my lack of confidence
  • I set myself aside from school violence activities
  • How do I manage my expenditure with an online paying job
  • The moment when I discovered my passion
  • Powerful quotations that I read for self-motivation.

Choosing a topic is a little bit easy, but writing a narrative essay is a little bit hard. To overcome writing barriers, we have compiled some  examples of a narrative essay , which will ultimately help you out in writing a compelling essay on your own.

Narrative Essay Topics Ideas for College

  • How do I find the best college for my study
  • A significant turning point in my life
  • What challenges do I face in living away from home
  • A time when I failed and bounced back
  • My life-changing Internship experience
  • My personal experiences of studying abroad 
  • Excitement of the day when I got my driver’s license
  • My favorite subject in college and why
  • My efforts in time management
  • An Inspirational guest lecture 
  • A significant personal growth moment
  • Dealing with homesickness
  • How my college roommate became my buddy 
  • I tried to manage my budget in college life
  • My tips to avoid distraction

Good Narrative Essay topics on Learning and Education

  • How do I overcome a learning challenge
  • My most memorable school project
  • A field trip to remember in whole life
  • Hurdles I face in learning a new language
  • Positive impacts of technology on my education
  • My experience with remote learning
  • A memorable time I failed and what I learned from the failure
  • The book that inspired me a lot
  • My experience in participating in a Science fair
  • My opinion about extracurricular activities on learning
  • My interesting group study session with friends
  • The Importance of education in my family
  • My passion for reading books
  • An Inspiring educational speaker to which I listen
  • My techniques for preparing for a significant exam

These above-mentioned ideas for narrative essays are common and relatable to every student’s academic life. If you have chosen a topic but don’t know how to write an essay, just read these  tips to improve narrative writing  for your essay.

70 Good Narrative Essay Topics for Students: Personal To Sports Life

Writing an effective narrative essay allows students to explore the depth of their experiences. These essays can range from author reflections to humorous anecdotes. 

Here are 70 narrative essay topics: personal life tales, literary adventures, and funny and thrilling sports moments. Each topic offers a unique opportunity to engage the readers and reflect on the actual factors of life.

Personal Narrative Essay Topics About Life

  • What happens to me on my first day at school
  • It was a memorable birthday that gave me a lot of surprises
  • A family vacation in beautiful mountains
  • My first day in learning to ride a bike
  • My favorite pet, which is no longer with us
  • My feeling when I Win a competition at school
  • A day at the beach with my friends
  • Funny moments in my first time cooking
  • A surprise gift that I got from my father
  • A visit to the zoo for the first time
  • My academic journey with my best friend
  • How I overcome my fear of dogs
  • Challenges in moving to a new house
  • A holiday tradition in my village
  • A time when I got lost
  • A remarkable achievement in my career
  • Helping a stranger was the best moment in my life
  • Crying on my last day at school
  • A day well spent in the park with school friends
  • How did I develop my interest in literature 

Literacy Narrative essay topics

  • What I feel when someone motivates me
  • My personal opinions towards book reading
  • Learning to write essays is easy for me: you know why?
  • Discovering a new genre of literature helps me
  • I learned a way to write assignments that leave a positive impact
  • Why my teachers love me more than others in school
  • Assisting others in hardships makes me feel proud
  • Influence of my favorite author and why?
  • The best advice that I have ever got from parents
  • Online gaming helps me a lot with critical thinking
  • A collection book of poems which I gave to my little sister
  • How I benefit from the writing guide 
  • The first time I wrote a story
  • A literary character I relate to myself
  • Why do I not watch horror movies?
  • The first time I enjoyed poetry.
  • My favorite science fiction novel
  • How reading helps me in overcoming a challenge
  • My poor writing skills make me feel embraced in class
  • My recommendations on books to read about religion 

Funny Narrative Essay topics

  • The day I wear mismatched shoes
  • Prank my friend once, which goes wrong
  • An experience when I got stuck in the elevator
  • A hilarious miscommunication moment occurred during my presentation
  • A disaster happens to me at a costume party
  • The worst haircut makes my friends laugh at me
  • The time I got lost in my neighborhood
  • A funny camping experience with my friends
  • My first and probably last dance experience in school
  • The funny moment when my cell phone got caught in the classroom
  • My pet caused chaos on the day of my brother’s wedding
  • The funniest mistakes I have made in my science project
  •  The Day I Played a Joke on My Teacher
  • My Funniest Social Media Mishap
  • The moment when I tried to speak a foreign language for the first time

Bonus tip:  Funny narrative essay writing is sometimes hard for students because of its limited humorous nature. To overcome this issue we have developed a free  AI essay writer  tool which will add fun and humor in your essay.

Ideas for Narrative Essay about sports

  • My first sports team experience
  • How do I heal from a bad injury in sports
  • Cheering moments when I scored the winning goal
  • Why do I always try to learn new sports?
  • Sports helped me build confidence
  • The most challenging game I have ever played
  • My relationship with a coach
  • My major sports rivalry, which ends up with a fight
  • My team-building experience
  • Personal recommendation to deal with sports pressure
  • Sports helped me develop discipline
  • Share your first childhood sports mishap
  • Motivate my friends to get involved in sports
  • The Impact of sports on my life
  • My funniest sports moment

Blunders while narrative writing happens when you choose a topic on your own without preparation. Worry not, just pick the best topic from the above list and then follow these common  mistakes to avoid in narrative essay  to make it error free.

60 Unique Topics about Narrative Essay

If your narrative essay is unique compared to the others, then it is a win-win situation. In the lists below, you will find unique topics, whether you want to write about a fictional story, hobbies, motivational stories, or say something about some cultural and societal issues. 

Fictional Narrative Essay Ideas

  • A mysterious package arrives at my door
  • The night when I dream about time travel
  • My survival on a deserted island for months
  • It’s a story about my four friends and a magician.
  • My childhood dream was to become a professional athlete.
  • A World Where Animals Can Talk
  • Living in a world without electricity
  • I discover a portal in my backyard
  • Dreaming about being friends with an alien, which turns out to be true
  • A tale about a person who walks on water with superpowers
  • A secret behind the haunted house in my neighborhood
  • Imagining a school where children have magical capabilities
  • My opinion on the diary of a Pirate Captain 
  • A day when everyone speaks the truth
  • A robot becomes my best friend

Best Narrative Essay Ideas On Hobbies and Interests

Every student has a natural instinct to develop hobbies and interest in their lives. Below are some narrative essay topics which primarily focus on hobbies and interests.

  • My love for painting makes me feel proud
  • My journey in learning a new language
  • I found pleasure in planting trees in my garden
  • My friend’s passion for hiking
  • My thrill for collecting vintage items
  • Creating my first DIY project
  • My love for playing chess
  • My passion for cooking and trying new recipes
  • My collection of books, which I read a lot
  • Hearing birds chirp in the morning gives me a boost
  • Writing my first short story
  • Why I volunteer myself at an animal shelter
  • Learning to dance: my first class
  • My passion for traveling to discover new cultures
  • Benefits of creating my blog on the Internet

Narrative Essay Topics Related To Culture And Society

  • My experience of a cultural festival for the first time
  • Growing up in a multicultural family makes your experience more enjoyable
  • A tradition that has been passed down in my family
  • The positive effect of my cultural heritage on my identity
  • Why I found it challenging to adapt to a new cultural environment
  • Learning about my ancestry and heritage
  • My experience in participating in a traditional ceremony
  • The role of food in my culture
  • My experience with cultural exchange programs
  • A memorable visit to a historical, cultural site
  • The Influence of Media on Cultural Perceptions, in my opinion
  • My recommendations on how to preserve cultural heritage
  • The challenges of being bilingual
  • The role of religion in my society
  • Positive impacts of social media on society, according to my opinion

Best Motivational Ideas for Narrative Essay

  • A story of personal growth
  • Rebuilding my life after a significant loss
  • It was a precious time when I made a difference in my community
  • How do I conquer my biggest fear of life
  • The power of positive thinking in shaping your life
  • My strategy to turn failure into success
  • A journey of self-discovery
  • How do I find inspiration in unlikely places 
  • How I stay motivated during tough times
  • The influence of a mentor in my life
  • Finding a way to utilize my inner strength
  • Family support in my achievements
  • Random acts of kindness return with a big reward in my life
  • My motivation to stay strengthened in hardships
  • My secret ways to appreciate the little things

Writing a narrative essay is a daunting task for many students. To understand the reason behind why it is hard to write you must go through these  examples of narrative essay types  and find out the differences for each one.

Questions to help you choose a narrative essay topic

If you still need clarification about selecting the best topics for a narrative essay even after watching out from the above list. Just stay calm and think about these questions mentioned in the list below, and you will find a solution to choosing a topic.

1What are the earliest memories of my life? Think about your early life incidents.
2Think about some memorable moments, especially from middle or high school.
3Remember some special events you have seen in your early life that you remember clearly.
4Some harmful incidents happen to you that stay in your mind forever.
5Positive moments are when you do something extraordinary that changes your life.
6Consider when you make your friends, parents, or family feel proud.
7Furthermore, think of your sports life, such as your first sport, relation with your coach, funny sports moments, or injuries you suffered in the game.
8Ask yourself questions about some places you have visited and have good memories.

Focusing on these questions will help you uncover the best moments in your life. These questions are most common and generic in every student’s life.

Use our words as your narration

Writing a narrative essay to express your experiences is difficult, as it requires words that show emotions and feelings to engage the reader. Consider using our  professional essay writing service  to make the process easier and more helpful. Our skilful and experienced team will provide a polished, well-structured essay that effectively communicates your narrative to your audience.

No Confusion Left In Your Mind Now

You can now easily choose suitable narrative essay topics from the above lists. These rewarding topics allow you to explore and share meaningful experiences with the readers.

Whether you write about personal narrative essay topics, educational journeys, funny incidents, or memorable sports events, we have covered each aspect. Take out your pen, choose a topic, and begin writing down your experiences and thoughts to make the reader remember your words.

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100+ Narrative Essay Topics for your Next Assignment

Writing a narrative essay should be fun and easy in theory. Just tell your readers a story, often about yourself. Who knows you better than you? You should ace this!

Unfortunately, narrative writing can be very difficult for some. When a teacher leaves the topic choice wide open, it’s tough to even know what to write about. What anecdote from your life is worth sharing? What story is compelling enough to fill an entire essay?

The first step in writing a narrative essay is coming up with a list of potential topics to write about. From there, you should focus on the ideas you believe you can spend an entire essay and tell a compelling story on.

Narrative writing will show up for the rest of your life. You’ll need to tell life stories in college essays, in grad school applications, in wedding speeches, and more. So learning how to write a narrative essay is a skill that will stick with you forever.

But where do you begin?

You can always check out essay examples to get you started, but this will only get you so far.

At the end of the day, you still need to come up with a story of your own. This is often the toughest part.

To help you get things kicked off, we’ve put together this list of more than a hundred topic ideas that could easily be turned into narrative essays. Take a look and see what stands out to you!

Choosing a Topic

Narrative essays fall into several categories. Your first task is to narrow down your choices by choosing which category you want to explore.

Each of these categories offers a stepping off point from which you can share a personal experience. If you have no idea where to begin, reflecting on these main categories is a great place to start. You can pick and choose what you feel comfortable sharing with your readers. This list is not exclusive—there are other areas of your life you can explore. These are just some of the biggies.

As you explore categories, think about which one would be the best fit for your assignment. Which category do you have the strongest ideas for? Which types of stories do you tell the best?

These categories include:

Childhood Tales

Educational background, travel and adventure, friends and relationships, experiences and defining moments, my favorite things, ethics and values.

Once you’ve selected a category, it’s time to see which topic piques your interest and might intrigue your audience as well. These topics are all a natural fit for a story arc , which is a central part of a narrative essay.

Writing about your childhood can be a great choice for a narrative essay. We are growing and learning during this delicate and often awkward time. Sharing these moments can be funny, endearing, and emotional. Most people can relate to childhood events because we have all survived it somehow!

  • A childhood experience that defined who I am today
  • A childhood experience that made me grow up quickly
  • My best/worst childhood memory
  • My favorite childhood things (games, activities, stories, fairy tales, TV shows, etc.)
  • What I remember most about my childhood
  • How I used to celebrate holidays/birthdays
  • My best/worst holiday/birthday memory
  • What I used to believe was true
  • The oldest memory I have
  • The most valuable possession from my childhood
  • What I would tell my younger self
  • What my friends were like when I was younger

Your educational experience offers a wealth of ideas for an essay . How you’ve learned and have been inspired can help others be inspired too. Although we were all educated in one way or another, your educational experience is uniquely your own to share.

  • First day of school/junior high/high school/college
  • First/most memorable school event
  • My favorite/worst school years
  • My favorite/worst teachers
  • My favorite/worst school subjects
  • What recess was like for me
  • My experiences in the school cafeteria
  • How I succeeded/failed in certain classes
  • Life as a student (elementary, junior high, high school, college)
  • The best/worst assignment I ever completed for a class
  • Why I chose my college
  • First novel I read for school
  • First speech I had to give

People love to read about adventures. Sharing your travel stories transports your reader to a different place. And we get to see it through your eyes and unique perspective. Writing about travel experiences can allow your passion for diving into the world shine through.

  • My first time traveling alone
  • My first time traveling out of the country
  • The place I travel where I feel most at home
  • My favorite/worst travel experience
  • The time I spent living in a hostel/RV
  • The time I spent backpacking around a country
  • Traveling with friends/family/significant other
  • Best/worst family vacation
  • Most memorable travel experience ever
  • Places I want to visit
  • Why I travel
  • Why I cruise/climb mountains/camp/fly/drive
  • Trying to speak another language
  • How I prefer to travel
  • How I pack to travel

The good, the bad, and the ugly. We all have family stories that range from jubilantly happy and hilarious to sad and more serious. Writing about family can show your reader about who you are and where you come from.

  • Family traditions that you enjoy/dislike
  • What your parents/siblings are like
  • What your family members (mom, dad, grandparents, siblings, etc.) have taught you
  • What being the oldest/youngest/middle/only child was like
  • Family members who made the most impact on your life
  • Most memorable day with a family member
  • How a pet changed my family’s life/my life

Friends, enemies, and loved ones come in and out of our lives for a reason. And they provide great material for writing. If relationships exist to teach you something, what have you learned? Writing about those you’ve connected with demonstrates how others have influenced your life.

  • My most important relationship
  • How I work on my relationships
  • What I value in my relationships
  • My first love/relationship/breakup
  • Losing/Gaining a close friend
  • How my friendships have changed/evolved
  • The person I’m afraid of losing the most
  • How technology has affected my relationships
  • The worst argument I’ve had with someone
  • What happened when I was rejected

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... sharing your best times and sharing your worst times can make great stories. These highs and lows can be emotional, funny, and thought-provoking.

  • The event that most defines who I am today
  • The best/worst day of my life
  • The most embarrassing/frightening moment of my life
  • A moment that taught me something
  • A moment where I succeeded/failed
  • A time when I was hurt (physically or emotionally)
  • A time when I gave up hope
  • An experience when I had to overcome challenges (fear, intimidation, rejection, etc.)
  • My greatest accomplishment
  • The time I learned to accept/love/be okay with myself
  • The most difficult time in my life
  • The toughest thing I’ve ever done
  • My first time surviving something alone

Explaining to others what you love and why can really paint a picture of who you are and what you value. It’s important to note that simply sharing a favorite isn’t a very deep topic. However, you can take this topic deeper by expressing how this favorite has impressed you, inspired you, and affected your life.

  • My favorite author/poet/playwright
  • My favorite movie/book/song/play/character
  • My favorite actor/actress/director
  • My favorite singer/musician
  • My role model
  • What I like to do to relax
  • My favorite activities/games/sports
  • How I handle stress and tough times
  • Why I dance/sing/write/journal/play sports/bake

Where you stand on deep issues tells a lot about you. Taking a stance and explaining your opinion on tough topics reveals some insight into your ethical reasoning.

  • The most difficult decision I have made
  • How I treat people/strangers
  • A time I faced a moral/ethical dilemma
  • A decision I regret
  • A lie I have told
  • When I rebelled against someone in authority
  • My most important life rule
  • The principle I always live by

Situational prompts allow you to step out of your past and picture a different future. If digging into your past experiences seems scary and intimidating, then look to your future. What you imagine can be insightful about your life and where you see yourself heading.

  • If I had a million dollars...
  • If I were famous...
  • If I could change history...
  • If I had no fear...
  • If I could change one thing about myself...
  • If I had one extra hour a day...
  • If I could see the future...
  • If I could change the world...
  • If I could have one do-over in life...

Writing a narrative essay can seem daunting at first. Sharing a bit of yourself with the world is a scary thing sometimes. Choosing the right topic, however, can make the process much smoother and easier.

Writing a narrative essay can be intimidating, but choosing the right topic can make the process much easier for you.

Browsing through topic ideas can inspire you to pick a topic you feel you can tell a story about and that can take up a full essay. Once you have a quality story to tell, the rest of the pieces will fall into place.

How to Write Essay Titles and Headers

Don’t overlook the title and section headers when putting together your next writing assignment. Follow these pointers for keeping your writing organized and effective.

101 Standout Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas

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  • 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 essays topic ideas

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.

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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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Narrative Essay Topics Featured

  • Scriptwriting

Narrative Essay Topics — Prompts & Ideas For All Grade Levels

N arrative essays can present a serious challenge for even the most seasoned of writers, but fear not, we’ve compiled some great narrative essay topics to inspire your next paper! Follow along as we explore prompts relating to life, school, and more. By the end, you’ll be prepared to tackle narrative essays from a variety of different angles.

Good Narrative Topics

What is a narrative essay.

Before we jump into our narrative essay topics, we have to first answer the question: what is a narrative essay ? A narrative essay is a prose-written story that’s focused on the commentary of a central theme.

Narrative essays are generally written in the first-person POV , and are usually about a topic that’s personal to the writer.

Everything in a narrative essay should take place in an established timeline, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

For more on narrative essays, check out this video on literacy narrative topics and structure:

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas  •  Narrative Essay Titles

In the world of literature, narrative essays are held to a rigorous structure. We’re not going to enforce that rigor here! So, follow along as we (hopefully) inspire you with a variety of narrative essay topics and argument essay ideas. 

Narrative Ideas

Narrative essay ideas for kids.

Narrative essay topics for kids usually focus on family, school, and friends.

Here are some easy narrative essay topics that work well for kids:

  • Describe your most recent birthday party.
  • Tell the story of your first day of school.
  • Who is your best friend?
  • Have you ever helped others?
  • Describe your favorite animal(s)
  • What is your dream for the future?

This next video from “Teaching Without Frills” explores narrative essay topics for kids in further detail. 

Narrative Essay Ideas  •  Titles of narrative essays

Sometimes it can help to visualize narrative essay topics with pictures, especially for younger kids. If you’re a teacher, consider using pictures to inspire your students!

Narrative essay ideas for teens

Middle school and high school students are often asked to write narrative essays too. But whereas narrative essay topics for elementary school students are usually structured around simple, positive topics, narrative essay topics for teens are generally more contemplative.

Here are some personal narrative essay topics that work well for teens:

  • Describe a moment of loss.
  • Describe a moment of serenity.
  • Recount the story of a lost friend.
  • Detail your greatest creation.
  • Tell the story of your favorite teacher.
  • How would you change the world?

Remember: not every person has the same circumstances as others. That's why they're called personal narrative essay topics.

It’s important to frame narrative essay topics for kids in a way that every kid can relate. For example: the prompt “a lost friend” could mean a friend who moved away or a dead pet. Make sure to word your prompts in such a way that participants can glean their own interpretation.

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Narrative Essay Ideas

Narrative essay ideas for young adults.

Young adults are sometimes asked to write narrative essays for school and or job applications. Narrative essay reviewers typically want to see writers demonstrate maturity and growth in their work. As such, their questions are generally structured around challenges and problem management.

Here are some narrative argument essay topics for young adults:

  • Have you ever failed at your job?
  • If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be?
  • What is something you take pride in?
  • Describe your childhood.
  • How will you grow this year?
  • What is the most important element of success?

Of course, the topics above are mostly focused on success and failure. Young adults can certainly respond to the other prompts too!

Narrative essay ideas for adults

Adults aren’t generally tasked with writing narrative essays unless they’re writers. But that doesn’t have to be the case! There are a lot of positives to writing narrative essays, whether you’re a literary professor or a wrestler looking to articulate your thoughts.

So, here are some things to write a narrative essay about for adults:

  • What was your worst job?
  • What (or who) was your first love?
  • Who do you take care of?
  • What is your most prized possession?
  • If you could tell somebody who’s now gone from your life one thing, what would it be?
  • Paint a picture of where you find peace.

Narrative essay titles Easy narrative essay topics

Narrative essay titles  •  Easy narrative essay topics

In recent years, companies have been selling books with narrative essay prompts for adults (particularly elderly adults) to reflect on their lives.

Creative Writing Prompts & Exercises

Now that you're brainstorming good titles for personal narrative, time to learn about other forms of creating writing. A narrative essay is just one type of essay – there are dozens more! In our next article, we break down more creative writing prompts and exercises, including those suited to fantasy, romance, horror, and more. By the end, you’ll know a ton of different ways to approach your next story.

Up Next: Creative Writing Exercises →

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Narrative Essay Writing

Narrative Essay Topics

Cathy A.

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics and Ideas

16 min read

Published on: Mar 22, 2023

Last updated on: Mar 25, 2024

narrative essay topic ideas

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Unlike other forms of academic writing, narrative essays focus on personal experiences, anecdotes, and reflections. They aim to engage readers through vivid storytelling, allowing them to connect emotionally with the narrative. 

However, finding the right topic can sometimes be challenging. 

In this guide, we'll look into the narrative essay topic examples, explore various themes, and provide valuable tips to help you choose the perfect topic for your narrative essay.

Let’s jump in!

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Narrative Essay Topics for Students

If you're a student, you probably have to write an essay at some point. Getting an interesting topic idea is not easy. We have gathered some essay topics for different academic levels to help you with the task.

Let's dive right into the narrative essay topics list without any delay.

Narrative Essay Topics For University Students

  • The worst interview of your life 
  • A time when you discovered something precious 
  • A time when you were insulted or disrespected
  • A time you discovered one of your skills
  • The moment when your loved one was hurt 
  • The moment when your best friend had an accident 
  • The day your father caught you smoking 
  • A mistake that taught you something significant 
  • An action you thought would help the person but got you in trouble.
  • The moment when someone else's experience saved your life 
  • The time when you underestimated a junior
  • How has practicing helped you become a professional?
  • The time when your beliefs were shaken
  • An event that made you feel sorry about a person
  • The time when you had to let go of one of your most important things

Narrative Essay Topics For College Students

  • First experience of living in a hostel
  • The worst roommate ever
  • Frightening memory of your childhood
  • Why you chose a specific major
  • What studying in a dream college feels like?
  • The most healthy part of your routine
  • The time you inspired someone
  • What should you tell your younger self?
  • Your favorite author and his work that you most relate to
  • A moment when your joke offended your friend

Narrative Essay Topics For Grade 12

  • Your favorite activities in your leisure time
  • How you overcome your fears
  • The hardest thing you did in life
  • What regrets do you have in life?
  • Your biggest motivation to score well in academics
  • Share a cherished family tradition and its impact on you.
  • Recall a moment where you stood up for your beliefs.
  • Discuss a tough decision and its impact on your character.
  • Explore a memory that highlights the value of friendship.
  • Reflect on a book, movie, or art that shaped your perspective.
  • Overcome a setback or failure and what you learned.

Narrative Essay Topics High School

  • The most interesting summer school memory 
  • The moment when you saw your favorite actor in real life 
  • The first time you helped a needy person
  • How you became friends with your best friend 
  • A person who left a deep influence on you 
  • The day when you became a class representative 
  • Your first speech on the stage
  • Your first term paper
  • Your favorite high school student’s profession 
  • The first time you stood up for something you believed in

Narrative Essay Topics For Grade 10

  • A time when you had to stand up for something you believed in
  • The most significant challenge you have faced in your life so far
  • A moment that changed your life forever
  • A decision that you regret making and what you learned from it
  • A person who has had a significant impact on your life
  • A time when you learned an important life lesson through a mistake you made
  • A trip that you will never forget
  • A time when you felt like you had to prove yourself to someone
  • A moment when you felt like giving up, but you pushed through anyway
  • An experience that helped you discover something new about yourself.

Narrative Essay Topics For Grade 9

  • A time when you overcame a fear
  • The most memorable day of your life
  • A difficult decision you had to make
  • The first time you tried something new
  • A moment when you learned an important life lesson
  • An experience that changed your perspective on something
  • A time when you made a mistake and what you learned from it
  • A memorable trip you went on
  • The first time you fell in love with a hobby or activity
  • A moment when you felt proud of yourself for overcoming a challenge.

Narrative Essay Topics For Class 7

  • My favorite sibling
  • Betrayal in friendship
  • Why is television so important in your life?
  • A hobby of yours that you recently adopted
  • The most memorable farewell
  • A memorable encounter with a new friend
  • The day when you became a class representative
  • Your dream college
  • Your favorite profession

Narrative Essay Topics For Class 6

  • The time when you underestimated a junior 
  • The time when your beliefs were shaken 
  • An event that made you feel sorry about a person 
  • The time when you had to let go of one of your most important things 
  • Your favorite activities in your leisure time 
  • The most adventurous thing you've ever done
  • Your biggest motivation to score well in academics 

Narrative Essay Topics For Grade 5

  • Your first day at school
  • Your favorite teacher 
  • Your best winter vacations
  • The happiest day of your life
  • Your best birthday ever
  • The moment when you got lost in a mall 
  • The most painful injury 
  • Your first pet
  • The feeling of losing loved ones
  • The hardest goodbye 

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Short Narrative Essay Topics

  • Exploring family traditions
  • Narrating standing up for beliefs
  • Recounting a tough decision
  • Reflecting on the value of friendship
  • Sharing shaping perspectives
  • Reflecting on overcoming failure
  • Revisiting meaningful places
  • Delving into a social passion
  • Narrating stepping out of comfort zones
  • Reflecting on influential role models

Best Narrative Essay Topics

  • An unexpected act of kindness
  • A transformative travel experience
  • The day everything changed
  • Lessons learned from failure
  • A secret that changed everything
  • Discovering my passion
  • The power of forgiveness
  • A moment of serendipity
  • Conquering my greatest fear
  • Lessons from a cultural exchange

Topics For Narrative Essays on Themes

Narrative essay themes contain a range of subjects and ideas that serve as the central focus or underlying message of the narrative. These themes often reflect aspects of human experience, emotions, relationships, and societal issues. 

Here are some common narrative essay themes and their topic ideas:

Childhood Memories Narrative Essay Topics

  • My favorite toy from childhood
  • Exploring my grandparents' house
  • Building forts and imaginary worlds
  • The day I lost my first tooth
  • Baking cookies with my mom
  • Playing hide and seek in the neighborhood
  • My first pet and our adventures together
  • Celebrating holidays with family traditions
  • Exploring nature in my backyard
  • The joy of making new friends in kindergarten

Life Lessons Narrative Essay Topics 

  • Overcoming stage fright during a school performance
  • Finding strength through a sports injury
  • Learning patience through gardening
  • Embracing change after moving to a new city
  • The value of empathy in understanding others
  • Discovering inner courage during a difficult decision
  • The power of forgiveness in healing relationships
  • Finding beauty in imperfection and embracing flaws
  • The rewards of volunteer work and helping others
  • Overcoming self-doubt through creative expression

Personal Growth Narrative Essay Topics 

  • Exploring my cultural heritage through food and traditions
  • Overcoming language barriers in a foreign country
  • Finding confidence through public speaking
  • Rediscovering creativity through art and music
  • Exploring new career paths and passions
  • Finding balance between work, family, and self-care
  • Embracing vulnerability and authenticity in relationships
  • The journey of self-discovery through traveling alone
  • Overcoming limiting beliefs and embracing personal power
  • Learning to set boundaries and prioritize self-respect

Relationships Narrative Essay Topics 

  • The bond between siblings: shared adventures and conflicts
  • Lessons learned from a long-distance friendship
  • Reconnecting with an estranged family member
  • The influence of a childhood teacher on personal development
  • Building trust and communication in romantic relationships
  • Exploring the dynamics of multigenerational relationships
  • Navigating friendships through life transitions
  • Overcoming misunderstandings and repairing relationships
  • The role of pets in family dynamics and emotional support
  • Exploring the meaning of unconditional love through relationships

Social Issues Narrative Essay Topics

  • Empowering youth through education and mentorship
  • Exploring access to healthcare in underserved communities
  • Addressing mental health stigma and promoting awareness
  • Bridging the digital divide: access to technology and information
  • The impact of climate change on local communities
  • Exploring racial justice and equity in society
  • Overcoming barriers to LGBTQ+ equality and acceptance
  • Supporting refugees and building inclusive communities
  • The importance of intersectional feminism in social justice movements
  • Promoting diversity and inclusion in educational settings

Personal Narrative Topics 

A personal narrative essay is a type of essay in which the writer shares a personal story, experience, or event from their own life. In this section, we will look into some different personal narrative ideas: 

Personal Experience Narrative Essay Topics

  • Overcoming a fear of public speaking
  • The day I conquered my greatest phobia
  • Learning to embrace vulnerability and authenticity
  • A life-changing encounter with a stranger
  • Navigating a crossroads: choosing between passion and stability
  • Finding resilience through adversity
  • The transformative power of self-reflection
  • Lessons learned from a failed business venture
  • Exploring the joys and challenges of parenthood
  • Overcoming cultural barriers in pursuit of personal growth

Personal Narrative Essay About Friendship

  • The unlikely friendship that changed my life
  • Weathering storms together: the strength of true friendship
  • Navigating the ups and downs of high school friendships
  • From strangers to soulmates: a journey of friendship
  • The power of empathy in strengthening friendships
  • Exploring cultural differences through friendship
  • The art of forgiveness: repairing broken friendships
  • Lessons learned from a childhood best friend
  • Finding support and laughter in friendships across generations
  • Celebrating diversity: embracing friendship beyond borders

Personal Narrative Stories Ideas on Traveling and Holidays

  • A solo journey to self-discovery
  • Living with locals in a foreign land
  • Traveling alone to remote destinations
  • Exploring culinary delights around the world
  • The joy of spontaneity
  • A holiday to remember
  • Traveling through time
  • From backpacker to business class
  • Discovering hidden gems off the beaten path
  • Family road trips

Fictional Narrative Essay Ideas

  • Lost in a parallel universe: A journey through time
  • The last survivors of a post-apocalyptic world
  • A magical creature's quest for home
  • The secret society of time travelers
  • Escaping from a dystopian society
  • Adventures in a virtual reality game
  • Discovering a hidden portal to another dimension
  • The mystery of the abandoned spaceship
  • Guardians of the enchanted forest
  • A quest for the legendary artifact of power

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

  • How a childhood book shaped my imagination
  • Learning to read and write in a second language
  • Discovering the power of poetry through personal experience
  • The influence of storytelling in family traditions
  • Overcoming dyslexia: My journey to literacy
  • Exploring literary classics through different cultural lenses
  • The impact of technology on reading habits
  • The role of libraries in nurturing a love for reading
  • Finding my voice through creative writing workshops
  • Using literature to navigate life's challenges

First-Person Narrative Essay Ideas

  • My journey through a haunted house on Halloween night
  • A day in the life of a street performer in New York City
  • Surviving a wilderness adventure in the Rocky Mountains
  • Exploring the abandoned mansion at the edge of town
  • My experience as a volunteer in a refugee camp
  • Racing against time: My first marathon experience
  • Finding love in unexpected places: A summer romance
  • The night I spent stranded on a deserted island
  • Becoming a detective for a day: Solving a mystery in my neighborhood
  • My encounter with a UFO: An unforgettable extraterrestrial experience

Funny Narrative Essay Topics

  • The misadventures of my clumsy pet cat
  • Embarrassing moments during family gatherings
  • My hilarious attempt at learning a new dance
  • Surviving a disastrous cooking experiment in the kitchen
  • The comedy of errors: my unforgettable road trip
  • Accidentally sending a funny text to the wrong person
  • The day I accidentally wore mismatched shoes to school
  • My awkward encounter with a celebrity lookalike
  • The unintentional pranks I played on April Fools' Day
  • When auto-correct turns texting into a comedy show

Tips to Choose the Right Narrative Essay Topic

When selecting a narrative essay topic, consider the following tips:

  • Authenticity: Choose topics that align with your personal experiences and values.
  • Relevance: Select topics that are relevant and meaningful to your intended audience.
  • Engagement: Opt for topics that are engaging and thought-provoking, sparking curiosity and empathy in readers.
  • Scope: Ensure that the topic allows for sufficient depth and exploration within the confines of a narrative essay.

If you want to get an idea of writing a narrative essay, visit our narrative essay examples blog and get access to free PDF examples.

Summing it up!

Essays provide a unique opportunity to share personal experiences, insights, and reflections with readers. By choosing the right topic and crafting a compelling narrative, you can engage and inspire your audience. 

Remember to infuse your writing with authenticity, emotion, and vivid detail to create narratives that resonate long after they're read. 

If you find yourself short on time or unsure where to begin, seeking professional assistance is always an option. The custom essay writing service at CollegeEssay.org is here to help you with your writing needs. 

Additionally, don't forget to try our essay writer AI tool for further assistance!

Cathy A. (Literature, Marketing)

For more than five years now, Cathy has been one of our most hardworking authors on the platform. With a Masters degree in mass communication, she knows the ins and outs of professional writing. Clients often leave her glowing reviews for being an amazing writer who takes her work very seriously.

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100 Greatest Narrative Essay Topics

January 5, 2024 by Richard Leave a Comment

100 Greatest Narrative Essay Topics

Welcome to our 100 Greatest Narrative Essay topics of all time list. These topics are written about over and over again by students and writers all over the world, and they are made new every time someone tells their story. Sharing personal stories can be a powerful way to connect with others. Whether it’s a humorous anecdote or an impactful life event, narrative essays give readers a glimpse into someone else’s world while reminding them of our shared humanity.

So, if you are having a hard time coming up with a topic to write about, try these 100. We seek to provide inspiration for your personal narrative essay. It compiles a list of 100 narrative essay topics ranging from lighthearted tales about childhood memories to profound life-changing events. With so many options, readers are sure to find an experience in their own lives that they can transform into an engaging first-person story.

Some of these narrative essay ideas evoke positive emotions – like achieving a major accomplishment, traveling somewhere new, or meeting someone influential. Other prompts allow reflection on challenging experiences – like encountering failure, coping with loss or illness, or facing down fears. The list also includes topics perfect for humor pieces – because the best personal narratives often share smiles and laughter too.

Readers can take a look at the list and see which topic speaks to them. Then they can start drafting their own unique story. Because each person’s tale offers its own dose of wisdom, inspiration, and connection. The stories readers craft based on these ideas will surely impact others.

Here are 100 potential narrative essay topics:

  • A time I overcame a fear
  • The day I met my best friend
  • A family vacation that went wrong
  • The experience of learning to ride a bike
  • Attending my first concert
  • My most difficult class in school so far
  • My proudest accomplishment
  • A time I failed at something
  • My experience learning a new language
  • Meeting someone famous
  • My experience as a camp counselor
  • My favorite family holiday tradition
  • The first time I traveled alone
  • A challenging hike I went on
  • Moving to a new place
  • Getting my first pet
  • Being bullied as a child
  • My first day of high school
  • My experience playing on a sports team
  • The day I got my driver’s license
  • Something funny my parent or sibling did
  • Working an unpleasant job as a teenager
  • Volunteering in my community
  • The day I became an older sibling
  • A parenting lesson my parents taught me
  • Attending my first homecoming dance
  • My favorite birthday celebration
  • A cooking disaster story
  • My experience getting stitches or breaking a bone
  • A mentor who impacted my life
  • My most memorable act of kindness from a stranger
  • The adoption of my pet
  • My experience being homeschooled
  • Starting a new hobby as an adult
  • My fondest childhood memory
  • My first heartbreak
  • My experience with online school
  • My journey recovering from an injury
  • Being a working student
  • Writing my first poem or short story
  • My scariest nightmare
  • Making a move to live on my own
  • Coping with my parents’ divorce
  • My adventure backpacking overseas
  • My most memorable day playing childhood games
  • The time I performed on stage
  • A cherished family tradition
  • My proudest moment as a parent
  • Meeting my grandparents for the first time
  • My experience being an older sibling
  • My fondest memory of a family pet
  • My most memorable birthday
  • My most humbling moment
  • My first experience with snow
  • A difficult goodbye
  • My favorite place to spend time as a child
  • Winning an award
  • My favorite holiday gathering
  • Studying abroad in college
  • Moving to a new city after graduation
  • My experience voting for the first time
  • A favorite item from my childhood
  • My experience overcoming sickness or surgery
  • My favorite family vacation
  • A memorable weekend road trip
  • My first paying job
  • My experience on the first day of a new school
  • Celebrating a cultural holiday
  • How I learned to overcome a bad habit
  • Staying up all night with friends
  • Attending prom
  • My experience being home alone
  • Getting elected as a group leader
  • Preparing for a major storm
  • Learning a lesson about honesty
  • The day I rescued an animal
  • My first impression of a famous landmark
  • My most memorable celebrity encounter
  • My experience with online dating
  • My first car buying experience
  • Deciding my college major
  • Changing career paths
  • My experience with unrequited love
  • Meeting an idol or someone I admire
  • My experience dealing with loss
  • My biggest regret
  • My proudest problem solving moment
  • My favorite concert experience
  • My experience with an act of heroism
  • My first time trying an extreme sport
  • How I overcame my biggest fear
  • My experience with an ethical dilemma
  • My most spiritual experience
  • My most terrifying moment
  • A major turning point in my life
  • My best day ever
  • My worst day ever
  • My experience immigrating to a new country
  • My experience parenting multiples (twins, triplets etc)
  • My funniest travel mishap

As evident, there is no shortage of engaging topics for personal narrative essays. The experiences humans accumulate throughout their lives – whether they make one laugh, cry, or change who one is – are what connects people at one’s core. Hopefully this list has provided some inspiration. Now one can take a chosen story and make it shine by adding rich details, thoughtful reflection, a meaningful central message, and a unique voice. After all, the magic manifests through the telling, and every individual has a one-of-a-kind tale only they can share. So embrace the memories and truths to craft an essay that resonates. Who knows which lives one’s words might touch or perspectives they may broaden? When more narratives are exchanged, perhaps we will begin to see that while specific adventures may differ, at heart most seek similar things – joy, purpose, wisdom, catharsis. And by reading others’ stories, people expand their wells of compassion. So take up the pen and start composing the next great personal narrative. Those words cannot wait to be read!

Related Posts:

56 Captivating Frame Story Writing Prompts 

About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.  

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry.   Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

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  • Everybody gets afraid sometimes. If there were no fear, there would be no opportunity for bravery. Write about the scariest moment in your life.
  • Some people avoid challenges. Others see them as opportunities to grow. Write about a time when you overcame a great challenge.
  • One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Write about a time when you discovered something valuable that others had discarded or ignored.
  • The golden rule states that you should treat others as you’d like to be treated. It’d be nice if everyone followed this rule, but its been broken more than once. Write about a time when you felt disrespected. How did you handle it and what did you learn?
  • Everybody has a special talent. Write about the time when you discovered one of your talents.
  • It’s no fun to be in pain, but it can be worse to watch someone you love suffer. Write about a time when one of your loved ones was hurt.
  • The world can be a cold place, but a little bit of kindness can make it a lot warmer. Write about a time when you made the world a better place for someone by being kind.
  • It’s a good thing that nobody’s perfect. Some of life’s greatest lessons are learned on accident. Write about a time when you learned an important lesson by making a mistake.
  • It can be hard to see ourselves for who we really are at times. Write about a time when someone else taught you something about yourself.
  • Doing the right thing isn’t always easy. Write about a time when you got in trouble or made someone angry by doing what you thought was right.
  • You don’t have to learn everything the hard way. Write about a time when you avoided trouble by taking someone’s advice.
  • You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Write about a time when you were underestimated or when you underestimated someone else.
  • Practice makes perfect. Write about a time when you got better at doing something by practicing.
  • Can’t we all just get along? Write about a time when you got into a disagreement with someone. How did you resolve it?
  • There’s a time for work and a time for play, but it’s a lot more fun to play. Write about a time when you put off doing something important to have fun. How did it work out for you in the end and what did you learn?
  • You never know until you try. Write about a time when you learned something about yourself by trying something new.
  • Hard work doesn’t always payoff. Write about a time when you worked hard on something but felt like your efforts weren’t appreciated.
  • You can’t trust everyone. Write about a time when someone betrayed your trust. How did you react? Did you ever forgive them?
  • You can’t make everybody happy. Write about a time when you made a decision that disappointed or hurt someone.
  • Nobody said that life would be fair. Write about a time when you witnessed someone taking advantage of a weaker person. How did it make you feel?
  • Sometimes two people just click. Write about a time when you formed a genuine connection with someone.
  • So much in life is about the choices that you make. Write about a time when you had to choose between two things that were important to you.
  • It’s the people we love that can hurt us the most. Write about a time when you had to confront a loved one over their decisions.
  • Accomplishments mean so much more when work for them. Write about a time when you worked hard to earn something. How did it make you feel to meet your goal?
  • Even the best of friends have the occasional argument. Write about a time when you got into a dispute with a friend. How did the situation get resolved?
  • Appearances are important. Sometimes your appearance can work for you. Other times it can work against. Write about a time when someone treated you differently because of your appearance. You can share a negative or positive experience.
  • You can’t always get what you want and sometimes that’s for the best. Write about a time when you were denied something that you wanted and it worked out alright in the end.
  • Once in a while everything just goes your way. Write about a time when you felt on top of the world.
  • Sometimes people drift apart. Other times they are torn apart. Write about a time when you were separated from someone with whom you were close.
  • It’s been said that every gray cloud has a silver lining. The hard part is looking for it. Write about a time when you made the best of a bad situation.
  • Faith is believing in something that you cannot prove. Write about a time when you had faith in someone or something that others doubted.
  • There’s a time to be creative and there’s a time to follow directions. Write about a time when you benefitted from following directions.
  • Some people are just looking for a reason to not like you. Write about a time when you got on someone’s bad side just by being yourself.
  • No matter how badly someone messes up, they always have the potential to redeem themselves. Write about a time when you or someone you know made a mistake and found redemption.
  • It’s good to play it safe, but sometimes you have to take chances. Write about a time when you took a risk. Did it work out for you?
  • Most people agree that honesty is a virtue, but sometimes being too honest can get you into hot water. Write about a time when you got in trouble or on someone’s bad side just by telling the truth.
  • Nothing sours an accomplishment like jealousy. Write about a time when you or someone you know was affected by the jealousy of another.
  • The older that you get, the more responsponsibilities you gain. It can be too much at times. Write about a time when you felt overwhelmed by your responsibilities. How did you handle it?
  • Part of growing up is facing your fears. Write about a time when you did something that you were afraid to do.
  • It’s hard to think about anything else when danger is approaching. Write about a time when you felt unsafe.
  • You wouldn’t be where you are today without the countless sacrifices of others. Once in a while you have to give back too. Write about a time when you gave up something that was important to you to help somebody else.
  • It’s been said that forgiveness is divine. Write about a time when you forgave someone for hurting or disappointing you.
  • Our first impressions aren’t always accurate. Write about a time when your first impression of someone or something proved to be wrong.
  • Everybody makes mistakes, even teachers. Write about a time when you were affected by one of your teachers’ mistakes.
  • With so many awesome things to learn and do in the world, nobody should ever be bored. Write about a time when you turned a boring day into an exciting one.
  • People change. That’s a part of life. Write about a time when you or someone you know changed in an important way.
  • When opportunity knocks, it’s up to you to answer the door. Write about a time when you took advantage of an interesting or exciting opportunity.
  • A kind word can go a long way. Write about a time when someone affected you by saying something nice or encouraging.
  • The world needs heroes and anyone can be one. Write about a time when you did something heroic. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as saving someone’s life. It can be as simple as helping someone out when they needed it.
  • Your reputation is important. People will treat you differently based on how you are reputed to be. Write about a time when you did something that affected your reputation for better or worse.
  • Anger can blind. Write about a time when anger caused you to behave in a way that you later regretted.
  • Authority is when someone has the power to make decisions for you. Write about a time when you wanted to challenge someone’s authority. What were they doing to cause you to feel this way? How did you handle the situation?
  • Everybody has had someone awkward moments in life. Write about a time when you felt embarrassed. How did you deal with your embarrassment?
  • The process of growing up is a slow one. It takes your whole childhood. But some events cause us to grow quicker than others. Write about an experience that caused you to grow up quickly.
  • You can’t give everyone everything that they want. That would leave nothing for you. You have to set limits. Write about a time when someone wanted more from you than you had to give.
  • Your conscience is that little voice in your head that tells you when you are doing something wrong. Write about a time when your conscience stopped you from doing something.
  • Friendship can be found in unexpected places. Write about a time when you became friends or partners with an unlikely person.
  • It’s important to be persistent, but you have to know when to let go too. Write about a time when you quit pursuing something or let go of a dream.
  • Anyone can talk. Followsing through is the hard part. Write about a time when you proved yourself with your actions.
  • We are all tempted to do things that we shouldn’t at times. It takes integrity to do the right thing against your baser desires. Write about a time when you resisted the temptation to do something wrong.
  • Tact is the ability to phrase criticism in a sensitive way. It’s hard to be tactful all of the time. Write about a time when you blurted out something that you immediately regretted saying.
  • It’d be nice if there were a sure fire way to tell if someone were lying, but there isn’t. Write about a time when someone deceived you. How did you find out that they were lying to you? What did you do?
  • You can’t win all of the time. Some of life’s greatest lessons are learned in defeat. Write about a time when you lost or failed at something and learned a lesson.
  • You can predict the future, but you’re not alway going to get it right. Write about a time when you were surprised by the outcome of an event.
  • William Shakespeare said that “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Write about a time when you had to say goodbye to someone or something that was important to you. How did you get over the loss?
  • Money can’t buy everything. Write about a time when you gained something valuable that can’t be bought or sold. Some examples might include a special skill, an important understanding, or a good relationship with someone.
  • Presentation is everything. Write about a time when you or someone else made a strong impression based on manners. It can be a good impression or a bad one.
  • A little bit of gratitude goes a long way. Write about a time when you felt unappreciated.
  • Bad habits are hard to kick. Write about a time when you gave up something that was bad for you.
  • A hypocrite is a person who tells you not to do something that he or she does. Write about a time when a person acted hypocritically toward you. You may want to write about a teacher, parent, or friend.
  • Not knowing your limits can be dangerous. Write about a time when you or someone you know took things too far.
  • Laws were put in place for a reason. Still, not everyone follows them. Write about an experience that you shared with someone who broke a law.
  • Sometimes we make decisions without fully considering the consequences. Write about a decision that you made which you later regretted.
  • The only constant is change. People can change in ways that we find disappointing. Write about a time when someone you know turned out to be different than you thought they were.
  • You never know what you’re capable of until you try. Write about a time when you succeed at something despite your doubts.
  • Technology is supposed to solve our problems, but sometimes it just complicates them. Write about a time when technology made your life more difficult.
  • The person you are today might not be the one you are tomorrow. People always have the potential to change, to improve. Write about an experience that changed you for the better.
  • Our actions can have far reaching consequences that can be difficult to predict. Write about a time when you unintentionally hurt someone as a result of your actions. Did you make it up to them?
  • Misunderstandings are the source of many conflicts. Write about a time when you solved a problem by talking about it.
  • It can be hard to fit in when you feel awkward. Write about a time when you felt out of place. How did you adapt to the situation?
  • Staying cool and calm helps you perform better, but this isn’t always easy. Some situations push you to the edge. Write about at time when you lost your patience.
  • Sometimes the greatest conflicts come from within. Write about a time when you were challenged by an inner conflict. How did you resolve the problem?
  • The world can be an overwhelming place. Write about a time when you just wanted to get away from everything.
  • The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry. Write about a time when things did not work out the way that you planned.
  • Not everyone is a good leader, and even good leaders can make bad decisions. Write about a time when you disagreed with someone who was in charge of you.
  • Sometimes we think that we need help when all we really need to do is to put forth a decent effort. Write about a time when you learned to rely on yourself.
  • Your national identity is complicated. Sometimes we are proud to be citizens of our country. Other times things are done in our country’s name that we dislike. Write about a time when you were either proud or ashamed of your nationality.
  • You can’t always get what you want, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop trying. Write about a time when you fought for what you wanted and got your way.
  • The world would be a better place if everyone treated each other with love and respect, but people don’t always act like that. The world can be unfair. Write about a time when you witnessed or were the victim of an injustice.
  • Opinions can make or break you. Write about a time when someone misjudged you.
  • Boys and girls are treated differently at times. It’s not fair, but it happens. Write about a time when you were treated differently because of your gender. It can be in a way that benefited you or worked against you.
  • It’s been said that no good deed goes unpunished. Write about a time when you were trying to help someone and it backfired.
  • Sometimes its best to keep your mouth shut. Write about a time when you got in trouble for sharing your opinion.
  • The sense of smell is closely tied to memory. Think about scents that you have linked to experiences in your mind. Write about a time when an aroma became part of your memory.
  • People are social by nature. Being alone can be torturesome. Write about a time when you felt lonely or abandoned.
  • You can’t run from your past. It will always find a way to catch up with you. Write about a time when something from your past came back to haunt you.
  • Many people are resistant to change, even when it is good for them. Write about a time when you grew to appreciate something that you once resisted.
  • Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than talented. Write about a time when you benefitted just by being in the right place at the right time.
  • Everybody has perfect vision when they look into the past. Write about a time when you learned something a bit too late to help.
  • It’s been said that the thrill is in the chase. Write about a time when you worked hard to get something, only to find out that you didn’t really want it after all.
  • It’s a lot easier to go with the flow, but sometimes our hearts won’t let us. Write about a time when you supported an unpopular position because of your feelings or ideals.

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Ugwu Raphael

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218 Narrative Essay Topics

218 narrative essay topics

When some high school students get a narrative essay for their homework, they believe they must air out their laundry, but that's rarely the case. Anyone can create a beautiful and captivating story that describes memorable events in fine detail.

Your narrative essay could also be about your role model. The first thing you must do to come up with a masterpiece is to take your time coming up with great narrative essay topics. You can find numerous ideas online but scroll on to find the best selection prepared by experts.

Before you rummage around old assignments for a topic idea, look at this list of interesting narrative essay topics. They will inspire you in unimaginable ways and get you on your way to writing that masterpiece. Without further ado, let's get to the best narrative essay topics for your assignment!

Woman holding up a light bulb drawing sign written narrative topics

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas • Narrative Essay Titles

The greatest responsibility you have when writing narrative essays is to make sure you are impressionable. This means writing great narrative essay topics. Let's get those juices flowing with some ideas for the essay.

  • The most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you
  • The most embarrassing experience in the Iraq war
  • An experience that gave you business acumen
  • Your most frightening experience as a child
  • An experience that showed you the value of trust
  • How you learnt to overcome fear
  • An unpleasant experience that showed you an important life lesson
  • A harrowing experience that taught you to appreciate life
  • One memorable day with a family member
  • A personal narrative concerning a success story

While some are pretty straightforward, others are a bit of a thinker. You have the liberty to experiment with these topics by conducting a bit of research. For example, you could come up with life lessons from a memorable trip with family members. Go try it out. We'll explore some more personalized essay topics in the next section.

Light bulb placed on blackboard written narrative essay topics

Best Narrative Essay Topics: Funny, Personal, Literacy, and Fictional Ideas

Are you looking for material for your research paper? Researching an engaging story is crucial to engaging high school students and faculty with your writing. Read this part for timely answers to questions on the best topic ideas for funny, literacy, personal, and fictional ideas.

  • My virgin flight to Asia
  • Best memories of my high school
  • My hopes upon completing college
  • A memorable trip to Mexico
  • A friend in disguise: sheep-in-wolf clothing
  • An accident I was involved in
  • The journey ahead: Living through end-stage capitalism
  • A life-changing event that happened in high school
  • An experience with cybercrime and its personal effects
  • Experiencing unequal employment opportunities as a teenager
  • My favorite meal: Barbequed meat with anything on top
  • Experiencing psychological torture as a teenage American
  • How I maintain an effective work-life balance
  • The most important life lesson I got from school
  • My realization of the existence of double-faced people
  • The most memorable people in my life
  • How I survived a shark attack
  • How do I keep my personal and professional lives separate?
  • My favorite teacher in grade school
  • My experience with Covid-19: physical, social, and economic issues
  • My most memorable punishment at home
  • My proudest moment in life

Woman hanging face masks next to a blackboard written personal narrative essay topics

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

Look at some of these personal narrative essay ideas that will hit home and spur up an idea or two about an experience you think would capture your audience.

  • The reason why I love my family
  • The toughest decision I ever made
  • My favorite meditation spot: outdoors
  • A complete day in the life of John Smith
  • The best moment of my entire life
  • The moment I will treasure in my life forever
  • The best decision I have ever made
  • How do I overcome my fears and turn them into strengths
  • Why I don't particularly appreciate going to college
  • My experience with racism as an international student
  • My neighborhood's experience with the 2009 market crash

That last one was a bit of a stretch. But you get the idea. The possibilities are endless; all you have to think about is an experience in your life, and personal narrative essay topics are all around us. You just need a hot cup of coffee, a notebook, and a pen. Brainstorm ideas from different experiences in your life, and you'll find tons of them if you dig a bit deeper.

Well, it's not an exact science, but it is a pretty good way to open your mind to ideas and develop different topics for your essay. If you're stuck, some help might, well, help. You can buy narrative essays online . You'll get a well written research paper on time. Now, let's see some fictional narrative essay topics and ideas to see further how you can create your unique one.

Woman holding Harry Potter book and text written, “writing a fictional narrative essay’ beside her

Fictional Narrative Essay Ideas

Now this is where things start to get interesting. You can come up with any number of these. A story you heard from your best friend? Or a narrative essay topic on the most embarrassing moment you can place a human being. Go nuts with this one. Let's give you some insights into what you can consider writing on.

  • Our worst "boys' trip" ever
  • Stuck in the middle of nowhere without gas
  • A terrible dream that morphed into reality
  • How your best friend turned into your enemy
  • How your friend was stuck in a foreign country
  • An exciting story about your day at the horse tracks
  • Personal stories from your grandpa
  • How your favorite teacher helped with your first job interview
  • A major turning point in your life
  • A significant challenge facing your community
  • Favorite childhood games that instilled adult character
  • A weird encounter with a stranger on a train
  • Dealing with a daunting task during the summer
  • A Christmas present you'll never forget
  • The first pet you owned
  • A random act that changed your perspective on life
  • The first person to start a community health center in your neighborhood

You could get a few tips from this list for your next fictional essay topics.

Concrete stairs next to text written, ‘good narrative essay topics for college students’

Good Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

Take a look at some narrative essay topic ideas that benefit university students.

  • My best memory when in college
  • My favorite unit in college
  • The most memorable incident in my life
  • My favorite professor in college
  • A reminder to my older self
  • My favorite author in business
  • A letter to future me
  • The best roommate I had in college
  • My best research project to date
  • The best team member I had for a research project
  • The best party I attended in college
  • A life-threatening escape during a summer trip
  • The best food I had in college
  • The best trip I had in college
  • How one event changed everything in my school
  • My final day in college

These are but a few of the many topics about college you could write a narrative essay on. Personal experiences are the best because you only have to rely on memory, but looking at it from an outsider's viewpoint helps relate to the reader. Now let's check out some narrative essay topics you can enjoy writing on as a high school student.

White paper written, 'once upon a time'

Narrative Essay Topics for High School Students

Use this guide as you come up with a narrative paper to generate essay ideas for your personal narrative topic. You are bound to come up with an interesting story if you immerse yourself in the experience. Here are some personal experiences to help you start writing narrative essay topics that'll guide you through high school.

  • My first day in junior high
  • A terrible experience with a movie character at my high school
  • How modern school environments almost gave me mental health issues
  • My favorite subject in high school
  • Interesting topics we learnt about in my literature unit
  • The most amazing farewell party
  • The best welcome party in high school
  • The best teacher in my high school
  • The two buddies in my high school
  • The best decision I made for college life in high school
  • The worst mistake I made in middle school
  • The best streets we visited in my high school days
  • The best teammate I met in high school
  • The most amazing thing I learnt in high school
  • The final exam in my high school
  • How my last day went at my high school

You can write tons of other topics on ideas, such as your best friend, or come up with narrative essay topics involving less personal narrative ideas that border more on fiction than reality. Let's now dive into some topics you could write about as a K-level student.

Image showing a child reading a story book with text written “narrative essay ideas for kids” at the top

Narrative Essay Ideas for Kids

As is the case with university students, writing narrative essays takes practice and depends on the level a student is on. Here's how we'll cover each of the narrative essay topics for each grade level.

Level: Grade 1

Level: grade 2, level: grade 3, level: grade 4, level: grade 5, level: grade 6, level: grade 7, level: grade 8, level: grade 9, level: grade 10, level: grade 11, level: grade 12.

Take a look at some essay writing topics for grade 1 kids.

  • A day at the beach
  • After-school games
  • An important person at school
  • A day in the library
  • Food I do not like at school
  • A day at the park with my family
  • Games we play at recess
  • My neighbor's dog, Butch
  • What makes plants grow
  • How to make my favorite snack
  • How to talk to new people
  • The reason I like summer
  • My favorite hobby for Saturdays
  • How I spend my weekend
  • How to ride a bike
  • My favorite toy in the world
  • A day in the summer heat
  • The best vacation last summer
  • A wonderful place to go
  • The best treehouse in our yard
  • A sport I'd like to continue playing
  • A trip on the train
  • Amazing facts about birds
  • The most amazing pony at the fair
  • A trip to the supermarket

Two children holding books on their heads

  • Activities resulting from outdoor fun
  • What you can do when you're indoors
  • Amazing facts about airplanes
  • An important person in the government
  • The tiger: an amazing animal
  • The best after-school games
  • A day at the public library
  • Dancing to music at home
  • Food I find odd and disgusting
  • How to make my favorite dinner
  • The best toy to own right now
  • A cartoon character that I like
  • A day in the Moroccan desert
  • A great place to visit in the summer
  • The best friend I never saw
  • The wooden treehouse in my backyard
  • The best place to visit in spring
  • A song that I like
  • A trip on an airship
  • An important time in history
  • A secret place I visit
  • A trip on a monorail
  • Why do I find spiders creepy?
  • Creatures that live in the desert
  • Why dumping plastic is bad for the environment
  • Going fishing with my father
  • Going to the dentist
  • Why I want to be famous
  • How to cure hiccups
  • I don't understand why we pollute the environment
  • What I use a computer to do
  • My best childhood games
  • A school trip to the zoo
  • A toy I have kept for many years
  • Is pollution reversible if we continue using coal?
  • What a new student to my school needs to know
  • The best dream I have ever had
  • The best trip I have ever taken
  • How I see myself five years from now
  • The impact of sharing with friends
  • What I would do if I were the principal for a day?
  • A big accident on the road
  • Can American farmers feed everyone?
  • How would I define the word honesty?
  • I am the president for the day. Here is what I would do
  • How can I change bad behaviors?
  • My favorite chores
  • My participation in tree planting outside the school
  • My bedroom, from the door to all four walls
  • The craziest hairstyle I have ever had
  • One thing I want to do after finishing the 8th grade
  • A big problem in the energy sector is...
  • A cool new store in our neighborhood
  • Dear governor
  • Discover nature in Singapore
  • My favorite teacher in gym class
  • My favorite band as a small child
  • Pet peeves that my best friend has
  • The worst meal I ever ate
  • The worst shave I ever had
  • The best picture day in my school
  • A day I will never forget
  • A friend I will always cherish
  • A project I am working on
  • A typical evening at my house
  • How Abraham Lincoln changed history
  • A great scientific breakthrough
  • An invention that transformed how we communicate
  • Causes of global warming in the world
  • Coping with many brothers and sisters
  • My Website on good etiquette
  • How a motorbike works
  • How a crankshaft works in an engine
  • A trip to the NASA space station
  • If I had superpowers, I would...
  • Is pollution a necessary evil?
  • My first encounter with a cyberbully
  • My dream car since I was a child
  • My dream house will have...
  • I admit it: I enjoy professional basketball
  • Overcoming health problems related to gymnastics
  • What did Americans make in Detroit?
  • What makes pollution a danger in Australia?
  • Environmentally-friendly ways to mine for petroleum
  • Is fracking bad for the environment?
  • What animals can teach people
  • Tools I will need for my future dream job
  • What if there were no school sports?
  • The best summer job in my existence
  • We all make mistakes
  • The hardest thing I have ever done
  • A funny thing that happened in 7th grade
  • Do not let obstacles keep you from your goal
  • The influence of greed in corporate America
  • Foods I love during a hot day
  • A change that would help you get better grades
  • The summer job that I regret most
  • Putting my foot in my mouth at the fair
  • The argument for alternative sources of energy
  • Something our community really needs is...
  • If it's a rule, it's right...right?

cartoon image of a man sited while pointing up at a light bulb and text written, ‘coming up with good topic ideas’ above him

Coming Up With Good Topic Ideas

The thought of writing sends a chill down many students' spines. Academic papers can be intimidating, but you only need to eliminate writer's block and unleash your writing potential. To this end, you may not have a clue about what you are writing about. You will likely have no problems flowing with a topic with which you have information ready. Use different strategies to come up with narrative essay topics that address your issues. Find what works best for you and which learning style suits you best.

Here are some steps you can follow to develop your narrative essay topics.

  • Understand your assignment
  • Determine the assignment's purpose
  • Use a provided list

1. Understand Your Assignment

You must understand the length of your narrative essay and what type is required for your assignment to score highly. You must also discern the research level needed to determine your research scope.

2. Determine the Assignment’s Purpose

Your assignment's purpose will help you determine the type of paper you are writing. For instance, writing an argumentative essay topic will differ from developing personal narrative essay topics. Learn to recognize terms like describe, contrast, analyze, compare, and synthesize to determine what your teacher wants.

3. Use a Provided List

Your instructor may provide you with a list. Occasionally, choose a topic from the given list that interests you. Your instructor will have checked the scope and breadth of the research and seen that such papers elicited great narrative essay topics in the past. When given a list, one good habit of writing narrative essay topics that appeal to your audience is to write the main argument and a thesis for the topics and compare them for scope and breadth.

Select a topic that comes naturally and where you have greater insight to develop a good narrative essay.

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Narrative Essays: Examples And Topic Ideas For Students

Writing a narrative essay is a great way to share your life with others. Here, we’ll explore topics that will set you up to write a great narrative essay.

If you’re searching for a list of personal narrative essay topics, you’re likely writing a middle school, high school, or college essay. A personal narrative describes your life experience, usually from the first-person point of view.

There are many different approaches to take to writing a narrative essay. Good narrative essay topics are engaging and can be either serious or silly. A personal narrative is not an argument essay or a persuasive essay; rather, it tells a story from your point of view.

Narrative essay writers are constantly on the lookout for things that happen in their lives that teach a lesson, make a point, or tell a funny story. When brainstorming for the best topic for your narrative essay, think about something that happened in your life that you love sharing with others, and work to translate your story into written prose that will hook your readers.

Here, we’ll explore some of the best narrative essay topic examples and ideas, helping you get your writing started right.

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Narrative Essay Examples

1. the power of potstickers by lauren brown, 2. everyone should have a best friend 30 years older than them by lucy holden, 3. all it takes is a small act of kindness by maddie huiras, 4. a reflection on working in labor & delivery by dr. amos grunebaum, md, 5. pressures of being a first generation american-born citizen by helen bezikyan, narrative essay topic ideas, 1. your first day of high school, 2. how you met your best friend, 3. your best birthday party, 4. your favorite (or most difficult) childhood memory, 5. your most embarrassing moment, 6. how you made a difficult decision, 7. an act of kindness, 8. a tribute to your first pet.

Although I find the exact measurements of recipes comforting, I do my best to add a pinch of this and a dash of that in my meals every so often. It’s how I get to go outside my comfort zone every day. And I see in myself a newfound wisdom: it’s ok to go off the beaten path, you can experiment, compromise can lead to something new and beautiful. My mother’s cooking taught me that and I expect to bring that with me wherever I may go.

In this food-based tribute to her mother’s ingenuity, Brown discusses important family memories while sharing lessons from her mother that she now carries through everyday life. The combination of rich descriptive language with an explanation of how the experience of cooking with her mother shaped her life draws the reader in, helping them to feel like they’re in the kitchen with Brown and her mother.

In short, we adopted each other as confidants and met regularly to discuss life in general. He was more supportive than anyone else I met during the whole three years and stepped out of his remit to give me tailored advice that definitely helped me to get a job in journalism. It was clear from the start that he cared more about what was right for me than what was right for the university league tables, perhaps because he actually knew me. When I told him I was worried that the long days I was doing in the student newspaper office would take a toll on my degree, he told me I could get a first if I wanted one, but thought the student paper stuff would help my career much more. 

It can be hard to find a friend who knows you better than yourself, and Holden discusses that phenomenon in their essay on friendship. She discusses how her friend affected her life during their time together and how he affected her after being separated by distance. In this narrative essay, the author works to describe the feelings she experienced through the ups and downs of their friendship, writing about universal truths that all humans experience in relationships. 

Throughout his life, he had gotten used to dealing with Dyskeratosis congenita, and as life went on, he eventually developed cancer; but even while battling cancer, my dad showed kindness. In fact, on the night before he passed away, even though he knew he wouldn’t be with us for much longer, he tried his best to focus on the positive stuff. 

In this essay, Huiras reflects on the life and death of her father and celebrates his commitment to kindness to others throughout his life. While Huiras narrates the events that led to her father’s death, she also describes how his actions and character significantly affect her life, helping her grow into the woman she wants to be.

Labor & Delivery is getting tears in your eyes when you watch a couple you’ve connected with welcome their baby into the world. Even though you’ve just met and will likely never see each other again, there’s something special about sharing that experience that makes you feel like you’ve known each other forever. Labor & Delivery is a place full of opposites. A woman grieving a devastating loss can be in the room next door to a family celebrating a new addition and 14-year-old mother can be in the room next door to a 45-year-old mother. Regardless of the circumstances, each family that walks through the L&D doors will be forever changed.

In this essay on life behind the doors of the delivery room, Dr. Grunebaum shares what it’s like to both celebrate and grieve with families and how difficult it can be to manage both the chaos and joy that comes with the birth process. If you choose to write an essay about a process so personal as birth, leave out any details that could identify the people involved, as Grunebaum does in this essay. 

The struggles that come with having immigrant parents may include constant seeking of approval, always having to be responsible, as well as immigrant parents discussing the future that they may have already planned for their child. More often than not, immigrant parents constantly remind their child, or children that they expect big and great things from them in the future, which is part of why they came to this country.

In this essay, Bezikyan discusses the unique pressures of being a first-generation American-born citizen. In addition to offering her perspective, she also offers the opinions of others in similar circumstances. This helps to support her opinion and help others see the shared experience of people born to immigrant parents.

Narrative Essay Topics: Your first day of high school

Whether you’re a college or high school student, you likely remember your first day of high school—stepping away from middle school and becoming a young adult. The first day of high school is rife with emotion, and describing your experience can provide your reader with an interesting perspective on how you deal with transition and change.

When describing the big day, use details. Explain how you felt as you walked toward the door, how you felt when you struggled to find your classes, and what it was like opening your new locker for the first time. As you write, you may find it helpful to avoid technical details (like the minute-to-minute scheduling of your classes) and instead focus on unique or tough moments or how accomplished you felt by the end of the day.

Your best friend has been there for you through thick and thin, and writing about how the two of you met can be a fun narrative essay topic, no matter your age or writing level.

As you tell the story of how you met your best friend, describe how your connection grew over time. Perhaps you were thick as thieves right away, or you needed some time to realize that you’d met a lifelong friend. For some inspiration, reach out to your best friend and ask them what they remember from the day you met—it can be fun and fresh to get their perspective on how your first meeting went.

Birthdays are a time to celebrate, and writing about a particularly excellent birthday can be a great topic for your narrative essay. When discussing your best birthday party, include all details, including who you invited, what you ate, and how you celebrated with family and friends.

You may also want to talk about why that particular birthday was so meaningful to you. If it was a landmark birthday (like your sweet 16) or a special event (like your last birthday party at home before you left for college), be sure to mention this, so your reader understands why this event was so significant in your life.

There’s no way around it: traumatic things happen in childhood, and wonderful things happen. Writing about childhood memories can be relatable and provide an instant connection with your readers.

When choosing a favorite childhood memory to write about, think back to memorable times in your life because they’re connected with strong emotions. Perhaps you want to write about when your baby sibling came home from the hospital or your first baseball game.

If you choose to write about a difficult childhood memory, the process for choosing a topic is still the same. Think back to a childhood memory that evokes strong emotion. While writing about a negative childhood memory can be an excellent way to write a compelling personal essay, it can also bring up challenging thoughts and may feel traumatic.

Have a particular time that made you red in the face? Writing about an embarrassing moment is relatable and can provide a humorous topic for your narrative essay.

When writing about your embarrassing moment, it can be helpful if you’re willing to laugh at yourself and find the humor in the situation you went through. Be sure to describe what happened from start to finish, painting a clear picture of the moment for your readers. Describe your emotions as the embarrassing moment occurred, and talk about what happened after the moment was over.

Wrestling with a difficult decision can feel impossible at the moment, and reflecting on the experience of making a difficult decision to your readers can make for an excellent narrative essay topic.

When you’re talking about a difficult decision in your narrative essay, give plenty of background information so that the reader fully understands why you’re wrestling with a tough choice. Don’t give away your decision at the start of the essay; rather, take the reader through your thought process as you had to decide what to do.

Sharing an act of kindness you did with someone else—or a random act of kindness that someone did for you—can provide a warm, fuzzy topic for your narrative essay. When writing about an act of kindness, focus on how the act made you feel, whether you were the giver or the receiver of the act.

Much like writing about meeting your best friend for the first time, it can be helpful to talk about your state of mind before and after the act of kindness occurred. Perhaps you were going through a tough time, and the act of kindness helped to boost your mood. Explaining the emotions that came with the act of kindness and the facts of the situation can help your reader feel connected to your story.

Narrative Essay Topics: A Tribute To Your First Pet

Whether you have a dog, a cat, or something more exotic, many readers will be able to connect with the love that a kid has for their first pet. When writing a narrative essay about your first pet, please explain how you felt the first time you laid eyes on them. This may mean describing when they were first presented to you as a kitten or a puppy or the first time you saw your older rescue pet.

Talk about the qualities you loved most about your pet, whether that was their ability to comfort you after a bad day or how they were never too old or tired to go outside and play frisbee. Focus both on the descriptive qualities of your pet that allow your reader to imagine what they looked like and the emotional qualities that keep your first pet near and dear to your heart to this day.

If you have a pet currently, you can mention them in your narrative essay about your first pet, talking about their qualities that remind you of your first pet. While it can tug at your heartstrings to describe the memory of your first pet, writing about the love you have for an animal is nearly universally relatable, and your readers will love hearing about your fond memories of your furry friend.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

If you’re still stuck, check out our available resources for  essay writing topics .

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Home — Blog — Topic Ideas — 150+ Great Narrative Essay Topics and Ideas

150+ Great Narrative Essay Topics and Ideas

narrative essay topics

Often during the education process in school or university , we are asked to write an essay. Let’s talk about essays, in particular narrative ones. In a narrative essay, the author tells a story from real life. In this form of essay, the presentation of events in chronological order will not be enough. The authors’ thesis should interest the reader and make the story as vivid as possible so that the reader wants to become a part of the events described and can easily "transfer" to the story . More often such an essay is written in the 1st person in the present or past tense.

There are also other types of essays, such as:

  • Description essays. In such an essay, we describe an object.
  • Definition essays. Here we have one goal - to reveal this or that concept.
  • Illustration essays. Your goal is to prove a statement.
  • Argument essays. Here we give examples of persuasive facts that support your assertion.

Now let's look at the most popular narrative essay topics that we can board you with.

How to Know What Topic You Need?

If you were given a list of essay topics at schools or colleges , it would be logical if you choose a topic that is closer to you, on which you are not averse to reflecting.

If there is no list of topics, and you have only indicated the direction in which you should choose a problem for the essay, you will have to formulate the topic for narrative writing yourself.

Here are some tips on how to choose a topic for your essay:

  • Before defining a narrative essay topic, it is worth finding the author's position. This is the moral instruction of the author, which can be written directly or encrypted in the words or thoughts of the hero-narrator. To find it, one should single out the topic and all the micro-themes in the text, and then formulate moralizing within their framework, that is, the author's position.
  • From the author's position, it is worth asking a special question, that is, a question that requires a general answer, and not a short "yes" or "no". This question will be a problem.
  • It is necessary to find two examples in the text that illustrate the transition from the question to the author's position, that is, to help answer the question posed. This will prove that such a problem is indeed raised by the author.

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas

Now, let’s take a closer look at topics for narrative essay examples you can choose. 

Personal Narrative Essay Topics 

Personal narrative essay examples and ideas are needed when you describe something that you experienced in your life.

  • How To Be a Defensive Driver.
  • A Personal Narrative about Fear Of Heights.
  • My Fear of Failure.
  • The Narrative about Losing My Dad.
  • A Day I Lost My Best Friend.
  • Narrative on Precious Time.
  • What I Did This Summer.
  • Personal Narrative: I Am a Perfectionist.
  • Why Softball Is Important in My Life.
  • Narrative on Vocation.
  • My First Rock Concert.
  • How I Learned to Accept Myself the Way I am.
  • I Helped a Person in Need.
  • My Last Day at School.
  • The Character I Associate Myself with.

Cultural Narrative Essay Topics

Cultural topics for narratives allow you to highlight the topic of culture and at the same time present the story in an interesting way for the reader.

  • Narrative about Mexican Culture.
  • What traditions are unique in your family?
  • Which tradition surprised you the most?
  • How does the media influence our perception of culture?
  • How does culture define a person's personality?
  • What culture do you identify with?
  • What is your favorite holiday?
  • How does your family celebrate Christmas?
  • The Impact of Narrative in English Language and Culture.
  • What holiday has the most sacred meaning for you?
  • What traditions does your family observe on the Easter holidays?
  • Which of the cultural events you attended did you remember the most?
  • What foreign tradition do you like the most?
  • Holiday traditions in your family.
  • Which festival do you like the most?

Narrative Argument Essay Topics 

This type of narrative topics for an essay implies that you need to write about something that has had a big impact on you.

  • Conflict case from your life.
  • What disagreements did you have together with your friend?
  • The case when someone deceived you.
  • Has there been a choice in your life that you regret?
  • Have you been in conflict with other people?
  • A situation where you have to make a difficult decision between right and wrong.
  • Have you been caught doing something bad?
  • Have you ever had to win friends following the rules?
  • Have you ever blamed another person for what you did?
  • Have you helped someone for personal gain?
  • Have you ever played pranks on your friends?
  • What experience can you call the most difficult but important in life?
  • Have you ever been in a car accident?
  • Have you ever been humiliated?
  • Have you ever helped a friend solve his problem?

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics 

  • Have you had to make a difficult decision in life?
  • Have you ever flooded a neighbor's house?
  • Has there ever been a person in your life who has changed it drastically?
  • Would you like to relive any of those days again?
  • Have you ever failed an exam?
  • What was the scariest moment in your life?
  • Have you ever been really sick?
  • Have you ever saved another person's life?
  • Have you ever worked up the courage to visit a haunted house?
  • Have you ever won a prize?
  • What was your first job in life?
  • Have you ever participated in educational student exchange programs ?
  • What do you do when you are all alone?
  • What was your first meeting with the police?
  • Have you ever been to the emergency room?

Personal Experience Narrative Essay Topics 

Here you can describe people or events that influenced you in one way or another.

  • How have you met a special person in your life?
  • The person you enjoy the most.
  • The best place in the neighborhood.
  • The place you'd like to live your whole life.
  • A productive art, you enjoy.
  • What is your first job search ?
  • Your biggest disappointment.
  • Do you remember your first birthday?
  • Narrative on Earthquake: An Earth-Shattering Experience.
  • Have you ever encountered a wild animal?
  • Tell about the first time you got home alone.
  • How did you cook food for the first time?
  • Tell how you helped someone.
  • How did you overcome your fear?
  • Narrative about Video Games.

Relationship Narrative Essay Topics

Relationship narrative stories ideas help to describe our relationship and how our experience has influenced certain events in life.

  • Have you ever fallen in love?
  • What advice would you give to a couple who are just starting their relationship?
  • How would you define family?
  • If you have a best friend, how did you meet?
  • Do you think that your parents are more sensitive than others?
  • What is your attitude towards marriage?
  • Have you ever experienced gender bias?
  • How do you remember deceased family members?
  • What do you know about the origins of your family?
  • Narrative about Friendship.
  • How did you meet your best friend?
  • What can make you end a romantic relationship?
  • Is the community in your area important?
  • Do you think hatred can destroy a relationship?
  • Have you ever experienced intergenerational conflict?
  • What does honesty mean in a relationship?

Childhood Memories

In this type of essay, you need to describe the events and memories of childhood.

  • What was my first pet?
  • What are my first memories?
  • Whom did I look up to as a child?
  • How did I first go to the hospital?
  • My first meeting with my uncle/aunt.
  • The Impact of a Funeral.
  • My first terrible incident.
  • What are my childhood fears?
  • What was the happiest day of my childhood?
  • My first time at the stadium.

Growing Up in High School 

Here you need to recall the most vivid impressions from high school.

  • What lessons were my favorites?
  • Who was my favorite teacher?
  • What role in the school theater did I remember the most?
  • How I lost a sports match.
  • Topics forbidden to me.
  • How did I feel when I failed the exam?
  • How did I feel when I passed the exam with excellent marks?
  • Is commuting to school a routine for me?
  • My best adventure in school.
  • What kind of extracurricular activities do I enjoy the most?

Moral & Ethical Dilemmas

In this type of essay, you have to describe the ideas of the complexity of moral choice.

  • What is your attitude towards pro-life movement: argumentative essay on abortion ?
  • How can we influence the fight against racism?
  • How should a work ethic deal with sexism?
  • Do you think euthanasia should be legal?
  • Why can't war be ethical?
  • What moral issues does workplace automation cause?
  • The Missing Climate Change Narrative Analysis.
  • Is it ethical to have a lot of money?
  • If drugs were legal, would their use be ethical?
  • Is it possible to justify eating meat in the modern world?

College Student Life

Try to describe events and memories from your student's life.

  • Narrative about Reading.
  • My last day with my schoolmates.
  • My favorite course.
  • Meeting my better half.
  • The story of my split-up.
  • My brightest high school moment.
  • How I met my old friend.
  • My favorite professor.
  • Narrative on a Trip: The Wonders of Rome.
  • The most symbolic episode from my college life.
  • The day I moved.
  • Narrative on a Road Trip to Remember.
  • My first impressions of the college campus.
  • How I met my roommate.
  • My first friends at college.

Narrative Essay Topics for Different Grades 

Let’s look at the narrative speech topics for different grades.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5

  • My first bicycle ride.
  • My dad is my hero.
  • A day with my grandmother.
  • My first day at school.
  • My best friend.
  • My favorite teacher.
  • A school trip to the zoo.
  • My grandpa’s hands.
  • The most exciting day of school.
  • The best summer vacation.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 6

  • A memorable teacher.
  • My first trip abroad.
  • A sad story from my childhood.
  • My favorite vacation with my family.
  • A fight with my best friend.
  • My best birthday party.
  • How we celebrate our parents’ wedding anniversary.
  • My first day at a new school.
  • Last Christmas was an interesting story.
  • How I lost my sister.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 7

  • Something that scared me the most.
  • The best day of my life.
  • Helping a stranger.
  • How I met my best friend.
  • My brother’s wedding.
  • How I got my first pet.
  • Once I called the dean's office.
  • Conflict with my father.
  • Unique family tradition.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 8

  • School trip to the museum.
  • My best day at school.
  • The most exciting day of summer vacation.
  • Worst day at school.
  • The day I got my first pet.
  • The hour we spent looking at our baby's album.
  • My first attempt at cooking.
  • My first Japanese pastry.
  • My first foreign friend.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 9

  • A visit to the countryside.
  • How I lost my faith in humanity.
  • A car accident.
  • My friend had an accident.
  • A trip I will never forget.
  • The most enjoyable Christmas.
  • A bad experience that completely changed my behavior.
  • How I used to spend my summer vacations.
  • My experience with a tornado.
  • I got lost in the streets of venus.

Narrative Essay Topics for O Levels

  • A special moment when I got my first bike.
  • A disappointing birthday party.
  • The most embarrassing thing that happened to me.
  • A disastrous date.
  • The moment of success.
  • Growing up in New York.
  • A sporting experience.
  • A random act of kindness.
  • The first six months of COVID-19.
  • The end of my relationship.

Narrative Essay Topics for High School Students

Personal narrative ideas in high school include the classic moments that are stereotypical of the secondary school experience.

  • Special homecoming court moment.
  • A friendship that started long before high school.
  • Prom dress shopping and your self-esteem.
  • Anticipation for graduation.
  • An award or scholarship you received.
  • Participating in a school musical.
  • Coming to America: A Narrative of a Journey of Hope.
  • Your first love.
  • A moment you stood up for what you believed in.
  • How your relationship with your parents changed for the better.

Narrative Essay Topics for Middle School

Middle school is a great time of self-discovery that’s filled with firsts and memorable moments. Use these milestones as the topic for your narrative essay.

  • Making an unlikely friend.
  • How bad relationships help you become a better person.
  • The first time you opened your locker.
  • The teacher that makes you feel smart.
  • Moving from elementary school to middle school.
  • A social media post that inspired you.
  • A news story about a kid/teen that was uplifting.
  • A comment from a teacher that made you feel good.
  • A comment from someone you’re not friends with that made you feel good.
  • Being yourself.

Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

College is another time in your life that’s wrought with self-discovery and seeing the world as it truly is.

  • Frederick Douglass Narrative.
  • Frame Narrative in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
  • Narrative on The Definition of Bravery in Beowulf.
  • A Critical Examination of Social Commentary and Narrative Execution.
  • Examples of community on campus.
  • A test experience that boosts your self-esteem.
  • The moment you realized you were going into the right field.
  • What does a college degree mean to you?
  • College is a microcosm of the world.
  • The feeling of independence.

Conclusion 

Teachers and students are very fond of narrative essay topics, as they are flexible enough that everyone can find a topic that is close to them. If you can’t decide on a topic yourself, then the list that we presented in our material will help you. We sincerely wish you good luck and inspiration for writing the best essay. And the topics we have suggested will help you with this!

Funny Persuasive Essay Topics

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50 Engaging Narrative Essay Topics for High Schoolers

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What’s Covered:

Narrative essays vs. analytical essays, how to pick the right narrative essay topic, elements of a strong narrative essay, engaging narrative essay topics for high schoolers, where to get your narrative essay edited for free.

Narrative essays are an extensive form of writing that gives readers the opportunity to follow along as a person goes through a journey or sets of experiences. Rather than providing analytic insight, narrative essays simply share a story and offer a first-person account. These essays may seem easy to write at first, but it takes a certain finesse to write a narrative essay that is interesting, cohesive, and well-researched. Whether you’re looking for a unique topic to write about, or just want some new inspiration, CollegeVine is here to help! These 50 narrative essay topics are engaging, unique and will have you writing in no time.

A narrative essay is a great way to express your personal experiences and opinions, but it is important to remember that this type of essay is different from an analytical paper. In a narrative essay, you do not need to provide background information or explain your thoughts and feelings; instead, you simply tell a story. It’s important to avoid too much telling in your writing; instead, use creative details and vivid imagery to make readers feel as if they are actually right there with you.

Where You Will Encounter Narrative Essays

This type of essay is typically encountered in high school, where students may be required to write personal statements to prepare for their Common App essay . Narrative essays are also commonly seen in AP Language and Composition. Therefore, it’s important you are aware of the style because you are bound to have a narrative essay assignment.  

Of course, before you start writing, it is important to pick the right essay topic. There are many factors involved in the process of picking the perfect narrative essay topic for your story.

You should always choose a topic that you are passionate about, since writing on something you care about will make the process much easier. Not only will it be more interesting to create your paper around something that truly interests you, but it will also allow you to fully express yourself in your essay. You also want to be sure that the topic has enough material to work with. If your chosen topic is too short, you will not have enough content to write a complete paper. For example, if you are writing about your experience getting lost at the mall, make sure that you have enough information to work with to craft an engaging narrative. 

The best topic for an engaging narrative essay is one that focuses on showing versus telling, has a clear structure, and provides a dialogue. These elements come together to form an engaging narrative essay. Regardless of what subject you pick, any topic may be turned into a fascinating, A+ worthy narrative using the tips below.

Show, Don’t Tell

To write a good narrative essay, it’s important to show, not tell. Instead of simply informing your audience, show them what you mean. For example, instead of saying “I was nervous,” you could say “My heart began to race and my stomach filled with butterflies.” Also make sure to use sensory details, such as sights, sounds and tastes, and include a personal reflection at the end of your narrative. 

Begin with a Strong Opening Line

A good narrative essay will begin with an attention-grabbing opening line. But make sure to avoid common clichés, such as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Instead, come up with something original and specific to you and your situation. For example: “My pre-calc teacher was obsessed with circles. I mean, he even used circular note cards.” Or, “It all started the day my mom brought home a guinea pig.”

Follows a Three-Act Structure

A strong narrative essay follows the same three-act structure as other essays. But in order to make it interesting, you’ll need to come up with a creative way to break things down into sections. For example, using the guinea pig example from above, you could write the following:

  • Act 1 – Introduction: The day my mom brought home a guinea pig.
  • Act 2 – Conflict: The day I had to say goodbye to my beloved pet.
  • Act 3 – Conclusion: Looking back at how much I miss him now that he’s gone.

Conclude with Personal Reflection

To conclude your narrative essay, you’ll want to explain what this specific experience taught you or how you’ve changed. For example, upon realizing that her pre-calc teacher was obsessed with circles, the writer of the previous example begins to notice circular shapes everywhere. Another way to conclude your narrative essay is by touching on how this experience impacted you emotionally. For example, after losing his guinea pig, the writer explains how much he missed it.

Use Dialogue

Include a conversation in your essay to make it come alive. For example, instead of simply saying that you met a new friend, talk about how you introduced yourselves or what they were wearing when you met them.

narrative essays topic ideas

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The following list of 50 narrative essay topics is divided into categories. This will make it easier to find a topic that fits your writing style.

1. What is a childhood song that still sticks with you today?

2. Your first day of Kindergarten

3. Talk about a time when you’re siblings looked up to you

4. Describe the best birthday party you’ve ever had

5. Talk about the best day you ever spent with a childhood friend

6. Explain your first childhood hobby

7. Describe your first halloween costume

8. A family vacation gone wrong

9. Your first family reunion

10. Describe a tradition that is unique to your family

11. Describe your family to a person who’s never met them before

12. What frustrates you most about your family

13. If you could only keep one memory of your family, what would it be and why?

14. Describe a time your family embarrassed you in public

15. The most beautiful place in the world

16. Your favorite season and why

17. If you were a part of nature, what element would you be? Why?

18. When you go outside, which of your senses are you most thankful to have?

19. Describe the first time you witnessed a tornado 

20. Write a poem about your favorite season

21. Describe yourself as one of the four seasons

22. Describe a time in which you felt connected with nature

23. Describe the first time you played an instrument and how you felt

24. What major event would be much worse if music was removed, and why?

25. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

26. What would a life without music look like?

27. If you could master one instrument, what would it be and why?

Relationships

28. What if you had never met your best friend?

29. Describe a time when you fixed a broken relationship

30. Talk about a movie that defined a relationship for you

31. Describe your first date

32. Describe the first time you made a friend

33. Describe your relationship with your parents

Self Reflection

34. Have you ever fooled someone? If so, describe what happened and how you felt about it

35. What is the worst thing you’ve done to someone else?

36. Write about the difference between how things seem and how they really are. 

37. Have you ever been embarrassed in some way? If so, describe the situation and how it affected you as well as those around you

38. Have you ever witnessed something really beautiful? Describe it

39. Is your glass half empty or half full?

Overcoming Adversity 

40. Have you ever been very afraid of something but tried your hardest to appear fearless? If so, describe that experience

41. When have you ever succeeded when you thought you might fail

42. What are your secret survival strategies?

43. Describe the last time you were stressed and why?

44. Describe a time when you were discriminated against

45. The most memorable class you’ve had and why

46. Your favorite study abroad memory

47. Describe your kindergarten classroom

48. Describe your first teacher

49. The first time you experienced detention

50. Your first field trip

Hopefully these topics will get you thinking about a personal experience that could make for a thoughtful and engaging narrative essay. Remember, a strong narrative essay must contain relatable details and a clear flow that keeps the reader entertained and engaged to read all the way to the end.

If you need some additional guidance on your narrative essay, use CollegeVine’s free peer review essay tool to get feedback for free!

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100 Narrative Essay Topics

Every month, students start looking for good narrative essay topics, hoping to fulfill their professors’ requirements. Writing assignments is a common academic task all over the world, in every school, college, and university. To get a great grade, in most cases, you have to demonstrate how thorough your research is and how well you understand a complex topic. But narrative papers stand out because of creativity heavily involved in them. There is no need to investigate something — all you have to do is tell a personal story in a compelling way.

Narrative essay prompts are usually autobiographical, so you have to describe your own life. At times, papers could focus on fictional events, but in any case, the most important thing is to disclose the personality of the main character, whether it’s you or some made-up person. Students should describe something that has affected them on a deep level, slowly revealing the lesson they’ve learned. This is the essence of such paper. By analyzing an important situation, writers get a chance to understand how it affected them and what they can do in the future. So, there must be an emphasis on personal growth and an event that caused it. Topics differ — they could include anything from personal life to education, but there are still tips you should follow.

How to Find Personal Narrative Ideas for Best Essay

The first tip lies in understanding the nature of your assignment. Lots of students confuse  narrative essays writing  with short stories writing. Both types are descriptive in nature — they should have vivid details and an alluring style, but the difference is, narration focuses on one specific motif. The point here is to describe what happened and how as well as why it affected you. For choosing an interesting topic, you should think about your past. What made you stronger? What challenge forced you to rethink your life? Perhaps a teacher inspired you to choose a certain profession or a friend’s betrayal made you wary and mistrustful toward other people. Search your mind, consider all relevant happenings, select the most specific and important one, and build solid link between it and its result.

Stimulating your memory is another thing you should keep in mind. Just saying that something happened isn’t enough, you have to describe it as vividly and richly as possible. For that, you should re-create the situation perfectly. Why don’t you discuss it with other involved parties? For example, ask your best friend if they remember how you behaved or what you said during an event. Collect information and add these details to your work, making readers feel as if they were present there with you. Be heartfelt, truthful, follow the standard essay structure, and you won’t face any problems!

100 Narrative Essays Topics for College Students

After hours of creative brainstorming, we created a list with top topic samples for narrative papers. There will be 10 categories with ten themes in each. All of them are interesting and refreshing, and they could serve as an inspiration source for your essay.

Personal Topics

This is the most common category for tasks of this nature. Exploring your inner world and showing what made you the person you are today is extremely interesting, so take a look at these personal narrative topics.

  • Being a Betrayer: Reasons, Pain, Consequences, and Remorse
  • Fighting for a Personal Opinion Even If People Hate It
  • Living in a House Full of Violence
  • Learning to Put Others Above Yourself: Long and Troubling Journey
  • Hobby That Grew to Be a Profession
  • An Unlikely Role Model That Shaped Your Behavior
  • The Most Inspiring Moment From Your Life
  • The World of Books & Their Influence
  • What Is a Soul and How It Affects One’s Personality
  • Panic Attacks, Everlasting Fear, & Ways of Fighting It

Technology and Social Media Narrative Topics

These days, finding a person who wouldn’t be interested in technology is a tough task. Check out top topics for narrative essay about this subject below.

  • My Favorite Social Media Platform and Problems It Brought
  • Being a Young Scientist Among Skeptical Family Members
  • Being Popular Blogger: Dream or Nightmare?
  • The Moment I Knew My Future Will Be Related to Technology
  • Having a Robot for a Pet
  • My Amazing/Terrible Experience with Online Dating
  • Cyberstalking and Doxxing: Small Mistake with Dangerous Consequences
  • Why Sharing Your Password Is a Bad Idea
  • The Worst/Best Email in My Life
  • The Day I Was Caught Using My Phone During a Lesson

Narrative Essays Ideas For College Students

Some narrative essays topics are suitable for college in particular. If this is what you’re searching for, the ideas are below.

  • Public Humiliation and What It Taught Me
  • How Undone Homework Ruined My Entire Day
  • Looking for Work & Not Hearing Back from Employers
  • How I Lost an Important Bet and Had to Face Repercussions
  • Staying Friends with People Who Entered Different Colleges
  • Chance Meeting and How It Changed Everything
  • The Dangers of Plagiarism for College Students
  • Doing Something Illegal & Regretting It
  • The Most Scandalous Party I Have Ever Visited
  • Correcting All Wrongs: Arguing with Professors When It Is Deserved

Narrative Culture Prompts

This is a powerful category with numerous great narrative writing topics ideas. Sample at least some of them.

  • Travelling to the Poorest Regions & Impact It Left on Me
  • Misunderstanding That Happened Due to Cultural Differences
  • Strange Family Traditions We Keep Following
  • How Culture Surrounding Me Affected My Personality
  • Culture of Music and Its Impacts
  • Why I Celebrate Some Holidays Differently From the Rest of the World
  • Foreign Culture I Unexpectedly Found Close To My Heart
  • Culture and Society: How They Are Related
  • Strange Cultural Norms That Shocked Me
  • Why Learning Foreign Languages Helped Me Understand Another Culture

Narrative Topics About Love and Friendship

Everyone wants to love or be loved. These personal narrative essay ideas could help you explore some of such wishes.

  • How It Felt to Be in Love For the First Time
  • Treachery and Betrayals: The Closest People Have Most Power to Hurt You
  • Choosing between a Partner and a Friend: Story of Heartbreak and Recovery
  • Surviving a Break-Up & Becoming Stronger
  • Closest Friends Make the Best Romantic Partners
  • Love as It Is Depicted in Movies vs. Reality and Impact This Difference Had
  • Experience with Being Unloved
  • Having Two Best Friends At Once & Balancing These Relationships
  • Age Difference Between Friends & Stereotypes Surrounding It
  • Maintaining Long-Distance Relationships After Being Separated

Ideas About Life

Sure, this category is very broad, but that means it has plenty of amazing narrative topics.

  • Losing a Loved One and Finding a Way to Move On
  • Understanding Death & Planning Life on the Basis of This Notion
  • Learning How to Be Happy No Matter What
  • My Visit to a Place Devoured by Natural Disaster
  • Near-Death Experience and Its Impact on My Further Life
  • Dreams and Their Value: Night Is My Favorite Time of the Day
  • Surviving Disappointment and Rejection
  • Life with Depression
  • The Time When You Were Sick and Worried You Might Not Recover
  • Role of Fiction in Your Life

Narrative Topics on Education

Getting an education is a difficult stage for some people. Sure, it could be fun, but it could also be brutal, so finding a topic for a narrative essay in this sphere is very easy.

  • Teacher Who Hated Me at First Sight
  • The Worst Paragraph In Your Life: Redoing It Over and Over Again
  • Experience with Writing the Most Complex Essay & What It Taught Me
  • Failing At School and Fearing Punishment At Home
  • Why Teachers’ Indifference Hurts
  • Staying Motivated to Study Despite Personal Problems
  • Fears of High Tuition and Inability to Afford It
  • Does Not Getting Higher Education Mean You Would Be Unemployable?
  • Combining Parties with Studying: Why It Does Not Work
  • How Researching a Topic for Academic Project Can Transform One’s Life

Prompts For High School

Some levels of topics are easier than others. Take some of these narrative essay ideas if you’d like to be done with your essay sooner rather than later.

  • The Thing I Spent All My Birthday Money On
  • Cheating During Exams: What It Could Result In
  • The Happiest Holiday In Your Life
  • How Having a Pet Has Changed the Course of My Life
  • Developing Empathy and Lessons Acquired After This Process
  • Why Age-Related Stereotypes Hurt
  • Having a Hobby Many People Deem Shameful
  • My First Visit to Church & Why It Had a Profound Impact On Me
  • Why Childish Dreams Often Lead Nowhere
  • How Doing Homework With My Parents Made Me Feel

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Social Issues Topics for Narrative Essay

Our world is full of problems. If this bothers you, too, check the following ideas for narrative essay.

  • The Day I Witnessed A Person Being Bullied
  • Being Raised in a Homophobic Family & The Wounds It Inflicted On Me
  • When the World Is Bitterly Unfair and There Is Nothing You Could Do
  • People Eating Meat & Ignoring the Slaughter of Billions of Animals Hurts
  • Cruelty Among Teenagers Is Often Worse Than What Adults Do
  • Weight Shaming: Why I Used to Be Embarrassed about Being Myself
  • How I Learned About Feminism and What It Meant For Me
  • Ways in Which Gender Bias Affects Everything I Do
  • Story of How I Was Catcalled When Walking Down the Street & Why It Terrified Me
  • My Parents Always Violate My Privacy by Looking Through My Things and Online Posts

Funny and Interesting Narrative Prompts

Sometimes nothing is inspiring enough. If this is a problem you’ve faced, look at these interesting narrative ideas!

  • Reasons Why All My Closest Neighbors Hate Me
  • My Ghost Story: How I Stumbled Upon Something I Cannot Understand
  • Winning a Lottery: Delight & Sadness That Came With It
  • Being Stranded in the Middle of Nowhere
  • The Time I Got Lost in the Woods & How I Escaped
  • First Time Being Hospitalized and Why I Never Want to Repeat That Experience
  • An Amazing Day That I Would Love to Live Through Again
  • Why Few People Know What I Do In My Free Time
  • The Most Difficult Decision I Ever Had to Make
  • The Time I Cried and Could Not Make Myself Stop

Share a Personal Story and Get Great Results

Narrative papers are something students should enjoy writing. It’s a chance to tell their professors more about themselves and test their creativity. Look for those topics for a narrative essay that make your heart beat faster. Add personal details, describe them, and you’re almost guaranteed to get a positive reaction. But if for any reason you don’t think this is an assignment you could do, it’s not a problem either! We offer professional help with papers of all kinds, and we have experts who could produce a perfect creative narration you and your professor would love. Drop us a word, explain the topic you need (or tell us if we should find it ourselves), and receive an essay that’s ready to be submitted!

Can’t come up with a topic for you paper? We’ve prepared a collection of essay topics for you

Want to write a winning essay but lack experience? Browse our free essay samples

Related Topics

Related essays to narrative essays.

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How to Write a Narrative Essay or Speech (With Topic Ideas)

  • Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
  • M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
  • B.A., English, State University of New York

A narrative essay or speech tells a story, often one based on personal experience. The narrative is a genre of writing that comprises works of nonfiction, stories that stick closely to facts and follow a logical chronological progression of events. In narratives, writers often use anecdotes to relate their experiences and engage the reader. In doing so, writers give their stories a level of emotional appeal. A narrative can be serious or humorous, but some kind of emotional appeal is essential to provide an audience with a way to connect to the story.

Below is an overview of how to construct a narrative essay or speech and some topic ideas for your next piece of narrative writing.

The most successful narrative essays usually share these three basic traits:

  • They make a central point.
  • They contain  specific details in support  of that point.
  • They are clearly  organized in time .

Constructing the Essay

Magazines like the New Yorker and websites like Vice are known for the pages-long narrative essays they publish, sometimes called long-format journalism. But an effective narrative essay can be as short as five paragraphs. As with other kinds of essay writing, narratives follow the same basic outline:

  • Introduction: This is the opening paragraph of your essay. It contains the hook, which is used to grab the reader's attention, and the thesis or topic, which you'll detail in the next section.
  • Body: This is the heart of your essay, usually three to five paragraphs in length. Each paragraph should contain one example, such as a personal anecdote or noteworthy event, that supports your larger topic.
  • Conclusion: This is the final paragraph of your essay. In it, you'll sum up the main points of the body and bring your narrative to an end. Writers sometimes embellish the conclusion with an epilogue or a takeaway.

Narrative Essay Topics

Choosing the topic for your narrative essay may be the hardest part. What you should be looking for in a topic is a particular incident you can recount in a well-developed and organized essay  or speech . Here are a few ideas to help you brainstorm topics. They're quite broad, but something should spark an idea.

  • An embarrassing experience
  • A memorable wedding or funeral
  • An exciting minute or two of a football game (or another sporting event)
  • Your first or last day at a job or new school
  • A disastrous date
  • A memorable moment of failure or success
  • An encounter that changed your life or taught you a lesson
  • An experience that led to a renewed faith
  • A strange or unexpected encounter
  • An experience of how technology is more trouble than it's worth
  • An experience that left you disillusioned
  • A frightening or dangerous experience
  • A memorable journey
  • An encounter with someone you were in awe of or afraid of
  • An occasion when you experienced rejection
  • Your first visit to the countryside (or to a large city)
  • The circumstances that led to the breakup of a friendship
  • An experience that showed that you should be careful of what you wish for
  • A significant or comic misunderstanding
  • An experience that showed how appearances can be deceiving
  • An account of a difficult decision that you had to make
  • An event that marked a turning point in your life
  • An experience that changed your viewpoint on a controversial issue
  • A memorable encounter with someone in authority
  • An act of heroism or cowardice
  • An imaginary encounter with a real person
  • A rebellious act
  • A brush with greatness or death
  • A time that you took a stand on an important issue
  • An experience that altered your view of someone
  • A trip that you would like to take
  • A vacation trip from your childhood
  • An account of a visit to a fictional place or time
  • Your first time away from home
  • Two different versions of the same event
  • A day when everything went right or wrong
  • An experience that made you laugh until you cried
  • The experience of being lost
  • Surviving a natural disaster
  • An important discovery
  • An eyewitness account of an important event
  • An experience that helped you grow up
  • A description of your secret place
  • An account of what it would be like to live as a particular animal
  • Your dream job and what it would be like
  • An invention you'd like to create
  • A time when you realized your parents were right
  • An account of your earliest memory
  • Your reaction when you heard the best news of your life
  • A description of the one thing you can't live without

Other Types of Essays

Narrative essays are one of the major essay types. Others include:

  • Argumentative: In argumentative essays , the writer makes the case for a specific opinion on a topic, using research and analysis to persuade the reader.
  • Descriptive: This kind of writing relies on detail to describe or define a person, place, thing, or experience. Writing may be either objective or subjective.
  • Expository: Like argumentative essays, expository writing requires research and analysis in order to expound upon a subject. Unlike argumentative essays, the intention is not to change the readers' opinion but to inform the readers.
  • Angelli, Elizabeth; Baker, Jack; and Brizee, Allen. " Essay Writing ." Perdue.edu. 9 February 2018.
  • Beck, Kate. " Instructions to Write a Narrative Essay. " SeattlePI.com.
  • Santa Barbara City College staff. "Structure of a Personal Narrative Essay." SBCC.edu.
  • How to Write a Personal Narrative
  • 501 Topic Suggestions for Writing Essays and Speeches
  • What Is Expository Writing?
  • Writing an Opinion Essay
  • How to Use Anecdotes to Nail Your Next Speech
  • Tips on How to Write an Argumentative Essay
  • How to Write a Great Process Essay
  • How to Write a Good Thesis Statement
  • Essay Assignment: Descriptive and Informative Profile
  • 50 Argumentative Essay Topics
  • 100 Persuasive Essay Topics
  • Write an Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentence for an Essay
  • The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay
  • Overused and Tired Words
  • How to Start an Essay: 13 Engaging Strategies
  • How to Write a Response Paper
  • Grades 6-12
  • School Leaders

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65 Engaging Personal Narrative Ideas for Kids and Teens

Tell a story to engage the reader.

narrative essays topic ideas

Personal narrative essays are all about telling stories. Engage your reader with lots of descriptive language, and ensure you have a beginning, middle, and end. ( Get more tips about teaching narrative writing here. ) Try these personal narrative ideas to inspire kids and teens to tell meaningful stories from their own lives, no matter what they’ve experienced.

“Describe a Time When You …” Personal Narrative Ideas

Firsts and bests personal narrative ideas, general personal narrative essay ideas, college essay personal narrative ideas.

These personal narrative ideas urge students to dig into their past experiences and share them with their audience. Be sure to share the details, including what took place and how it made you feel, and anything you learned from the experience.

Describe a time when you:

  • Were scared
  • Overcame a big challenge
  • Learned an important life lesson
  • Had to make a difficult decision

narrative essays topic ideas

  • Were proud of a friend or family member
  • Did something you didn’t want to and ended up liking it
  • Met a celebrity or someone you really admire
  • Tried something new
  • Made a mistake and had to apologize and/or fix the mistake
  • Were in danger
  • Helped someone in need
  • Had a dream come true
  • Felt inspired
  • Had a really terrible day

narrative essays topic ideas

  • Were a leader
  • Made someone else laugh
  • Did something you later regretted
  • Set a goal and achieved it

These essay topics explore the times you did something for the first time ever, or when you were the best version of yourself.

  • Write about meeting your best friend for the first time and how your relationship developed.

narrative essays topic ideas

  • Tell about learning to ride a bike or drive a car.
  • Tell about your proudest moment.
  • What is your happiest memory?
  • What is your earliest memory?
  • Explain what it’s like to move to a new town or start a new school.
  • What’s the best (or worst!) vacation you’ve ever taken?
  • Tell the story of the time you got your first pet.
  • Describe your favorite field trip of all time.
  • Tell the story of your first day of kindergarten.
  • What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten?
  • Describe the best party or celebration you’ve ever attended.
  • Tell about the first time someone ever paid you for work (first job, chores for a neighbor, babysitting, etc.) and how it made you feel.

narrative essays topic ideas

  • Describe the first time you spent a night away from home without your family.
  • What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given?

Here are more personal narrative topics to inspire young writers.

  • Describe a performance or sporting event you took part in.
  • Explain the process of cooking and eating your favorite meal.
  • Write about a time when you or someone you know displayed courage.
  • Share the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you.
  • Describe a time when you or someone you know experienced prejudice or oppression.

narrative essays topic ideas

  • Explain a family tradition, how it developed, and its importance today.
  • What is your favorite holiday? How does your family celebrate it?
  • Describe your morning routine from the time you wake up until the moment the school bell rings to start the day.
  • Share what you do on a typical non-school day.
  • Tell about a time when you were injured. How did it happen?
  • Describe an argument you and a friend had and how you resolved it.
  • Tell about what you think your life will be like when you’re 25 years old.
  • Explore a time when you felt you were treated unfairly.
  • What makes your family different from everyone else’s family?
  • If you could relive any day in your life, what would it be? Would you want it to be the same or different?

narrative essays topic ideas

These personal narrative essay topics all come from real 2022–2023 college applications. ( See more college essay prompts here. )

  • Discuss a time when reflection or introspection led to clarity or understanding of an issue that is important to you.
  • Share an example of how you have used your own critical-thinking skills on a specific subject, project, idea, or interest.

narrative essays topic ideas

  • Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you.
  • Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.
  • When was the last time you questioned something you had thought to be true?
  • Reflect on a time when you or someone you observed had to make a choice about whether to act with integrity and honesty.
  • Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
  • Describe a time when you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond?
  • Elaborate on an activity or experience you have had that made an impact on a community that is important to you.

narrative essays topic ideas

  • Describe any meaningful travel experiences you’ve had.
  • Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.
  • What is the greatest compliment you have ever been given? Why was it meaningful to you?
  • What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?
  • Describe a time when you’ve felt empowered or represented by an educator.
  • Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

What are your favorite personal narrative ideas? Come share on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out the big list of essay topics for high school (100+ ideas) ., you might also like.

narrative essays topic ideas

15 Inspiring Personal Narrative Examples for Writers

Reveal a part of yourself in your essay. Continue Reading

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Personal Narrative Essay [Assignment/Rubric]

Kimberly Stelly

Overview of Basic Components

The personal narrative essay

  • Tells a complete, personal, and factual story that has a purpose, an idea, or a meaning.  This story should have a beginning and an ending, and the story should reflect a personal perspective or viewpoint. Do not make this essay a tirade, diatribe, or rant. Instead, consider this essay an opportunity for self-reflection. Remember that hindsight is 20/20!
  • Features clear organization . This essay should include all of the components of a story: introduction, setting, characters, and a plot (rising action, climax, falling action, and a resolution or conclusion). The more organized your writing is, the easier it is for a reader to understand what is in your head.
  • Paint a picture in the reader’s mind. Use careful, descriptive diction. Consider how dialogue can add authenticity and flavor.
  • Be true to your writer’s voice. Having a writer’s voice is important, but for this essay, having your writing voice is extremely important. Avoid using words that you normally wouldn’t use or writing in a way that isn’t “natural” to you. First-person voice is expected, although be careful to not overuse it. Your writing should be better than your speaking voice since you have time to go back and revise your words; however, your writing should “sound” like you. The reader should hear your voice in his/her/their head.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this assignment, students will

  • create a well-organized personal narrative essay that includes all the essential components of a story, such as an introduction, setting, characters, plot (rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution), and conclusion
  • apply descriptive writing techniques, including the use of vivid diction and dialogue, to paint a clear picture in the reader’s mind and maintain an authentic writer’s voice.
  • evaluate the effectiveness of their drafting by seeking feedback from peers and revising for clarity, organization, tone, and audience awareness.

Step One: Choosing a Topic/Prewriting

Brainstorm. Imagine you are meeting someone for the first time. This person has asked you to share a story from your life. What story would you pick? Why this story? For your essay to have meaning, focus, and purpose, your story needs to possess all three of these components.  The story can be silly, but think about why that silly story resonates with you. Does this silly story allow the stranger a glimpse into who you are as a person?

  • Pro Tip : Jot down the first five words that come to mind when you think about this assignment. Think about how this story has impacted you/your life/your perspective. Be mindful of your audience; this is not a diary entry.

Step Two: Rough Draft

Narrow down your topic choices and begin developing your thesis statement. Your thesis establishes the purpose of your essay. Answer the questions: Why and how has this story affected you? Why should the reader care?

Work on the structure of your essay. At the heart of your essay, you are sharing a story that has shaped your life in some way. Think about the best way to convey your story. How should you start? What details should you include?

Voice and tone are important for keeping your audience in mind. Using slang, informal, or inappropriate language might be offensive or off-putting to the audience. Only use this type of language when the word or phrase is appropriate.

Just write! Get your thoughts “down on paper.” Seeing your words on the computer screen is easier than in your head. A rough draft is named “rough” for a reason.

Step Three: Editing/Revising

Ask someone to read your essay aloud.* Share your essay with someone who doesn’t know anything about what you wrote. As they read, listen for the following words: it, seems, very, a lot, things, stuff. Remove or replace these words from your essay (except for within direct quotes).

*You can also read it aloud yourself!

Step Four: Peer Editing

Exchange essays with a peer . Then, answer the following peer editing questions and prompts.

  • Does the essay have a title? If so, is the title interesting? Does the title need work? Suggestions?
  • Read the introduction. Highlight or underline the thesis. In your own words, what do you think the writer is trying to prove in this essay? What is the purpose of this essay?
  • Does the introduction make you want to read the rest of the paper? Why or why not? Explain your answer.
  • What are the strengths and/or weaknesses of the introduction? Thesis?
  • Read the first sentence of the first body paragraph. In your own words, based on the topic sentence, what is the first body paragraph about?
  • Now, read the rest of the first body paragraph. What details or evidence does the writer provide that supports the thesis? Does the writer connect the evidence to the thesis? Explain your answer. What is your opinion of the first body paragraph? Identify the strengths and/or weaknesses.
  • Now, repeat #6 for the second body paragraph.
  • Repeat #6 for the third body paragraph. If there is no third, write “N/A.”
  • Read the conclusion paragraph. What is your opinion of the conclusion paragraph? What are its strengths and/or weaknesses? Does the writer “wrap up” the essay? Explain your answer.
  • What is the structure of the essay? How did the writer organize the essay?
  • Identify the following plot elements: What is the conflict? What is the climax of the story? What is the turning point or the most significant point of the story? What is the resolution? How did the story end? What did the writer learn? How was the writer impacted?
  • Comment on all of the following: quality of details, dialogue, and organization.
  • Overall, what is your opinion of the essay? What grade would you give this essay? Explain your answer.

Remember , take your peer’s comments with a “grain of salt.”  However, be open to those suggestions and comments.

Step Five: Revising/Final Draft

Before turning in your final draft, take a break from your essay . Give yourself time to look at your essay with “fresh eyes.” Then, look at your essay by its parts.

  • Start with the introduction. Is your thesis clear? The harder your reader has to work to figure out the purpose of your essay, the lower your grade. The goal of a well-written essay is one in which the writer has painted a clear picture. The reader should be able to hear your voice in his/her/their head.
  • Next, look over your body paragraphs . Do you have a topic sentence for each body paragraph? Does the topic sentence convey what each paragraph is about? Do you provide evidence that proves your thesis? How are your body paragraphs organized? Do you have transitions? Are you jumping from one point to another? Do you connect each piece of evidence to your thesis through commentary sentences? Is your evidence vivid in detail? Can the reader visualize through your words what you are writing about? Do you have a conclusion sentence at the end of each body paragraph that “wraps up” the body paragraph and transitions to the next?
  • Now, read over your conclusion paragraph . Does your conclusion paragraph “wrap up” your whole essay? Did you restate and rewrite your thesis, topic sentences, and main points? Do you have a “lesson learned” statement?

Writing Suggestions: Improving Your Essay

  • Write in active voice. Try to use active verbs.
  • Avoid beginning a sentence with the following words: that, there, which, conjunctions.
  • Use variety in your sentence structure. Avoid writing in simple sentences all of the time.
  • Avoid using the same word or phrase in the same sentence or the next sentence.
  • Replace the following words: it, seems, very, a lot, things, stuff.

Formatting Requirements

  • 12 size font
  • Times New Roman
  • Double-spaced
  • One-inch margins
  • 2-3 typed pages

Downloadable Resources (Assignment, Rubric, Outline, Peer Editing)

''''

Click here to download a Word Doc version of this assignment:

Personal Narrative Essay assignment

Click here to download a Word Doc version of the rubric:

Personal Narrative Essay rubric

Click here to download a Word Doc version of the outline:

Personal Narrative Essay outline

Click here to download a Word Doc version of the peer editing questions:

Personal Narrative Essay peer editing questions

Attribution:

Stelly, Kimberly. “Personal Narrative Essay [Assignment/Rubric].” Strategies, Skills and Models for Student Success in Writing and Reading Comprehension . College Station: Texas A&M University, 2024. This work is licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( CC BY 4.0 ).

Personal Narrative Essay [Assignment/Rubric] Copyright © by Kimberly Stelly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

How To Tackle The Weirdest Supplemental Essay Prompts For This Application Cycle

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Writing the college essay

How do you write a letter to a friend that shows you’re a good candidate for the University of Pennsylvania? What reading list will help the Columbia University admissions committee understand your interdisciplinary interests? How can you convey your desire to attend Yale by inventing a course description for a topic you’re interested in studying?

These are the challenges students must overcome when writing their supplemental essays . Supplemental essays are a critical component of college applications—like the personal statement, they provide students with the opportunity to showcase their authentic voice and perspective beyond the quantitative elements of their applications. However, unlike the personal essay, supplemental essays allow colleges to read students’ responses to targeted prompts and evaluate their candidacy for their specific institution. For this reason, supplemental essay prompts are often abstract, requiring students to get creative, read between the lines, and ditch the traditional essay-writing format when crafting their responses.

While many schools simply want to know “why do you want to attend our school?” others break the mold, inviting students to think outside of the box and answer prompts that are original, head-scratching, or downright weird. This year, the following five colleges pushed students to get creative—if you’re struggling to rise to the challenge, here are some tips for tackling their unique prompts:

University of Chicago

Prompt: We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed”? Or “tickled orange”? Give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents. – Inspired by Ramsey Bottorff, Class of 2026

What Makes it Unique: No discussion of unique supplemental essay prompts would be complete without mentioning the University of Chicago, a school notorious for its puzzling and original prompts (perhaps the most well-known of these has been the recurring prompt “Find x”). This prompt challenges you to invent a new color-based expression, encouraging both linguistic creativity and a deep dive into the emotional or cultural connotations of color. It’s a prompt that allows you to play with language, think abstractly, and show off your ability to forge connections between concepts that aren’t typically linked—all qualities that likewise demonstrate your preparedness for UChicago’s unique academic environment.

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How to Answer it: While it may be easy to get distracted by the open-ended nature of the prompt, remember that both the substance and structure of your response should give some insight into your personality, perspective, and characteristics. With this in mind, begin by considering the emotions, experiences, or ideas that most resonate with you. Then, use your imagination to consider how a specific color could represent that feeling or concept. Remember that the prompt is ultimately an opportunity to showcase your creativity and original way of looking at the world, so your explanation does not need to be unnecessarily deep or complex—if you have a playful personality, convey your playfulness in your response; if you are known for your sarcasm, consider how you can weave in your biting wit; if you are an amateur poet, consider how you might take inspiration from poetry as you write, or offer a response in the form of a poem.

The goal is to take a familiar concept and turn it into something new and meaningful through a creative lens. Use this essay to showcase your ability to think inventively and to draw surprising connections between language and life.

Harvard University

Prompt: Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.

What Makes it Unique: This prompt is unique in both form and substance—first, you only have 150 words to write about all 3 things. Consider using a form other than a traditional essay or short answer response, such as a bullet list or short letter. Additionally, note that the things your roommate might like to learn about you do not necessarily overlap with the things you would traditionally share with an admissions committee. The aim of the prompt is to get to know your quirks and foibles—who are you as a person and a friend? What distinguishes you outside of academics and accolades?

How to Answer it: First and foremost, feel free to get creative with your response to this prompt. While you are producing a supplemental essay and thus a professional piece of writing, the prompt invites you to share more personal qualities, and you should aim to demonstrate your unique characteristics in your own voice. Consider things such as: How would your friends describe you? What funny stories do your parents and siblings share that encapsulate your personality? Or, consider what someone might want to know about living with you: do you snore? Do you have a collection of vintage posters? Are you particularly fastidious? While these may seem like trivial things to mention, the true creativity is in how you connect these qualities to deeper truths about yourself—perhaps your sleepwalking is consistent with your reputation for being the first to raise your hand in class or speak up about a cause you’re passionate about. Perhaps your living conditions are a metaphor for how your brain works—though it looks like a mess to everyone else, you have a place for everything and know exactly where to find it. Whatever qualities you choose, embrace the opportunity to think outside of the box and showcase something that admissions officers won’t learn about anywhere else on your application.

University of Pennsylvania

Prompt: Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge.

What Makes it Unique: Breaking from the traditional essay format, this supplement invites you to write directly to a third party in the form of a 150-200 word long letter. The challenge in answering this distinct prompt is to remember that your letter should say as much about you, your unique qualities and what you value as it does about the recipient—all while not seeming overly boastful or contrived.

How to Answer it: As you select a recipient, consider the relationships that have been most formative in your high school experience—writing to someone who has played a large part in your story will allow the admissions committee some insight into your development and the meaningful relationships that guided you on your journey. Once you’ve identified the person, craft a thank-you note that is specific and heartfelt—unlike other essays, this prompt invites you to be sentimental and emotional, as long as doing so would authentically convey your feelings of gratitude. Describe the impact they’ve had on you, what you’ve learned from them, and how their influence has shaped your path. For example, if you’re thanking a teacher, don’t just say they helped you become a better student—explain how their encouragement gave you the confidence to pursue your passions. Keep the tone sincere and personal, avoid clichés and focus on the unique role this person has played in your life.

University of Notre Dame

Prompt: What compliment are you most proud of receiving, and why does it mean so much to you?

What Makes it Unique: This prompt is unique in that it invites students to share something about themselves by reflecting on someone else’s words in 50-100 words.

How to Answer it: The key to answering this prompt is to avoid focusing too much on the complement itself and instead focus on your response to receiving it and why it was so important to you. Note that this prompt is not an opportunity to brag about your achievements, but instead to showcase what truly matters to you. Select a compliment that truly speaks to who you are and what you value. It could be related to your character, work ethic, kindness, creativity, or any other quality that you hold in high regard. The compliment doesn’t have to be grand or come from someone with authority—it could be something small but significant that left a lasting impression on you, or it could have particular meaning for you because it came from someone you didn’t expect it to come from. Be brief in setting the stage and explaining the context of the compliment—what is most important is your reflection on its significance and how it shaped your understanding of yourself.

Stanford University

Prompt: List five things that are important to you.

What Makes it Unique: This prompt’s simplicity is what makes it so challenging. Stanford asks for a list, not an essay, which means you have very limited space (50 words) to convey something meaningful about yourself. Additionally, the prompt does not specify what these “things” must be—they could be a physical item, an idea, a concept, or even a pastime. Whatever you choose, these five items should add depth to your identity, values, and priorities.

How to Answer it: Start by brainstorming what matters most to you—these could be values, activities, people, places, or even abstract concepts. The key is to choose items or concepts that, when considered together, provide a comprehensive snapshot of who you are. For example, you might select something tangible and specific such as “an antique telescope gifted by my grandfather” alongside something conceptual such as “the willingness to admit when you’re wrong.” The beauty of this prompt is that it doesn’t require complex sentences or elaborate explanations—just a clear and honest reflection of what you hold dear. Be thoughtful in your selections, and use this prompt to showcase your creativity and core values.

While the supplemental essays should convey something meaningful about you, your values, and your unique qualifications for the university to which you are applying, the best essays are those that are playful, original, and unexpected. By starting early and taking the time to draft and revise their ideas, students can showcase their authentic personalities and distinguish themselves from other applicants through their supplemental essays.

Christopher Rim

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Tiny Memoir Contest for Students: Write a 100-Word Personal Narrative

We invite teenagers to tell a true story about a meaningful life experience in just 100 words. Contest dates: Nov. 6 to Dec. 4, 2024.

A banner of six purple and black illustrations. From left to right: a woman hanging a star in a window with the help of a little girl; two men staring lovingly at each other over a small table; a man presenting a miniature Christmas tree to his pet fish; a frog reaching out his arms to a squiggly figure; three family members piled on top of each other on a couch; a woman looking pensively out a widow as it snows outside.

By The Learning Network

Illustrations from Modern Love’s Tiny Love Stories , the inspiration for this contest.

Can you tell a meaningful and interesting true story from your life in just 100 words? That’s the challenge we pose to teenagers with our 100-Word Personal Narrative Contest, a storytelling form popularized by Modern Love’s Tiny Love Stories series .

After running this contest for two years, receiving a total of more than 25,000 entries, and honoring dozens of excellent miniature teen-written memoirs, we have discovered the answer is a resounding yes .

So, we challenge you to try it yourself.

We’re not asking you to write to a particular theme or to use a specific structure or style, but we are looking for short, powerful stories about a particular moment or event in your life. We want to hear your story, told in your unique voice, and we hope you’ll experiment with style and form to tell a tale that matters to you, in a way you enjoy telling it.

And, yes, it’s possible to do all that in only 100 words. For proof, just look at last year’s 15 winning entries . We also have a step-by-step guide full of advice that is grounded in 25 excellent 100-word mentor texts, as well as a rehearsal space , published for our first year’s contest, that has over 1,000 student-written mini memoirs. Because that space was so successful, we’re keeping it open for this year’s contest. We hope students will use it to get inspiration, experiment and encourage each other.

Take a look at the full guidelines and related resources below. Please post any questions you have in the comments and we’ll answer you there, or write to us at [email protected]. And, consider hanging this PDF one-page announcement on your class bulletin board.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Resources for Teachers and Students
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Submission Form

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15 Things You Can Do With ChatGPT

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Quick Links

What is chatgpt.

  • Quickly Write a Customized Resume and Cover Letter
  • Create Original Jokes and Memes
  • Explain Complex Topics
  • Solve Tricky Math Problems Step-by-Step
  • Write Music In Almost Any Genre
  • Write, Debug, and Explain Code
  • Create, Edit, and Modify Media Files
  • Decide What to Watch Next
  • Get Cooking Help
  • Improve Your Health
  • Translate and Learn In Multiple Languages
  • Prepare for a Job Interview
  • Write Essays on Almost Any Topic
  • A Chat Companion

Key Takeaways

  • ChatGPT is a versatile tool that can help with tasks like writing customized resumes & cover letters.
  • The AI can generate original jokes and memes, as well as explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand manner.
  • ChatGPT can assist with mathematics, music composition, coding, media file manipulation, and health improvement.

Artificial intelligence tools have seen a meteoric rise within the last few years. We've been wowed by AI writing tools, AI image generators, and even AI self-portraits. Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has gotten a lot of attention for its numerous uses. To help you leverage this tool, here are 15 ways you can also use ChatGPT.

ChatGPT Home screen

If you've somehow missed the whole ChatGPT buzz, or you're not exactly sure what it's all about, let's help you get up to speed. ChatGPT is a conversational artificial intelligence chatbot that can answer just about any question you throw at it.

You can think of it as a supercharged Google Search. Rather than just providing links or snippets, ChatGPT generates thoughtful, conversational responses to queries. It synthesizes information from diverse sources into cohesive answers on nearly any topic, similar to how a knowledgeable human would respond.

While not infallible, ChatGPT demonstrates an impressive ability to understand natural language questions and offers nuanced explanations in a lot of fields.

ChatGPT is more than just hype—it has practical uses. Here are some cool day-to-day uses for ChatGPT you can try right now.

1. Quickly Write a Customized Resume and Cover Letter

If you're currently job-hunting, one of the most tiring parts of the job application process is writing a personalized resume and cover letter for every job you apply for. You need custom-made copies for each job to increase your chances of getting hired. ChatGPT can help you create a customized resume or craft professional cover letters in minutes.

We asked ChatGPT to write a resume for a content marketing role at a fictional SaaS company, and it was near perfect.

Resume created by ChatGPT

We also prompted it to prepare a cover letter for the same role, and the first result wasn't bad.

Cover letter written by ChatGPT

Notice how detail-rich and well-formatted the resume and cover letter are? How did I do it? I pasted my LinkedIn profile details, and then asked ChatGPT to write a resume for the target role "using LaTex." I copied the result, pasted it in a free latex editor like Overleaf , and compiled it.

2. Create Original Jokes and Memes

What's life without a bit of fun? Whether you're looking for a good laugh or to create some hilarious jokes to impress your friends, ChatGPT can come in handy. Sure, AI chatbots aren't exactly known to be great comedians, but ChatGPT shows some potential. We asked ChatGPT to tell us a joke about Apple and foldable smartphones; we'll let you judge the results:

ChatGPT joke about foldable phones

ChatGPT can also create images, so you can also play around with meme ideas. Here's one to try: Ask ChatGPT to create a meme about the grind of 9-to-5 jobs.

3. Explain Complex Topics

Sometimes, simply Googling a topic doesn't give you a clear understanding. Think of topics like wormholes, dark matter, and all those head-spinning theories. Or maybe it's a weird sport you don't understand.

ChatGPT could be useful in explaining them in layperson terms. We prompted ChatGPT to "Explain wormholes like I'm 5," and here's the result:

ChatGPT explains Wormhole

We also prompted it to explain the internet similarly. It wasn't too bad, either.

ChatGPT Explaining the internet like I'm 5

4. Solve Tricky Math Problems Step-by-Step

Whether you're looking to tackle complex algebra problems or simple math problems that are too tricky to piece together, ChatGPT is particularly strong at handling math. You'll need to present your problems clearly and concisely for the best results. We prompted ChatGPT to answer a tricky math problem, and here's the result:

ChatGPT answers a tricky math problem

5. Write Music In Almost Any Genre

One of the most exciting things you can do with ChatGPT is writing a song. It might sound like a bad idea at first, but it's really a fun thing to try. The results can be amazing when you get the prompts right. The key to getting the best result is to provide as many details as possible about how you want the song to be. Need a mix of English and some Spanish with a touch of Afrobeat style? Just say it.

If you really want to find out how good your lyrics would sound in an actual song, you'll need to head over to a tool like Suno.ai to turn the lyrics into music. Just paste the lyrics into the tool, make some tweaks and listen to what ChatGPT could make.

6. Write, Debug, and Explain Code

Whether you're an experienced programmer or a newbie, you're bound to run into a few bugs in your code from time to time. ChatGPT can help you narrow down the problem within your code, saving you hours looking for a misplaced comma. You can also write entire blocks of functional code snippets from scratch or analyze existing code bases to figure out the best ways to use them. There are endless ways you can use ChatGPT in programming .

We prompted ChatGPT to write a simple to-do list app using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and here's the result:

to-do list app by ChatGPT

We also got the AI chatbot to write us a simple Tetris game, snake game, pong game, and even code a complete chat web app from scratch . ChatGPT is a very useful programming tool.

7. Create, Edit, and Modify Media Files

With ChatGPT, you can create, edit, modify, and read from a wide range of media files. The feature which is available on the ChatGPT Plus plan provides an interface to programmatically create images, modify videos, adjust audio tracks, and retrieve crucial metadata from media files with ease and precision.

To learn more about manipulating media files with ChatGPT, read our guide on how to use the ChatGPT Code Interpreter feature .

8. Decide What to Watch Next

ChatGPT is one of the most powerful movie recommendation tools on the internet if you know how to use it. While there are dozens of powerful movie recommendation tools you can get your hands on, ChatGPT stands out because of the accuracy and precision you get from simply describing the kind of movies you want using simple natural language prompts.

We asked ChatGPT to give us some movies that are similar to "The Walking Dead" and here's the result:

Similar tv shows recommendation from ChatGPT

Not sure how to use ChatGPT as a movie recommendation tool? We've previously put together a detailed guide on how to use ChatGPT to decide what to watch next .

9. Play Games

Looking for a fun activity? ChatGPT has some creative game ideas to try with friends or by yourself. You could play classic games like tic-tac-toe or trivia with new twists that ChatGPT can suggest to make it more engaging. Whether you want a competitive game against ChatGPT or a cooperative game you can all play together, ChatGPT can provide unique game suggestions tailored to what you're looking for.

So if you're bored and want to try something new, ask ChatGPT to invent a fun, customized game—it's a great way to liven up your day! Not sure which games you can play with ChatGPT? Here are some interesting games you can play with ChatGPT right now .

10. Get Cooking Help

A robot help in the kitchen? ChatGPT and cooking seem like a weird combination, but it works excellently if you know the right prompts to use. You can use ChatGPT to explore new recipes, prepare shopping lists, brainstorm new flavor combinations, learn new cooking tips, or explore healthier ways to cook popular meals .

Fancy testing ChatGPT's culinary skills? Here are some interesting ways you can use ChatGPT as a cooking assistant .

11. Improve Your Health

With its vast wealth of health information, you can leverage ChatGPT to improve your health in several ways. It can help you create personalized workout and meal plans tailored to your unique needs.

You can also use it to develop healthy habits like sleep routines and mindfulness practices or even use it as a medical symptom checker. Although ChatGPT has its limitations in the field of health, it is still an immensely useful tool you can utilize to improve your health. We've put together a guide on how to use ChatGPT to improve your health .

12. Translate and Learn In Multiple Languages

ChatGPT is a great tool to have around if you need to work in multiple languages. It is fluent in dozens of languages. If you're a content creator who would love to reach a wider audience, ChatGPT could be incredibly useful for creating content in multiple languages.

Sure, there's Google Translate, but writing in one language and translating to the other means context and language-specific tones could be lost. When we compared ChatGPT to Google Translate in translation tasks, ChatGPT was noticeably better in several metrics.

With ChatGPT's latest voice mode, the tool has become even significantly more powerful for those trying to learn a new language or communicate with someone that speaks a different one.

13. Prepare for a Job Interview

With its wealth of knowledge across several fields, ChatGPT is one of the best AI tools to help you prepare for a job interview. With a few intelligent prompts, ChatGPT can help you get your dream job . You can use it to generate hypothetical scenarios in a job interview, possible questions, intelligent replies to possible questions, and many other useful interview prep tips.

We created a hypothetical situation during an interview and asked ChatGPT for help. Here's the result:

ChatGPT answers interview questions

14. Write Essays on Almost Any Topic

While we strongly advise you to write your essays yourself, ChatGPT can compose amazing essays on a wide range of topics, even the most complex. If the tone of the resulting write-up doesn't suit your test, you can teach ChatGPT how to write like you so you can get the chatbot to replicate your writing style.

15. A Chat Companion

When all is said and done, ChatGPT is an AI chatbot. Despite its almost endless use cases, ChatGPT is a very accommodating companion when you need someone (or a robot) to talk to.

ChatGPT companion

Despite ChatGPT's impressive capabilities, the AI chatbot is not infallible. Consequently, exercising caution with ChatGPT's information is highly advised. Always strive to verify any critical data from ChatGPT before applying it, especially for important health or financial choices. While ChatGPT is a game-changing tool, it is still a work in progress, and human oversight remains essential.

  • Technology Explained

Harris' economic plan promises voters affordable groceries and homes. Don't fall for it.

Kamala harris has no problem with an economic agenda that expands government's reach and power and places burdensome restraints on the free market..

narrative essays topic ideas

I know you learned in school that socialism doesn't work. Apparently, Vice President Kamala Harris didn't.

But what do you know? You iPhone-carrying, Starbucks-sipping, freedom-loving American? Haven't you wondered what it would be like if your president gave away things for free? Things like a house? And groceries?

Enter Kamalanomics .

Hold on, it's a ride through utopia.

You get a house! And you get a house!

At a rally Friday in North Carolina, Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, unveiled a home ownership plan as part of her economic agenda, one designed to conveniently garner her the votes she needs to win this election without worrying about annoying details like how to pay the bills in the years ahead.

According to Harris' proposal, qualified homebuyers who have paid their rent on time for at least two years and are looking to buy their first home could be eligible for up to $25,000 in down payment assistance . First-generation home owners could receive even more.

It brings a whole new meaning to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

“The Biden-Harris administration initially proposed providing $25,000 in downpayment assistance only for 400,000 first-generation home buyers – or homebuyers whose parents don’t own a home – and a $10,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers,” a campaign fact sheet said . “Vice President Harris’s plan will simplify and significantly expand that plan by providing on average $25,000 for all eligible first-time home buyers, while ensuring full participation by first-generation home buyers.”

A free down payment? What a deal! But I have a few questions: Where will that money come from? What will it do to home prices? Wouldn't a line of new buyers with $25,000 on hand drive up the price of homes?

No thanks, Oprah. I mean, Kamala.

No tax on tips: What if I told you Kamala Harris' best idea is actually Donald Trump's?

Next up, price controls for groceries

We've all watched as inflation created a nightmare for Americans just trying to feed their families.

From 2017 through 2020, food prices increased by a total of 8.9%. From 2021 until this summer, the cost of groceries rose 21.6%. So $100 of ground beef, eggs, milk and bread, now costs more than $120.

Even after the rate of inflation slows, as it has now, the new, higher prices remain.

Harris has a cure for that: As a part of her economic plan, she would place a federal ban on price gouging for groceries . Her presidential campaign claims that she will set "clear rules of the road to make clear that big corporations can’t unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive corporate profits on food and groceries .”

When I read that, I laughed. No one with a half-way functioning brain thinks that inflation, which caused high prices, at the local grocer is due to price gouging by corporations.

This is a lie from one of the oldest tricks in the book: Demonize companies for abiding by capitalistic principles and then propose reforms that throttle businesses by placing the government at the helm.

Of course, a federal ban on price gouging won't actually help Americans' finances. It won't slow down inflation or return food prices to what they were before the Biden administration's policies unleashed the surge in prices. Government controls could even lead to shortages or hoarding of some items.

I know Trump is awful. But he's still better for America than Harris.

An opinion headline at The Washington Post quips , "When your opponent calls you 'communist,' maybe don't propose price controls?" Writer Catherine Rampell, who is not exactly a raging conservative, obliterates Harris' policy plan, saying it would be "a sweeping set of government-enforced price controls across every industry, not only food. Supply and demand would no longer determine prices or profit levels. Far-off Washington bureaucrats would."

I think we should pass.

What's wrong with Kamalanomics?

Let's be real: What's wrong with giving a hardworking family who wants to be homeowners money for a down payment? What's wrong with describing inflation as "price gouging" and forcing companies to keep prices at a rate set by Washington? What's wrong with giving a $6,000 tax credit for a family with a newborn ? (I favor some child tax credit scenarios, as long as they don't become welfare programs.)

Most of these are ideas rooted in a socialist approach to economics − one that's been shown over and over again to fail.

Opinion newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter on conservative values, family and religion from columnist Nicole Russell. Get it delievered to your inbox .

Harris' policy ideas stem from thinking that the government, not the people, is the most powerful entity in America. So the vice president has no problem with an economic agenda that expands government's reach and power and places burdensome restraints on the free market.

Voters should reject Harris' economic ideas. Instead, they should embrace ideas that aid the free market, encourage personal responsibility and cut taxes to help more Americans thrive.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids.  Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track , and get it delivered to your inbox .

You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page , on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter .

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5 Tips for Writing Meaningful Thank-You Notes

  • Sally Susman

narrative essays topic ideas

Showing gratitude can help build a work culture where people feel valued and respected.

Thank-you notes are a powerful professional tool for leaders. The author — a senior communications professional at Pfizer — shares her experiences learning about the power of thank-you notes from her high-powered mentor and seeing how it benefitted their business, professional relationships, and personal well-being. She also posits five principles of thank-you note-writing: Take time to reflect; thank those who are often forgotten; be specific; make it matter; and it’s never too late.

When I received a new bicycle from my grandparents as a kid, my mother wouldn’t let me out of the house to take it for a spin before I sat down and wrote them a thank-you note. I remember grumbling over this at the time, but thank-you notes have since become a passion of mine.

narrative essays topic ideas

  • SS Sally Susman is Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer and co-chair of the International Rescue Committee. She is the author of Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023). Connect with her on LinkedIn .

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IMAGES

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  3. Best Topic Ideas For Narrative Essays

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COMMENTS

  1. 200 Best Topic Ideas for Narrative Essay

    Focus on a specific event or detail to make your narrative more focused and impactful. Look for universal themes like love or personal transformation that connect with readers on a deeper level. Brainstorm ideas and write freely to uncover compelling topics. Decide on storytelling techniques like flashbacks or foreshadowing and choose a topic ...

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  4. 100 Narrative Essay Topics

    The list of 100 narrative essay topics that we've compiled is a versatile and expansive set designed to inspire students at various educational levels. The topics range from lighter, more relatable experiences like your "first job interview" or "a memorable birthday party," to deeper, more introspective themes such as "an experience ...

  5. 50 Narrative Essay Topics

    We've got 50 narrative essay topics designed to prompt students to craft memorable written narratives. These can be modified for students in elementary, middle and high school. Feel free to print the entire narrative essay topics list for plenty of inspiration for your next narrative essay assignment! Narrative Essay Topics. Your first day of ...

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    Positive moments are when you do something extraordinary that changes your life. 6. Consider when you make your friends, parents, or family feel proud. 7. Furthermore, think of your sports life, such as your first sport, relation with your coach, funny sports moments, or injuries you suffered in the game. 8.

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  8. 100+ Narrative Essay Topics for your Next Assignment

    The first step in writing a narrative essay is coming up with a list of potential topics to write about. From there, you should focus on the ideas you believe you can spend an entire essay and tell a compelling story on. Narrative writing will show up for the rest of your life. You'll need to tell life stories in college essays, in grad ...

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  12. 220+ Narrative Essay Topics for All Academic Levels

    Narrative Essay Topics for Students. If you're a student, you probably have to write an essay at some point. Getting an interesting topic idea is not easy. We have gathered some essay topics for different academic levels to help you with the task. Let's dive right into the narrative essay topics list without any delay.

  13. 100 Greatest Narrative Essay Topics

    Here are 100 potential narrative essay topics: A time I overcame a fear. The day I met my best friend. A family vacation that went wrong. The experience of learning to ride a bike. Attending my first concert. My most difficult class in school so far. My proudest accomplishment. A time I failed at something.

  14. Narrative Essay Topics and Story Ideas

    Narrative essays are truly works of art, and good artists must practice their craft. Here is a list of 101 narrative essay topics, prompts, and short story ideas to give students the practice that they need to become better writers: Everybody gets afraid sometimes. If there were no fear, there would be no opportunity for bravery.

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    Exciting narrative essay topics to inspire your creativity. A wide range of resources to help you master narrative writing 100+ Narrative Essay Topics, Examples, Expert Guidance and Title Ideas From Past Papers . Whether you're an A Level, O level or IGCSE student, we have curated a comprehensive list of 100 best narrative essay topics to ...

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    As is the case with university students, writing narrative essays takes practice and depends on the level a student is on. Here's how we'll cover each of the narrative essay topics for each grade level. Level: Grade 1. Level: Grade 2. Level: Grade 3.

  17. Narrative Essays: Examples And Topic Ideas For Students

    7. An Act Of Kindness. Sharing an act of kindness you did with someone else—or a random act of kindness that someone did for you—can provide a warm, fuzzy topic for your narrative essay. When writing about an act of kindness, focus on how the act made you feel, whether you were the giver or the receiver of the act.

  18. Narrative Essay Topics That Help You Create a Masterpiece

    Narrative Essay Topics for Different Grades Let's look at the narrative speech topics for different grades. Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5. My first bicycle ride. My dad is my hero. A day with my grandmother. My first day at school. My best friend. My favorite teacher. A school trip to the zoo. My grandpa's hands. The most exciting day ...

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    These 50 narrative essay topics are engaging, unique and will have you writing in no time. Narrative Essays vs. Analytical Essays A narrative essay is a great way to express your personal experiences and opinions, but it is important to remember that this type of essay is different from an analytical paper. In a narrative essay, you do not need ...

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  21. 100 Narrative Essay Topics To Grab Your Attention

    These personal narrative essay ideas could help you explore some of such wishes. How It Felt to Be in Love For the First Time. Treachery and Betrayals: The Closest People Have Most Power to Hurt You. Choosing between a Partner and a Friend: Story of Heartbreak and Recovery. Surviving a Break-Up & Becoming Stronger.

  22. How to Write a Narrative Essay (With Topic Ideas)

    A narrative essay or speech tells a story, often one based on personal experience. The narrative is a genre of writing that comprises works of nonfiction, stories that stick closely to facts and follow a logical chronological progression of events. In narratives, writers often use anecdotes to relate their experiences and engage the reader.

  23. 65 Engaging Personal Narrative Ideas for Kids and Teens

    College Essay Personal Narrative Ideas. These personal narrative essay topics all come from real 2022-2023 college applications. (See more college essay prompts here.) Discuss a time when reflection or introspection led to clarity or understanding of an issue that is important to you.

  24. Personal Narrative Essay [Assignment/Rubric]

    The personal narrative essay. Tells a complete, personal, and factual story that has a purpose, an idea, or a meaning. This story should have a beginning and an ending, and the story should reflect a personal perspective or viewpoint. Do not make this essay a tirade, diatribe, or rant. Instead, consider this essay an opportunity for self ...

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    Essay Topics For Night By Elie Wiesel Composing an essay on the themes related to "Night" by Elie Wiesel is undoubtedly a challenging task. The profundity of the Holocaust narrative, coupled with the emotional intensity of Wiesel's personal experiences, demands a nuanced and empathetic approach. Crafting an essay that captures the essence of the book requires not only a deep understanding of ...

  27. Tiny Memoir Contest for Students: Write a 100-Word Personal Narrative

    A personal narrative writing unit: This unit includes mentor texts, writing prompts, lesson plans, videos and on-demand webinars that teach the skills essential for any kind of narrative writing ...

  28. 15 Things You Can Do With ChatGPT

    ChatGPT is a versatile tool that can help with tasks like writing customized resumes & cover letters. The AI can generate original jokes and memes, as well as explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand manner. ChatGPT can assist with mathematics, music composition, coding, media file manipulation, and health improvement.

  29. Harris price control plan is a heavy dose of bad economics

    From 2017 through 2020, food prices increased by a total of 8.9%. From 2021 until this summer, the cost of groceries rose 21.6%. So $100 of ground beef, eggs, milk and bread, now costs more than $120.

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    When I received a new bicycle from my grandparents as a kid, my mother wouldn't let me out of the house to take it for a spin before I sat down and wrote them a thank-you note.