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.
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?
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!
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
Family
Friends and Relationships
Experiences and Defining Moments
My Favorite Things
Ethics and Values
If I...
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.
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
Travel and Adventure
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
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.
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.
