Introduce Yourself

• This approach works best for a narrative essay about you. Give the reader the relevant information that is needed to picture you in the circumstances that you are writing about. This does not necessarily mean a physical description -- you could also describe your state of mind, your emotions or any other details that are relevant to the subject of your essay.
  
  

Introduce the Main Character

• Describe the main character if the narrative essay is about another person or describes your interaction with them. Remember the writing rule "show, don't tell" as you describe the main character of your narrative essay. You can also include your own personal impressions of the main character or your feelings about them. Make your description as vivid as possible without resorting to cliches or purple prose.
  
  

Describe a Place

• Start your essay with a description of the place that is the focus of your narrative essay. Explain what this place means to you and why it is important. Describe what it feels like. Give all the relevant details that your reader will need to visualize the place that is the subject of your narrative essay. Put the place in geographical context if it is a place not likely to be known to the general reader.
  
  

Describe an Event

• Using a description of an event is another option for the start of a narrative essay. Tell what the event is and explain details if it is not a universally known event, or something that happened just to you. Talk about where you were, how you felt, what you saw and any other sensory descriptions, such as noises or odors to help paint a picture for your reader.
  
  

Memory Trigger

• Another option for starting a narrative essay is a memory trigger that caused you to think of a person, place or thing. Describe the trigger in detail, including sensory impressions such as smell or sound. Provide a transition to the rest of your essay at the end of this opening.