{"id":2844,"date":"2015-09-07T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?post_type=essay-writing-blog&p=2844"},"modified":"2022-10-20T13:46:38","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T20:46:38","slug":"how-to-start-a-narrative-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-start-a-narrative-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Narrative Essay: 16 Awesome Hooks"},"content":{"rendered":"

My eyes were red and burning as blood slowly ran down my forehead. My cramped and trembling fingers hovered over the keyboard like it was a Ouija board. I closed my eyes and, when I opened them again, the blog post was finished. It was like nothing I had written before.<\/em><\/p>\n

Okay, so, that didn\u2019t happen. But, with any luck, that beginning has motivated you to read the rest of this blog post. And, therein lies the magic of a hook.<\/p>\n

It can be difficult to keep your audience reading–because, let’s face it, most of us have short attention spans. However, a good hook can do just that. It\u2019s the difference between pulling your reader into your writing and losing them to other distractions.<\/p>\n

Without an interesting hook, you can lose your reader before the second paragraph.<\/p>\n

A good hook is key to nearly every essay you write, but maybe none more so than in the narrative essay. So, let\u2019s take a look at how to start a narrative essay.<\/p>\n

What Is a Narrative Essay?<\/h2>\n

Before you can fully engage in what makes the perfect hook for your narrative essay, let\u2019s make sure you know what a narrative essay is exactly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A narrative, quite simply, is a story. Unlike other essays in which you may need to argue or prove something, a narrative essay is about telling a story.<\/p>\n

Quite often, of course, this will be a story from your life. We all have stories. We tell them often. However, not all of those stories in your brain will make for a good narrative essay.<\/p>\n

For example, you may have a really funny story about the time you ate grass as a kid and threw up at school. But, what will the reader take away from the story? Don\u2019t eat grass?<\/i> Well, we already know that<\/i>.<\/p>\n

 

Perhaps you also have a story about the first time you cut the lawn. You remember it being fun, exciting. However, the moment your father offered to pay you to do it, it suddenly felt unappealing, like work. Now, this story has potential, featuring a character transformation and a lesson to be learned.<\/p>\n

A good narrative essay<\/a> will be fun to write, interesting to read, and meaningful in some way, among other things.<\/p>\n

And it should all start with an awesome hook.<\/p>\n

Why Is It Important to Know How to Start a Narrative Essay?<\/h2>\n

Well, let\u2019s keep this simple, shall we? When we write something, we want people to read what we have written. That goes double for something that is personal, like a narrative essay.<\/p>\n

However, if the reader isn\u2019t engaged in your writing, they aren\u2019t going to finish it. Why would they when they could be learning about the Arab Spring through Jurassic Park Gifs<\/a>?! (*cough* DieBuzzfeed *cough*)<\/i>.<\/p>\n

This makes it utterly important that you grab their attention early. While they have the opportunity to learn something incredibly useful from your stellar narrative, the vortex of technological distractions can blend their brains into a fine pur\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

So, please, start your essay off on an interesting foot. Please. Think of the children.<\/p>\n

A good hook sentence grabs your audience and refuses to let go<\/a>. It sets the tone for the rest of your story. It gets under your reader\u2019s skin right from the beginning and starts to stir those feelings that your narrative essay intends to address.<\/p>\n

16 Awesome Hooks to Start a Narrative Essay<\/h2>\n\t
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Stuck on Your Narrative Essay?<\/div>\n\t\t\t
Check Out These Example Narrative Essays<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYes! Show Me Examples. <\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

There are myriad ways in which you can formulate your hook sentence. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, because, well, writing doesn\u2019t always fit into a mold. It involves being bold and striking out on your own and trusting your gut, even if your writing doesn\u2019t fit neatly into a category.<\/p>\n

However, having said that, there are some tried-and-true methods for hooking a reader. Here are few of the most common types of hooks, along with some awesome examples:<\/p>\n

Use a Quote as a Narrative Hook<\/h2>\n