The topic of a narrative essay is a personal experience. A blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen is intimidating for writers, but sketching out ideas on a piece of paper helps to engender memories and experiences that you may have forgotten about. Include a variety of topics and themes in your list such as successes and failures, meaningful experiences, happy, tense and educational experiences and significant people and mentors who have influenced you.
Remember that some topics and ideas are more interesting than others. A personal narrative tells an important part of your story and gives the reader a glimpse and insight into who you are, but at the same time, some topics make more interesting stories than others. Choose a topic that you are interested in writing about and that you think will appeal to the potential reader. For example, if the personal narrative is written to be included with a college application, select a topic that reveals qualities about you that make you an interesting and attractive candidate for the college.
The way a narrative is written contributes to the overall affect and impact of the narrative. A topic that taps into a reader's curiosity can be brought to a screeching halt if the form in which the topic is presented in boring and uninteresting. Think of your personal narrative as a story. Good storytellers rely on plot and character development to tell a story. The plot of the story is not presented all at once; it develops and unfolds gradually until the climax of the story is reached. In addition to the plot and character development, the setting is also important. Good storytellers have an eye for detail. Adopting an introspective attitude works well for personal narrative.
Writing a rough draft is the first step in any writing process. Avoid thinking that all the details have to be perfectly ironed out before starting the writing process. Making a list of past experiences, selecting an interesting topic and sketching a narrative outline are all preliminary steps in writing a personal narrative. The rough draft is an intermediate step between the preliminary steps and the end result. The rough draft is a vehicle for getting everything arranged and in order. Allow the rough draft to sit for a day or two, and then approach it with a fresh attitude. Polish and fine tune it until it is something that you would be proud to share with others.