Narrative Essay Topics and Ideas to Write About

This list of narrative essay topics might encourage you to create compelling stories!

1. The most significant school memory.
2. Why field trips were useful for you and your middle-school peers.
3. How summer holidays inspired you to read books outside.
4. A walk in the forest that made you think about philosophical matters.
5. Haunted houses are real. Quasi-realistic story.
6. When learning something new transformed your perception of the world.
7. The most inspiring acquaintance of your life.
8. When you understood that your pet is smarter than you thought.
9. Tell a story about an amusing moment that happened to you or your family members.
10. When your embarrassment turned into your benefit.
11. The most extraordinary birthday party my friend organized.
12. The strangest force of nature you encountered.
13. When getting lost in the woods made you scared to death.
14. The sports competition that made you value decent team cooperation.
15. When a school drama play impressed the audience.
16. The kindest deed that encouraged you to help others.
17. You were a witness to a historic event that changed the lives of many people.
18. When the rebellion against your teacher was justified.
19. Awkward misunderstanding between you and your best friend.
20. It was a difficult decision to switch schools, but everything turned out to be unexpectedly positive.
21. When one friendship ended, it meant it never existed for real.
22. The moment you began developing your own virtues.
23. When it was wrong to judge a person by his weird appearance.
24. The perks of your introverted character.
25. The moment when you started to get along with your parents.
26. How appreciation of your sibling appeared.
27. Being smarter than others: sometimes, it is a challenge.

Narrative Essay Topics for High School Students

Narrative essay topics for high school students are not only boring ones! Train both your memory and imagination.

28. I was alone in a foreign city for the first time in my life, and I realized that life would never be the same again.
29. Unique family traditions others do not usually stick to.
30. My hostel experience helped me make international friends.
31. The life-changing events of my last high school year.
32. The novel attitude to life you acquire as a high school student.
33. How books by Gabriel García Márquez influenced my striving to become a writer.
34. Why every adolescent should have a camping experience.
35. The day of serendipity – an amazing sequence of lucky events that happened to me.
36. When the urge to impress others proved to be blundering.
37. Education within your family forms your psychological portrait.
38. What Ray Bradbury’s short story enlightened me about the butterfly effect.
39. My penchant for fantastic matters is interrelated with my childhood events.
40. Creative ways to chill after school, without being idle.
41. Why yearning for fame is peculiar to teens.
42. Overcoming my major phobia was a key factor in my mental transformation.
43. Why rock music, especially within its various genres, improves your intellect.
44. Depressive states of mind as triggers of creativity.
45. How to use social media smartly, without the unnecessary distractions.
46. The vision of my ideal planet. What should we do to make a difference?
47. I wish my younger self was not so impetuous.
48. How keeping a diary made me a poet.
49. How I performed despite my stage fright.
50. When no one believed I could improve my grades, I became a valedictorian.
51. My adverse deeds in the past motivated me to volunteer.

Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

The thought-provoking narrative essay topics for college students are right below.

52. If you had your own Talk Show, whom would you invite first?
53. They asked me “Why do you change social media nicknames so often?”, and I replied, “We create our own versions of reality.”
54. How foreign language clubs made me a polyglot.
55. The most sophisticated academic essay you were afraid to write, but you did and obtained the highest grade.
56. How living in a feminism-centered family shaped your attitude toward gender.
57. The reasons why strangers often talk to me.
58. Instances when movie adaptations surpassed the original books.
59. If you had a superpower, would you decide to save the world?
60. The flabbergasting discovery that made you an amateur sleuth.
61. My thoughts on cosmopolitanism. Why home can be anywhere.
62. “From childhood’s hour, I have not been as others were…” Why these lines from the poem by Edgar Poe also tell about me.
63. When you understood that music is your second nature.
64. The unforgettable winter day when I met my soulmate.
65. When breaking the rules helped to get your friend out of trouble.
66. When I was a singer in a rock band. Precious moments of stage performance.
67. I woke up and felt nothing but apathy. Why do we have existential crises?
68. The abortion confession of a teenager. She was scared and took the ill-fated pill.
69. I looked like a grotesque punk, and people could not even imagine that my IQ is higher than theirs.
70. I fell in love with a woman 13 years older than me. Before you judge me, I will say, “Now we are happily married.”
71. Why sexist views should not be tolerated in the modern world.
72. Pornography is mind-destroying, as it causes emotional mutilation and even deprives people of the ability to love.
73. “I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul” is not just Radiohead lyrics. How unrealistic body images turn us into “beauty prisoners”.
74. Why political correctness remains utopian.
75. Altruism versus egocentrism.
76. The nature of ethical dilemmas: to eat or not to eat?
77. Why little lies bring mental delight to some people.
78. Beyond Christian matters: how I started valuing all world religions.
79. Why I decided to study theosophy despite the prevailing technocratic values.

Best Topics for Narrative Essay

Best topics for the narrative essays that make you recollect the most amazing stories!

80. My personal Pandemonium. How living in a co-dependent family made me wiser.
81. The decision I made through tears.
82. I went to Hawaii and found Eden on Earth.
83. I lived effortlessly and lazily until this girl changed my life forever.
84. When initiating a charitable organization made me spiritually richer.
85. Why I do not forget to visit my grandparents.
86. I live in a town the majority calls “faceless”, but there are unique things others do not see.
87. Is it sagacious to follow your dream like in “The Alchemist” by Coelho?
88. Team Readley – the most whimsical person I have ever known.
89. The most embarrassing photo of me as a party animal went viral. What happened next?
90. When you start envying Instagram bloggers, it is time to boost your self-esteem.
91. Are you authentic or fictional on social media?
92. My Facebook is more refined and censored as my parents see my posts. My Instagram is my personal version of “breaking bad”.
93. How art therapy instilled positive thinking in my previously pessimistic personality.
94. Why alternative music is for alternative thinkers.
95. Could musicians in the 60s be prodigies without taking LSD?
96. The best songwriters of the jazz era transformed the general perception of music.
97. Why classical music is still the most impeccable genre.
98. Beat generation as the era of the pioneering hipsters.
99. The video game that enhances your intellectual capacity.
100. I have never been a person keen on sports, but I could become the best goalkeeper of the local football team.

Personal Narrative Ideas for Essay

Personal narrative ideas for essay writing advancements.

101. Why would I need a time-turner?
102. If I became a protagonist of King’s “11/22/63”, I would not decide to save Kennedy’s life.
103. If I could freeze the time with all the people around me, being able to move, I would…
104. As an esthete, I abhor ugly things.
105. When loss taught me of the importance of self-perception in complete solitude.
106. How I envision hues, being colorblind.
107. A series of small stories about disenchantment.
108. They called me a hero, but I simply acted humanely.
109. The story of success I did not deserve.
110. The day I left all wrangles with my parents in the past.
111. My classmates laughed at me, but I was able to conquer the most beautiful girl in school.
112. Why it is difficult for me to socialize with people without a sense of humor.
113. Solitary moments bring marvelous insights.
114. The day I fathomed transcendental meditation.
115. 7 routine duties that lead to constant stress.
116. I read Gustav Meyrink and became a passionate adherent of weird fiction.
117. A week without my smartphone made me discover unexpected talents.
118. How Gestalt therapy made me alive and kicking again.
119. The personal benefits of being a Grammar Nazi.
120. How avoiding socialization made me understand my inner world better.
121. The miraculous educator taught me to grasp the depth of ordinary things.
122. A romantic date with a female scientist that turned my attitude to women upside down.
123. Polyamory experience killed my ability to love.
124. When rejection brought depression and then a wonderful catharsis.
125. Reasons why you can be faithful to one person during your lifetime.
126. Why it is absurd to love a celebrity.

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

Literacy narrative essay topics that encourage you to upgrade your knowledge.

127. The drama of the modern reading public. Are booklovers becoming “extinct creatures”?
128. When you discovered your poetic potential.
129. The science fiction story that made you think of the writers’ ability to predict the future.
130. Why Astrid Lindgren’s “The Brothers Lion Heart” was my favorite childhood book.
131. The pioneering conqueror of your personal “moon”. How a new experience made you dumbfounded and opened your personal door of perception.
132. Do you have your own hero? It is amazing to have an exemplary person in your life. It can be your favorite author, an artist, or a musician, a teacher, a relative, or a beloved one.
133. Your passion. People without hobbies are more likely to get bored on their own, as their creative source has not been found yet. Are you keen on music composing, poetry writing, cooking alternative dishes, designing clothes, painting, reading eerie literature? This topic can be a revelation of your unique qualities, as meaningful interests greatly influence our personalities and provide us with uncommon lifestyles.
134. Problem-solving genius. If you have a gift to cope even with the trickiest issues and accept odd challenges, you are obliged to share your experience with others! People would cherish your practical advice. The ability to solve problems can make you a good psychologist.
135. A journey to remember. If you traveled to an exquisitely whimsical or exotic location, it is likely you were inspired so much that you made beautiful photos or wrote about it in your diary. Turn this memory into an enticing story. What have you sensed, seen, tried? Did the local life of that place made you appreciate your life more or less?
136. The moment that instigated reappraisal of values. Life consists of events, but only some moments become life-changing. If something incredible happened that transformed your world perception or values, you cannot be silent about it, write a spirit-stirring story!
137. Are you able to entertain people naturally? Write an amusing story. Perhaps, your friends often tell you that you have a talent to make up witty jokes. You can recollect a funny event from your life and adorn it with your bright imagination. People love a good laugh, especially in uncertain times, to get distracted from daily problems.
138. Virtual realm. What can be called our delight, helpful friend, and even the necessary evil? Of course, the world wide web and our constant access to it. generate a thoughtful or ironic piece on our widespread online dependence. Think about the world without the Internet; can it even exist without it? People’s addiction to virtual reality is still a decent plot for a fictional story, especially a dystopian and a homiletic one.
139. Your surroundings. It can be a good topic to concentrate on if you lack ideas to ponder over something else or suffer from writer’s block. However, not only a crisis might make you describe things around you. Such writing practice can be useful to train your attention to details. We often take things for granted and stop appreciating the beauty and meaning of everyday objects and phenomena. Try to portray the same old tree you see out of your window every day, but this time, look at it meticulously, imagine that it is even more alive, like Tolkien’s Ents from Middle-earth. If you manage to turn something ordinary into magical, the first key to your professional writer’s life will be found.
140. It was an ordinary day, but then I realized a simple truth – I have not been a child anymore.
141. How a dispassionate person taught me to value my own emotions.
142. How I recognized the love of my life among others.
143. Marvelous allusions make me believe in the afterlife.
144. Being a classic poetry lover, I considered rap as a distorted version of rhyming eloquence until the day I heard this expressive song.
145. My transition from an extrovert into an introvert, which made me more creative.
146. All wallflowers are different, but some wallflowers are more different than others. The story of an eccentric individual.
147. How leaving a specific subculture made me a melomaniac appreciating all the shades of ingenious music.
148. My eloquence always impresses people and makes me stand out.
149. I am obsessed with artworks because I can imagine lovely plots, but cannot paint them myself.
150. Why I rejected a boyfriend who did not read books.
151. It’s time to praise your tutor: how my English lessons made my acquaintance smarter.
152. In childhood, I wrote poems and left them everywhere, forgetting about them. I could not believe my dad saved every single piece I produced.

Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics

Descriptive narrative essay topics for young minds.

153. When I became a goth, people were scared of me, but then I started creating songs everyone liked.
154. Imagine an outlandish island you would like to build a house on.
155. There is no significant challenge for an educated and motivated mind.
156. I had not been grateful before this event happened.
157. Why digital life makes us toxic creatures.
158. Why you underestimated your talent while everyone told you that you have a special gift.
159. Spending your free time with scatter-brained people destroys your creative potential.
160. Being an odd one out, not using social media. Crazy for others, happy for yourself.
161. Your first job experience that was catastrophic.
162. The most unanticipated present you could ever get from a close friend.
163. Why marriage is outdated for the contemporary world.
164. When a long-distance relationship showed me what unfeigned love is.
165. The hitchhiking adventure that could have been made into a great movie.
166. Why robots will never surpass humans.
167. How a silly scam experience taught you to save money.
168. When a bouquet of flowers given to a wrong person changed fates.
169. Daydreaming can satiate your artistic mind with inspiring storylines.
170. Why the ocean always calms me down.
171. When a picnic turned into a detective investigation.
172. Why masquerades were more mysterious in the past.
173. Is Livraria Lello an overrated book store owing to its connection to J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter?

Cultural Narrative Essay Topics

Exploring cultural narrative essay topics broadens your horizons.

174. Do discrepant beliefs trigger seclusion or encourage cosmopolitism?
175. Are there any cultural privileges you can boast of in comparison to other nations?
176. Self-discovery is a way to self-fulfillment.
177. Why cultural norms make us one-sided.
178. The awkwardly advantageous effects of the pandemic. The catharsis of the Earth.
179. Being a European, I have been always attracted to the ethnic peculiarities of Native Americans.
180. The secrets behind Lovecraft’s aversion to different races.
181. Revealing the hedonistic value of world cuisines.
182. Why some mainstream cultures are more ingenious than others?
183. Is it possible to determine the most prejudiced nation in the world?
184. Pop culture does not choose simplicity and triviality at all times.
185. Watching a parade of a post-Soviet country made me recollect Orwell’s “1984”.
186. Why Italians can truly appreciate the small pleasures of life.
187. Can you define the most intelligent nation?
188. New Zealand’s name was inspired by Dutch explorers, but it has nothing in common with the Netherlands.
189. Can the advanced technologies allow us to create a real-life “Brave New World”, but without the grim consequences of Huxley’s novel?
190. A question of civilization: is it better to enjoy all the elements of progress along with its detrimental effects or remain incognizant but happy within a wild tribe?
191. The most intimidating signs that the Third World War is inevitable.
192. Reasons to deprive the English language of international status.
193. Learning Chinese is an investment in the future.

Narrative argument essay topics that contain controversial subjects and burning issues.

194. Why marijuana is legalized in Amsterdam.
195. Birth control pills are not suitable for girls with thyroid gland medical issues.
196. The sensitive issue of abortion will never reach a common consensus.
197. Even highly developed countries have not initiated truly effective laws on gun control. Is corruption involved?
198. After reading “The Green Mile” by Stephen King, my attitude toward the death penalty has been radically transformed.
199. Progressive attitude to the human body. Nude pictures are not shameful if they represent an artistic value.
200. Why 16 years old is a decent age to start voting.
201. The modern pandemic has caused a terrible financial crisis on a global scale.
202. Can we share something more valuable with all the nations than free education?
203. Acceptance rates of some educational establishments are ridiculously high.
204. Why same-sex couples can become even better parents than traditional ones.
205. The reasons behind low salaries in developing countries.
206. Learning with technology makes us imitators, so we lose the ability to imagine and create on our own.
207. A prospect for the future: can a lonely person marry a robot?
208. The majority of Internet users are not aware of how vulnerable their social accounts are.
209. Why horror movies entice people.
210. Art-house motion pictures are not for everyone, but they often influence us as profound books.
211. Why teenage rebels often become successful professionals.
212. Museums of post-modern arts embody the decay of humanity.
213. Being rejected in one sphere means being accepted in another one.
214. Talking to strangers can be rewarding.

Fictional Narrative Essay Topics

Fictional narrative essay topics for striving writers.

215. Become an author of fiction about a man with the ability to transform others into animals.
216. Write a short story about a dog who suddenly turned into an inventor.
217. Think about a dystopian plot where every village, town, and city on Earth became isolated from the outside world.
218. Come up with a storyline where people are able to change their identities during a specific hour at night.
219. Imagine the town where only teenagers live, but something seems to be wrong – they act as elderly people!
220. Write a story about an artist who fell in love with his Muse, but his obsession made him hold her captive in the concealed art studio.
221. Envision a plot about a bizarre case of amnesia. The setting is on a different planet, and the patient does not remember that the Earth was destroyed.
222. Write about a schoolchild with paranormal abilities. Owing to his gift, he saved not only his school but the entire world.
223. Ponder on the first online conference between earthlings and extraterrestrial beings.
224. Write about a picturesque village where only twins live. Everything seems to be friendly and peaceful there until they find out that you do not have a twin.
225. Write about a woman of unearthly beauty. It turns out she is the daughter of a female human and a male Martian.
226. Produce a short story about Native Americans and their supposed interstellar origin.
227. Make up a story about a witch who was afraid of blackbirds because of one family secret.
228. Write a fictional story about the strangest job a human being can obtain.
229. Create a piece about a blind sculptor who created weird statues resembling random people from his city.
230. Write a horror story about the house with a hidden labyrinth and ghastly enigmas inside it.
231. Write an esoteric story about a man who gained mystic knowledge in the Indonesian temple, but there was something he did and infuriated ancient deities.
232. Write a superhero story about a ballerina with a robotic leg that turns into a weapon when enemies are close.
233. Come up with a storyline where a bibliophile starts collecting all the possible editions of only one book.
234. Write about an unseen natural disaster that appears to be the plan of aliens to kidnap people.
235. Envision that there is a sleepwalker who encounters horrible murders each night, but cannot tell anyone about it because he was dreaming.