Narrative vs. Descriptive

While both narrative and descriptive stories allow a writer to explain an idea or event, they differ in the specific intent. A narrative tells a story about an event, while description creates a clear and vivid picture of a person, place, thing or event. Narration often employs first person point of view, using words like "I" and "me," while description does not. The biggest difference between the two is that a narrative essay includes action, but the descriptive essay does not. Narration follows a logical order, typically chronological. In contrast, description typically contains no time elements. A descriptive essay is more compelling than a narrative: even though a narrative is meant to entertain, a descriptive essay creates a better visual image because the language is more specific and helps to make the essay more vivid and clear.
A descriptive story/essay describes the subject in such vivid detail that the reader feels like he/she can reach out and grab what is being described. For example, instead of writing ‘It was bright out’, write ‘The sun shone its gloriously bright rays onto my pale, freckled face’. The imagery of the more descriptive sentence allows your reader to feel that sense of brightness on his/her own face while reading the story. There is a handful of questions you can ask yourself while writing a descriptive story, all of which will engage the five senses of the reader. What do you smell? What do you taste? What do you hear? What might you touch? What do you see? All of the questions are used for describing. If at all possible, try and avoid the words stuff, things and a lot. There really is no meaning behind those words, they are kind of just filler words. As I was reading ‘Homeless’ by Quindlen, I came across two sentences that jumped off of the page at me: “It was like a thousand houses in a hundred towns, not suburb, not city, but somewhere in between, with aluminum siding and a chain-link fence, a narrow driveway running up to a one-car garage, and a patch of backyard. The house was yellow.” The use of description in these sentences was remarkable. It made me, as the reader of “Homeless”, see this house. I can see this yellow house in my mind and I can picture the fence and the driveway so clearly. This is why it is so important in a descriptive essay to choose words wisely and make sure you are painting a clear picture for your readers.
Narrative stories or essays tend to tell a story from the perspective of a narrator. Narration often employs the first-person point of view, using words like ‘I’ and ‘me’. The story may be true, false or a combination. A narration is generally done on a more time-framed basis, ideally from the perspective of one time-frame. The dramatic structure of a narrative essay/story has five basic elements. The first one being the opening paragraph, which is used to introduce the situation and create some tension. The next element is the rising action, which should take up the majority of your story. It allows you to create the building of tension throughout the story/essay. The next element is the climax, which is generally where the story resolves problems or conflicts. The next element is the after-math, where the story all comes together. The last element is the concluding paragraph, in which the narrator would tie together any loose ends and bring the story to a close. When writing a narrative, it is best to use concrete details, rather than abstract. This is to allow your reader to empathize with the story you are presenting.
Between the two, descriptive and narrative, there are some similarities. Both styles have a clear and concise point within the story and both tell about something the writer is passionate about, which makes for a more interesting read. Both styles of writing also should follow the same essay format, which includes an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. There should also be a thesis statement placed to reiterate the whole purpose of the paper. Make the reader understand why the topic was important to you as the writer. Description and narration are often used together because description helps make the story we are narrating clearer and more vivid. (Connell, 2013). A descriptive essay is more compelling than a narrative: even though a narrative is meant to entertain, a descriptive essay creates a better visual image because the language is more specific and helps to make the essay more vivid and clear.

Works Cited

Brady, J. (1971). I want a wife. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/everthingsanargument4e/content/cat_020/Brady_I_Want_a_Wife.pdf Connell, C. M., & Sole, K. (2013). Essentials of college writing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. Inc.
Quindlen, A. (n.d.). Homeless. Retrieved from http://pers.dadeschools.net/prodev/homelesstext.htm

Cited: Brady, J. (1971). I want a wife. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/everthingsanargument4e/content/cat_020/Brady_I_Want_a_Wife.pdf Connell, C. M., & Sole, K. (2013). Essentials of college writing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. Inc. Quindlen, A. (n.d.). Homeless. Retrieved from http://pers.dadeschools.net/prodev/homelesstext.htm