200 Top Narrative Essay Topics and Ideas

There are many types of essays you might be required to write during your college years. Even though these essays might sometimes be a burden, they help you improve and polish your skills.

Narrative essays are about exposing your unique voice and point of view. It is about yourself, the events you went through, and your memories. They are about your particular way of narrating these stories. And when you need to write a narrative essay, you surely think about how to choose the best topic. There are many personal narrative ideas you could start your essay with, but are those the best personal narrative topics?

Catching the attention of the reader and having it engaged is something all students want to achieve. And this depends on your topic choice. Writers from Essaymama.com have created this list to meet your needs and help you narrow the list of topic choices.

Personal narrative essay topics

1. A beautiful experience of you volunteering
2. The experience of playing sports in a team
3. Talk about your closest friend
4. How you have learned a new skill
5. Your first trip without your parents
6. The relationship you have with your brothers and sisters
7. A funny experience
8. Your first trip abroad with your friends
9. Your first pet
10. The best experience you had at a concert
11. Talk about someone who has inspired you
12. An experience when you felt lost and scared
13. An experience when you helped someone in need
14. A story of how you have saved someone
15. Your first love
16. Your first day in college

Cultural narrative essay topics

17. How culture shaped your personality
18. How culture shaped your dreams and ideals
19. The influence of culture on friendship
20. The role culture plays in a romantic relationship
21. Unusual cultural traditions
22. How social media has shaped cultural beliefs
23. Talk about your favorite holiday and how it is celebrated in your native country
24. Traditions in your culture
25. Gastronomic traditions in your culture
26. How you feel about cultural norms
27. Privileges you might have in your culture
28. The significance of pop culture

Inspired from your experience narrative essay topics

29. Describe the moment you felt scared, alone, and fearful
30. Tell the story of how you got out of your comfort zone for the first time
31. Talk about what you have learned when you got out of your comfort zone
32. Describe how you felt when you lost a friend
33. Talk about what you have learned from your happiest moments
34. Talk about your first work experience
35. Talk about your first romantic relationship
36. Memories of new experiences
37. Mistakes you have made
38. The lessons you have learned from those mistakes
39. Memories of courageous actions
40. How you handled your toughest moments

Childhood memories narrative essay topics

41. Spending time with grandparents
42. Childhood games
43. The superheroes of your childhood
44. Your favorite memory
45. Your childhood dreams
46. Your role model
47. The lessons you have learned from family members
48. The experience of caring for a pet
49. Parties from childhood
50. Friends from childhood
51. First childhood love
52. First emotional experience
53. First painful experience
54. Teamwork in childhood

High school memories narrative essay topics

55. Why you started playing the guitar
56. Your favorite bands
57. A love experience
58. A bullying experience you went through
59. How social media changed friendships
60. School accomplishments
61. The experience of competing
62. School subjects that you loved
63. How you grew up with your best friend
64. What you have learned from high school
65. Humiliation and laughter: an experience you went through
66. How you helped a colleague in need
67. The hobbies you had during high school
68. What did you learn from bullying experiences?
69. The happiest memory of your high school years
70. The impact of skipping classes

Hobbies and interests narrative essay topics

71. Describe the moment you knew what career you want to follow
72. How you started your first hobby
73. How you have discovered your talents
74. The hobbies you currently have
75. What you have learned from practicing your hobbies
76. How your parents supported you in your hobbies
77. How parents should support their children's interests
78. How your hobby got you a job
79. Are hobbies more important than grades?
80. Hobbies turned into school classes
81. The benefits of practicing a hobby
82. The sacrifices you have made for your hobby
83. How to find a new hobby for you

College life narrative essay topics

84. Your first week in college
85. How you have made new friends in college
86. Your first trip with colleagues
87. The best party in college
88. How you have achieved your academic goals
89. How you set your goals
90. How college helped you fulfill your dreams
91. The opportunities you had in college
92. An inspirational lecture
93. The worst lecture
94. A moment when your professor was wrong
95. Studying mistakes you have made
96. How you prepared for your exams
97. A moment you thought you won't pass but you did
98. The most enriching feelings of college life
99. How you find your true love in college
100. The harsh transition between high school and college
101. Your first job in college
102. The greatest thing you did during college
103. The studies that challenged your beliefs

Inspiration sources narrative essay topics

104. Which are your muses?
105. A movie which inspired you
106. A book which inspired you
107. A friend who inspired you
108. How book characters have inspired you to behave
109. The inspiration you get from social media
110. An event that inspired you
111. An example of success in your life
112. Insignificant moments that inspired you
113. How office plants can boost your creativity
114. The most inspiring book you have read
115. A movie character you have empathized with
116. The emotions that inspire you
117. The inspiring effect of negative emotions

Traveling narrative essay topics

118. The favorite city you have traveled to
119. The city that is your second home
120. Your first memory traveling
121. The benefits of traveling
122. An inspiring trip you took
123. Your first solo trip abroad
124. Your first trip to New York
125. The country you would move to
126. Your favorite country
127. A restaurant you will never forget
128. The first trip to a concert
129. The experience of going to festivals
130. The impression of a visit to a museum
131. Discovering things you love while traveling
132. How you have discovered yourself while traveling
133. How traveling made you appreciate other cultures more
134. Your first trip by train
135. Your first plane trip
136. Why traveling with friends is the best

“What if” or “Imagine if” scenarios

137. What if you had a reality show?
138. What if you could travel back in time?
139. What if you could change the past?
140. What if you were a Coldplay member?
141. What if you were a movie director?
142. What if you were a bird?
143. What if you were an NBA player?
144. Who would you make immortal if you could?
145. What country would you buy if you could?
146. What would you do if you could save the Earth?
147. What would you do if you were president?
148. What activity would you reverse if you could?
149. If you could be anything, you would choose…
150. What animal would you save from extinction?
151. What fruit would you be?
152. Would you like to be immortal?
153. Would you like to live in another era?
154. If you had all the knowledge in the world, what would you build?

Narrative essay topics about personality

155. The superstitions you have
156. How would you have been if you were the single child
157. How your personality has been shaped by parents
158. Hoaxes you have fallen for
159. How your pet shaped your personality
160. What people believe of you
161. The risks you take when you are alone
162. The risks you take when you are with your friends
163. Describe a leadership experience you went through
164. Are you more a leader or a follower?
165. Are you competitive?
166. How culture shaped your personality
167. How language shaped your personality
168. How the society shaped your personality
169. How you have gained self-control
170. A moment when your personality caused a negative event

Gender and sexuality narrative essay topics

171. Men who think women are preys
172. Experiences with gender bias
173. Why sex should be taught in schools
174. The roles of men and women in your culture
175. About sexual education in schools
176. Teenage pregnancy
177. Your perspective on the LGBTQ community
178. Being gay in nowadays' society
179. The pressure of having the perfect body
180. Gender standards

Other narrative essay topics

181. The memory of learning how to ride the bike
182. The story when you lost your car/house keys
183. Your first ski experience
184. A dreadful memory
185. A memory of someone who treated you unfairly
186. Your favorite Christmas
187. Causing a car accident
188. Donating to people in need
189. A story of you organizing an event
190. The most inspiring volunteering experience
191. A low moment in your life
192. How and why you ended a relationship
193. The best day of your life
194. The worst day of your life
195. How you met your best friend
196. A memory from summer camp
197. The best present you received
198. How you helped your best friend
199. Your first driving experience
200. Discovering the truth about a friend

Choosing a topic for your narrative essay might seem challenging, but we hope that with this list, you will find your inspiration. And if you need help with more than this, do not hesitate to write to us. We have proficient and well-prepared writers at write my essay team, ready to help you with anything you need.