personal response essay prompts

13 Thought-Provoking Personal Narrative Prompts

by Suzanne Davis | Sep 12, 2019 | Writing Essays and Papers | 2 comments

To be a person is to have a story to tell. –Isak Dinesen

What stories are within you? A personal narrative is a story from your life. So, it is simple to write. Maybe. If you come up with an experience you’re dying to share–it is easy to get started. But, it isn’t always easy to think of an idea for a personal narrative. So, I put together a list of 13 personal narrative prompts to help you find a compelling story you long to write about.

The idea of longing to write it is important because personal narratives need to show readers what your experience was like. Desire to write inspires you to put more effort into your narrative’s description, character development, and plot. Sounds a lot like writing a fictional story doesn’t it? Both are narratives, they need to engage your readers and show them something unique.

Personal narrative writing shows settings, people, actions, and feelings. When you write a personal narrative, you describe a story so that your reader sees, feels, and understands what you experienced. When you write a personal narrative, you describe a story so that your reader sees, feels and understands what you experienced. Click To Tweet

You show (don’t tell) readers a personal story . Check out the post “How to Master Writing a Compelling Personal Narrative Essay” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/writing-a-personal-narrative/ to see how to use the show don’t tell approach in writing personal narratives.

Finding an engaging personal narrative prompt will help you discover a memorable essay. Let’s find the right topic for you.

13 Personal Narrative Prompts

One of the best ways to show a personal story is to select a small episode or anecdote from your life and dig deep into it. These 13 personal narrative prompts help you find a great essay topic.

#1 Favorite School Memory

Write a story about your favorite school memory. Who was there? Where was it? How did it happen? How does it end? Focus on one single event. For example, if you played the violin in school you could tell a story about playing the violin in a concert. Or if you played on a soccer team, you could tell the story of your tryout.

# 2 Worst School Memory

This is the opposite of #1. Select a memory that is focused on a terrible situation. What triggered that situation and what happened? What was the result? For example, this could be a situation where you were bullied. Describe what happened, and how it ended for you. Did anyone defend you, or help you? Or did the bullying continue?

#3 Frightening Story

Write a story about a scary or frightening moment in your life. What happened? How was it scary? Are you still frightened? Fear is a strong emotion and it motivates people to keep reading and find out what followed. Some examples of frightening moments are being trapped in a cave, lost in the woods or inside an old house with strange noises, or a traumatic event. A frightening experience could also be any personal event where you didn’t feel safe and were afraid something terrible was going to happen.

# 4 “Just Between Friends”

Write a story about something that happened between you and a friend. Is it something important you experienced together? Did your friend do something to help you? Did that person hurt you? Or did you do something to help your friend? Did you hurt a friend? Some ideas for this topic are an activity or event you both participated in, something you both started, a great act of kindness, a sacrifice one of you made to help the other. It could also be something where you betrayed your friend, or your friend betrayed you.

#5 Family Story

This is similar to the topic of friendship except in this case it’s something that happened within your family. What occurred, who was there, and what did you do? Is there an important funny, sad, or happy event in your family? Did you do something important or special with your family? Some examples of this topic are the birth of someone in your family, the death of a loved one, or something fun you did with your parents, siblings or grandparents, etc.

Write a story of the best, strangest, or worst thing that happened to you on a vacation or trip to another place. Focus on one event or experience. One mistake writers make with this essay idea is they describe an entire travel experience, and that isn’t interesting to your readers. Some ideas for this writing prompt are getting lost in a city, being pickpocketed on a trip, or visiting a historical site.

#7 First Love

First loves are powerful and vivid stories. Consider a story about how you met that person or a significant memory between you. This could be something wonderful, funny, or even terrible, If the relationship is over how did it end? Were you heartbroken? These stories, or a story about any important relationship, leave an imprint on us.

#8 Success Story

Write a story about something you accomplished. Describe what you did to achieve success, and how you reached your goal. Were there obstacles you had to overcome? This is a tricky essay topic because sometimes people focus on the feelings of success or the final achievement rather than the story of how they succeeded. Some ideas for this topic are to write about winning an event, earning an honor, confronting a personal challenge, or getting over a phobia.

#9 Personal Failure

Write about how you failed to do or failed to achieve something. Describe what you tried to do, how you failed, and what you gained/learned from it. Everyone fails at something. Your readers understand the feeling of failure. Some people connect with these personal narratives more than stories of success because they empathize with you. People learn a lot through failure, so when you write this type of story, hint or convey what you learned from failing.

#10 Accident

Write a story about an accident you caused or an accident that happened to you. This could be negative as in a car accident or maybe it’s an accident of good fortune. Describe how the accident occurred, who was involved, and how it ended. Was it a bicycle accident? How did it happen? Did someone get hurt?

#11 Unresolved Experience

Personal Narrative Prompt--The Unresolved Experience

Describe something that happened to you, but where there’s no resolution. What was the experience and how did it occur? What don’t you understand or know about the experience? Then, instead of having a resolution to the story, convey how you feel about not knowing what happened.

#12 An International or National Event or Incident

Write a personal story describing how you acted, witnessed, or responded to a significant national or international event or incident. Did you play in the Olympics, or join a protest? Did you survive a natural disaster? What was your role in this circumstance? What did you do? For example, if you were in a hurricane describe what happened, who you were with, and how you survived.

#13 Change the World Experience

One of the best experiences I had in my life was creating and organizing a family literacy program for public schools. There are several stories within that experience I could write. If you were a volunteer for an organization or participated in a service project, think about what happened. Was there a moment that changed everything? What occurred? Did any of those stories change you, your community, or another person? These stories can be very moving because they have impacted you, what you believe, and how you see or view others.

Choose a Personal Narrative Prompt and Write

The most important factor to consider in a personal narrative is yourself. Choose an idea for a personal narrative that intrigues you. If your narrative bores you, it’ll bore readers. You want to write a descriptive personal story with vivid characters, actions, and emotions.

Also, select a story you want to share with others. You’re revealing not just what happened to you, but also a piece of yourself. Is your personal story something you want people to know?

It’s your story . You decide what to write and who reads it. Then write it well.

What is your favorite personal narrative topic? Please share it below!

Great prompts, Suzanne! I especially liked #10 the unresolved experience. Very thought provoking. These prompts would also be great for personal journaling.

Terri, thank you. You’re right. These writing prompts would work well with personal journaling. I’m glad you liked #10. It’s one of my favorites!

[…] So which descriptive essay prompt inspires you? And if you want more creative writing prompts, check out my blog post, “13 Thought-Provoking Personal Narrative Prompts” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/13-thought-provoking-personal-narrative-prompts/ . […]

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100 Response Essay Topics For Students of All Majors

Students start looking for response essay topics when they realize they are going to have to write a paper of this type. Feeling confused or panicked is normal in this situation, but don’t let these feelings overwhelm you: we’ll share all necessary information and tips in this article. Response essay is a type of writing where you express your reaction and opinion on a text, issue, event, or literally anything else. The meaning is right in the title: this is your response to something that affected you.

Such tasks are very important because they give you a chance to analyze a subject and voice your views, shaping your thoughts and forming a coherent response paper from them. This will be useful in your other essays and in conversations in general. But before any serious work can start, decide on a strong topic. We are going to help you understand how to do that.

How To Find Summary Response Essay Topics

Studying at college is both an interesting and challenging experience. Writing assignments are assigned on a frequent basis, but no matter how often this happens, following instructions doesn’t become easier. Each time, students have to choose a topic they are going to explore, and yet inspiration doesn’t always come. For such cases, we prepared some valuable tips. Take a look at them below.

Think about the recent past. Since response essay should be about an experience that had an impact, most likely, it’ll be something you’ve read or seen recently. Consider possible options. Maybe you’ve just read a really great book? It could be a short story or even impressive fanfiction — examples are endless here. Critical response essay topics could be taken from movies or plays you’ve seen, as well as from real events you’ve witnessed. Of course, time isn’t that important, so if you recall some old work that left a huge mark on your memory or personality, easily choose it as your essay subject. You could try reading something new, too — whatever triggers your interest works.
Repeat the experience. When you have some ideas in mind, recreate them in practice. Re-read the book or the story again to see if they still have the same effect on you. Watch the movie again — you don’t need to do it wholly if you don’t want to waste time, but at least try to get through the key points.
Make notes about details. With that done, start making notes. Your response essay topic ideas should supply you with lots of vivid details because you’ll have to describe them all. If you cannot recall much of your reaction and formulate points from the subject you chose, then this topic should be replaced with something else.
Clarify with professor. Professors should approve titles their students selected. So, send what you planned in and wait for feedback. Perhaps what you chose won’t fit, and you will be asked to come up with another topic. Better learn about it before you do any actual work! Professors could give you advice, too, so this step has double value.

100 Best Reaction Essay Topics to Choose From

Samples are always better than theories! To help you with your essay writing, we developed 100 various topics for your usage. They are divided into 10 groups, so check every title until you find the one you like. You could apply them just in the way they’re written or add your own details in them — it’s up to you.

Response Essay Topics on Books

Reader response essay topics are always great because as a student, you likely read things on a constant basis.

Describe Your Reaction to Odyssey: What Was Your First Impression?
Reading Stephen King’s Books as a Child: What Frightened You Most?
Legends About King Arthur: What Did You Think & What Inspiration You Derived From Them?
Reading Twilight After All the Hype: What Did You Think?
My Favorite Childhood Book: What Did I Find Moving About It?
Looking at the World in Gulliver’s Travels: My Awe & Changing Perspective
What Did Animal Farm Teach Me About How Our Society Functions?
Feeling of Suspense in Hunger Games: My View & My Excitement
Morrison’s Beloved: Temptation to Read Forbidden Books & What This Leads to
The Magic and Charm I Felt When I First Met Harry Potter on Book Pages
Discuss Reaction of Snape’s Story Reveal
What I Thought About 1984 After Reading Final Line
Talk About the Most Disappointing Book Ending
My Feelings After Realizing Sad Novel Has Happy Ending
Discuss Heartbreak At Seeing Beloved Characters Die

Personality Response Essay Ideas

Can you use first person in a topic response essay? Yes, of course — that’s the essence of these tasks. You could also always explore a topic about yourself.

My Reaction to the Great Birthday Present I Got Last Year
Instance Where I Got Bullied at School & How I Responded to It
How I Felt Seeing My Pet for the First Time & Things We Did Together Right After This
My Reaction After Learning That Someone I Loved Passed Away
Reaction I Displayed Upon Learning That a Friend I Trusted Betrayed Me
How I Felt When I Got Acceptance Letter From My University
Reaction Toward Getting Detention At My School When I Was Not Guilty
Strong Feelings That Appeared When I Saw My Mother Cry
Everyone Reacts on Getting Their Hearts Broken Differently: Here Is My Story
Getting My New Phone Stolen: Detailed Reaction and Endless Cursing

Movies and TV Shows Response Essay Prompts

Watching TV is one of the biggest delights people know. That is why response essay ideas about them are so fun.
Watching Titanic: Its Destructive & Liberating Impact on Me
How Watching ‘Hannibal’ Made Me Consider Going Vegetarian
How Gone with the Wind Inspired a Romantic in Me
The Shawshank Redemption as a Movie That Made Me Terrified of Prison
Watching All Movies Based on King’s Works & Realizing They Are Horrible
Godfather: Does It Romanticize Criminal Life & Criminal Bonding?
Lord of the Rings Series: What Is So Powerful About It That Our World Adores It?
Movie That I Waited for a Long Time & Which Turned Out to Be Huge Disappointment
Reaction Toward Disastrous Finale of Supernatural
How BBC ‘Sherlock’ Fans Responded Season 4
Talking About Hearing that My Favorite Show Is Coming Back
Discuss Moment of Understanding That Beloved Show Is Cancelled for Good
Reactions on Movie I Liked Getting Oscar
Response about Movie I Hated Getting Oscar
Emotions That Crashed Into Me After My Ship Went Canon

Response Essays Ideas About Events

Here are some more personal response essay topics. Discuss events from your life or from life in general.

COVID: Anxiety & Terror It Brings into People’s Lives
What Does Everyone Think About Results of American Elections?
Describe Shifts That Happen in People’s Work Habits These Days
Describe Any Reaction toward Legalization of Same-Sex Marriages
Getting My First Job as the Biggest Event in My Life
Visiting Hospital for the First Time: What I Thought About It
What Was People’s Reaction Toward Kennedy’s Assassination?
Finding Out That Visit of Your Favorite Actor Is Cancelled In Your Hometown
Learning That School Has Become Online for the Nearest Future
Loudest Party in Your Life: What Impressions Did It Give You?

Response Topics About People

People are fascinating, and these personal response essay examples are going to be very helpful!

Meeting a Person Who Became My Best Friend: How I Felt
Excitement & Eagerness at Reuniting with Loved Ones
Anger & Irritation After Having a Fight with Parents
Seeing Queen Victoria in Real Life
Witnessing an Ugly Fight between Classmates
When My Beloved Found Out About My Cheating
Thinking I Saw Ghost: Fear & Disbelief I Experienced
Reacting toward Someone I Respected Disappointing Me
Making a Loved One Happy: My Reaction to Their Reaction
Sharing a Secret With Someone I Learned Is Untrustworthy: Panic & Worries
Realizing I Love Someone Who Does Not Love Me Back
Talking with Dear People I Have Not Seen For Years
Being Inspired By Someone
Talking with Survivor of Disaster & Feeling What They Feel
Hearing Good News From Person I Did Not Expect Anything Good From

Entertainment

There are many good response essay topics in the sphere of fun. For example, how about music?

First Live Concert in Life: What Feelings Did It Evoke?
Listening to a Song That Later Become My Favorite: First Reaction
How I Reacted After Being Woken Up At 6 A.M. By My Neighbor’s Music
Coming Home & Seeing Surprise Party Prepared For Me
How Playing Hide & Seek Felt Years After My Childhood
My Joy At Receiving My Chance at Auditioning
Winning a Lottery & Realizing It
Posting a Story Online & Getting First Great Review On It
Seeing How Pets Start Following Commands I Gave Them
Meeting Famous Rap Performer By Accident

Apart from music and similar stuff, there are also videos of different kinds posted on YouTube as well as on related platforms. Here are some response essays topics about this.

Getting First Comments On My Posted YouTube Video
How I Saw the Most Amazing Video in Existence
My Response toward Feeling How My Depression Disappears
Reviving Hope Over Something I Thought Was Lost
Watching the Funniest Clip I Have Ever Seen

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History, wars, deadly viruses — there are so many events that students could find lots of reaction essay topics on.

Learning About Impacts Brought by World War 2: How That Felt Like
How I Felt After Realizing COVID Is Real & Dangerous
Describe Reaction toward Hearing About 9/11
How Do You Feel About Modern Wars Breaking Out?
Talk About Your Reaction toward Urbanization Trend
2000 Year Celebration. Describe Reactions toward New Millennium
Discuss Your Feelings About Ebola Breaking Out
Write Down Reactions of Your Parents toward USSR Falling Apart
How Getting Unlimited Internet Felt Like?
3D Revolution: How People Changed Their Cinema Visits Pattern

Education Response Essay Prompts

How about response to an argument essay topic or college policy you disliked? This is always a possibility.

Being Accepted Into College of My Dream
How Students React When They Change Countries for Education Purposes
Getting First Failing Grade for Studies
Earning First Great Grade for Assignments
Discussing Any Change in Education Policies I Disliked
How Studying From Home After COVID for the First Time Felt Like
Being Caught Cheating on Exam: Embarrassment & Mortification
Realizing You’re About to Be Expelled
When My Parents Were Called In by My School Principle
Being Rude to Professor & Feeling Sorry

Reaction Essay Ideas That Will Intrigue Your Readers

Allow yourself to write about something that you love and feel inspired by. After learning how to select good topics, you will quickly see how much better your writing skills become. Passion is a great fuel, so allow it to guide you. Make a response essay interesting by sharing the insights with your readers, and your grades are going to reflect this. But persuasion doesn’t always work, and you might still be struggling with technical aspects of a writing process. If so, feel free to talk to us about it. We have a team of the best writers at our disposal, and they’re going to assist from the moment you provide instructions. Share guidelines, elaborate on them, attach the files, and tell us your deadline. After this, consider your task done! Whatever type of assistance you need, you’ll find it.

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