This lesson covers... the three parts of a narrative/challenges essay.
By the end you should... have a basic understanding of how to write your own narrative/challenges essay.
Time 5 minutes

Below is an example of a solid narrative/challenges essay. Read it first, then I’ll discuss it briefly.

WHAT HAD TO BE DONE

At six years old, I stood locked away in the restroom. My dad was being put under arrest for domestic abuse. He’d hurt my mom physically and mentally, and my brother Jose and I had shared the mental strain. It’s what had to be done.

For a few years the quality of our lives started to improve as our soon-to-be step-dad became part of our family. He paid attention to the needs of my mom, my brother, and me, but our prosperity was short-lived as my step dad’s chronic alcoholism became more recurrent. When I was eight, my younger brother Fernando’s birth complicated things even further. As my step-dad slipped away, Fernando’s care was left to Jose and me. I cooked, Jose cleaned, I dressed Fernando, Jose put him to bed. We did what we had to do.

I grew determined to improve the quality of life for my family and myself.    

Without a father figure to teach me the things a father could, I became my own teacher. I learned how to fix bikes, how to swim, and even how to talk to girls. I found a job to help pay bills. I became as independent as I could to lessen the time and money mom had to spend raising me.

I worked hard to earn straight A’s, I shattered my school’s 1ooM breaststroke record, and I learned to play the oboe. I tutored kids, teens, and adults on a variety of subjects ranging from basic English to home improvement and even Calculus. As the captain of the water polo and swim team I’ve led practices, and I became the first student in my school to pass the AP Physics 1 exam.

I’ve done tons, and I'm proud of it.

But I’m excited to say there’s so much I have yet to do. I haven’t danced the tango, solved a Rubix Cube, or seen the World Trade Center. And I have yet to see how Fernando will grow.  

I’ll do as much as I can from now on. Not because I have to.

Because I choose to. 

— — — 

Some things I love about this PIQ: 

  • In paragraph 1, the author makes the challenge very clear.

  • In paragraph 2, the author makes the effects/impacts very clear.

  • The author quickly transitions from the challenges/effects to describing what he did about it. I’ve highlighted some of those things above in bold.

  • The details help us understand the author’s values: family, responsibility, hard work, resourcefulness, humor, ambition, independence, helping others, leadership, and so much more.

To create a simple outline for a challenges-based PIQ, ask yourself those three questions:

  1. What challenge(s) did I face?

  2. What did I do about it?

  3. What did I learn?

You’re probably wondering: What if I’m NOT writing about challenges? I’ll explain that next.

To learn about montage structure, click below.