his week, you have been working on your narrative essay – expanding, revising, and editing it since receiving feedback last week. In addition to the peer reviews from classmates and the advice you received from your instructor, it was recommended that you visit Smarthinking for additional feedback from one of their tutors. When you have finished the feedback and revision process, this essay should be your best work of the session and should showcase your new writing skills.

It is recommended that you complete the following steps:

STEP ONE: Apply the feedback you received in the Week 4 Discussion: Rough Draft of Narrative Essay. Please also take the time to submit your essay to Smarthinking for additional feedback.

STEP TWO: Remember: A narrative essay is a story with a point. The narrative essay should include at least five paragraphs: an introduction that ends with a thesis statement, at least three supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion that explains the significance of telling the story.

STEP THREE: As you revise, pay close attention to organizing your ideas and developing supporting examples. Begin with an attention-getting opener to engage your reader’s interest. Include the main point you wish to make in the introduction. Be sure you support your main point with examples, details, and scenes with action, dialogue, and gestures that make the story come alive for the reader. Include the meaning or significance of telling the story in your conclusion.

STEP FOUR: Proofread your paper carefully. Take the time to read your work aloud. Update the essay with the advice you received from Smarthinking! Also, be sure to run the spelling and grammar checker in MS Word located in Tools. Pay close attention to those red squiggly lines.

STEP FIVE: Finally, review the grading criteria, self-assess your work, and submit on time. Please note that this is your final essay, and it is worth significantly more points than the typical weekly essay. Put your best effort into making this your finest essay of the session.

THIS IS MY NARRATIVE ESSAY: PLEASE REVISE IT .

Do not blink,” those words crossed my mind as I stood beside uncle Marv’s metallic hospital bed, the same words that my grandpa told me when he was ninety years old. He was probably referring to the speed at which life goes by, in a blink of an eye.The statement vividly portrays itself as I look at uncle Marv’s fading body. His last dying wishes are, “tell Cindy that I love her,” and at that moment, it dawns on me that loving someone is a rare and unending gift, one that defies even death.

Cindy was his wife of 40 years. Cindy was a resident on the 6^th floor. She suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, which had affected her mental capabilities. For a long time, she could not even recognize her husband. I was a conduit, a messenger treasured to witness the undying love my uncle professed for his wife.

Uncle Marv was madly in love with Aunt Cindy. He kept blaming himself for not being able to visit Aunt Cindy more often due to his illness. These feelings drove him into depression and shielded him from the world. He even gave up on taking care of himself correctly.

As time passed on Aunt Cindy, she could no longer recognize her children and her grandchildren. She lost her appetite and could not dress herself anymore. I visited Aunt Cindy several times. With each visit, it became clearer that my aunt was a shell of her former self. Her beautiful and radiant smile was missing as well as the sparkle in her eyes; forever gone.

As I stood there leaning against the wall with tears flowing down cheeks, watching the nurses trying to make uncle Marv as comfortable as possible, his last words crossed my mind. I remembered that aunt Cindy was on the 6th floor, fighting a losing battle to Alzheimer’s disease. She was in her final stages. I finally understood why grandpa was afraid of blinking.One moment you are celebrating and the next you are being celebrated. Uncle Marv taught me a lesson on the importance of true love, cherish it before life blinks!