Narrative and descriptive essays share common characteristics that make them often grouped in the same category. The key characteristic among these two categories is their purpose. Generally, the purpose of narrative and descriptive essays is to tell a story. This demands a creative and critical approach to the essay writing process. They both focus on past experiences by examining occurrences and their significance to others and self. They are vivid and use explanations to make the reader acquire a lucid image of the event in question. Nonetheless, there are differences between narrative and descriptive essays.