A key feature of a narrative essay is movement or progression. The attention of the viewer is maintained by a story that is dynamic and continually evolving. It is a good idea to start a story with some sort of action which immediately leads to a next stage and opens up additional ideas and situations. Background and more detailed information can be interwoven with the action to allow the viewer to understand why events are taking place and how responses are formed. However, the flow of a story must not be slowed down by too much by the inclusion of "static" information. Filter supporting detail in to the flow of events in a carefully controlled manner so that the viewer gets just key facts that are necessary to achieve understanding.

The story conveyed to the viewer does not have to be dramatic or spectacular in its own right. It may be something that is quite simple and a feature everyday life - like the passage of a single day in someone's life, or the progression of the author's thoughts , memories or dreams. The broad environment surrounding the thread of the story helps to provide context, and can be incorporated with occasional appropriate references to particular aspects of locations, timescales, emotions etc.