Narrative prose is a form of writing in which the work is written in prose, rather than in poetry, and tells a definite story through actions. Many written works are written in this form, including a great deal of literary work and most modern pieces of fiction. The narrative aspect of this style comes from the fact that events occur and are narrated within the work, rather than having events occur outside of the framework of the story. Narrative prose also means that the story is told in a prose format, which is basic language, rather than a poetic format that may deal with meter and rhyme.
Perhaps one of the simplest types of writing to understand, narrative prose typically consists of a narrative story written in a fairly clear prose format. This does not mean that these stories are inherently simplistic, however, as very complex and detailed stories are crafted using this format. It simply means that these works are written as action-driven stories in which events occur and characters are seen taking part in them. Stories written as narratives can still have compelling and rich characters, but these characters are part of the action and are not merely witnesses or storytellers.
Narrative prose is typically written in the moment of the action and tells a story through a series of events. This means that a story written in this format is not likely to consist of a character sitting in a dark room, thinking about the things that have happened in his or her life. Of course, this type of story could be told through narrative, but the major events of the story would consist of flashbacks the reader would experience as those events play out. In this way, the events become the action that moves the story forward and eventually reveals various pieces of information about the character.
A work written as narrative prose is also written in a prose style, rather than as poetry. Poetic works have a number of different rules and facets to them, such as rhyme, rhythm, meter, and other poetic devices. Even blank verse poetry is typically written in a way that is meant to take advantage of the poetic format and create a piece of writing outside of standard communication. Prose, including narrative, is written in the voice of common speech and relays events through basic language that can be symbolic and powerful, but remains straightforward and accessible.