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Personal Narrative. Santa Barbara City College: CLRC Writing Center Abney & Guastella. What is a Personal Narrative?. Personal Narratives are written about something important to the writer that will be conveyed to the reader.
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Personal Narrative Santa Barbara City College: CLRC Writing Center Abney & Guastella
What is a Personal Narrative? • Personal Narratives are written about something important to the writer that will be conveyed to the reader. • It is a story about a MOMENT or EVENT in your life- Not your whole life story! • Includes: • Incident • Reaction • Reflection • Reflection
Point of View- POV • Personal Narratives are told in FIRST PERSON point of view • Use pronouns like I, me, we… • YOU are telling the story of what happened to you.
Introduction • The beginning of your story it is where you set your tale up. • Main elements are set up
Introduction: HOOK • Hook: The starter of your story. Catch the readers attention. • Some examples are: relevant quotation, fact, or definition. NOTE- Stay away from questions.
Introduction: SET THE SCENE • Set the Scene: Provide background information. What does the reader need to know?
Introduction: THESIS STATEMENT • Different from an argumentative or expository. • Can either tell the events of story • Moral or lesson learned. • Identify a theme that connects the story to a universal experience.
Characters • The characters are the people (and sometimes animals) in the story. Personal narratives are told by the writer and are about the writer.
Setting • The setting is the time and place of the story.
Body • Begins the telling of the story. • Includes the rising action, climax and falling action.
Body: SHOW, DON’T TELL • Include LOTS of details and descriptions • This helps the reader understand writer’s experiences • Use the senses: Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch, Hearing. • Example: I walked into the kitchen and could feel the business of the kitchen: the mixers roaring as they prepared the batter and the oven exuding heat, creating an aroma of delectable treats, sweet to the nose.
Body: SUPPORTING EVIDENCE • The writer’s experiences act as the evidence. • Events of your story should connect back to your thesis statement
Body:MOVEMENT THROUGH TIME • The passing of time is always evident in the plot and often in the characters and the setting. • Should follow chronological order: First, Next, Then, and Finally
Plot • The plot is the sequence of events in the story. In personal narratives, the events in the story support and enhance the meaning.
Change • There will be change in a personal narrative. Either the characters, the setting, or the events change. Often characters learn something or change as a result of the situation or a conflict and resolution, but not always.
Include REACTIONS to your story • Tell the reader how people reacted to the events in the story • What did you and the other people DO? • What did you and the other people SAY? • This is what makes the story interesting and connects the reader to the events
Conclusion • This is where you end the story • Does not summarize information. • Synthesize and connect back to thesis. • Includes the falling action and the resolution • How did the story end?
Conclusion: MORAL What lesson id you learn? How has what happened affected your life now? Look back and analyze. Reflect.
Include REFLECTIONS to your story • Reflection tells why the story is important • Reflection reveals what you and the other people in the story learned from the experience • Reflection indicates why the story is memorable • This is what makes your writing more mature! • Use reflection throughout your story, but especially at the end (as a conclusion)