Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative English Luehrs

What is it? • A personal narrative is a multi-paragraph story that includes dialogue, sensory details, specific action, and personal feelings. • Your story is autobiographical (it is about you) • In order to get started, you will need to tap into your memory to see what experiences you can recall

Writing Requirements • Five or more paragraphs • Definite beginning, middle, and end • Problem and Solution • Dialogue is acceptable, if done correctly • Show me—don’t tell me • Must be in 1st person • Typed—Times New Roman, 12 pt, Double Spaced • Hand Written—Neat, Lines Skipped • Rough Draft with clear revisions attached to Final Draft • Final Draft Due:_____________

Format Example • Paragraph #1: Introduction • Begin with an attention grabber that captures your reader’s interest. • Example: “Sometimes it takes something terrible to realize what is important in life.”

Format Example (Cont.) • Paragraph #2-4: Body Paragraphs (Your Story) • Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that contains a TRANSITION that shows the order in which the events occurred (First, Later, In the end, Second, Third, etc.) and the DETAILS of your story. • Example: “The day began like any other day.” … “Later that day, my brother began to show his true colors and expose his lies.” … “After a day of much distress, I finally realized that I could be my own person and make my own decisions.” …

Format Example (Cont.) • Paragraph #5: Conclusion • The conclusion is just as important as the introduction; it is the last impression your reader will get of your story. • Begin by re-stressing the importance of your thesis. Be careful not to use the exact same wording. • Example: “Although the day I found out the truth about my brother was a terrible moment in my life, it forced me to put my own decisions in perspective and helped me to realize that becoming my own person was in my best interest.” … • BE SURE TO REFLECT ON THE LARGER MEANING OF THE EXPERIENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT WAS THE POINT OF YOUR STORY? EXPLAIN THE NEW UNDERSTANDING AND WHY/HOW THIS EXPERIENCE OR EVENT HAD A PERMANENT EFFECT ON YOU.

Remember… • A narrative simply tells a story. Telling a story aloud is very different from writing story down on paper. When a story is told out loud, we tend to “hop around,” leave out important details, and forget to explain characters. In a sense all of that is okay, because our gestures, expressions, and tones of voice can carry a lot of information. However, the reader of a written narrative expects more and needs more. The story CAN’T be simply “talk” written down. All of the important events and details must be organized, clear, and descriptive. A fully developed narrative story involves a main idea, which is introduced in the beginning, more detailed and eventful in the middle, and wraps up in the end.

Stuck? Here are some prompts… • Think of a time that a role model of yours did something that showed their kindness or any other good quality that you may have learned from. • Think of a time when you had to do something that you didn’t really want to do and how when you were actually doing that something you realized that it was actually really enjoyable or fun. • Think of a time that you shared with a family member or friend that made you realize how close your were with that person. • Think of a time that you were really surprised (good or bad) about something that happened to you.

Prompts (Cont.) • Think of a time you succeeded at something that was hard for you to do and write about how it changed you. • Think of a family event (birthdays, holidays, etc.) and tell a story about it. • Think of a day at school that was good or bad and tell a story about it. • Think of all the lessons you have learned in school and choose one that you still take to heart today. • Think of a day that nothing seemed to go right and tell a story about it.

Personal Narrative