Personal Narrative

1. Personal Narrative What is the Personal Narrative Essay? It is based on memory  of an event or experience or moment in time that had significant meaning to you. Your task is tell a true story about  a turning point in your life. This true story could be about an illness, disease, death, journey, quest, pilgrimage, first encounter, and so forth. In other words, the event or experience actually happened to you. To unearth the details of this story, you must mine your memory. Your goal is to look back into your memory, to  an earlier time in your life, and unearth true stories that had significant meaning to you. That is why the personal narrative is also called a memoir essay–which implies that you are writing a true story about a slice of your life. It is based on a brief span of time–not your entire life.

2. Finding Material to Write Personal Narrative “Every man has within himself the entire human condition,” wrote Michel De Montaigne. In other words, you have life experiences that  everyone else has also experienced, experiences or moments in time that reveal the state of the human condition, life experiences that have universal meaning. Where do you find material to write a personal narrative or memoir essay? In “Tell IT Slant”, Brenda Miller explains how to find material. She writes about: • Memory. Mining your memory for turning points in your life. Turning points, such as a job loss, illness, disease, death, first encounters. • Family life. Reflecting on family-What family events had significant meaning? What do you remember about family life? • Spiritual journey. Write about your spiritual journey. • Place. Write about home. What is home? Travel experiences. The natural world, such as hiking, biking, camping, exploring the wilderness. • Popular culture. Write about film, music, fiction, poetry, photography, art—and how it has impacted you. What memories do you have? • The global village.  Write about the world in which you live, such as the environment.

3. What is a Personal Narrative? • A composition that describes a memorable experience in the life of the writer. • It could also include thematic purpose. The experience must be important and memorable.

4. The Keys to Effective Personal Narratives: • They are about past events/experiences. • These are significant events, both for the writer and the potential reader. • Personal narratives focus on strong description and chronological organization. • Personal narratives are told in the first person (the writer uses “I”). • The reader should also be able to learn from it (the thematic purpose).

5. What is thematic purpose? • The judgment that comes from the experience. • Refers to what was learned, why it was important. • This is often expressed in the final paragraph.

6. Personal Narrative Assignment Write a personal narrative in which you write about one specific experience that changed how you acted, thought, or felt. Use your experience as a spring board for reflection. Keep the following keys in mind: • Personal narratives are about past events/experiences. • These are significant events, both for the writer and the potential reader. • Personal narratives focus on strong description and chronological organization. • Personal narratives are told in the first person (the writer uses “I”). • The reader should also be able to learn from it (the thematic purpose). Due Friday, 9/16!!! Typed, double spaced, 12pt font, 1 inch margins Will be submitted on Schoology.

7. The basic writing process • Pre-writing • Writing (drafting) • Sharing • Re-writing/Revising • Sharing • Re-writing/Revising • Publishing