Personal Narrative

What Does Personal Narrative Mean? Personal~having to do with oneself Narrative~telling a story A personal narrative is a story about yourself! It focuses on one single experience. It entertains or motivates readers by sharing an experience that taught you a lesson, influenced you, or changed your opinion. The purpose of a personal narrative is to share a message, lesson, or importance of an event

Point of View 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.

Focus of your personal narrative Focus on only ONE event in your story Do not try to tell your whole life story

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER Personal Narratives should be told in chronological order. Start with what happened first, second, third, etc. Use transitions that help show the passage of time (then, later, the next day, etc.)

Include reactions in 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? What did you FEEL? Show us the story not just tell This is what makes the story interesting and connects the reader to the events

Include reflection in 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)

Your Prompt: Write a Personal Narrative Essay, using friendship as a theme, to explain how you met one of your friends and how you became and stayed friends. Include reactions and reflections in your essay Follow the steps of the Writing Process

Quick notes Title Introduction Quick sketch Beginning Middle End Conclusion

Qualities of a good personal narrative Voice: Description: Evokes feelings Vivid Sets the tone Paints a mental picture Shows good word choice Detailed Varies sentence structure Shows, not tells, what happened Realistic Feelings: Pride Message: Surprise Insights Contentment Beliefs Anxiety Lessons about life

Goals: Step 1: Start by creating a title that fits the theme, topic and message. Step 2: Write an introduction that includes a thesis statement, and that is short and engaging. Step 3: Tell a story that supports the theme, topic and message. Use strong action verbs and good descriptions. Step 4: Write a conclusion that reinforces the theme and the message.