Personal Narratives

Personal Narratives Writing about a specific, meaningful event or experience from your life The first time you experienced death The time you fell in love The time you saved your brother from drowning Learning how to swim Etc.

Think… What is your first memory as a child? What is the most embarrassing moment that has ever happened to you? What is the best gift you ever received? Who were your best friends in 4th grade? Are you friends with them now? Why or why not?

You will write a Personal Narrative essay with: A PURPOSE (why is this event important and why does the reader care?) A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS (think plot) A THEME (what important human experience does your story convey?)

Purpose Pick an event that has CHANGED YOUR LIFE in some way. This event happened and you have never been the same. Make sure you will be comfortable with me reading about it.

Sequence of Events You will probably want to write your narrative in CHRONOLOGICAL order… BUT you could also use flashbacks or flash-forwards too.

Theme A theme is: a central “deep” idea that we see repeated in literature, movies, music, art, etc. Most humans have experienced it. For example: betrayal hope losing innocence -power of love -good vs. evil

One more thing… How has your PERSPECTIVE changed over the years? Do you want to tell your narrative from the perspective of you being 6 years old, or you being 13 looking back on a past event? Pick a perspective and stick to it!