(You’ll need some notebook paper and something to write with) Personal Narrative Getting Started (You’ll need some notebook paper and something to write with)

Process: Zeroing In on a Topic (10 min.) Jotting (5 min.) Identifying a story worthy of telling Jotting (5 min.) Getting the basics Zooming out to examine your story (15 min.) Filling out the rest of the story Elaborating on a climactic moment (15 min.) Working backwards and writing a draft

Zeroing in on a topic… Review your choices: Identify a moment of: 6-word short stories Good at/Bad at/Want to try Fo’ sho’ n’ tell Favorite Movie/Book Story Map Favorite Thing homework Identify a moment of: Big Change Drama Extreme Emotion Magic Memory

Jotting Jot down your moment Try to remember who was involved and where it took place. Try to remember your overall feelings or impression of the moment.

Zoom Out Your moment: The part of your life where things change in a big, permanent, emotional way is probably the CLIMAX of your story. Exposition: Introduce your characters and tell when and where your story takes place. Climax: the big turning point where your life will never be the same… Suspence: Maybe you could try to keep your reader guessing by being secretive about what is about to happen… Rising Action: What happened that started this whole thing? Resolution: What happened in the end?

Elaborating Draft Heading: Name Date Personal Narrative Draft 1 Advisor Remember SKIP LINES Indent Paragraphs Come up with a cool title The climax will probably be the part of the story your readers remember best so I want it to be as strong as possible. Try starting your story by following your plot map and starting at the start. Create a DRAFT of your personal story to share with me.

Mr. Wakefield’s Lost Dogs