1. Non-fiction Narrative Writing: Biographies, Memoirs, and Autobiographies

2.  Non- fiction can come in many forms: personal narrative, memoir, autobiography, and biography.  Everyone has a story to tell. Personal experiences help our foundations for thought and make us unique.  There are different points-of-view Important Concepts

3.  Writing that tells us about real people, places, and events.  Written to convey factual information  Non-fiction is real and can be verified by other sources  Examples of Non-fiction writing:  Newspaper articles  Letters  Essays  Biographies  Movie reviews  Speeches  advertising Non- Fiction

4. Review: What is Point of View? First- Person  The narrator:  Is a main or minor character in the story  Uses the pronouns “I” and “me”  Shares his/her personal view of other characters and events.  Doesn’t know the thoughts/ feelings of other characters Definition: The point from which a story is told.

5. Third Person The narrator:  Is not a character in the story, but an outside observer  Can zoom in on the thoughts and feelings of characters Point of View continued

6. Autobiography  Writer is the subject and it’s an account of his/her own life  Written from 1 st person point of view and uses pronouns “I” and “me”  Describes the subjects thoughts, feelings, & opinions about his/her life  Based mostly on details from the subject’s own memories  Diary/Journal: Popular form of autobiography

7. Biography  History of a lifetime – Must cover entire life  Most important facts and events of someone’s life  Contains anecdotes, memories, trips and cherished moments3 rd person point of view  Written from  Information from many sources, but sometimes includes details provided by the subject.

8. Memoir  Written in 1 st person point of view  Captures certain highlights or a meaningful moment/memory in one’s past  Contemplation of the meaning of that moment/memory at the time of the writing of the memoir  Much more emotional and connects the writer to someone or something that had an impact on their life  Often gives historical information about society & culture of the time

9. Personal Narrative  Focus is on a particular event in a person/writer’s life  Written from 1 st person point of view  Tells a story about real people & events  Short, non-fiction work usually dealing with a single subject

10.  Imagery- Language that uses the five senses to paint a picture in the readers mind. “The afternoon sun penetrated the mass of honeysuckle that covered the porch and fell on my upturned face.” - from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller  Simile- Comparing two things using “like” or “as”  Metaphor- Comparing two things directly without a comparison word. “Like a jewel under a bright light, Houdini responded to attention by revealing brilliant new facets.” - from Spellbinder: The Life of Harry Houdini by Tom Lalicki Literary Language and Devices found in Non-fiction Narratives

11. Now it’s your turn…  Read the following excerpts and decide whether they are from a biography, autobiography or a memoir.

12. What type of writing??? How do you know? Look for clues in the writing, such as point of view

13. Biography How do you know? Look for clues in the writing, such as point of view

14. What type of writing??? How do you know? How can you tell if it’s a memoir or an autobiography? Look at the point of view Look at the title

15. Memoir How do you know? How can you tell if it’s a memoir or an autobiography? Look at the point of view Look at the title

16. What type of writing??? How do you know? Look at the point of view. How can you tell if its an autobiography or a memoir? Look at the title. Based on the title we can infer that this story will focus on his whole life and career, not just his childhood or one specific part of his life.

17. Autobiography How do you know? Look at the point of view. How can you tell if its an autobiography or a memoir? Look at the title. Based on the title we can infer that this story will focus on his whole life and career, not just his childhood or one specific part of his life.