Writing Personal Narratives

English Ms. Martell

Types of Writing

aka Expository

aka Argumentative

What is a narrative?

• A narrative is a series of related events presented to listeners or readers in a logically ordered sequence. In other words, it is a STORY.
• Stories can be true or fictional. A personal narrative is about true events and uses 1st person narration.

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The value of storytelling

• Stories can help people truly understand and empathize with others.
• Stories can make people feel less alone because they know others have had similar experiences.
• Stories can keep important memories alive.
• Stories can teach us moral life lessons.
• Stories can be therapeutic for the storyteller.
• Stories can be entertaining and fun.
• Stories have countless other benefits!!!

Story mapping

Organizing your story

• Stories need to need to have some sort of beginning, middle, and end. Generally, a story follows this order:
• Exposition: introduces background information about events, settings, characters, or other elements of a work to the audience or readers
• Conflict: involves a struggle between two opposing forces
• Rising Action: describes all of relevant incidents/events that create suspense, interest, and tension in a story
• Climax: a decisive moment or a turning point in a storyline at which the conflict reaches its peak and the rising action turns around into a falling action
• Falling Action: involves all events or details which wrap up the narrative, resolves its loose ends, and leads toward the closure
• Resolution: the unfolding or solution of a complicated issue in a story

Creating a “Hook”

• A “hook” is an opening line or paragraph that immediately sparks interest in the reader. It motivates the reader to keep reading.
• There are many way to create a hook which grabs the reader’s attention, check out the suggestions on the side...

Consider using one of these hook strategies:

• Action
• Scenic description
• Dialogue
• Puzzling statement
• Character description

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(See handout for examples of each)

Show, don’t tell

Telling includes . . .

• Stating events directly
• Listing or explaining facts/information/summary
• Relying too heavily on adjectives (tall, nice, happy, etc)
• Example: As the sun was setting I got really cold.

Showing includes . . .

• Painting a picture in the reader’s mind
• Using sensory details (imagery)
• Describing in detail what’s happening in a scene
• Using action and dialogue to reveal information
• Example: The sky turned a dark purple and I felt shivers go up and down my shaking arms.

Figurative Language

• Get creative! Incorporate figurative language to create more vivid descriptions and spark interest in the reader.
• You can use figurative language devices to describe a character, the setting, an emotion, etc.

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Showing who you are

• Personal narratives can be like brief mini memoirs, they should give the reader insight into who YOU are as a person.
• What type of tone do you want your story to set? Happy? Serious? Funny?
• Consider what is important to you: what are your values, what do you enjoy, what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, what life events (big or small) shaped who you are today, and what message do you want people to take away from your story???

Central Message

• Even though narratives are not the same as analytical essays, you should still have a central claim/thesis you want to the leave the reader with.
• Use the events in your story as a vehicle to discuss a particular topic, theme, or emotion. You can’t tell your entire life story in one essay- so choose a specific focus and make sure by the end of the story your reader understands your message.
• Your message should be something about yourself and possibly a commentary on the world around you.
• The reader should learn something specific about who you are today.

Everyone has a story

• Be honest! Even if you don’t think your life story is interesting or exciting, you can still have something important to say.
• Your narrative doesn’t have to be the most successful or the most tragic or the most shocking... It just has to be real & genuine. Find a creative perspective, unique writing techniques, or other approach to make an ordinary topic stand out.
• If you are writing a narrative for a college application, don’t try to make yourself look “perfect.” Be open about your flaws and mistakes and what you’ve learned from those experiences.
• People enjoy reading about things they can relate to, so even if you think you’re too ‘normal’ or ‘average’ to write a story about yourself. . . those might be the stories people will enjoy the most!

Overused topics

Although all topics and memories can be made interesting if you approach it from a unique perspective, there are some topics that tend to be overused in college applications.

They can become cliche, so you might want to avoid them if you are trying to impress a college admissions officer.

• Parent divorce
• Sports and injury
• Mission trips
• Death and grief
• Grandparents as role models
• Peer conflicts/fights with friends or significant others
• Vacations and travel
• Moving towns/ transferring schools
• Trauma or depression
• COVID/pandemic

Picking a Story Topic

• Remember that this story will be brief- less than 650 words! So don’t try to tell your whole life story. Instead pick one specific memory or topic to focus on.
• If your story focuses on another person or events outside yourself, be careful not to lose sight of the fact that this story is still about you. It should exemplify something about yourself- a skill, a belief system, your personality, etc. Always bring it back to yourself!
• This story should present something that highlights a positive quality about yourself- remember that you are trying to convince colleges that you are deserving of a place at their school!

Getting started

1. Choose a prompt or topic to write about
2. Brainstorm multiple life events that relate to the topic and choose one
3. Outline what parts of the events were most important to the story and how you felt about them
4. Reflect on what message you’d like to leave the reader with, what do you want them to know about you?
5. Write a rough draft
6. Edit and revise!

Tips For Winning College Admission Essays

60 Second Recap Series (3:10)

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• Click here for many exemplar college admissions essays from John Hopkins University.

MLA FORMATTING EXAMPLE

Editing

• Editing is always important, but especially if you use this essay for your college applications.
• You want to present yourself as an educated and intelligent person. Spelling and grammar errors may give colleges a bad impression of you.

The Truth About College Admissions

The Power of Telling Your Story