Describing a turning point . . .

From Reading to Writing In “A White Heron,”

Sylvia is unable to betray the location of the

heron to a hunter: “She cannot tell the heron’s

secret and give its life away.”

Describing a turning point . . .

Just as such a turning point can reveal character

in a story, similar incidents can reveal some

aspect of your own attitude or personality.

Writers include such autobiographical

incidents in their memoirs and essays.

B a s i c s i n a B o x

Autobiographical Incident at a Glance

RUBRIC Standards for WritingA successful autobiographical incident should

• focus on a well-defined incident or a series of related incidents

• provide background information for the incident

• use elements such as plot, character, and setting as appropriate

• make the order of events clear

BeginningBeginning

Introducing the incident including the people involved and

the setting

End

• Concludes by reflecting on the outcome and significance

• Presents the writer’s feelings about the experience

MiddleMiddle

• Recreates the incident using descriptive details

• Makes the significance clear

• use description or dialogue as appropriate

• include precise language and specific details

• show why the experience was significant

• maintain a consistent tone and point of view

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident1 Prewriting

Begin by choosing the incident you will write about. You may choose to focus on something that happened to you, or you may decide to write about an event you witnessed but did not participate in.

Make a list with three columns: People, Places, Things.

List all the things that come to mind in each category that represent something important to you.

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident1 Prewriting

You might also remember meaningful

events in your past by using the phrase,

“I remember when. . . ,” then jotting down

the thoughts that come to mind.

When you have chosen the event you

want to write about, follow these steps:

Planning Your Autobiographical Incident

1. Test your topic. Do you remember the incident well enough to write about it? Why is this memory important? Will you be comfortable sharing the memory? Will writing about it show what you learned from the event or what impact it had on you?

2. Think about your purpose and audience. How can you show readers how and why the incident affected you?

3. Choose some of your building blocks. What other people took part in the incident? Is the time or place important? What are some of the key events?

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident2 Drafting

Get your memory down on paper. Don’t worry about how it sounds. You can make improvements later. If you find yourself losing interest in the incident or have trouble telling it, choose another memory. As you draft, consider the following hints:

Use some or all of the story elements—plot, character, and setting. Include any background information that the reader needs to know.

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident2 Drafting

Use dialogue when you can.

Use language that appeals to the senses.

Organize your incident. Usually chronological order is the clearest method of organization, but you might decide you can make a greater impact by starting in the middle of the incident. In that case, you can use a flashback to fill in all the missing parts.

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident2 Drafting

After you finish your first draft, let it sit for a while. Then reread it. Ask your peer readers for reactions, too.

I can’t write five words but that I change seven.

Dorothy Parker,

American writer and humorist

I can’t write five words but that I change seven.

Dorothy Parker,

American writer and humorist

3 RevisingWriting Your Autobiographical Incident

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident3 Revising

TARGET SKILL

MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY OF TONE

Your autobiographical incident will have more

impact if the tone is the same throughout. A

humorous piece that unintentionally turns

serious or a serious piece that suddenly

becomes sarcastic will likely confuse the

reader.

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident43

Editing and Proofreading

TARGET SKILL

PUNCTUATING CLAUSES

Your incident will have more impact if you

vary the sentences you use to tell about it.

To avoid too many short, choppy

sentences, writers combine ideas into one

sentence with two or more clauses.