HOW TO WRITE A PERSONAL NARRATIVE

Isabel Bastida & Ana Mena

PERSONAL NARRATIVES

• Personal narratives share a personal experience in order to get an

emotional reaction• A personal narrative is a story about

yourself

Common characteristics

• It’s usually told in 1st person (I, me, we, us,…)• You are telling a story that happened to YOU (main

character)• It focuses on only ONE event / memory/ incident in your

life. Do NOT tell your whole life story!• The writer must express his/her feelings and emotions so

the reader can feel the same.• It develops in chronological order.• The use of transition words of time and place are frequent

to help the reader understand your story at every single point.

LAYOUT• Stick to the before the event, event, after the event formula. - INTRO : Background info, context and characters.

What? Who? When? Where? Grab the reader’s attention.

- BODY : Event and after the event.

- CONCLUSION : Connection to present Final resolution, feeling

• Make sure your story has a point and connect it to the present.

DON’T TELL THE READER, SHOW THE READER

Use concrete words and phrases (specific language): 1. strong verbs: I went to the shop ….I drove to the shop2. Specific nouns: I was relaxing under a tree ….I was relaxing under an old oak.3. Extreme adjectives: I was very tired …I was absolutely exhausted4. Sensory details: feel, look, taste, smell, sound; It looked nice/ like an old castle/ as

if I was in an old castle5. Include your thoughts and feelings: I wondered …, I couldn’t believe my eyes/ears

when …, I was scared stiff, I was over the moon, I went bright red, ….6. Similes and metaphors: The wind wrapped me up like a coat / She had a heart of

Stone7. Include dialogue8. Vivid descriptions to “Paint a picture” in your reader’s mind: I took my

grandfather’s hand … My grandfather’s rough, old, cold hand

FINAL TIPS

• BE CONSISTENT: be careful with tenses. You are telling a story from the past so don’t mix past and present tenses.

• Use TRANSITION words: before, after, as soon as, while, just after lunch, suddenly, …

• Stick to your story• Make the reader feel, see, hear, touch, smell …

what you felt, saw, heard, touched, smelt…• Use specific language.

YOUR TURN• Do you have vivid memories of your

childhood or is it a hazy blur? At talkingmemories.com you can

record your memories of particular stages or events in your life, adding photos and videos. It allows you to preserve meaningful memories of your life, record important milestones and share memories of special events with friends, family and future generations.

• Write a 300-word narrative about one of these memories.

• Try to use the ideas presented in this powerpoint.