Writing a Personal Narrative

1. Writing a Personal Narrative From The Write Source

2. Personal Narratives • A personal narrative re-creates a specific experience or event in your life. • To write an effective narrative, select an experience that you feel strongly about.

3. Be Selective with Details • Although you are telling a story, you will still be using sensory details to paint a mental picture for your readers. • It is important to include specific details. • However, a reader doesn’t need to know every little thing. • Select details that are important to retelling the story.

4. Writing a Narrative Paragraph A narrative paragraph has 3 parts: • The topic sentence – introduces the experience • The body sentences – share details that re-create the experience • The closing sentence – reflects on the experience

5. Understanding Your Goals for Writing a Personal Narrative • Ideas – clear ideas that re-create life experiences • Organization – retell the story in chronological order with a strong beginning, middle, and end • Voice – you want to sound natural, believable, and interested in your own topic (try to use dialogue when possible)

6. Understanding Your Goals for Writing a Personal Narrative • Word Choice – choose appropriate words based on their connotations • Sentence Fluency – make each sentence move smoothly into the next • Conventions – correct any spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar errors before turning in your final draft (use a dictionary, spell check, and grammar handbook)