Personal Narrative
You will be writing a personal narrative
about a learning experience or
inspirational moment in your life.
Fiction
vs.
Non-Fiction
vs.
Creative Non-Fiction
Fiction
 fiction-comes from the Latin word “created”
 any form of narrative which deals, in part or in
whole, with events that are not factual, but
rather, imaginary and invented by its author
 realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, science
fiction…many other genres
 genre-any category of literature, as well as
various other forms of art or culture such as
music, based on some loose set of stylistic
criteria
 follows a basic pattern “story mountain”
Non-Fiction
non-fiction-writing that represents a
subject as fact
the facts may be true or false, but they are
believed to be fact by the author
educational, historical, biographical,
autobiographical, scientific, critical,
informational, personal
examples?
Creative Non-Fiction
 creative non-fiction also called literary non-fiction
 1970s
 the word “creative” refers simply to the use of literary
craft in presenting nonfiction—that is, factually accurate
prose about real people and events—in a compelling,
vivid manner
 creative nonfiction writers do not make things up; they
make ideas and information that already exist more
interesting and, often, more accessible
 memoir, literary journalism, immersion journalism,
personal essay
 prose-straightforward presentation of language
Memoir and Personal
Narrative
a form of creative non-fiction
(this is what you will be doing)
conventions of realistic fiction writing
characters
setting
conflict
plot
climax
resolution
still follows fiction “story mountain”
Style
Descriptive Writing
Observation and reflection
Imagry (6 literary senses)
sight
touch (physical)
smell
sound
taste
feeling (emotion)
Telling vs. Showing
 Sensory details
 We ate a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.
 The skin of the turkey crackled as Uncle Bill carved it, and steam rose, curling
out above mounds of soft dressing
 Reflective details
 When Sara moved away, I felt sad.
 As I watched the moving van pull out of Sara’s driveway and disappear down the
street, I felt as if a piece of me was gone forever. She was my best friend and
the immediate loneliness punched me in the stomach as tears stung my eyes.
 Actions
 Our car went out of control and went into a ditch.
 Our car hit ice and fishtailed. Dad wrenched the wheel toward the skid, but it
was too late. The sedan slid sideways, tipped and rolled over into the ditch.
 Dialogue
 My friends Jana and Ella couldn’t agree on what kind of pizza to order.
 “Anchovies?” Jana said. “You gotta be crazy. Who eats anchovies?”
“I do,” Ella replied. “But I guess I could also go for ham and pineapple.”
It’s important to…
 Hook your reader
start your narrative right in the action (but don’t be trite
or cliché)
 Keep your reader interested
Let the reader feel as if the experience is unfolding right
before him or her (this is where showing vs. telling
becomes very helpful)
 Be creative!
 Remember, it’s all about the details…be as
descriptive as you can be
Stay Organized As You Begin
Brainstorm
Be original and interesting
Prewrite
Narratives are usually told in chronological
order
Create a timeline or outline including
details associated with each part of the
story
Partial Example Timeline
Pre-game
(Anticipation)
Soft rain
Teammates
all around me
Jog out to the
field to the roar
of the crowd
On the Field
(Excitement)
Harder rain
Cheering fans
Game plan
yelled
Start of Game
(Energy)
Kickoff
Run toward
offense
Find my man
For Now…
 Brainstorm what you want your topic to be
 Share ideas with friends (and me) to help decide
on what experience to focus on
Choose something that you won’t get bored writing
about and your readers won’t get bored reading about
 Create your timeline
 Make sure to note details that you remember
 You will fill in details that you don’t remember
exactly with creative realistic details later
Characterization
 method used by a writer to develop a character
 direct characterization
the writer makes direct statements about a character's
personality and tells what the character is like
 indirect characterization
the writer reveals information about a character and his
personality through that character's thoughts, words,
and actions, along with how other characters respond to
that character, including what they think and say about
him
Types of characters
 Round-complex and undergo development, sometimes
sufficiently to surprise the reader
 Flat-minor characters in a work of fiction who do not
undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a
story
 Stock-relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for
its personality, manner of speech, and other
characteristics
 Static-remains basically unchanged throughout a work
 Dynamic-undergo some kind of change in the course of
the story
 Protagonist-around whom the events of the narrative's
plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to
share the most empathy
 Antagonist-represents the opposition against which the
protagonist must contend
Conflict
Conflict is drama between two opposing
forces in a piece of literature. If you have
sufficient conflict, you will be able to move
the plot forward and keep the attention of
your reader. If your writing lacks conflict, it
will lack tension and will fall flat.
Five different types of conflict in literature
Character vs. Character
Character vs. Self
Character vs. Society
Character vs. Nature
Character vs. Supernatural
Figurative language
Whenever you describe something by
comparing it with something else, you are
using figurative language. Any language
that goes beyond the literal meaning of
words in order to furnish new effects or
fresh insights into an idea or a subject.
The most common figures of speech are
simile, metaphor, and alliteration.
GREAT way to be descriptive!!!
Dialogue
Don’t overuse…this is not a play
Punctuate and format correctly
Dialogue handout will be handy for you!
Aphorisms
An original thought
A concisely phrased moral
A little bit of wisdom
A saying conveying truth
An observation
A life lesson