Writing a Holiday Personal Narrative
When you use language to narrate, you use it to tell a story. Narratives come in all forms
and lengths – oral or written, hundreds of pages long or just a paragraph. Whether long or short,
narratives tell what happened and are organized in time order, telling about events in the order in
which they happened. Time-order words, such as those below, help to make the order of events
clear.
first
now
until
at noon
immediately
next
second
soon
at last
at once
in a minute
after
then
during
today
meanwhile
after a while
later
A narrative tells a story. When you write a narrative, you need to tell the details in the
order in which they happened. Time-order words let your reader know the sequence of events.
A writer can tell the story from one of two points of view: first person or third person. If a
character tells his or her own story, using I, the point of view is first person. If an outsider tells
the story, using he or she, the point of view is third person. Every piece of writing has a point
of view. Factual reports are often written in the third person. First person can be a good choice
for stories that you want readers to experience along with the narrator. In a personal narrative the
point of view is first person. The writer uses the words I, me, and we.
In this assignment you will write a personal narrative about a real-life holiday experience.
Your purpose will be to tell about a holiday experience. Your audience will be your classmates.
Use the following guidelines in your personal holiday narrative:
o Use the five senses in your descriptions, so the reader can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch
the scene. You remember what it was like; your challenge is to recreate the scene in your
reader’s mind.
o Use figurative language in your narrative to create a lively picture for your readers.
o Use dialogue and describe your characters’ personalities, appearances, and actions.
Remember that you, too, are a character so be sure to give a sense of your own physical
presence.
o Imagine a reader who knows nothing about you or your family. Pretend that you are
explaining your story to that person so that you add essential background.