English 0950 – Planning and Drafting a Narrative
Step 1: Freewrite
What are the values, beliefs, people, concepts, and/or things that are important to you? Why are they
important?
Step 2: Freewrite or Brainstorm (Part 2)
Choose one idea (one value, belief, person/group of people, concept, or thing) and freewrite or make a
brainstorming list. Use the journalistic questions to help you: What, who, when, where, why, and how?
1. What: What is the value, belief, person/group of people, concept, or thing that is important?
What is important to know about it?
2. Who: Who is involved? How do you know this person (or these people)?
Who taught you about this value, belief, concept, or thing?
How did this person (or people) teach you about this value, belief, concept, or thing?
3. When: When did you first learn about or discover this value, belief, person/group of people,
concept, or thing?
4. Where: Where did you first discover this value, belief, person/group of people, concept, or thing?
5. Why: Why is the value, belief, person/group of people, concept, or thing important to you?
Why should your reader want to read about this thing that is important to you?
6. How: How did this value, belief, person/group, concept, or thing become important to you?
How has this value, belief, person/group of people, concept, or thing impacted you?
Step 3: Share with a Partner
Choose a partner. Share your ideas with your partner and ask for feedback:
1. What else should I include?
2. What do you want to know more about?
Step 4: Outline
Plan a basic outline your essay. Remember to tell the events in chronological order. (What happened
first, second, third, etc.?)
If you use closed-form structure, you should create an introductory paragraph that provides background
information with a clear main idea, your body paragraphs should provide details to support your main
idea, and your conclusion paragraph should provide closure for the reader. If you use open-form
structure, your essay can be structured like a story rather than an academic essay.
Either way, you should explain how this experience impacted you personally and/or what you learned
from the experience, OR explain why the place you chose is important to you.
Step 5: Cluster (Concept Map)
Make a cluster map to describe details and examples about a topic (person, place, or thing) within your
essay.
Step 6: Rough Draft
Start writing a rough draft by following your outline