The Personal Narrative: A Crash Course

1
The Personal Narrative A Crash Course

• Melissa Noël
• Lafayette High School
• Notes compiled from The Bedford Reader, 9th ed.

2
The Narrative

• May instruct and inform, divert and regale
• May set forth a point or message
• May just be to entertain

3
Anecdotes

• A short, entertaining account of a single
  incident that adds color and specifics to history
• Often supports an argument by giving it life
• Should be vivid and revealing
• Remember the anecdote by President Wilson on page
  77.

4
The Thesis for Personal Narratives

• Usually implicit (or implied)
• The reader infers the thesis through the story.
• Angelous thesis is at the end other thesis
  statements are not explicitly included.
• Your thesis statement will be implicit.

5
The Narrator

• You are the narrator, so youll be using the
  first person pronouns (I, me).
• Dont, however, use the second person pronoun
  you ever.

6
Tense

• Present tense offers a sense of immediacy.
• Present tense may seem artificial because the
  reader knows the events happened in the past.
• My advice Use the past tense but be consistent
  throughout the narrative.

7
Scene vs. Summary

• Help your reader see, feel, smell the scene.
• Dont summarize or tell the reader what to think,
  feel.
• Dont tell the reader how youre thinking,
  feeling.
• Dont tell SHOW.

8
Purpose Audience

• Purpose To impress, inspire, woo.
• Audience Educated adults who have read
  thousands of essays. They are unfamiliar with
  teen culture and slang. They are difficult to
  impress.

9
Topics that Bore

• Death (My grandma died)
• Depression (I was so depressed that)
• Disease (My father had colon cancer)
• Divorce (When my parents divorced)
• Drugs (I was at this party once)
• Drinking (I dont remember being at a party
  once)
• Relocation (I was forced to move here by my
  cruel, thoughtless parents)
• Getting on a team, Not getting on a team

10
Ideas The Hardest Part

• Find a story. Worry about the lessons learned
  later.
• Review past experiences with family, friends,
  church members, teammates, classmates, teachers,
  etc.
• A good litmus test Do your friends find this
  story interesting, or do their eyes glaze over
  every time you start to tell it again?

11
The Topic

• Consider an essay about an idea an emotion, a
  concept
• Consider an essay about a word or a quote.
• Select a poignant moment in time for the
  epiphany essay
• Brainstorm, Freewrite

12
Organization

• Consider a colorful, dramatic introduction in
  medias res
• Chronological order makes the most sense.
• Flashbacks can work, but rarely well.

13
Transitions

• Useful little critters. See page 714

14
Verbs Be active!

• Choose verbs that clarify and enliven.
• Avoid the to be verbs which lead to passive
  sentences and boredom. See page 83.

15
Dialogues

• Dialogues can enable you to show through
  indirect characterization a lot about yourself
  and other characters.
• Look at how Tan used dialogue in Fish Cheeks to
  show us the personalities of her parents.

16
Dont bog down.

• Page 81 Summarize if you need to help your
  reader get to the action faster. Note the last
  paragraph on page 81.

17
Random Notes from Past Observations

• Dont brag. Again, show the reader what a fine,
  upstanding citizen you are through your actions.
  Dont tell us that youre responsible,
  philanthropic, etc.
• Show your personality through character
  development techniques, diction, and figurative
  language.
• Use imagery. Use allusions.

18
More Notes

• Dont bog your reader down with unnecessary
  details. Be concise.
• Be unique. Either tell an old story in a new
  way, or tell a new story in an old way.
• Show me multiple interests. Help the reader see
  you as a dynamic character.
• Make an outline.
• Use the introduction to grab the readers
  attention.

19
Diction

• Dont use the thesaurus excessively. Remember
  that connotations can alter the readers
  perception of your message.
• Elevate your diction level. Use MS Word to find
  out what grade level your essay is on.

20
Ideas for the Conclusion

• Expand on the broader implications of your
  discussion.
• Link your conclusion to your introduction.
• Redefine a term that you mentioned earlier.
• End with a famous quote.
• Remember, you dont have to have closure as
  long as you show growth, independence, etc.

21
In the end

• Ask yourself What personal attributes will the
  reader glean from this essay? Is this the
  message I want them to see?

22
Editing

• Choose editors who will be honest.
• Ask the editor for positive and negative
  feedback.
• Pick someone thats strong in writing, grammar.
• Use me as your last resource for your final
  draft.