Personal Narrative Writing Prompt:

Write a personal narrative in which you describe for a specific audience a meaningful experience in your life. Make sure to narrate the events of the experience to reflect on its significance.


Planning/Prewriting:
  • Choose a story to tell
  • Think about your audience and purpose
  • List the events of your experience
  • Tell why the event is significant
  • Describe your experience
Drafting:
  • Introduction: orient your audience by introducing them to people, places, and events you're writing about. Begin with engaging action.
  • Body: Sequence your events to build on one another. Include precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to describe people, places, and events.
  • Conclusion: Narrate the resolution of the experience. Explain why the experience is significant to you

Revising:

Ask Yourself:
  1. Does the narrative focus on a single event that is explained through well-chosen details?
Tips:
Underline each detail that is essential for the reader's understanding of the experience.
Add events as necessary to make the experience clear for your audience. Delete extra events and irrelevant details that are not underlined.
2. Does the narrative follow a well-structured sequence of events?
Number the events in the order in which they occur. 
Rearrange events so that they build on one another in a smooth progression.
3. Does the pacing keep the action moving?
Place an X next to details or events that slow down the narrative. Draw a star where the action moves too quickly.
Revise or remove details that slow down the pace. Add details where the action jumps too quickly ahead. 
4. Is sensory language used to describe characters and setting?
Draw an arrow next to each sensory detail.
Add sensory language. Include details that appeal to a variety of senses. 
5. Do the people speak through dialogue?
Bracket examples of dialogue.
Add dialogue where possible to engage readers, reveal character traits, or show the conflict.
6. Is the significance of the experience revealed through thoughts and feelings?
Highlight statements that describe thoughts or feelings. 
Add specific thoughts and feelings that make clear to your audience why this experience is important to you.