1. Personal Narrative Writing that is about a person’s personal experiences written by that person

2. Elements of a Personal Narrative You will probably use several, but not all of these elements in your personal metaphor paper.  Point of View  Strong Lead  Character and Setting  Conflict  Dialogue and Blocking  Interior Monologue  Show Don’t Tell  Strong Conclusion

3. Point of View  Personal narratives are written in first person point of view.  The narrator is a character in the story.  First person pronouns are used to indicate the writer is telling the story from his/her point of view.

4. Strong Leads  A strong lead immediately grabs the reader’s attention by being out of the ordinary and exceptionally interesting.  Strong lead ideas  Short, arresting sentence  Astonishing or shocking statement or scenario  Exciting direct quotations  Flashback  Inspiring and philosophical ideas  ANY COMBINATION OF THE ABOVE

5. Character and Setting A good narrative develops character and setting.  Character Description  Physical appearance  Personality traits  Directly stated  Shown through actions and words  Setting Description  Elaborate description of place  Imagery - sights, sounds, smells, touch, taste  Time

6. Conflict Your paper will include some, but perhaps not all aspects of conflict as defined here.  The problem around which the narrative revolves is called the conflict.  A good personal narrative cleverly introduces the conflict, excitingly develops it, and meaningfully resolves the conflict in the end.

7. Dialogue and Blocking  Dialogue is when characters in the narrative speak aloud to one another.  Dialogue should develop characters by giving clues about their personalities and feelings.  There are specific rules for writing dialogue.  Blocking is words that physically situate or describe what the speaker is doing as he/she speaks.  “Stop!” he shouted while angrily pounding his fists on the table.

8. Interior Monologue  Interior monologue tells what the character is thinking and feeling inside his/her head.  It helps the reader discover more information about the character.  It is often written in italics.

9. Show Don’t Tell  A good narrative develops the conflict and story through the use of vivid, descriptive language.  He was tall.  He was tall. (telling - how boring!)  His shadow loomed over my head, covering me in darkness. (showing - yay! )  Figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole are great ways to “show not tell.”

10. Strong Conclusion  A personal narrative ends with a personal revelation.  A revelation is a big idea—an important or life-changing realization based on the narrative experience.  This revelation is often stated directly, but can be cleverly alluded to.

11. Analyzing Personal Narratives  In the model narratives, find and analysis examples of:  Strong Leads  Character and Setting Development  Conflict  Dialogue and Blocking  Interior Monologue  Showing Not Telling  Strong Conclusions  BE READY TO SHOW AND DISCUSS!