Autobiographical Incident Mrs. Creel Language Arts/Writing

Definition “Auto”- self “Bio”- life “Graph”- write Autobiographical- story about you The autobiographical incident is a well-told story about a specific occurrence in a writer's life. It uses vivid sensory details to engage the reader in the event. It also includes some kind of revelation, implied or stated, about the event's significance to the writer.

Parts of an autobiographical incident “Revelation”, “turning point” or “life lesson” A lesson or moral you learned as a result of that event Style Use your 5 senses to give details to the reader “Show” don’t “tell” your reader about the event Specific occurrence One event that you will always remember Something that changed your life Meaningful, significant, etc.

Famous life lessons “You can’t judge a book by its cover” “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all” “It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all” “Time heals all wounds”

Style Imagery Descriptive words/phrases that create a picture Show! Don’t tell! Ex: “surprised” vs. “I dropped my jaw” Sensory words Words that remind us of our 5 senses Sight: zoom, hurl, dive, clouded, wrinkled Sound: crash, roar, whine, jingle, growl Touch: smooth, cool, slimy, hard, furry Taste: bitter, juicy, spicy, crunchy, tangy Smell: fishy, flowery, musty, rotten, smoky

Structure Introduction Hook- grabs the reader’s attention “I knew I’d never forget this moment” Link- background information on the topic Sets the stage for what the reader’s about to read  “It started 3 years ago when….”  “Although I didn’t know it then….” Thesis Main idea of the paper

Structure Body paragraphs Events organized in chronological order Must include dialogue Past tense verbs First person voice (I)

Structure Conclusion Summarizes main details Reveals life lesson or moral Leaves the reader with a feeling of hope, sadness, enlightenment, etc.

Introductory Paragraph Thump. The van bounced over a stray piece of abandoned tire on the highway, jarring me out of my melancholy daydreaming. I glared at the dashboard clock, willing the hours to slip by quickly; willing this disastrous day to be over. Immediately after my dad had accepted a new job in Iowa, our little family of four went into overdrive- sorting, purging, and packing our lives away. Two short months after the news, we sat in our van wedged between boxes, bags and stray pieces of luggage. My heart felt like that piece of tire, ragged, worn and run over. Although moving to Iowa from Pennsylvania was the hardest thing I had ever gone through at that point in my life, it taught me courage, independence and showed me a love I’d never before realized I had.

Body Paragraph They say, “Time heals all wounds”. I don’t think the person who said that was actually hurting at the time. When you’re in the middle of something tough, it seems never ending. In Pennsylvania, I had everything I wanted. It was easy for me to stay inside my comfort zone, content with my current friendships and interests. Teaching myself to go beyond my limitations was intimidating and scary. My family moved in January of my junior year of high school, which meant that everyone at the school had known each other for at least two and a half years. It took a lot of courage for me to jump out there and meet new people. For example, every year the school hosted a talent show for senior students. A girl who I had befriended convinced me to be a part of a group of people who were performing a few songs from the movie Grease. We had to dress up and learn the songs and dance moves and even though I was really nervous, we ended up having a lot of fun. We actually won the talent competition…even over the Brittney Spears guy who sang, “Opps, I Did It Again”.

Conclusion paragraph In the end, moving to Iowa was difficult, discouraging and sad. Looking back, I realized that if we hadn’t moved, I never would’ve dated Steve, never realize that I had the courage to make new friends and never would’ve become my own person. So, maybe the old adage is true, time does heal all wounds.

Life Brainstorm: Write a list of 3 “life changing” or “memorable” events in your life For each event, write the life lesson you learned from that experience For each event, write 5 descriptive words or phrases that tell how you feel about that time in your life

Consider this when brainstorming… What time of day is it? What is the weather like? How is the weather affecting you? Where are you? Look around you. What do you see? What colors and textures are around you? What mood are you in? Content? Upset? Sad? Excited? What expression are your wearing on your face? How are you holding your body? What clothes are you wearing? Are there other people around? Who are these people? What do they look like? How are they acting? How do you feel about these people? Are there any sounds? What are the sounds? How are the sounds affecting you? If you could feel your surroundings how would they feel?