1. FOLLOW THE STEPS OUTLINED IN THIS SLIDESHOW TO WRITE YOUR NARRATIVE Writing an Autobiographical Narrative

2. Assignment: Write an autobiographical narrative that reveals an experience’s significance for you. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Do you have a relative or a friend who tells the same stories over and over again? Many people like to share stories about events that have a special significance to them or that reveal something important about their lives, values, or beliefs. What story will you tell?

3. Think about specific, meaningful experiences from your life. a neighborhood park, a vacation spot Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Search Your Memory a special place rode a bike, volunteered the first time you did something a sports event, a family reunion a special occasion/tradition

4. Ask yourself Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Choose an Experience Is this experience important to me? Choose the experience that brings out the most detailed and positive response from you. What specific details can I give about this experience? Is the experience too private or embarrassing to share?

5. Purpose Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Define Your Purpose and Audience To relate the sequence of events that make up a personal experience To express to your audience the significance of those events To use diction, imagery, details and figurative language to create setting and mood

6. Audience Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Define Your Purpose and Audience Teachers What background information will the audience need to understand the experience? Friends Others who will read your autobiographical narrative ClassmatesParents

7. List all the vivid details you can recall about events, people, places, thoughts, and feelings. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details Events What sequence of events make up the experience? Were there important events that led up to or followed the experience? Tip Match the pace of your narrative to the pace of the actual events—a quick pace for rapid events, a slow pace for more drawn-out events.pace Sequence of events: volunteered for beach clean-up, found an injured turtle and got it help Later events: volunteered at an animal rescue shelter, decided to become a veterinarian Details: Remember to focus on the most important/significant details

8. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details Pace quick pace for more rapid events slow pace for more drawn-out events The rescue shelter was very busy. I filed papers. I answered phones. I cleaned cages. The to-do list seemed endless. The turtle seemed scared, so I approached it very slowly and spoke to it in a soothing voice.

9. List all the vivid details you can recall about events, people, places, thoughts, and feelings. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details Places Where did the events happen? Tip Use concrete sensory details (IMAGERY) to create effective images of the sights, sounds, and smells of the places you are describing.concrete sensory details Beach on a spring afternoon; cool breeze from the sea; warm, white sand; calm water; salty air

10. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details Concrete Sensory Details (IMAGERY) What senses does the passage appeal to? At the beach clean-up, we found several old tires—the rubber brittle and hot from the sun’s heat—that were breeding grounds for hundreds of buzzing and biting mosquitoes.

11. List all the vivid details you can recall about events, people, places, thoughts, and feelings. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details People Who was involved in the events? What did those people look like? What did they do and say? Tip Use sensory details to describe actions and gestures. Use dialogue, actual words people say, to show each person’s personality.actions and gesturesdialogue Me—ages fifteen and sixteen Dr. Alice Monroe—animal rescue veterinarian; friendly; gentle with animals; always takes time to explain treatments

12. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details Actions and Gestures I spent several weeks working with Sammy, an older dog that had been abused. At the beginning I used slow, deliberate motions when I approached him, and I always brought him a treat.

13. List all the vivid details you can recall about events, people, places, thoughts, and feelings. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details Thoughts and Feelings What did I think and feel as the events unfolded? Tip Use interior monologue, “thinking out loud,” to share your thoughts with readers.interior monologue Excitement to volunteer, worry about the injured turtle, respect and admiration for the people at the animal rescue shelter [End of Section]

14. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details Interior Monologue I told myself, “If I want to get into veterinary school, I’ve really got to buckle down and study.”

15. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Gather Details Dialogue Dr. Monroe explained, “Working with abandoned and neglected animals can be rough—sometimes they show up in such bad condition that it just makes you cry. But, watching them heal and learn to trust people again is worth all of the heartache.”

16. Discuss the events in chronological order, or time order. (Feel free to include a flashback if it makes sense for your narrative.) Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Organize Details Main narrative Discuss events that were part of your meaningful life experience. NextLast Conclusion Discuss events that came after your experience to show how that experience related to other parts of your life. First Background Discuss events that came before your experience to help your audience understand what led up to it.

17. Use transitional words and phrases to guide your readers through the events in your narrative. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Organize Details at firstbefore to beginlater thennext afterwardslast Changes in Time aroundnearby across fromnext to besidebehind in front ofunder Changes in Place [End of Section]

18. Ask yourself Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Share the Significance of the Experience Did the experience change me? If so, how? What did I learn from the experience? Has my perspective, my thoughts and feelings about the event, shifted over time? If so, how? Include these thoughts in the closing of your narrative.

19. Rescuing the injured turtle and volunteering at the animal rescue shelter has given me a new respect for animals and a sense of accomplishment and purpose. Write a sentence identifying your controlling impression—the main idea or feeling you want to communicate about your experience. You don’t have to include this sentence in your final draft, but every detail in the narrative should contribute to the controlling impression. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Share the Significance of the Experience

20. Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Prewriting: Practice and Apply Follow the guidelines in this section to choose an experience, analyze your audience, and gather and organize details for your autobiographical narrative.

21. A Writer’s Framework Use the structure outlined here. Introduction Begin with an engaging opening. Supply background information so readers understand the context of the narrative. Hint at the significance of the experience. Body Discuss the sequence of events that make up your experience. Discuss the important events that led up to or followed your experience. Include plenty of details about people, places, and events. Conclusion Look back at the experience from the present time. Reflect on what you learned or how you changed as a result of this experience. Reveal the significance of the experience.

22. ELEMENTS OF VOICE Your paper must also include: Clear, descriptive diction At least one example of imagery for each of the five senses At least one metaphor, one simile and one example of personification (figurative language) Your diction, imagery and figurative language should help the reader visualize your setting. Your diction, imagery and figurative language and setting should help the reader sense the mood (the emotional tone/feeling) of your story.

23. Rubric: Writing an Autobiographical Narrative Evaluation QuestionsTips Revision Techniques 1. Does the introduction include an engaging opening, background information, and a hint at the significance of the experience? Bracket the engaging opening and background information. Underline the hint about the significance. Add an engaging opening and background information. Add a sentence or two that suggests the significance of the event. 2. Does the narrative include details about events, people, and places? Circle details. If you have fewer than three circles in each paragraph, revise. Add details about events, people, and places to the paragraph. Elaborate on existing details with sensory language, figurative language or dialogue. 3. Does the narrative include details about the narrator’s thoughts and feelings? Highlight sentences that contain the narrator’s thoughts or feelings. If there isn’t at least one such detail in the narrative, revise. Elaborate on details by answering the questions, “What did I think?” or “How did I feel?” Consider using interior monologue. 4. Is the order of the events clear?Number the events in chronological order.Rearrange events in chronological order, if necessary, and add transitional words and phrases to show the order. 5. Does the conclusion discuss the significance of the experience? Underline sentences in the conclusion that reveal the meaning of the experience. Add sentences that indirectly or directly explain the importance of the experience.

24. See Schoolwires to review a model of an autobiographical narrative. See also “A Christmas Memory” for a model of using diction, imagery and figurative language to convey setting and mood.