Personal
Narrative
Writing that is about a person’s
personal experiences
written by that person
Elements of a Personal Narrative
You will probably use several, but not all of
these elements in your personal metaphor paper.
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Point of View
Strong Lead
Character and Setting
Conflict
Dialogue and Blocking
Interior Monologue
Show Don’t Tell
Strong Conclusion
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.
Strong Leads
 A strong lead immediately grabs the reader’s
attention by being out of the ordinary and
exceptionally interesting.
 Strong lead ideas
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Short, arresting sentence
Astonishing or shocking statement or scenario
Exciting direct quotations
Flashback
Inspiring and philosophical ideas
 ANY COMBINATION OF THE ABOVE
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
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.
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.
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.
Show Don’t Tell
 A good narrative develops the conflict and
story through the use of vivid, descriptive
language.
 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.”
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.
Analyzing Personal
Narratives
 In the model narratives, find and analysis
examples of:
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Strong Leads
Character and Setting Development
Conflict
Dialogue and Blocking
Interior Monologue
Showing Not Telling
Strong Conclusions
 BE READY TO SHOW AND DISCUSS!