Writing Narration and Description

Writer’s goalWrite about a significant event in your life

Write so readers:Vividly relive the experience

Learn something about you (and themselves)

Key to success: Be passionateChoose an experience from your life that still makes you:HappyAngryHumbleAfraidOr some other strong emotion

Think of it as a truthWe see ourselves in

an earlier time, but we also see it in context of what we know todayWe know more than

what we seeShare that with the

reader

Is there an itch you need to scratch?Start with what

interests you, but ask:Is there anything

about this experience you want to understand better?

Does anything about it make you curious?

Confused? Uncertain?That’s a great place to startYou don’t have to have it figured out before you begin

Dig deeper and ask:Why did I do

that?What does it

mean?Why did it

happen?How did I really

feel?What do I really

think about it?

Include charactersMake people in your narrative come to lifeShow their actionsUse their wordsBe descriptive

Create memorable descriptionTrigger senses

What did you see?

What did you hear?

Choose strong nouns, active verbs

Guidelines for narrative essayChoose a memory important enough to share

Remember a time you first discovered the world was stranger, more wonderful, more complex than you had though as a child.

Focus on a moment or outcomeWhat led to this key moment?

How did others experience this?

What has time taught you?

What would you have changed?

Think about purpose, audienceWhy are you telling this story?

To entertain?To remind?To warn?To challenge?To persuade?To encourage?

Gather materialsTo remember details, use:PhotosHome videosLettersConversation

Write a first draftSet the stageInclude dialogueBuild the plotExpress your feelingsUse transitionsSelect verbs carefully

Revision checklistDid you focus on a

specific incident or event?

Are there details, description, dialogue?

Is the significance clear?

Does the writing sound sincere, natural?