Biographical Narrative Elements

bio = life graph = writing narrative = story

Who do you know? You will choose one person and write about their:•background•personality traits•significance in your life

Background information questions you need to know how to answer:1.When did you first meet or how long have you known this person?2.What is your relationship?3.What are some important facts that will help the reader “get to know” this person?

age, type of employment, typical activities, life experiences…..

4. What does this person look like?

There are two ways to show the character or personality of a person: directly and indirectly. Direct characterization: The writer __________the reader what this person is like.Create a word bank of adjectives that would directly describe a person’s personality:Word bank:

How do I write about someone’s personality?

Indirect characterization is the most powerful way to reveal someone’s personality or the characteristics you want to present. There are several ways to do this (remember LATTE …?)L _____________A ____________T ____________T ____________E ____________

List the examples of indirect characterization from this clip

I need to remember an anecdote or two so I can indirectly characterize my subject.

An anecdote provides a great way to indirectly characterize someone or “show” him or her to the reader. But not just any anecdote will do. It has to have a purpose. Your background information and your anecdotes should all support and elaborate on the main points in your thesis. How do you establish a thesis? Ask yourself….Why did I choose this person?What main points about this person do I want to focus on?

Analyzing the significance of the subject (the person you’re writing about)

Complete some of these sentence starters to help you explore the significance of this person in your life:I am grateful for….I have learned that….I now know that……He/she has influenced me by….I will never forget how he/she ……