write a personal narrative essay

write a personal narrative explaining and reflecting on something related to one of the topic areas listed below — write in the first person and select a tightly-limited situation or a single episode.

-An experience in which you learned something valuable for the rest of your life

-Your relationship or experiences with the environment, the natural world, climate issues, weather, etc.

I do not recommend writing about a very common experience (such as your high school graduation day, the first day of boot camp, or the day you gave birth to your first child)

requirements:

(2-3 pages long for a passing grade)MLA formatting
pre-writing questions to help you refine your subject:

1. What is the main purpose of your essay? In one sentence, explain what message or insight this essay delivers – this sentence does not have to appear in the essay itself as long as the point is delivered.

1. How can you control the scope of this narrative? What choices can you make to limit the topic of the paper? What can you omit in to keep the short essay focused? Where should you describe something in detail? Good narrative writing uses a careful mix of slower and faster elements.

checklist

Ten Pointers for a Successful Paper:

1. two pages minimum, double-spaced, 1” margins, 12-point font, all MLA formatting (use the guide!)
2. your topic is significant to you and could carry a meaning for many different readers
3. an effective title: sounds interesting and clearly indicates the subject of the essay
4. the introduction paragraph catches the reader’s attention with a vivid scene or introduces the subject clearly to the reader
5. body paragraphs are used carefully to divide scenes and transition from one point to the next
6. the order of events and details is purposeful and helps to develop your point or purpose
7. some parts of the narrative are “slowed down” or “zoomed in” to provide focus on important elements
8. some facts, details, and even people may have been omitted or skipped over in order to focus on the main point and purpose of the narrative
9. any person mentioned is briefly but effectively described or characterized in some way — no one is simply a name or a floating head
10. a separate conclusion paragraph ADDS some further meaning and new insight to the essay instead of only repeating points already made