Writing Skills – How Can I Get Ideas for a Personal Narrative?
TutorGiant
Personal narratives require some sense of introspection and reflection. You must be able to take a step back and look at your life.
You should consider the following when gathering ideas for a personal narrative:
Hobbies and Interests
What are some of your hobbies or interests? Do prefer a certain sport? Perhaps you are interested in science, animals, or video games. What do you like to read about or watch on television? Is music important to you? By focusing in on an interest, you will be able to narrow down a topic. Then, when you have a topic (e.g. dogs) you can then write about your experiences with that topic.
Where have you been? You can write a great deal about your time in the dentist's office or at the zoo. Maybe you were on a cruise or went camping in the forest. Reflect back on the activities you did, the feelings you had, and the experiences you can remember from these places.
Who Do You Spend Time With?
Think about the people who you spend time with. Who has the greatest impact on your life? Include friends, family, and role models. Reflect back to the good, bad, and special times you have had with these people. Do you immediately think about the every day events or special events with the people who are close to you?
You should take some time to write down some notes for each of the above headings. Then, you can combine their notes to write a personal narrative. For example, you can write a personal narrative about a recent family vacation to a cottage. You can include the specific place, the activities, and people that made the trip to the cottage memorable.
They key here is for you to categorize your experiences, and then put them together to write a descriptive personal narrative.
