This document provides guidance on writing a personal narrative. It explains that a personal narrative is a true story from one's own life that is told from a first-person point of view using "I", "me", and "we". It discusses the key elements of narratives, including character, setting, conflict, plot, and theme. Conflict in a narrative creates tension and can be external, such as man vs. man, man vs. nature, or man vs. society, or internal, as in man vs. self. The document provides examples of different types of conflicts and recommends outlining a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end that establishes the problem, how the character tries to solve it, and whether it gets

1. Writing a Personal
Narrative

2. Personal Narrative
A story about an
experience in your
own life.
It is not fictional, and it
is not an autobiography
(a story about your
entire life)!

3. Point of View
Personal narratives
use first person
point of view. “I”,
“me”, and “we” are
OK. Generally, the
narrator should not
address the reader
by saying “you” in
your narrative.
“I”

4. Point of View:
1st Person:
“I never thought that
owning a dog would be
so challenging. When I
brought Fluffy home for
the first time, she
destroyed my favorite
pair of shoes within five
minutes. After I found
the damage, I locked
Fluffy in her crate.”
3rd Person:
“Amber used to think that
owning a dog would be
easy, but when she
brought Fluffy home for
the first time, she
discovered she was
wrong. Fluffy had
destroyed her favorite pair
of shoes. When amber
saw them, she locked
Fluffy in her crate.”

5. Narrative Elements
There are 5 main elements that are
found in all narratives:
1. Character
2. Setting
3. Conflict
4. Plot
5. Theme
These are
the main
“ingredients”
in a story.

6. Narrative Elements
There are 5 main elements that are
found in all narratives:
1. Character
2. Setting
3. Conflict
4. Plot
5. Theme
Where does your story
take place?
What are you struggling to do
in your story?
What events happen?
That’s you!
What is the lesson, purpose,
point, or message of the story?

7. Conflict
When two things are in opposition.
A “clash” between two forces.

8. When two things are in opposition.
A “clash” between two forces.
Every story worth reading
has a conflict.
If there is no conflict, there is
no tension in the story.
Conflict

9. Types of Conflict:
External Conflict:
A character struggles
against an outside
force:
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society
Internal Conflict:
A character struggles
to understand
opposing ideas or
feelings within himself:
Man vs. Self

11. Man vs. Self
You struggle to be kind to your
ex-boyfriend even though he is very
jealous.
You struggle to understand your
identity when you are half Chinese
and half American.
You struggle to end your addiction to
video games.

12. Man vs. Man
You struggle against your best friend
because you fell in love with the same
person.
You struggle against a mean teacher
that always gives you detention.
You struggle against your father who
wants you to become a doctor, but
you want to be a director.

13. Man vs. Nature
You are attacked by bears while on a
camping trip, and struggle to escape.
Your family struggles to survive
during a hurricane.
A drought kills all of the crops, and
you must try to survive without food.

14. Man vs. Society
You struggle to find acceptance in a
society that discourages your clothing
choices.
You struggle to change a harmful or
oppressive law.
You struggle because everyone
expects you to attend Hagwon, but
you would rather take surfing lessons.

15. Outline
Beginning
• What is the problem?
Middle
• How does the character try to solve
the problem?
End
• Is the problem resolved? How?
• Reflect: why was this event important
or meaningful in the life of the
character?

16. Outline
Beginning
• What is the problem?
Middle
• How does the character try to solve
the problem?
End
• Is the problem resolved? How?
• Reflect: why was this event important
or meaningful in the life of the
character?
Call to Adventure
Trials
Ordeal
Boon