Guide to selecting topics for a memoir, drafting, outlining, revising, and sharing student writing. Application to English classes at the high school level.

1. Writing the
Narrative
Memoir

2. Contents
• The Features of a Narrative Memoir
• Understanding Your Purpose for Writing
• Prewriting
• Writing the Rough Draft
• Peer Feedback and Revisions
• Proofreading and Editing
• Self-Assessing and Reflecting on Your
Essay

3. Narratives
• Narratives are stories that are told
for different purposes.
• In college, students will be asked
to relate their experiences dealing
with different matters.
– There is often a narrative required on
college applications.

4. Memoirs
• Memoirs focus on events, people, and
places that are important.
• One usually writes a memoir to
capture the important moment and to
tell how it is important to him/her.

5. Key Features
• A well-told story: Like most
stories, there should be a plot line
with a clear beginning, middle, and
end in which a situation unfolds.
• Vivid detail: Vivid details are what
bring a story to life and help
create the mental images of sights,
sounds, smells, tastes, and textures
of the world in which the story
takes place.

6. Key Features Continued
● Indication of significance: A writer
must make it clear why the event is
important.
● A memoir
1.tells about the significance of the
experience when it happened
2.explains how the event changed or
impacted them or how they view life
3.reflects on the importance of the
memory of the event to the author today

7. Understanding Your
Purpose for Writing

8. Choosing a Topic
• The memoir must focus on the
specific events of a brief period
in time
– A key relationship
– A vacation or travel experience
– A crisis or problem one faced

9. Considering Your Purpose
• Purpose: Why do you want to tell the
story? Think about the reasons and
how they will shape what you write.
• Audience: Who are your readers?
Understanding your audience lets you
know what you need to explain, if
there would be similar experiences,
and if they share your attitude.

10. Considering Your Purpose
• Stance: What attitude do you want to
project? The attitude will determine
the tone you use when writing.
• Media/Design: How will be the
narrative be presented? Print, oral,
or web? Will you include photos,
charts or other illustrations.

11. Prewriting

12. Prewriting
• Remember that the goal is to tell a
story that is vivid and compelling
for the reader.
– Describe the setting: Where does it take
place? What do you see? What do you
hear? What do you smell? How and what do
you feel? What do you taste?
– Think of key people: People’s actions
play an important part in the story.
Take time to describe key people in
adequate detail. Include conversational
dialogue that you recall (or make up).

13. Prewriting
• Write about “what happened”: A good
story dramatizes the action. Try to
summarize what happened with active
and specific verbs to describe as
vividly as possible. Answer what,
where, and who.
• Reflect on the significance of the
event: Be clear about why the event
is important. How did it change or
affect you?

14. Ways to Organize
• Start by Outlining the main events.
Then think about how you want to
organize it.
– Chronologically: from beginning to end
– Beginning in the middle: start with the
middle, fill in details, tell how
situation was resolved, and why it was
important.
– Beginning at the end: tell how the story
ends and then go back to the beginning
to tell how it happened.

15. Writing The Rough Draft

16. Writing Out a Draft
• Once all the information is
collected, it is time to begin
writing.
– Draft a beginning: jump right in with
the main action; describe the context by
giving background information; describe
the setting—especially if it is
important to the narrative.

17. Writing Out a Draft Cont.
– Draft an ending: what do you want to
leave the readers with.
• End where your story ends
• Say something about the significance of your
experience and how it impacted you then and
now
• Refer back to the beginning
• End on a surprising note
– Come up with a title.
• A good title indicates something about
subject and makes the audience want to read
the story.

18. Considering Matters of
Design
• Layout your essay document according
to the guidelines required in class
– What typeface? Essays are usually Times
New Roman, Arial, or Calibri font.
– Essays have a header in the top left
corner (of the first page only) that
includes your name, teacher’s name,
class, and date.
– Any visuals? Short essays usually do not
included visuals unless required by your
specific teacher.

19. Peer Feedback and
Revision

20. Getting Feedback and
Revising
• Getting feedback from others on your
draft is crucial. Ask…
– Does the title and beginning make the
reader want to read more?
– Are transitions used correctly at the
beginning and end of each paragraph to
guide the reader through the story?
– Is anything confusing?
– Are adequate details included, and are
the interesting? Does the reader know
the setting? Is there dialogue?

21. Getting Feedback and
Revising Cont.
– Has the situation been made meaningful?
– Are actions described vividly and
clearly as to engage the reader?
– Is the significance clear?
– Is the ending satisfying and what does
it leave the reader thinking?
• Once you have all the answers, it is
time to revise your essay by
rewriting parts as necessary

22. Proofreading and Editing

23. Editing and Proofreading
• Make sure events are narrated in
clear order with proper transitions.
• Make sure verb tenses indicate when
an action took place.
• Use a consistent verb tense
– If you’re writing in past tense remember to use
–ed verbs rather than present tense –s verbs
• Punctuate dialogue correctly.
• Proofread for other grammatical and
usage issues.

24. Self-Assessing and
Reflecting on Your
Memoir

25. Taking Stock in Your Work
• How well did you tell the story?
• What did you do well?
• What could you improve?
• How did you come up with?
• How did you go about drafting the
narrative?
• How did others’ feedback influence
you?