Head over to Byrdseed.TV and start your trial!

You're trying out Byrdseed.TV!? Be sure to start with The Greatest Hits.

Byrdseed Logo
Start Here Byrdseed.TV Byrdseed.TV for PD Example Lessons Depth and Complexity Depth and Complexity PD

Writing Better Personal Narratives

Letters
Photo by Labor2008

How can we incorporate the tools authors use when writing fiction to improve students’ personal narratives?

Begin With Conflict

Students writing a personal narrative might not realize that conflict is essential even in a true story – and it doesn’t have to mean two guys fighting! Explore different types of conflict to get them thinking about how conflict will fuel their narrative:

  • Character vs character
  • Character vs society
  • Character vs nature
  • Character vs self

Perhaps the conflict is dealing with unjust rules at school, self-doubt when trying something new, or struggling against nature during a camping trip.

Include A Theme

Ask students to wrap their events in a literary theme such as:

  • The Quest
  • Redemption
  • Alienation
  • Coming of Age

Imagine a typical “first day at a new school” personal narrative refocused using an “alienation” theme.

The “I did something wrong and had to tell my parents” tale takes on a new dimension when a student knows about “redemption.”

An “I went on a vacation” narrative gains new meaning when told as a “quest.”

Structure The Events

Then, using a high-quality plot structure, students will shape their events to enhance the theme.

No more “then we did this, then we did this, then we went home.” By applying a five act plot structure, students use an exposition and denouement to highlight their own change throughout the story.

📂 Filed under Language Arts and Writing Better Narratives.

Want to share something?
Everything written on Byrdseed.com is licensed as CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. What does that mean?

Privacy Policy • Disclosure

Copyright © 2009 - 2025 Byrdseed, LLC