personal narrative essay worksheet

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Common core state standards related to narrative writing.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

ELA Standards: Writing

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.3 – Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.3 – Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3 – Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3a – Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3b – Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3d – Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3e – Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3a – Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3a – Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3b – Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3c – Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3d – Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3e – Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3a – Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3c – Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).

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2.7: The Personal Narrative Essay

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• Page ID 40379

• Heather Ringo & Athena Kashyap
• City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

Assignment TLDR;

This first essay assignment is a chance for me, the instructor and your peers to get to know you. It is also an opportunity to practice MLA formatting & understand basic concepts of storytelling/literature.

Below are the parts to help you scaffold this assignment:

• Personal Narrative Rough Draft
• Personal Narrative Peer Review
• Personal Narrative Final Draft

The following readings will help you with the technical aspects of the essay:

• The Writing Process
• MLA Formatting

The following readings are effective examples of personal narratives you can use to help you craft your essay:

• Creative Nonfiction Readings
• Student Sample Personal Narratives

The following activity will help you get started:

• Descriptive Imagery Worksheets

The in-depth essay directions follow.

Detailed Directions

For this writing assignment, students are to use what they have learned about Creative Nonfiction to write a personal narrative of their own.

To review, creative nonfiction tells a true story in an artistic -- or literary -- way. This means that the story has certain elements, such as descriptive imagery, setting, plot, conflict, characters, imagery, metaphors, and other literary devices. A personal narrative , then, is a work of creative nonfiction that is, well, personal . Usually, a personal narrative is narrated in first-person, though sometimes it can be written in third-person. Though writing about your personal experiences is often the subject of a personal narrative, if you are feeling self-conscious the story does not necessarily have to be about you: often writers will write about someone they love, an object, a place, or even a stranger with a remarkable story.

Scope, or how "big" of a story you choose to tell, is an important consideration for a personal narrative. Since you have limited time in your literature or writing class, you will probably not be able to write an autobiography or memoir. For 750-1500 words, it is best to focus on a single moment in time. An effective example of this might be "The Fourth of July" by Audre Lorde (Date unknown) or "The Death of the Moth" by Virginia Woolf (1942). But if you have a story that stretches over a few days rather than a few minutes or hours, journal entries or letters ( epistolary form) can be an effective method to tell a drawn-out story through a series of vignettes , or image-centric flashes of memory. Please see the story "Bajadas" by Francisco Cantu (2015) for an effective example of the epistolary form. Lastly, some authors choose to organize their essays with anchoring images or subheaders. For an effective example of this form of personal narrative, see "Girl" by Alexander Chee (2016). Take a look at the readings in this chapter to get some ideas about scope. After examining these professional examples, it's time to tell your story! So where is a good place to start? Think about a metamorphic moment in your life.

Metamorphic Moments

"Untitled" by morganglines , 17 June 2007, published on Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

What does metamorphic mean? Think of the caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly while in the chrysalis. Similarly, a metamorphic moment is an intense moment or experience which profoundly impacts or changes a person. It could be the happiest moment of a person's life, such as a wedding, birth of a child, or graduation from college. It could be the worst moment of a person's life, like the moment they realized their dream job was not a good fit after all, the moment they realized racism was real, the moment they lost someone they loved, or the moment they realized their lifelong hero was a fraud. It could be a hilarious moment, a scary moment, an extremely embarrassing moment: essentially, it is a moment that made you see the world in a new way or transformed you from the person you were to the person you are .

Whatever the moment might be, the important idea to remember is to tell a story in a way which immerses the reader: that you make the reader feel like they are there by describing the moment in great detail using your five senses; that you use metaphors; that you have a setting, conflict, and some kind of character growth. A great essay makes a reader forget they are reading an essay. It transports them to your world. It forces them to see the world through your narrator's eyes. As one of my favorite mentors, Caroline Kremers, once said about engaging readers with your writing, "go for the jugular." (Note: please do not physically assault your readers. This is a metaphor.)

Descriptive Imagery: Showing vs. Telling

"moon" by George Lezenby , 14 Sep. 2017, published on Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” ― Anton Chekhov

Which of the above lakes would you want to visit? Which one paints a more immersive picture, making you feel like you are there? When writing a story, our initial instinct is usually to make a list of chronological moments: first I did this, then I did this, then I did that, it was neat-o. That might be factual, but it does not engage the reader or invite them into your world. It bores the reader. Ever been stuck listening to someone tell a story that seems like it will never end? It probably was someone telling you a story rather than using the five senses to immerse you . In the example above, the writer uses visual (sight), auditory (sound), olfactory (smell), tactile (touch), or gustatory (taste) imagery to help the reader picture the setting in their mind. By the final draft, the entire story should be compelling and richly detailed. While it's fine to have an outline or first draft that recounts the events of the story, the final draft should include dialogue, immersive description, plot twists, and metaphors to capture your reader's attention as you write.

"Eibsee Lake" by barnyz , 2 August 2011, published on Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Need a more specific prompt to get you inspired? Check out the 7 Personal Insight Questions from the University of California's Personal Statement Prompts for Transfer Students . Interested in transferring or applying to another college or scholarship? An effective personal statement is a story that captures the attention of your readers (the college admissions team) and shows them why you are a good fit for the school/scholarship.

Why Write A Personal Narrative, Anyway?

First of all, writing a piece of creative work will help students gain an appreciation for the skill and effort which goes into writing, and helps them recognize common literary devices. It will help you get acquainted with some of the basic elements of writing, such as specificity, writing process, and time management. It will also allow you to practice MLA formatting . This will come in handy for future essays. But personal narratives are not just for literature and creative writing classes!

Believe it or not, writing a personal narrative is an extremely useful skill for anyone to master. Besides helping you get into colleges and win scholarship money, you can use it to ace job interviews, get Instagram or YouTube followers, sell a product to customers through effective marketing, or share the most interesting parts of yourself with a new friend or romantic interest. In science? Telling the story of your research can help you get grants from the government. In the medical field? Listening to patient stories can help you better provide quality care. Small business owner? Personal narratives can help attract clients (think of the "About Us" section of websites!). Passionate about social justice? A powerful personal narrative can quite literally change the world. Whatever your future career or interests, effective storytelling can make a difference in your life. So what are you waiting for? Let's get writing!

Brainstorming

• First, write a list of as many "metamorphic moments" you can think of.
• Next, write a list of the most important or memorable places you have been.
• Lastly, write a list of objects which hold symbolic importance to you.

After you have written these lists, wait at least a day. Then come back and circle the 3 list items which you feel will make the best essay, or that you feel most strongly drawn to write about.

Once you find three moments, try making a brainstorming web. Write any associated words, objects, ideas, and descriptive imagery (all five senses) you associate with this moment, place, or object. Finally, pick the topic upon which you were able to generate the most ideas. This could be your essay topic!

Free Writing

Find a quiet place and set a timer for 10 minutes. Write as much as possible on your topic, as much as you can remember, in as vivid of detail as possible. Try to keep the pen moving on the page without stopping. Do not worry about grammar, spelling, punctuation, or that mean little critical voice in your head. Your job is just to get ideas down. Pretend you are trying to explain the memory to someone who has never met the people you are describing or has never been to the place where the story takes place. How would you describe the moment to an alien? That is usually a good way to ensure you are very detailed!

Other Generative Writing Ideas

• Find a picture that means a lot to you. While it is clear to you why this picture is important, it is likely not clear to a stranger. Try to describe to a stranger all the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings of the moment so that they understand why the picture is meaningful to you.
• Find an image, object, action, or place/scene that is important to you. Use this descriptive imagery worksheet by Shane Abrams to help you describe that object.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze and employ logical and structural methods such as inductive and deductive reasoning, cause and effect, and logos, ethos, and pathos.
• Use style, diction, and tone appropriate to the academic community and the purpose of the specific writing task; proofread and edit essays for presentation so they exhibit no disruptive errors in English grammar, usage, or punctuation

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Reading and Writing Personal Narratives

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• Grade 12 ELA Module 1: Full Module
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• Grade 12 ELA Module 1: Zip Folder of PDF Files
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• L.11.12.1 ,
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• RI.11.12.6 ,
• SL.11.12.1A ,
• SL.11.12.1B ,
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In This Module

• unit 1: "I’m For Truth, No Matter Who Tells It"
• unit 2: "Remember The Stories, The Stories Will Help You Be Strong"
• unit 3: Personal Narrative Essay

Related Guides and Multimedia

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There are no related guides or videos. To see all our guides, please visit the Enhance Instruction section here .

Memorable Narrative Essay Writing Practice Exercises

Narrative essay writing is best taught with a combination of brainstorming, outlining and practice writing exercises that encourage students to write in the past tense and use appropriate transitions. Teaching narrative essay writing is quite enjoyable as it allows students to write about personal experiences.

5 characteristics of narrative writing include:

1. A narrative typically tells a story from a particular point of view, and this point of view is usually that of the narrator.

2. A narrative often has a plot, which is a sequence of events that the story follows.

3. A narrative may have characters, who may be either fictional or based on real people.

4. A narrative typically takes place in a specific time and place.

5. A narrative may have a theme, which is a central idea or message that the story conveys.

1 “First Day at University” (narrative essay transitions exercise with answers)

This is an exercise to help students understand transitions in narrative essays.

Narrative essay transitions (PDF)

Related Resources:

Story Telling Exercises for  ESL Students

• Writing topic sentences

Elementary to pre-intermediate reading comprehension exercises

10 opinion and argument writing worksheets

8 comparison/contrast templates and exercises

10 cause/effect writing activities

3 kinds of exercises for teaching transitions

6 delightful descriptive paragraph and essay writing exercises  (PDF)

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2 Narrative paragraph practice (favorite memories)

This is an exercise for students to practice writing narrative or past tense sentences about happy moments and experiences. Students look at the pictures and try to tell a story in 2-5 sentences.

Narrative writing practice-favorite memories (PDF)

3 Brainstorming an important event (narrative essay)

This is a brainstorm worksheet for a narrative essay about an important event.

Brainstorming an important event (PDF)

4 Narrative transitions sentence writing worksheet

This is an exercise challenging  students’ understanding of narrative transitions. They have to create an appropriate narrative situation for each transition.

Narrative essay transitions sentence writing worksheet (PDF)

5 Narrative sentences practice (or past tense writing exercise)

This is an exercise for students to practice writing narrative or past tense sentences. Students look at the pictures and try to tell a story in 2-5 sentences.

Narrative writing sentences  (PDF)

7 Brainstorming influential life experiences (with answers)

This is an exercise for students to brainstorm ideas and write sentences in preparation for a personal profile essay using narrative techniques. On page 1 they use the vocabulary to write short sentences for suitable for each picture. On page 2 they write the sub-topics they might use in an essay and explain their experience in a few sentences.

Influential experiences writing practice (PDF)

Other resources

Transportation and  getting around

Daily routines speaking and reading exercises

Talking about houses and neighborhoods

• Sentence starters

Activities for the present continuous

8 Replies to “Narrative essay practice exercises”

Where are the answers for the exercise (First day at university)?? please leave an answer and the <3

where are the answers of the exercise First day at university.please send the answer and the 3 narrative transition

thank you so much

The answers for First Day at University are on the second page of the PDF. Just open the PDF. I double checked it.

effective exercises for narrative writing

Where are the answers of transition one number 3?

Really thoughtful and useful exercises

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Mrs. Beers Language Arts Classroom

A middle school ELA teacher blog featuring language arts activities, classroom ideas, and teacher resources for grades 4-8.

Spring Break Personal Narrative Essay and Journal Writing Activities

Spring break not only gives students and teachers a chance to refresh before the last quarter of the school year, but it also offers a fun backdrop to teach personal narrative essay writing. Coming back from break, my middle school students often need a nudge back to “learning mode” so I like to use spring break journal prompts as the brainstorm activities for a personal narrative writing lesson.

When I taught 6th grade in an urban setting, my students didn’t tend to travel anywhere for spring break, but they always had a bazillion stories to share about how they spent their days off from school. I love this energy and willingness to share, but with state testing on the horizon, we need to maximize our instructional time with purposeful learning.

Motivating young writers often requires some creativity, so when you have students bursting with stories about their adventures, you must seize the moment! This is exactly why I created this spring break journal prompt and personal narrative writing resource.

Whether your students go to the beach or opt to stay home, they always have great stories to share with the class. This resource provides all the tools you need to get them excited about writing on the first days back from break. From brainstorm and idea worksheets, to writing prompts and outline templates, I created this resource to be engaging and easy to implement.

You can make this resource as elaborate or as minimal as you see fit.  This can be utilized as a full-blown personal narrative essay resource by progressing through the journal prompts, brainstorm organizer, writing outline worksheet, and rubrics. You could also break the resource up into parts to utilize as a morning work resource for students to complete upon their return.  Check it out, I promise your students will have a lot of fun reflecting.

I have included a rubric in this unit to help you communicate expectations with students. Here are some things to look for in personal narrative writing…

• Student writing includes a clearly written story with a narrator/main character.
• The piece is organized with a logical sequence of events and incorporates dialogue, consistent pacing, and thorough description of characters and events.
• Transition words are included to signal shifts from one time frame to another.
• Student included a conclusion that follows the narrated experiences and events.

As a bonus, I recently added a digital version to this resource. It is offered as a Google Slides file that you can incorporate with Google Classroom. This gives you another option for use beyond the printable PDF file. Download the resource today at TPT for only $3.75 .

Safe travels if you are heading off on your own spring break adventure!

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Personal Narrative Worksheet Templates

Customize personal narrative templates.

If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

What is a Personal Narrative?

A personal narrative is a true story that tells the reader about something that happened to the author. It writing focuses on small moments, and dazzles readers by painting a picture with details, as if they were in the moment with the author.

This type of writing typically includes first-person point of view and reflects the author’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Its purpose is to share an experience with others and to offer insights, perspectives, and reflections that might be helpful or relatable to readers. They can take many forms, such as a memoir, a personal essay, a diary entry, or a blog post.

Why are They Important and How are They Best Used?

Personal narrative writing can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning. By sharing experiences, students and teachers can create a sense of connection and empathy, which can help build a positive classroom structure. They can also help learners develop their writing and storytelling skills, as they learn to craft compelling accounts that convey their thoughts and emotions.

One effective way to use personal narratives in an educational context is to have kids write and share their own narrative writing with their peers. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as through journaling, small group discussions, Google slides, or class presentations. Teachers can provide prompts or topics for learners to write about, or they can allow the class to choose their own topics based on their interests and experiences.

Personal narratives can also be used to teach important concepts and skills. Teachers can use them to teach literary elements such as plot, character development, and point of view. Students can analyze personal narratives to identify these elements and understand how they contribute to the overall plot. They can also be used to teach critical thinking skills, as students learn to evaluate the author’s perspective and reflect on their own beliefs and experiences.

These pieces of writing teach children how to write about a real memory in their lives. Writing a personal narrative story will allow self expression and the ability to write about something that has a great deal of meaning and importance to them. They also teach writing organization, rough draft writing, planning, the use of dialogue, and vivid imagery.

Personal Narrative Examples

Here are some sample ideas

• ‘’The Day I Learned to Ride a Bike’’: This describes a memorable experience of the author learning to ride a bike, including the excitement and fear she felt.
• ‘’My First Day of High School’’: This story shares the author’s thoughts and emotions as she begins a new phase of her education, including the challenges and opportunities she faces.
• ‘’A Summer in Europe’’: This recounts the author’s experiences traveling throughout Europe, including the people she met, the places she visited, and the lessons she learned.
• ‘’My Grandmother’s House’’: This personal story describes the author’s memories of visiting her grandmother’s house as a child, including the sights, sounds, and smells that evoke a sense of nostalgia.
• ‘’Overcoming My Fear of Public Speaking’’: This shares the author’s journey to overcome the fear of public speaking, including the strategies she used and the lessons she learned.

Personal narratives can take many forms and cover a wide range of topics, but they all share a common thread of conveying a personal experience or perspective.

Personal Narrative Template

A narrative planning template is a structured framework used to outline and organize the key components of a narrative or story. Here is an example of a template:

• Introduction: Begin by introducing the experience or event that you will be writing about. Provide some context in the beginning lines for the reader and set the stage for the story you will be telling.
• Setting the Scene: Describe the settings and atmosphere of the experience. Include details that will help the reader visualize the scene and understand the context.
• Challenge or Conflict: Describe the challenge or conflict that you faced during the experience. What was the obstacle that you needed to overcome or the problem that you needed to solve?
• Rising Action: Describe the events or actions that led up to the climax of the story. How did you navigate the challenge or conflict?
• Climax: Describe the moment of highest tension or intensity. This is the turning point that changes the course of the narrative.
• Falling Action: Describe the events or actions that occurred after the climax. How did the situation change as a result of the climax?
• Conclusion: End the story by reflecting on what you learned or how you grew from the experience. Share any insights or perspectives that you gained, and provide closure to the narrative.

Personal Narrative Maker

A personal narrative maker is a tool or software that helps individuals create personal accounts, often in the form of written stories or essays. These tools can assist with generating ideas, organizing thoughts, and even provide prompts to help the writer get started.

Some personal narrative makers may have templates or pre-designed structures that individuals can follow. Others may provide suggestions or tips on how to improve the story’s flow and impact.

Some personal narrative makers may also offer features like grammar and spell-check, which can help writers polish their work before sharing it with others. It can also be helpful resources for individuals who are looking to share personal experiences in a creative and engaging way.

How to Make a Personal Narrative

Choose one of the premade templates.

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on "Copy Template"

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific questions and images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished with your worksheet, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Other Templates to Use with Your Class

• Creative Writing Worksheets : Creative writing worksheets can be valuable resources to help students improve their writing skills and develop their creativity. These worksheets can provide a structured approach to brainstorming and organizing ideas, which can help students become more confident and proficient writers. Creative writing worksheets can also be used to teach various literary techniques, such as character development, plot, settings, and dialogue.
• Point of View in Literature : Point of view in literature is important for developing critical reading and analytical skills. Analyzing the point of view can provide insight into the author’s intentions, the character’s motivations and perspectives, and the overall themes and messages. By examining the point of view in a piece of literature, students can better understand the relationships between the characters and how their perceptions and experiences affect the event of the story.
• First Day of School Templates : First day of school templates are graphic organizers or visual aids that are designed to help teachers and students prepare for the first day of school. These templates can also take various forms, but typically include spaces or sections for the following elements: Welcome message, Introduction, Schedule, Rules and Expectations, Icebreakers and team-building activities; Classroom procedures and routines.
• Storytelling Templates : They are visual aids that help writers plan and structure their stories. They can help students to better understand and analyze the key elements of a story, as well as plan and organize their own writing.
• Sequencing Worksheets : Sequencing worksheets are educational tools used to help students understand and practice sequencing, which is the process of putting events or items in a logical order. These worksheets can take various forms, but typically include a series of events or steps that need to be put in the correct order. It can also be used in language arts, math and science.

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions About Personal Narrative Worksheets

What is a personal narrative online.

A personal narrative online is a plan or guide that organizes the events and details of a personal experience into a coherent and engaging story.

What is a narrative outline example?

It typically includes an introduction with a hook, background information, and a thesis statement, followed by the body that details the events or experiences of the story, and a conclusion that reflects on the significance of the experience and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. The outline can be briefed or detailed, and there are templates available to guide the writing process.

What is a narrative outline template?

A narrative outline template is a pre-designed document that provides a structure and format for organizing a personal narrative. The outline for personal narrative typically includes headings or sections for the introduction, body, and conclusion, as well as prompts or questions to guide the writer in detailing their personal experience.

What are some personal narrative ideas?

Ideas can come from a variety of experiences, such as a meaningful trip, a life-changing event, a challenge or accomplishment, or a significant relationship. Other ideas could include overcoming a fear or obstacle, learning a valuable lesson, or experiencing a cultural tradition or celebration.

How to write a personal narrative?

To write a personal narrative, start by choosing a meaningful experience or event to focus on. Then, create an outline or template to organize the details of the story, including the introduction, body, and conclusion. Use sensory details, dialogue and personal reflection to bring the story to life, and consider the significance of the experience or lesson learned. Finally, revise and edit the narrative for clarity, coherence and impact.

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Last updated on Oct 31, 2022

10 Personal Narrative Examples to Inspire Your Writing

Personal narratives are short pieces of creative nonfiction that recount a story from someone’s own experiences. They can be a memoir, a thinkpiece, or even a polemic — so long as the piece is grounded in the writer's beliefs and experiences, it can be considered a personal narrative.

Despite the nonfiction element, there’s no single way to approach this topic, and you can be as creative as you would be writing fiction. To inspire your writing and reveal the sheer diversity of this type of essay, here are ten great examples personal narratives from recent years: 

1. “Only Disconnect” by Gary Shteyngart

Personal narratives don’t have to be long to be effective, as this thousand-word gem from the NYT book review proves. Published in 2010, just as smartphones were becoming a ubiquitous part of modern life, this piece echoes many of our fears surrounding technology and how it often distances us from reality.

In this narrative, Shteyngart navigates Manhattan using his new iPhone—or more accurately, is led by his iPhone, completely oblivious to the world around him. He’s completely lost to the magical happenstance of the city as he “follow[s] the arrow taco-ward”. But once he leaves for the country, and abandons the convenience of a cell phone connection, the real world comes rushing back in and he remembers what he’s been missing out on. 

The downfalls of technology is hardly a new topic, but Shteyngart’s story remains evergreen because of how our culture has only spiraled further down the rabbit hole of technology addiction in the intervening years.

What can you learn from this piece?

Just because a piece of writing is technically nonfiction, that doesn’t mean that the narrative needs to be literal. Shteyngart imagines a Manhattan that physically changes around him when he’s using his iPhone, becoming an almost unrecognizable world. From this, we can see how a certain amount of dramatization can increase the impact of your message—even if that wasn’t exactly the way something happened. 

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2. “Why I Hate Mother's Day” by Anne Lamott

The author of the classic writing text Bird by Bird digs into her views on motherhood in this piece from Salon. At once a personal narrative and a cultural commentary, Lamott explores the harmful effects that Mother’s Day may have on society —how its blind reverence to the concept of motherhood erases women’s agency and freedom to be flawed human beings. 

Lamott points out that not all mothers are good, not everyone has a living mother to celebrate, and some mothers have lost their children, so have no one to celebrate with them. More importantly, she notes how this Hallmark holiday erases all the people who helped raise a woman, a long chain of mothers and fathers, friends and found family, who enable her to become a mother. While it isn’t anchored to a single story or event (like many classic personal narratives), Lamott’s exploration of her opinions creates a story about a culture that puts mothers on an impossible pedestal. 

In a personal narrative essay, lived experience can be almost as valid as peer-reviewed research—so long as you avoid making unfounded assumptions. While some might point out that this is merely an opinion piece, Lamott cannily starts the essay by grounding it in the personal, revealing how she did not raise her son to celebrate Mother’s Day. This detail, however small, invites the reader into her private life and frames this essay as a story about her —and not just an exercise in being contrary.

3. “The Crane Wife” by CJ Hauser 

Days after breaking off her engagement with her fiance, CJ Hauser joins a scientific expedition on the Texas coast r esearching whooping cranes . In this new environment, she reflects on the toxic relationship she left and how she found herself in this situation. She pulls together many seemingly disparate threads, using the expedition and the Japanese myth of the crane wife as a metaphor for her struggles. 

Hauser’s interactions with the other volunteer researchers expand the scope of the narrative from her own mind, reminding her of the compassion she lacked in her relationship. In her attempts to make herself smaller, less needy, to please her fiance, she lost sight of herself and almost signed up to live someone else’s life, but among the whooping cranes of Texas, she takes the first step in reconnecting with herself.

With short personal narratives, there isn’t as much room to develop characters as you might have in a memoir so the details you do provide need to be clear and specific. Each of the volunteer researchers on Hauser’s expedition are distinct and recognizable though Hauser is economical in her descriptions. 

For example, Hauser describes one researcher as “an eighty-four-year-old bachelor from Minnesota. He could not do most of the physical activities required by the trip, but had been on ninety-five Earthwatch expeditions, including this one once before. Warren liked birds okay. What Warren really loved was cocktail hour.” 

In a few sentences, we get a clear picture of Warren's fun-loving, gregarious personality and how he fits in with the rest of the group.

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4. “The Trash Heap Has Spoken” by Carmen Maria Machado

The films and TV shows of the 80s and 90s—cultural touchstones that practically raised a generation—hardly ever featured larger women on screen. And if they did, it was either as a villain or a literal trash heap. Carmen Maria Machado grew up watching these cartoons, and the absence of fat women didn’t faze her. Not until puberty hit and she went from a skinny kid to a fuller-figured teen. Suddenly uncomfortable in her skin, she struggled to find any positive representation in her favorite media.

As she gets older and more comfortable in her own body, Machado finds inspiration in Marjory the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock and Ursula, everyone’s favorite sea witch from The Little Mermaid —characters with endless power in the unapologetic ways they inhabit their bodies. As Machado considers her own body through the years, it’s these characters she returns to as she faces society’s unkind, dismissive attitudes towards fat women.

Stories shape the world, even if they’re fictional. Some writers strive for realism, reflecting the world back on itself in all its ugliness, but Carmen Maria Machado makes a different point. There is power in being imaginative and writing the world as it could be, imagining something bigger, better, and more beautiful. So, write the story you want to see, change the narrative, look at it sideways, and show your readers how the world could look. 

5. “Am I Disabled?” by Joanne Limburg 

The titular question frames the narrative of Joanne Limburg’s essay as she considers the implications of disclosing her autism. What to some might seem a mundane occurrence—ticking ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘prefer not to say’ on a bureaucratic form—elicits both philosophical and practical questions for Limburg about what it means to be disabled and how disability is viewed by the majority of society. 

Is the labor of disclosing her autism worth the insensitive questions she has to answer? What definition are people seeking, exactly? Will anyone believe her if she says yes? As she dissects the question of what disability is, she explores the very real personal effects this has on her life and those of other disabled people. 

Limburg’s essay is written in a style known as the hermit crab essay , when an author uses an existing document form to contain their story. You can format your writing as a recipe, a job application, a resume, an email, or a to-do list – the possibilities are as endless as your creativity. The format you choose is important, though. It should connect in some way to the story you’re telling and add something to the reader’s experience as well as your overall theme. 

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6. “Living Like Weasels” by Annie Dillard

While out on a walk in the woods behind her house, Annie Dillard encounters a wild weasel. In the short moment when they make eye contact, Dillard takes an imaginary journey through the weasel’s mind and wonders if the weasel’s approach to life is better than her own. 

The weasel, as Dillard sees it, is a wild creature with jaws so powerful that when it clamps on to something, it won’t let go, even into death. Necessity drives it to be like this, and humanity, obsessed with choice, might think this kind of life is limiting, but the writer believes otherwise. The weasel’s necessity is the ultimate freedom, as long as you can find the right sort, the kind that will have you holding on for dear life and refusing to let go. 

Make yourself the National Geographic explorer of your backyard or neighborhood and see what you can learn about yourself from what you discover. Annie Dillard, queen of the natural personal essay, discovers a lot about herself and her beliefs when meeting a weasel.

What insight can you glean from a blade of grass, for example? Does it remind you that despite how similar people might be, we are all unique? Do the flights of migrating birds give you perspective on the changes in your own life? Nature is a potent and never-ending spring of inspiration if you only think to look. 

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7. “Love In Our Seventies” by Ellery Akers

“ And sometimes, when I lift the gray hair at the back of your neck and kiss your shoulder, I think, This is it.”

In under 400 words, poet Ellery Akers captures the joy she has found in discovering romance as a 75-year-old . The language is romantic, but her imagery is far from saccharine as she describes their daily life and the various states in which they’ve seen each other: in their pajamas, after cataract surgeries, while meditating. In each singular moment, Akers sees something she loves, underscoring an oft-forgotten truth. Love is most potent in its smallest gestures.  

Personal narrative isn’t a defined genre with rigid rules, so your essay doesn’t have to be an essay. It can be a poem, as Akers’ is. The limitations of this form can lead to greater creativity as you’re trying to find a short yet evocative way to tell a story. It allows you to focus deeply on the emotions behind an idea and create an intimate connection with your reader. 

8. “What a Black Woman Wishes Her Adoptive White Parents Knew” by Mariama Lockington

Mariama Lockington was adopted by her white parents in the early 80s, long before it was “trendy” for white people to adopt black children. Starting with a family photograph, the writer explores her complex feelings about her upbringing , the many ways her parents ignored her race for their own comfort, and how she came to feel like an outsider in her own home. In describing her childhood snapshots, she takes the reader from infancy to adulthood as she navigates trying to live as a black woman in a white family. 

Lockington takes us on a journey through her life through a series of vignettes. These small, important moments serve as a framing device, intertwining to create a larger narrative about race, family, and belonging. 

With this framing device, it’s easy to imagine Lockington poring over a photo album, each picture conjuring a different memory and infusing her story with equal parts sadness, regret, and nostalgia. You can create a similar effect by separating your narrative into different songs to create an album or episodes in a TV show. A unique structure can add an extra layer to your narrative and enhance the overall story.

9. “Drinking Chai to Savannah” by Anjali Enjeti

On a trip to Savannah with her friends, Anjali Enjeti is reminded of a racist incident she experienced as a teenager . The memory is prompted by her discomfort of traveling in Georgia as a South Asian woman and her friends’ seeming obliviousness to how others view them. As she recalls the tense and traumatic encounter she had in line at a Wendy’s and the worry she experiences in Savannah, Enjeti reflects on her understanding of otherness and race in America. 

Enjeti paints the scene in Wendy’s with a deft hand. Using descriptive language, she invokes the five senses to capture the stress and fear she felt when the men in line behind her were hurling racist sentiments. 

She writes, “He moves closer. His shadow eclipses mine. His hot, tobacco-tinged breath seeps over the collar of my dress.” The strong, evocative language she uses brings the reader into the scene and has them experience the same anxiety she does, understanding why this incident deeply impacted her. 

10. “Siri Tells A Joke” by Debra Gwartney

One day, Debra Gwartney asks Siri—her iPhone’s digital assistant—to tell her a joke. In reply, Siri recites a joke with a familiar setup about three men stuck on a desert island. When the punchline comes, Gwartney reacts not with laughter, but with a memory of her husband , who had died less than six months prior.

In a short period, Gwartney goes through a series of losses—first, her house and her husband’s writing archives to a wildfire, and only a month after, her husband. As she reflects on death and the grief of those left behind in the wake of it, she recounts the months leading up to her husband’s passing and the interminable stretch after as she tries to find a way to live without him even as she longs for him. 

A joke about three men on a deserted island seems like an odd setup for an essay about grief. However, Gwartney uses it to great effect, coming back to it later in the story and giving it greater meaning. By the end of her piece, she recontextualizes the joke, the original punchline suddenly becoming deeply sad. In taking something seemingly unrelated and calling back to it later, the essay’s message about grief and love becomes even more powerful.

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