Personal Narrative 1: A Place Story
For this first personal narrative, you are going to write about a place that is meaningful for you.
For Stephen King, it is the bedroom where he collected his rejection letters from publishers and later his acceptance letters.
You are not limited to rooms in your house. It could be a park, it could be school… One student wrote about the supermarket she used to go to as a child. She explained that her family was not well off and that the supermarket was the place where she could sample foods and pastries her family could not afford otherwise.
1. Warm-up exercise. Adapted from Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach.
Draw a map of the neighborhood or place that has significance for your story. Be as detailed as possible. The map could have your house, that of your friends and/or family, a specific room in your house, etc… Mark where good or bad things happened; were any places forbidden or secret? [see example below]
2. Place Story Narrative Free-Write/Draft. Now that you have your map with important places marked on it, it is time to start working on your story, or what the places mean for you.
Remember that Stephen King describes his childhood room for us because this is where he became a writer, where he experienced many rejections and found his first successes. As you write your description of the place, focus on the senses: what you see, hear, smell, taste, feel/touch. Write a paragraph for each important place.
3. Place Story Narrative. Write your story focusing on the place. In a well-written narrative, the reader can be transported to the world of the story through descriptions and details. Use what you wrote in your free-write). You will not use all the details you wrote in your free-write but that is part of the editing process.
Handing in your Personal Narrative:
• Post your place story, i.e. the first personal narrative in this assignment folder.
• Your story must be 1.5-2 pages.
• Times New Roman 12 pt
• double-spaced
• 1″ margins
• MLA format
• Word or RTF document. I cannot open .pages
Note that the assignment is quite short… I do not want you writing a novel! Be precise and to the point by using precise, evocative language; imagery that helps your reader visualize your place, but also understand what it means for you (think about Stephen King’s nail on the wall holding all of his rejection letters). Show rather than tell.
Surname 1
Jasmine Kennedy
Dr. Sabrina Wengier
Perspectives on Narrative (HUMN 1001)
January 31, 2020
Place Story Narrative
Few places summarize my personal journey like my bedroom. It is like a museum. I have critical reminders that highlight my success and tribulations. My bedroom consists of a wardrobe, cat tower, study table, and bed. Hanging on the wall are affirmations, calendar, and my vision board. A quick glimpse of the wall can provide a stranger with a vivid picture of my physical transformation. Prominent fixtures on the study table include self-help books, my agenda/journal, and study materials. I routinely read for motivation and guidance. The study materials typify my present journey. As a learner, I read intensively to excel in the exams and to attain knowledge. The study table manifests my academic priorities. It contains my certificates, selected notes and affirmations, and assignments I received good grades on. The cat tower next to the window serves as a place of comfort and play for my fur babies Kareem and Khadijah. Other memorabilia in my wardrobe include my Air Force uniforms that I have worn during my military journey. I have kept them for memory.
Apart from memorabilia, the bedroom is a remarkable place due to its conducive environment for meditation. It accords me with private time for reflection after a busy day. I don’t view my bed as a mere sleeping place. The quiet moments that I am relaxing on bed have proved to be consequential. Moments of reflections provides one with an opportunity to view things from a different perspective. This explains my obsession with success. The bedroom connects me with my past and present. This makes it easier for me to calibrate the future. For instance, I routinely inspect through my past scores when I am studying for exams. This provides me with the motivation to work in order to maintain or enhance my average. Despite the good memories that are associated with the place, there are also unpleasant memories that are worth forgetting. I have received some tragic news while in my bedroom. I have developed a habit of flipping through my phone and checking emails either in the morning or late in the night when I am about to sleep. This partly explains why I routinely receive bad news while in bed. Fortunately, I don’t keep memorabilia for bad occurrences. My bedroom will always remain a special place.