Tales from a Toronto Writer: Narrative Writing In Personal Essays & Memoir

People often associate narrative writing with fiction, but this writing style plays a prominent role in memoir and personal essays as well. Narrative writing draws on elements of fictional storytelling like characters, theme, plot climax and setting. However, these elements are also used in nonfiction writing to draw readers into your story.

Narrative elements also help shape the structure of your story. Every story, whether fiction or nonfiction, starts with a character or real life person who faces a conflict or problem. Then a series of events known as the rising action lead to the climax, the main turning point in the story. Here are some tips on how you can incorporate specific narrative elements into your memoir or personal essay

1. Characters

When it comes to personal essays and memoirs, you are the main character in your story. But just like with traditional storytelling, you want to authentically showcase the personality, intentions and desires of the main character. Always make sure you are conveying your thoughts and reflections around a particular life experience rather than just narrating your story. This lends a distinctive voice to your story, and allows you to resonate with readers.

2. Theme

It’s important to distinguish what the theme of your personal essay or memoir is before you start writing. It will help you develop what I like to refer to as the “takeaway moment,” the insight that reveals how this life experience fundamentally impacted you as a person. This takeaway moment will also help you distinguish the climax of your story. Particularly with memoir writing take a moment to analyze the key moments of your life in the planning stages. Review your personal achievements, ask yourself what your hardest moment was, when you experienced loss and how you’ve changed as a person. When you pause to ask yourself these questions, you’ll usually notice patterns or similarities between these answers, and that unifying thread becomes your theme.

3. Setting

This narrative element functions similarly in life writing to how it does in fictional storytelling. Remember, the goal of all good writing is to bring your readers along for the journey, and vividly describing your setting aids that goal. How you describe a place can also assist in conveying your emotions to the reader.

4. Plot Climax

While there’s no one set structure for a personal essay or memoir, generally speaking you’ll want to start with a vivid opening scene or anecdote. Make sure that the smaller anecdotes within your story are building towards the climax. In a personal essay the climax is the fundamental insights that change the trajectory of your story. In a memoir it can be the main event that relates to your unifying theme. Conclusions in both genres usually tie together your final insights and reflections on the life experiences you revisited in your piece.

Still need more help with writing your memoir or personal essay? Sign up for my online writing workshop, Writing Your Life Story https://www.genellelevyjournalist.com/writing-classes

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