Thoughts on Personal Narrative

 

Writers often give other writers a helping hand. My helping hand today is Marlene Cullen who gives us some interesting suggestions gleaned from a workshop she attended. Yes, one writer helps another. 

Thoughts Personal Narrative by Marlene Cullen

I attended a writing workshop where the teacher, Susan Bono, talked about personal narrative as documents of transformation.

She talked about writing the big story, then take one small action or decision that altered things. 

Another way to look at this: Something happened and the narrator was not the same after. 

It might take years to understand and realize what happened. Sometimes we need the perspective of distance to figure out that we were forever changed after an event.

How to get that place in your writing . . . where you write about the pivotal moment your life was changed.

One way is to write about the event and drill down to the precise moment, or inciting catalyst that changed you

You can also use this method to flesh out your fictional characters.

An example is my Texas Parking Lot story in “The Write Spot: Writing as a Path to Healing.”

I wrote about our family cross-country car trip. I narrowed that trip down to an incident that happened in a motel parking lot in Texas. 

Then I drilled down and focused on an argument in that parking lot.

Then I drilled further down to something my mother said. 

It took years to discover the epiphany. She was not capable of emotionally caring for her daughters. She could no longer be the mother who had admirably raised her daughters without the support of a husband.

Your writing prompt: Write about an emotionally charged situation.

Look at the scene as if you are hovering in the air, looking down. Then focus closer, telescope in to see the fine details.

Details to help see this scene and remember what took place:

Who is in this scene?

Describe what people were wearing.

Describe the scenery if outdoors, or the room if indoors. 

What was the weather like? 

Was there food or drink involved?

What happened immediately prior to this scene? What happened after?

For perspective:

Write from the point of view of years later. Write what you remember.

What happened to the people in this scene?

Start with one scene and go from there. Just write!

Marlene Cullen is a writing workshop facilitator. She hosts The Write Spot Blog and Writers Forum, treasure chests of inspirational gems for writers.

The Write Spot anthologies, edited by Marlene, are collections of short stories, poems, and vignettes that entertain, with prompts to inspire writing.

The Write Spot: https://www.thewritespot.us/