Brief Tips for Writing a Personal Narrative Essay

David Coodin reports:

"Unlike a conventional academic essay, a personal narrative is about your own experiences or feelings. Still, a personal narrative contains a 'thesis,' which really just means the main point you are trying to communicate. Because a personal narrative is more artistic than a regular essay, you don't need a one-sentence thesis that neatly summarizes your argument. Instead, you can get creative and write a thesis that is more suggestive or ambiguous...You can begin a personal narrative by simply stating the main point of your piece...Beginning your thesis with the main point clues your reader immediately into what you will be talking about. Be clear, and expand on your main point in the sentences that follow...Sometimes the best personal narrative thesis begins in the middle of a thought. This places the reader right in the middle of the action and can be a more gripping way to begin a thesis...Instead of telling your reader the lesson you will try to impart, you are setting up an anecdote by showing its effect in the present...Personal narratives are stories, so it's entirely acceptable to begin your thesis by launching right into the story from the beginning. One way to do this is to adopt the present tense while narrating the past and setting the scene. By illustrating the past as if it is happening now, you make your reader feel the immediacy of the event...Although your personal narrative is a story about yourself, your thesis can begin with a short anecdote that pertains to your own story. This way, you clue your reader into the theme before you even get to your own narrative. For a personal narrative about drug abuse, for instance, your thesis could be about someone you knew who struggled with a similar problem for years. In showing how he dealt [with] the issue, you can compare or contrast it to your own narrative."