How will you organize your work?

You are to write an essay interpreting a personal experience. Please focus on ONE specific event, location, person, incident, conflict, etc. Do not try to relate your entire life’s story in a couple of pages. Your narrative should be an event of reflection and personal growth; there should be a moral or purpose to your story (remember the plot structure we discussed?). It should not be random ramblings of your personal history and this is not a diary entry. Choose your words thoughtfully
Complete the Narrative Topic Brainstorm and have two possible topics to develop. Often students begin to write with one topic and learn quickly (or not so quickly) that their story doesn’t write well.
As you develop your own narrative, consider the rhetorical situation of this essay:
• What is the context (the immediate occasion or the timing) of your writing?
• Who is your audience? Besides your professor, consider who else will read your essay (colleagues, friends,
family, the public) and how these different audiences might require you to shape your narrative.
• What is your purpose? A narrative is a story, but your purpose here goes beyond simply telling a story.
• What is your topic and what is your stance? What do you think and why?
• What are your genre, your medium, and your design? You are asked to write a narrative essay, so what are
the conventions of essay writing the will impact your work? How will you organize your work? Your essay will be a written text, so how will this impact your rhetorical choices?
All essays must include:
• A specific and well-crafted thesis statement (narrative’s intent, for this particular essay)
• Formal tone and proper paragraph structure (start a new paragraph for each line of dialogue)
• 3-4 typed pages with MLA header and appropriate, creative title
Reminders:
• No rhetorical questions
• Display proper grammar
• Utilize semi-colons, colons, and dashes correctly
Remember to consult your syllabus and Grading Criteria for standard paper requirements.