MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

LECTURE NOTES IN CREATIVE NON-FICTION

Sources:

(https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/i-have-an-idea/w/choosing-your-topic/6397/the-differences-
between-memoir-autobiography-and-biography---article,https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-
write-a-biography.html, https://literarydevices.net/biography/)

Memoir

A memoir is a collection of personal memories related to specific moments or experiences in the author’s
life. Told from the perspective of the author, memoirs are written in first person point of view.
The defining characteristic that sets memoirs apart from autobiographies and biographies is its scope.
While the other genres focus on the entire timeline of a person’s life, memoirs structure themselves on
one aspect, such as addiction, parenting, adolescence, disease, faith, etc.
They may tell stories from various moments in the author’s life, but they should read like a cohesive
story—not just a re-telling of facts.

Unlike autobiographies and biographies, memoirs focus more on the author’s relationship to and feelings about
his or her own memories. Memoirs tend to read more like a fiction novel than a factual account, and should
include things like dialogue, setting, character descriptions, and more.

Authors looking to write a memoir can glean insight from both fiction and nonfiction genres. Although memoirs
tell a true story, they focus on telling an engaging narrative, just like a novel. This gives memoir authors a little
more flexibility to improve upon the story slightly for narrative effect.

However, you should represent dialogue and scenarios as accurately as you can, especially if you’re worried
about libel and defamation lawsuits.

Examples of popular memoirs include Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Glass Castle by Jeannette
Walls.

Key traits of a memoir:

 Written in 1st person POV from the perspective of the author

 Less formal compared to autobiographies and biographies
 Narrow in scope or timeline
 Focused more on feelings and memories than facts
 More flexibility to change the story for effect

Autobiography

Like a memoir, an autobiography is the author’s retelling of his or her life and told in first person point of view,
making the author the main character of the story.

Autobiographies are also narrative nonfiction, so the stories are true but also include storytelling elements such
as a protagonist (the author), a central conflict, and a cast of intriguing characters.

Unlike memoirs, autobiographies focus more on facts than emotions. Because of this, a collaborator often joins
the project to help the author tell the most factual, objective story possible.

While a memoir is limited in scope, an autobiography details the author’s entire life up to the present. An
autobiography often begins when the author is young and includes detailed chronology, events, places,
reactions, movements and other relevant happenings throughout the author’s life.

“In many people’s memoir, they do start when they’re younger, but it isn’t an, ‘I got a dog, then we got a fish, and
then I learned to tie my shoes’…it isn’t that kind of detail.” – Linda Joy Meyers in Memoir vs. Autobiography
The chronology of an autobiography is organized but not necessarily in date order. For instance, the author may
start from current time and employ flashbacks or he/she may organize events thematically.
Autobiographers use many sources of information to develop the story such as letters, photographs, and other
personal memorabilia. However, like a memoir, the author’s personal memory is the primary resource. Any other
sources simply enrich the story and relay accurate and engaging experiences.

A good autobiography includes specific details that only the author knows and provides context by connecting
those details to larger issues, themes, or events. This allows the reader to relate more personally to the author’s
experience.

Examples of popular autobiographies include The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

Key traits of an autobiography:

 Written in 1st person POV from the perspective of the author, occasionally with the help of a collaborator
 More formal and objective than memoirs, but more subjective than biographies
 Broad in scope or timeline, often covering the author’s entire life up to the present
 Focused more on facts than emotions
 Requires more extensive fact-checking and research than memoirs, but less than biographies

Biography

A biography is the story of events and circumstances of a person’s life, written by someone other than that
person. Usually, people write biographies about a historical or public figure. They can be written with or without
the subject’s authorization.

Since the author is telling the account of someone else, biographies are always in third person point of view and
carry a more formal and objective tone than both memoirs and autobiographies.

A biography narrates the life story of a person, as written by another person or writer. It is further divided into
five categories:

 Popular biography
 Historical biography
 Literary biography
 Reference biography
 Fictional biography

The function of writing biographies is to provide details regarding the life of a person or a thing in an entertaining
but informative manner. By the end of a biography, readers feel like they are well-acquainted with the subject.
Biographies are often non-fictional, but many biographers also use novel-like format, because a story line would
be more entertaining with the inclusion of strong exposition, rising conflict, and then climax. Besides, the most
inspirational life stories could motivate and put confidence into the readers.

Like an autobiography, biographies cover the entire scope of the subject’s life, so it should include details about
his or her birthplace, educational background, work history, relationships, death and more.

Good biographers will research and study a person’s life to collect facts and present the most historically
accurate, multi-faceted picture of an individual’s experiences as possible. A biography should include intricate
details—so in-depth research is necessary to ensure accuracy.

“If you’re dealing principally with historical figures who are long dead, there are very few legal problems…if you’re
dealing with a more sensitive issue…then the lawyers will be crawling all over the story.” – David Margolick in
Legal Issues with Biographies
However, biographies are still considered creative nonfiction, so the author has the ability to analyze and interpret
events in the subject’s life, looking for meaning in their actions, uncovering mistakes, solving mysteries,
connecting details, and highlighting the significance of the person's accomplishments or life activities.

Authors often organize events in chronological order, but can sometimes organize by themes or specific
accomplishments or topics, depending on their book’s key idea.
Examples of popular biographies include Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and The Immortal Life of Henrietta
Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

Key traits of a biography:

 Written about another person, often a celebrity or public figure, and told in 3rd person point of view
 More formal and objective than both memoirs and autobiographies
 Broad in scope or timeline, often covering the subject’s entire life up to the present
 Focused solely on facts
 Requires meticulous research and fact-checking to ensure accuracy

Writing a Biography

The first step in writing a biography is choosing your subject. Is that subject living or dead? For the most part,
the process will be the same. You'll want to examine major life events, relationships, and their influence on
society. However, with someone who's already passed, you won't have access to their voice and will never know
their feelings on your work.

Choosing a Subject
When choosing a subject, there are two important questions to ask yourself.

Is the person's life interesting enough to warrant a biography? Did they make an impact or meaningful decisions
that will encourage others? Will their life connect with an audience? Much of this will depend on the subject's
experiences and how long the biography has to be.

Is the subject already famous or a lesser-known person who should be brought to the forefront? Celebrities and
famous figures are universally viewed as interesting and will have a wider audience. Someone unknown will be
a tougher sell because you have to convince people to care about this unknown entity.

That said, if you know an ordinary person with an extraordinary story that could strike a chord with people, don't
be afraid to write about it. Just be sure to narrowly focus the biography on those striking components that will
connect with the readers.

Gaining Permission

Once you've chosen your subject, you'll likely need their permission. This isn't always a prerequisite; plenty of
"unauthorized" biographies have been written about celebrities based on information available in the public
domain. However, a biography is usually far more compelling if the subject is willing to talk to you.

Also, if you don't get permission and you still wish to publish, you'll have to make sure you don't print anything
untrue that could be viewed as slander or libel. If you hurt someone's reputation through your unauthorized
biography, you could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit.

Outlining
Before you've gathered all your intel, you need to decide what you're going to do with it. Generally, it's best to
start with an outline so you know what details are going to be included in the biography.

Determine the main point, or thesis, and then outline how each section or chapter tells a part of the story to
support that thesis. Do you want to cover a person's entire life, or focus on one significant aspect of their story?
A timeline of their life will help you paint a picture and decide what to highlight. This will also help you decide if
you want to present your biography in chronological order, by major life events, or in some other fashion.

Now you know what information you need to fill in the details.

Conducting Research

As you conduct your research, the ultimate primary source is the subject themselves. But, whether they're living
or dead, that may not always be an option. Thankfully, primary sources are more than just the subject of your
biography.

They also include the subject's personal writings, those with firsthand information about the subject, original
historical or legal documents, statistical records, and audio or video recordings. A piece of writing created during
the time of an important event, such as a news article, may also be considered a primary source.
Secondary sources will be helpful to your research too, if you choose wisely. A secondary source is something
created by someone who didn't know the subject directly or didn't witness an event with their own eyes. A
secondary source was created at a later time, based on primary or secondary sources, such as a review, analysis
or documentary. When using these sources, be sure to delve into the writer's credibility in order to ascertain
whether they can be trusted.

Organizing

Since a biography is a non-fictional account of a person's life, starting at the beginning will probably set the rest
of the story up nicely. That said, your audience may not want the details of your subject's happy-yet-uneventful
childhood when a heroic or evil deed is on the horizon. So, the manner in which you organize your ideas should
be determined before you really dig in. Here are some other ways to format your biography, aside from
chronological order.

By topic - Focus on the topics that affected the person's life. Detail each major event one by one.

Through interviews - Talk to your subject, if you can. Ask people close to the subject what they thought of them,
the people around them, and key events. Relay the story through these first-person accounts.

In media res - In media res is a literary term meaning "in the middle of things". Stories written in media res do
not lead up to the main event but begin in the middle of the tale and work backwards to hit on crucial elements,
only to then resume a forward-moving account.

The key to organizing a biography is to tell a story that always comes back to a theme. Is it about a person's
resilience? Is it about their sense of adventure and exploration?

Once you've decided that, the order in which you choose to lay out the details is entirely up to you. So, trust your
instincts. Beyond that, keep to the narrative you'd like readers to pick up on. (Researching other biographies is
an excellent way to draw inspiration.)

Writing and Editing

Remember to present your subject accurately and tell a compelling story. Include relevant details, stick to that
theme you're trying to convey, and draw your reader in with intrigue and motivating elements.

As you edit, make sure you've stuck to the outline you've selected, whether that's chronological, event-based, or
in media res. Tie every major element back to the theme and teach your readers something, whether that's the
power of resilience, the impact of an adventurous heart, or the need for goodness in the world.

Have fun with it. If you're invested in the story you want to share through the chronology of someone else's life,
that will translate well. Your readers will absorb your enthusiasm and give credence to your subject. You're about
to take on a project that can shape the hearts and minds of others. So make sure you enjoy the ride.
Sample of a Memoir

Vladimir Nabokov (1899—1977)

Speak, Memory

I witness with pleasure the supreme achievement of memory, which is the masterly use it makes of innate
harmonies when gathering to its fold the suspended and wandering tonalities of the past. I like to imagine, in
consummation and resolution of those jangling chords, something as enduring, in retrospect, as the long table
that on summer birthdays and name days used to be laid for afternoon chocolate out of doors, in an alley of
birches, limes and maples at its debouchment on the smooth sanded space of the garden proper that separated
the park and the house. I see the tablecloth and the faces of seated people sharing in the animation of light and
shade beneath a moving, a fabulous foliage, exaggerated, no doubt, by the same faculty of impassioned
commemoration, of ceaseless return, that makes me always approach that banquet table from the outside, from
the depth of the park —as if the mind, in order to go back thither, had to do so with the silent steps of a prodigal,
faint with excitement.

Through a tremulous prism, I distinguish the features of relatives and familiars, mute lips serenely moving in
forgotten speech. I see the steam of the chocolate and the plates of blueberry tarts. I note the small helicopter
of a revolving samara that gently descends upon the tablecloth, and, lying across the table, an adolescent girl's
bare arm indolently extended as far as it will go, with its turquoise-veined underside turned up to the flaky
sunlight, the palm opens in lazy expectancy of something —perhaps the nutcracker. In the place where my
current tutor sits, there is a changeful image, a succession of fade-ins and fade-outs; the pulsation of my thought
mingles with that of the leaf shadows and turns Ordo into Max and Max into Lenski and Lenski into the
schoolmaster, and the whole array of trembling, transformations is repeated.

And then, suddenly, just when the colors and outlines settle at last to their various duties —smiling, frivolous
duties —some knob is touched and a torrent of sounds comes to life: voices speaking all together, a walnut
cracked, the click of a nutcracker carelessly passed, thirty human hearts drowning mine with their regular beats;
the sough and sigh of a thousand trees, the local concord of loud summer birds, and, beyond the river, behind
the rhythmic trees, the confused and enthusiastic hullabaloo of bathing young villagers, like a background of wild
applause.

Vladimir Nabokov in Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited (1966),

(A reflection from his Russian childhood, around 1912).

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977); novelist, poet, scholar, translator, and lepidopterist (he enjoyed chasing and collecting butterflies). A
cosmopolitan Russian-born ŽmigrŽ whose linguistic facility, erudite style, and eloquent prose helped to establish him as one of the most
brilliant and respected literary figures of the 20th century. Nabokov's best-known novel, Lolita (1955), shocked many people but its humor
and literary style were praised by critics. Nabokov produced literature and scholarship of beauty, complexity, and inventiveness in both
Russian and English. Nabokov himself used to say "My head speaks English, my heart speaks Russian and my ear speaks French".
*Synaesthesia: Vladimir Nabobov was a synesthete, as was also his mother, his wife, and his son Dimitri.
ESSAYS
LECTURE NOTES IN CREATIVE NON-FICTION

Source:https://www.toppr.com/guides/english/writing/essay/

Did you know the word ‘essay’ is derived from a Latin word ‘exagium’, which roughly translates to
presenting one’s case? So essays are a short piece of writing representing one’s side of the argument
or one’s experiences, stories etc. Essays are very personalized. So let us learn about types of essays,
format, and tips for essay-writing.

An essay is generally a short piece of writing outlining the writer’s perspective or story. It is often
considered synonymous with a story or a paper or an article. Essays can be both formal as well as
informal. Formal essays are generally academic in nature and tackle serious topics. We will be focusing
on informal essays which are more personal and often have humorous elements.

Types of Essays
The type of an essay will depend on what the writer wants to convey to his reader. There are broadly
four types of essays. Let us see.

Narrative Essays: This is when the writer is narrating an incident or story through the essay. So these
are in the first person. The aim when writing narrative essays is to involve the reader in them as if they
were right there when it was happening. SO make them as vivid and real as possible. One way to make
this possible is to follow the principle of ‘show, don’t tell’. So you must involve the reader in the story.

Descriptive Essays: Here the writer will describe a place, an object, an event or maybe even a
memory. But it is not just plainly describing things. The writer must paint a picture through his words.
One clever way to do that is to evoke the senses of the reader. Do not only rely on sight but also involve
the other senses of smell, touch, sound etc. A descriptive essay when done well will make the reader
feel the emotions the writer was feeling at the moment.

Expository Essays: In such an essay a writer presents a balanced study of a topic. To write such an
essay, the writer must have real and extensive knowledge about the subject. There is no scope for the
writer’s feelings or emotions in an expository essay. It is completely based on facts, statistics, examples
etc. There are sub-types here like contrast essays, cause and effect essays etc.

Persuasive Essays: Here the purpose of the essay is to get the reader to your side of the argument.
A persuasive essay is not just a presentation of facts but an attempt to convince the reader of the
writer’s point of view. Both sides of the argument have to presented in these essays. But the ultimate
aim is to persuade the readers that the writer’s argument carries more weight.
Learn more about Letter Writing here in detail.

FORMAT OF AN ESSAY

Now there is no rigid format of an essay. It is a creative process so it should not be confined within
boundaries. However, there is a basic structure that is generally followed while writing essays. So let
us take a look at the general structure of an essay.

Introduction
This is the first paragraph of your essay. This is where the writer introduces his topic for the very first
time. You can give a very brief synopsis of your essay in the introductory paragraph. Generally, it is not
very long, about 4-6 lines.

There is plenty of scopes to get creative in the introduction of essays. This will ensure that you hook
the reader, i.e. draw and keep his attention. So to do so you can start with a quote or a proverb.
Sometimes you can even start with a definition. Another interesting strategy to engage with your reader
is to start with a question.

Body
This is the main crux of your essays. The body is the meat of your essay sandwiched between the
introduction and the conclusion. So the most vital and important content of the essay will be here. This
need not be confined to one paragraph. It can extend to two or more paragraphs according to the
content.

Usually, we have a lot of information to provide in the body. And the mistakes writers generally make
is to go about it in a haphazard manner which leaves the reader confused. So it is important to organize
your thoughts and content. Write the information in a systematic flow so that the reader can
comprehend. So, for example, you were narrating an incident. The best manner to do this would be to
go in a chronological order.

Conclusion

This is the last paragraph of the essay. Sometimes a conclusion will just mirror the introductory
paragraph but make sure the words and syntax are different. A conclusion is also a great place to sum
up a story or an argument. You can round up your essay by providing some moral or wrapping up a
story. Make sure you complete your essays with the conclusion, leave no hanging threads.

TIPS FOR ESSAY WRITING

1. Give your essays an interesting and appropriate title. It will help draw the attention of the reader
and pique their curiosity
2. Keep it between 300-500 words. This is the ideal length; you can take creative license to
increase or decrease it
3. Keep your language simple and crisp. Unnecessary complicated and difficult words break the
flow of the sentence.
4. Do not make grammar mistakes, use correct punctuation and spellings. If this is not done it will
distract the reader from the content
5. Before beginning the essay organize your thought and plot a rough draft. This way you can
ensure the story will flow and not be an unorganized mess.
DIARY/ JOURNAL ENTRY
LECTURE NOTES IN CREATIVE NON-FICTION

Have you all heard of the famous book by a little Jewish girl called Anne Frank? The book was an
adaptation made out of a teenage deceased girl’s diary that was later published by her only surviving
family member: her father. But why did she write a diary entry in the first place? Why does anyone write
a diary at all? Well, the answer is simple – to express oneself. Let us learn more about diary entry.

Maintaining a diary is generally a very good habit. One can always check facts looking back, remember
events, find an outlet and effectively document one’s life this way. Some people even name their diaries
and address them like an imaginary friend.

A personal journal it’s a private possession. This diary usually is just for you and it’s not for public
reading, so one can write liberally. But for the benefit of the readers, we’d like to show you all how is a
diary entry generally written. What we are laying down here are good practices that one can inculcate
while writing their diary entry.

Diary Entry: What to Expect?

A Diary is a journal organized by date where you express your thoughts, feelings, opinions, and plans.
Be as candid as you can. This journal is your safe place. If you don’t know where to start, start by writing
about your day, about yourself, and so on…

TIPS ON HOW TO WRITE A DIARY ENTRY

1.Always mention the date

Pick a corner and keep it for mentioning dates of your diary entry. You may not write every day. Some
people are also specific about time and place as well. Again, it’s about personal preferences. Since
one usually keeps a diary for a long period of time, it’s wiser to think out a general format for your diary
entries and stick to it. You may iterate and change a few things depending on how you feel like, no
one’s watching it. I personally choose the top left for mentioning the date.

2.Choose a subject
Just like a chapter, usually, there’s a reason why you reached out to make a diary entry. Sometimes
it’s what happened that day or sometimes it is to write about something you want to do in the future or
maybe to just mark an event that triggered a strong emotion in you like happiness, anger, excitement,
etc. Whatever it is that you picked your journal for, your diary entry will have a topic that way.

3.Voice
Now, we always address our entries in the first person. If you want, you can give it a name. Usually,
people address their diary entries as – “Dear Diary”

4.Be honest, it’s you who are talking to.

The key thing about a diary entry is that it is always kept truthful, natural and free-flowing. Trust your
thought train and don’t stop or mince words for the fear of being watched or judged. It is your space to
let out all your feelings, don’t hold back.

5.Make it a habit
Well, this one, I personally think, you only have to remind yourself as you begin to write. Eventually, it
sorts of becomes this friend you reach out to automatically. Most of the times you will find it very
therapeutic to maintain a diary. It’s wonderful how when you let out all the emotions out, sometimes the
endings get quite conclusive and lead in a positive direction. Like you already knew the answer to your
questions yourself. You just had to get all the foggy clouds of emotions out of your way to see it.
Diary Entry: A Sample
September 28, 2017
Becky’s basement

Dear Diary,

Today, Becky and I went to the pond and lay our heads on the green grass for hours until sundown. It
was a mesmerizing experience. I hope my friends from my hometown Sri Nagar can one day share
that experience with us here.

Oh and we were also very close to getting punished for bringing puppies inside the class today. Shane
warned us in time and we could manage to sneak the puppies out in time.

I am preparing a song for the choir singing this Sunday. Hope I don’t stutter like last time.

Will be writing soon again.

Jenna
PERSONAL NARRATIVE VERSUS TRUE NARRATIVES
LECTURE NOTES IN CREATIVE NON-FICTION

Sources:
(https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/tips-for-writing-a-personal-narrative-essay.html,
http://www.brunswick.k12.me.us/hdwyer/true-narrative-essay-2 )

Writing an Impactful Personal Narrative Essay

A personal narrative essay is about a personal experience, so it is usually written in the first person. To
maximize its impact, the essay should:

 Be written to have an emotional impact on the reader

 Include a lot of references to sensory perceptions and emotions
 Use vivid details and imagery

Structure of the Essay

 The opening of the essay needs to let the reader know the essence of what you will be describing
and your point of view.
 The body of the story needs to give the reader a very clear idea of what happened and how you
(the author) feel about that. The story can be told chronologically or the facts may be grouped
by importance or type.
 The final paragraph needs to wrap up and state the point of the story, whether it is a lesson, an
idea, or just a learning experience.

Writing the Essay

Writing a good narrative essay requires you to include interesting information in an engaging way. Here
are some tips:

 Record yourself telling the story. That will help you organize your story and make the writing
flow.
 Include anecdotes and dialogue in the essay.
 Use transitory words to connect sentences like: therefore, however, or for example.
 Vary the structure of your sentences to make the writing more interesting. Try adding some
compound, complex, or interrogative sentences.
 Make the words lively, descriptive, exciting, active, emotional, and precise.

Example of Narrative Writing

Here is an example of writing used in a personal narrative essay. Notice the tone and words that set
the mood. You can almost feel the heat and humidity.

"It was the middle of springtime and across from my house where the incident took place. There was a
lake there in which my brother and I loved to explore from time to time. The humidity and water drops
where reminiscent of a fully functional sauna. The onslaught of heat and burning glow of the sun was
relentless."
True Narrative

A narrative is a story. A true narrative essay is a true story, with plot, action, suspense characters and
setting which delivers a theme (a lesson observed). The events in your essay represent the facts.

A true narrative is the most informal of the various types of essays, thus it does not follow a set format
because you are telling a story according to your sense of style–the narrative voice (the art or process
of telling a story or giving an account of something). The diction (choice of words to fit your context)
and your ability to construct the telling of the story in order to interest and provoke the reader are
essential. Metaphorical (all language that involves figures of speech or symbolism and does not literally
represent real things) expression is one popular device in crafting the art of storytelling that appeals to
your reader.

HOW TO WRITE A NARRATIVE ESSAY?

BASIC QUALITIES OF A NARRATIVE ESSAY

 A narrative essay is a piece of writing that recreates an experience through time.

 A narrative essay can be based on one of your own experiences, either past or present, or it
can be based on the experiences of someone else.
 In addition to telling a story, a narrative essay also communicates the main idea or a lesson
learned.
 First steps for writing a narrative essay:
 Identify the experience that you want to write about.
 Think about why the experience is significant.
 Spend a good deal of time drafting your recollections about the details of the experience.
 Create an outline of the basic parts of your narrative according to Freytag’s Pyramid.
 Using your outline, describe each part of your narrative.
 Rather than telling your readers what happened, use vivid details and descriptions to actually
recreate the experience for your readers.
 Think like your readers. Try to remember that the information you present is the only
information your readers have about the experiences.
 Always keep in mind that all of the small and seemingly unimportant details known to you are
not necessarily known to your readers.

Writing about the experience: Two story-telling strategies that you should attempt to employ are:
1. tell the story in the present voice
2.consider the point-of-view that will best enhance the suspense of your story.

Communicating the significance of the experience

 The best advice for writing a narrative essay is to remember that the writer makes up the
rules. You are to determine the best course to follow in order to tell your story and to reveal to
your reader the significance of your reason for telling the story.

 One effective technique is to begin the essay by jumping directly into the narrative. You may be
tempted to anchor your composition in a formally structure paragraph that emphasizes the
essential understanding of your composition–refrain from doing so. The narrative essay, in its
purest form, is a story whose message is expressed through the skill of the storyteller.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GENRES

Reflections and Lessons

While both genres require you to think critically about your experiences, the core of a personal essay
is inward reflection about yourself. This includes insights you have gleaned about your abilities and
strengths, significant personal growth you made and what you still need to work on. For example, a
personal essay about volunteering as a camp counselor might center on how the experience helped
you grow as a leader. In contrast, a narrative essay moves outward, examining how specific people,
places and ideas have influenced the way you view the world.

Emphasis on Story

As its name suggests, a narrative essay is built around the story of a particular experience. Using the
elements of setting, characterization, plot and description, you recreate your experience for readers in
a dramatic style that grabs their attention and stirs their emotions. For example, the narrative essay
version of your camp counselor experience might focus on your relationships with the children you
worked with and develop them as unique characters. A personal narrative, on the other hand,
incorporates only the most significant details, placing a stronger emphasis on its reflective element.

Actions

Personal and narrative essays also focus on different kinds of actions. In a personal essay, which
focuses on your personal reflections, the decisions you made and how you responded to a situation
can be key pieces of evidence as you evaluate that situation's effect on your life. In the personal essay
about camp, for example, you might describe organizing and planning activities for the campers or
managing conflict between campers. In contrast, a narrative essay might include detailed descriptions
of other people's behaviors. A narrative about camp could feature humorous encounters you had with
the children or descriptions of activities you did together.

Context

Personal and narrative essays are also composed for different purposes and contexts. A personal
essay is often a requirement for college applications, scholarships or other academic honors. Some
applications, for example, ask you to write about challenging life experiences, favorite activities or a
book that has influenced your life. Writers often compose narrative essays, though, for class
assignments in composition or creative writing or submit them to literary journals for publication. Rather
than being used as a mechanism to evaluate character, narrative essays are often written for self-
expression and entertainment.
Example of True Narrative

Happy Day Turned Bad

It was a beautiful day. The sun cast its radiant rays upon a little small village in China. Little dust of
ivory clouds navigated itself around the sky. On that day a naive girl of four years-old sat in her concise
house of only one room., no bigger than a mini garage. An average size twin bed faced the wall, a bed
that three people shared every night. A cheap old fashioned stove adjacent to the bed, and a cabinet
where three utensils, three plates, and three pairs of clothes lay. I sat on the cold stone floor wearing
my pink little summer dress while playing with my rusty train set. All days were the same for me. My
parents both worked from when the sun rose to when the sun set, only coming home to make dinner.
Life for me was quite lonely. I ran free through the village like a wild child, for no one cared. I became
independent the day I could walk.

As I sat there, playing, the door suddenly banged open. My mom stood there anxiously with fear in her
chocolaty eyes. I knew something tragic had occurred for she never came home early. She grabbed
my forearms and pulled me up with a jolt and snatched a plastic bag from the corner and stuffed what
little clothes and toys I had in it. My own brown eyes were filled with tears, but I didn’t let them fall. She
dragged me along as she moved and on her way out, she shut the door with a thunderous bang. Who
would have thought that that was the last day I would ever see that little one room garage house again?
As we moved along the unfamiliar dusty streets, I was quiet as a four year-old could be. Unasked
questions swirled in my head. What’s happening? What was happening? Where am I going? Why is
my mom so upset? Where is my dad?

We got on a crowded blue bus. There was the terrible smell of cigarette, body odor, and car gas. I
clung to my mother’s pant leg for I didn’t want to be separated from her. I buried my face into her pant
leg, not wanting to draw attentions to myself. My mom never looked at me through this whole trip. The
bus flew through towns and towns, making the outside world a blur. Eventually we sat down. I curled
myself around her, sucking my thumb. I must have fallen asleep for the next thing I was a town not
quite so dusty and poor looking.

We got off the bus and got on a motorcycle. I hung on for dear life as we zoomed across town to town.
We got off and got on a taxi. Our last transportation vehicle before my mom reached her destination. I
had never been out of my village before. This was my first time. Finally, we ended up at a park. She
picked me up and carried me to a wooden bench. The trees swayed back and forth as if the wind might
knock its life out of them. Casting black silhouettes that clung to the enormous buildings.

“Stay here and wait for me. I will be right back. I’m only going to go see a friend,” said my mom in
Chinese, and with that, she left after dropping the bag of my things on the ground next to me. Not a
goodbye. Not a hug. Never even a last glimpse at the little girl she gave birth to four years ago. I
watched her go. When she disappeared, I sat on the bench with my little head bent down, counting
the tiles,
1.…………2.………….3.……….

I watched the people pass me by. Hoping soon, one of the faces would be my mom. I waited, and
waited, but she never came back. My hands started to sweat. I felt shivers running down my spine. I
wanted to get up and go look for her, but I didn’t because I thought she would be back. She was just
late. If I left, she would never be able to find me in this vast place. I knew she was going to come back
for me. Right?

Finally, it was night. I wasn’t so sure anymore. I got scared. I cried silent tears. I was alone in this
vast world. Without a mother, or a father. Just alone.

A stranger walking by with her family saw me and persuaded me to go back home with her. I did and
while I was there, she called the police and the police came and brought me to the police station. For
three days the police searched for my mom but they never found her for they did not know my name.
I must have been a nameless child for I didn’t even know my name. I didn’t talk for two weeks. Four
days later, the police bought me to an orphanage in Guangzhou, China. By then, I believed my
biological family had abandoned me. I was an orphan now. The orphanage gave all they had for me
to feel the gift of a family, but I didn’t in the first couple of years. I remained timid and to myself for a
month but eventually, I warmed up to them. They searched for a family they knew could offer me
something more that they couldn’t, but no family wanted me.
 Four years later, they had found an American family that wanted me. This family gave me a name;
Alana. Maybe I don’t know why my biological family gave me away, but I do know that some where in
their heart, they wonder the same thing. I realized by then that even though I had lost my first family,
another family was waiting. Everything occurred for a reason.

What is it? Testimonio, a Spanish term understood as “witness account”, embodies a narrative research methodology
rooted in Latin American history (against the backdrop of social inequality that has plagued the region since the 1950s). A
testimonio is a first-person account by the person (narrator) who has faced instances of social and political inequality,
oppression, or any specific form of marginalization. As opposed to other forms of narrative research, where the researcher
helps mold the narrative or becomes a conduit to voice the stories, in testimonio it is usually the narrator her/himself who
is the research tool, with an interest in telling the story from that individual perspective which, in turn, represents a larger,
collective story that took place in the community that the narrator inhabits. The goal of testimonio as a form of narrative
inquiry, then, transcends awareness and gravitates toward political intention, questions about institutional power, the
need to speak for justice, the creation of stronger pockets of resistance, and the importance of solidarity and coalition as
keys to building more equitable social frameworks

https://centerforinterculturaldialogue.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/kc45-testimonio.pdf

Testimonio is a genre of literature that retells historical events using literary elements
such as dialogue, poetry and metaphors from an eyewitness
perspective….Testimonio blends two traditionally distinct academic disciplines,
history and literature, to help relay historical experiences. –Latin American
Subaltern Studies

WHAT IS TESTIMONIO?
Standard
Characteristics of Testimonio
 Spanish for “testimony”
 novel or novella-length narrative in book or leaflet
 told in the first-person perspective by a narrator who is the protagonist or witness of the event
 narration is a significant life experience on tremendous physical or psychological trauma caused by social
injustice or human rights violation
 subjects are usually the underrepresented or oppressed social group
 includes literary elements like metaphors, dialogues and poetry and resources from other texts like newspaper
clippings and quotes from leaders

Purpose of Testimonio
 spreads the awareness of a problem such as repression, poverty, imprisonment, kidnap and struggle for survival
 gives voice to a marginalized group of people who suffer in similar ways
 provokes the society to take action against the unfair treatment towards the oppressed