Make a list of the three most interesting people you know well. Really think about each person on the list and jot down what makes that person both interesting and

significant to you.

Now, list anecdotes – short, true stories – about each person on your list. Pick anecdotes that show why each person is meaningful to you.

Who Significance Anecdotes

Laura Her fun-loving nature and fascination with life makes her interesting. She always makes me laugh and she helps me to see the potential in myself. She has been my friend through the best and worst moments in my life

1. The crazy story about how we first became friends

2. Our trip to Cancun3. How she supported me

during my mom’s illness4. Her visit to my new home

in Seal Beach5. My wedding6. Her wedding

Tim His intelligence, enthusiasm and encouragement have shown me how amazing life…

1. Our first meeting2. His visits to Laguna when

my mom was sick3. Our first trip to see the…

Now you try it! Create a chart with

three columns like this:

Who Significance Anecdotes

List 3 people

3+ sentences to depict their significance to you

4+ anecdotes for each of your subjects (bullet points)

Now, choose the subject from your list that prompts the strongest and

most specific memories and feelings in you: When you write your

biographical narrative you’ll need an abundance of details about your

subject.Highlight or put a star next to the

subject you’ve chosen

Elements of a Biographical Narrative (Take Cornell Notes): A Controlling Impression (hint, don’t tell) Anecdotes Sensory Details Interior Monologue Dialogue

Hint, don’t tell: a biographical narrative is different from an essay, so don’t blurt out the importance of your subject in a traditional thesis statement.

Instead, hint at your subject’s significance in the beginning anecdote and let the rest of the anecdotes in your narrative confirm the hint by creating a controlling impression of your subject. Your readers will infer the subject’s significance.

Anecdotes and details

If I were to write about my friend Laura, whose significance is that she always makes me see the joy in life and the potential in myself, I would use anecdotes and details to contribute to a single controlling impression of Laura: She has made my life better because of her humorous and unique way of looking at the world around her.

Now you try it! What controlling impression do you want to create

about your subject? Write your controlling impression under your subject

chart:Who Significance Anecdotes

List 3 people

3+ sentences to depict their significance to you

4+ anecdotes for each of your subjects

Controlling Impression:

Use concrete sensory details – details of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste – to describe the actions, movements, and gestures of your subject.

Use interior monologue – the words you say to yourself in your head – to describe your thoughts and feelings about your subject and your relationship with that person.

Use sensory details to describe specific places, or settings,

where each anecdote occurred.

Using dialogue is another way to develop a controlling impression

Re-create your subject’s own words and manner of speaking as exactly as you can.

This helps your reader to imagine a complete picture of your subject.

Organize your Ideas & Pace The most logical way to organize your

narrative is chronologically (the order it occurred in time)

Vary the pace of your narrative to show the passage of time or a change in the mood of your narrative. Use short words and simple sentences to speed up the pact; use longer words and complex sentences to slow down the pace.

Focus on word choice to convey the mood of your narrative

“Hey! Girl in the back! What’s your name?” were the first words I heard out of Laura’s mouth. She was talking to me. The first time I really got to know her was during a trip with a group of friends to San Diego. We were going to play “Over the Line” (a type of softball with three people on a team) and she was a last-minute addition to the team. She worked with one of my friends, and although she had gone out with our group once before, no one really knew her. Nevertheless, she seemed quite at ease as she sat in the back of the car and entertained us with her sharp wit and contagious laugh.

Notice: This is a narrative, hence formatted like a story, not an essay (no thesis).

Now you try it!

Write your first draft of your biographical narrative.

Don’t fall in love with your first draft – you’ll have time to revise it later. Just focus on telling the story and adding details!

Evaluate and Revise your Biographical Narrative:

How can I make the introduction more attention-getting?

Have I included enough anecdotes to support my controlling impression?

What additional anecdotes might I include? Have I included my thoughts and feelings

by using interior monologue? Are there any confusing sections that I need

to clarify?