Idea Generation Techniques for Writing a Personal Narrative Essay!

Personal narrative is an exclusive type of essay that does not require any academic research or analysis. Rather it involves the descriptive form of writing to create certain emotions in the readers. A personal narrative essay focuses on the observations of the person that he learned through an event of his life.

Typically, a personal narrative essay is required when you need to get admission in a college. It is an important part of your college admission application. You have to craft a personal narrative essay in such a way that can best reflect your personality to the assessors. Instead of consuming your time thinking about what you should write in your essay, it is better to go through some effective idea generations techniques. With some productive brainstorming and mind mapping sessions, you can easily achieve this task.

•    Reconstruct the Event

Create a sketch of the event. Think about the series of actions that were responsible for the event and then think in retrospect how this event changed you as a person. This will give you an idea of the actions and their timeline surrounding the event.

•    Outline the Characters

Before writing the essay, it is necessary to outline all the characters involved in the story. You need to write down all the distinct qualities of the characters such as their appearance, body language and mannerisms that define their personalities. It is important to use the descriptive writing style to create a vivid image in mind of the readers.

•    Include the Sensory Details

Write down the sensory details to relate audience with the event. Using sensory elements i.e. sight, sound, smell, sensations and other descriptors help readers clearly understand the setting and emotional state of the characters.

•    Do Some Self-Reflection

Looking in the hindsight, consider the changes the event has brought about in your life. Brainstorming and cluster thoughts can help you know the absence of certain aspects of your life that were present before the event.

•    Use Journalistic Method

Using journalistic approach is another good way to generate ideas for a personal narrative essay. Answering the questions who, why, what, where, when and how, can help you fill in any missing information and further expand the outline.

Important Tips!

•    Find a noise-free place to generate ideas for your essay. Look for a place where you can focus on your theme without being distracted by any commotion or noise.

•    Consult with your confidants to help you outline your essay writing task. Since they are the closest persons to you, they would know exactly about your strengths and weaknesses.