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Personal Narrative Planning Worksheet

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Personal Narrative Planning Worksheet

Plan a true story about something that happened to you. Choose one small moment you remember clearly. Jot notes first; you do not need to write in complete sentences yet.

Pick a Moment

A personal narrative tells about a real experience from your own life. Focus on one moment rather than your whole life story.

1.Choose a moment you could write about. Circle one or write your own: trying something new, getting lost briefly, making or fixing something, helping someone, or ____________________. What happened?

2.Zoom in on the moment. About when and where did it happen? Who was there with you?

3.What were you hoping would happen at the start of this experience? What were you worried about, if anything?

Build the Story

Strong narratives guide readers through events and bring the moment to life with details.

4.Put these events from your story in order. Write notes for what happened first, next, and last.

5.What was the most important or surprising instant? Describe what you could see, hear, smell, taste, or feel in that moment. Choose at least two senses.

6.Show what you were thinking or feeling at the key moment. Finish a thought such as: “I wondered…,” “My heart…,” or “I felt… because…”

7.Which opening would best draw a reader into your story? Choose one approach and draft your first sentence: a sound, an action, a thought, or a line of dialogue.

8.How did the experience turn out? What did you do, or what changed, by the end?

9.Plan an ending that feels complete. What do you understand, remember, or feel now when you think back on this experience?

10.Pick three precise words or phrases to help readers picture the moment. Replace a general word such as “nice,” “bad,” or “went” with something more exact.

11.Read your plan like a reader. Does it tell a true, focused experience with events in order and a satisfying ending? Name one detail you still need to remember or add.