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15 Inspiring Personal Narrative Examples for Writers

Reveal a part of yourself in your essay.

personal narrative speech examples

Students start writing personal narratives at a young age, learning to use descriptive language to tell a story about their own experiences. Try sharing these personal narrative examples for elementary, middle, and high school to help them understand this essay form.

What is a personal narrative?

Think of a narrative essay like telling a story. Use descriptive language, and be sure you have a beginning, middle, and end. The essay should recount your personal experiences, including your thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Learn more about personal narrative essays here:

  • What Is Narrative Writing, and How Do I Teach It in the Classroom?
  • Engaging Personal Narrative Ideas for Kids and Teens
  • Best Mentor Texts for Narrative Writing in Elementary School

Elementary School Personal Narrative Examples

In elementary school, personal narratives might be quite short, just a paragraph or two. The key is to encourage kids to embrace a personal style of writing, one that speaks in their own voice. Take a look at these elementary school personal narrative essay examples for inspiration.

The Horrible Day

“next i fell asleep in my cereal and my brother stole my toast”—anonymous student.

personal narrative speech examples

In this short personal narrative written by a 2nd grader, the author describes a bad day with lots of details and an informal tone. It’s a great model for your youngest writers.

Read the full essay: The Horrible Day at Thoughtful Learning

Keep an Eye on the Sky!

“as we made our way out to the field, my stomach slowly turned into a giant knot of fear.” —anonymous student.

Any student who dreads gym class will connect with this essay, which turns a challenge into a triumph. This narrative from Time for Kids is annotated, with highlighted details and tips to help kids write their own essay.

Read the full essay: Keep an Eye on the Sky! at Time for Kids

Grandpa, Chaz, and Me

“i really miss grandpa, and so does my brother, even though he never met him.” —cody, 4th grade student.

Written by a 4th grader, this essay relates the author’s loss of a grandfather at a very young age. Using simple, personal language, they tell a compelling story in a few short paragraphs.

Read the full essay: Grandpa, Chaz, and Me at Thoughtful Learning

Surviving an Embarrassing Situation

“i had made the shot in the wrong basket, giving the green shirts the win” —anonymous student.

personal narrative speech examples

Personal narratives tell a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. This annotated essay outlines those parts, making it easier for young writers to do the same in their own writing.

Read the full essay: Surviving an Embarrassing Situation at Sopris West Educational Services

“Do you have a friend who loves you?” —Kendra, 4th grade student

Writing about friends gives writers the chance to describe someone’s physical characteristics and personality. This 4th grade essay uses personal details to bring a beloved friend to life.

Read the full essay: Ann at Thoughtful Learning

Middle School Personal Narrative Examples

By middle school, personal narratives are longer and more involved, telling more detailed stories and experiences. These middle school personal narrative essay examples model strong writing skills for this age group.

“As thoughts of certain death run through my mind, the world appears a precious, treasured place.” —Amy, student

personal narrative speech examples

Describing an opportunity to overcome your worst fears makes an excellent personal narrative topic. The vivid descriptions of the landscape and the author’s feelings help the reader make a strong connection to the author.

Read the full essay: The Climb at Thoughtful Learning

The Best Friend Question

“i’ve often wondered, does not having a best friend make me defective” —blanche li, age 13, diablo vista middle school, danville, california.

When her Spanish teacher asked students for an essay describing their best friend, 13-year-old Blanche Li fell back on her standard story: that of a made-up person. Here, she explains why she made up “Haley” and wonders what having an imaginary best friend says about her.

Read the full essay: The Best Friend Question at The New York Times

The Racist Warehouse

“i didn’t know racism was still around; i thought that situation had died along with dr. king.” —alicia, 8th grade student.

Strong personal narratives often relate the way the author learned an important life lesson. Here, an 8th grader describes her first experience with racism, in an essay that will sadly ring true with many readers.

Read the full essay: The Racist Warehouse at Thoughtful Teaching

“For the first time, we realized that we didn’t know how to express our voice, and we always suppressed it.” —Jocelyn C., 7th grade student, Texas

personal narrative speech examples

Seventh-grader Jocelyn C. describes the unique experience of spending two years living in an RV with her family, traveling the country. She relates the ups and downs of their trip, illustrating the way her family learned to live together in close quarters and embrace the adventure.

Read the full essay: RV Journey at Write From the Heart

An Eight Pound Rival

“i’m trying to accept that he didn’t mean to dominate the center stage all the time, that’s just one of the many lovable assets of his personality.”.

A new sibling can change everything in a family, especially when you’ve always been the baby. This middle schooler explains her challenging relationship with a little brother that she loves, even when he drives her a bit crazy. (Find this essay on page 42 at the link.)

Read the full essay: An Eight Pound Rival at Teaching That Makes Sense

High School Personal Narrative Examples

High school students have more complex stories to tell, though they’re sometimes reluctant to do so. Reading personal narrative essay examples like these can encourage them to open up and get their thoughts, feelings, and ideas down on the page.

Sorry, Wrong Number

“when i received the first text, i was a playful sixth grader, always finding sly ways to be subversive in school and with friends.” —michelle ahn, high school student.

personal narrative speech examples

When Michelle Ahn was 11, she started getting texts for a wrong number, a man named Jared. Rather than correcting the error, she spends the next few years occasionally engaging with his texters as “Jared,” learning more about him. Though she finally comes clean, her time as “Jared” exposes her to a way of life very different from her own, and opens her eyes to the inner lives of others.

Read the full essay: Sorry, Wrong Number at The New York Times

Caught in the Net

“little does everyone else know how often i’m not doing school research or paper writing; instead i’m aimlessly writing emails or chatting with internet friends and family hundreds of miles away.” —kim, college student.

Even before social media and smartphones swept the world, internet addiction had become a problem. Here, a student shares her experiences in AOL chat rooms, meeting people from around the globe. Eventually, she realizes she’s sacrificing life in the real world for her digital friends and experiences, and works to find the right balance.

Read the full essay: Caught in the Net at Thoughtful Learning

Nothing Extraordinary

“an uneasy feeling started to settle in my chest. i tried to push it out, but once it took root it refused to be yanked up and tossed away.” —jeniffer kim, high school student.

During an ordinary shopping trip, high schooler Jenniffer Kim suddenly realizes she’s ashamed of her mother. At the same time, she recognizes all the sacrifices her mom has made for her, and gladly takes the chance to make a tiny sacrifice of her own.

Read the full essay: Nothing Extraordinary at The New York Times

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

“at this point in life, i had not yet learned to be gentle with myself, or others.” —anonymous student.

personal narrative speech examples

A teen who lives with bipolar disorder recounts a difficult conversation with her parents, in which her mother dismisses her as “crazy.” A few years later, this same teen finds herself in the emergency room, where her mother has just tried to die by suicide. “Crazy!” the daughter thinks. After her mother also receives a bipolar disorder diagnosis, the author concludes, “‘Crazy’ is a term devised to dismiss people.”

Read the full essay: The Pot Calling the Kettle Black at Pressbooks

What a Black Woman Wishes Her Adoptive White Parents Knew

“i know that i am different, but do not have the words to understand how.” —mariama lockington.

Though not written by a high schooler, this essay by Mariama Lockington makes an excellent mentor text for this age group. Lockington dives deep into her feelings about being adopted by parents of a different race, and shares her challenges in poignant language that speaks directly to the reader.

Read the full essay: What a Black Woman Wishes Her Adoptive White Parents Knew at Buzzfeed News

Do you use personal narrative examples as mentor texts in your classroom? Come share your experiences and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook !

Plus, strong persuasive writing examples (essays, speeches, ads, and more) ..

Find stirring personal narrative examples for elementary, middle school, and high school students on an array of topics.

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Free Personal Narrative Examples: Basic Guidelines With Tips

11 December 2023

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Personal narrative examples are texts that allow readers to understand some aspects of the writer’s life experiences. In writing such documents, students get the opportunity to perfect their writing, critical thinking, and reflection skills. Unlike research essays that require students to investigate subjects, personal narrative essays require authors to write thoughtfully. In turn, one’s life experiences without external evidence are the main content in personal narrative essay examples.

General Aspects

Writing personal narrative examples is an academic activity that enhances one’s writing, critical thinking, and reflection skills. When students get assignments to write a personal story, they get the opportunity to reflect on their life experiences and take one or several aspects of it to share. In this case, a narrative essay introduces a student as an individual and a writer to readers. Therefore, the challenge for students is to find a story to tell, one that they can recall clearly and tell through writing thoughtfully. In other words, detailing one’s experience is essential to meet the criterion of the “show, do not tell” technique, meaning that authors should focus on giving the audience details of their life experiences vividly rather than just talking about them. Also, the audience must be able to visualize those experiences for emotional intensity.

Personal narrative examples

Three Samples of a Personal Narrative Essay

1. personal narrative example: the most disappointing day of my life.

My love for racing cars started when I was a child. The mere fact that these cars moved at lightning speed seemed to excite me, and I couldn’t tell why. As I grew older, I found myself engaging in things to do with racing cars, such as watching episodes of car races on television and the Internet. I even went a step further and used my pocket money to buy car racing-themed magazines and merchandise. Therefore, it didn’t come as a surprise when one of my uncles decided to take me to a car racing event in Africa, specifically Kenya.

Safari Rally was an episode of the global yearly car racing competition, and it seemed to stand out from the rest for several reasons. One of these, which inspired many people from the West, was the fact that the racing track went through game reserves and national parks. As such, fans were sure to get a double treat- watch racing cars as they maneuver the tough African terrain and enjoy the beauty of African wildlife. Hearing stories about this experience increased my desire to visit Kenya and witness the forthcoming Safari Rally event. The year was 1989. How can I forget?

Life has a way of turning expectations into painful memories. My friends knew how prepared I was to travel to Kenya. I had even bought a camera using my pocket money; I intended to document the entire experience through photography. To cut the story short, I never made the trip. It never occurred to me that, as a military man, my uncle was not in charge of his life per se. As the world was preparing to witness the African Safari Rally, Panama was in a crisis. US President George W. Bush sent over 10,000 American troops to Panama City on December 20, 1989, one week before the Safari Rally kick-off date. My uncle was recalled from his one-month leave.

I am not sure what was most devastating to me – the fact that my beloved uncle informed my mother and not me about his recall or that I was never going to Kenya to witness the marvelous Safari Rally. I must admit, although I was in perfect health, I felt sick, literally. I became moody, lost my appetite, developed a headache, and withdrew from family and friends. My mother had to take leave from work to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid. December 20, 1989, I must admit, stands out as the most disappointing day of my life.

Today, almost two decades later, I look back to December 20, 1989, and wonder about the power of aspirations. Dreams are powerful, and no matter how long it takes, life always finds a way to bring them to bear. Indeed, I visited Kenya after graduating from High School, but not to witness the Safari Rally. This time, my visit was sponsored by a community organization dedicated to making the world a better place for orphans. Visiting Kenya brought back memories of a missed opportunity and the mark it left in my life. Indeed, dreams are powerful!

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2. Example of a Personal Narrative Essay: My Greatest Life Lesson

Growing up, I always heard people say work hard pays; that working hard is a virtue. I never really understood the meaning of these words until I reached the age when my parents allowed me to have my first job. My dad always insisted that I should learn how to give and not ask. What could I possibly give? I always thought. Although my mum was an undisputed defender, I think she had come to see sense in my father’s argument. She stopped giving me my monthly allowance and asked me to look for a job.

Christmas is a season of good tidings for merrymakers and entrepreneurial characters. My childhood friend was one of the latter. Although we grew up together and got in trouble together, Mike and I were two sides of the same coin. I was an introvert and a bookworm, and Mike was an extrovert and a merrymaker. His added advantage over me was that he came from a family of entrepreneurs. Therefore, while I saw the festive season as another time of the year when people overindulge, he saw it as a perfect time to make money. Ironically, I needed this side of him, given my present predicament.

Mike was not of the “work hard pays” school of thought. He subscribed to the “work smart” school of thought. If anyone asked me the difference, I couldn’t tell. When I told him about my predicament, he saw a business partner. He confided in me about his business idea- making Christmas trees and selling them on credit. I thought, “I didn’t hear him well,” so I asked him to repeat what he had just said. Of course, he noticed my disbelief and lack of enthusiasm in his idea. At this point, he told me he had researched and realized that only one shop sold Christmas trees, and the price was exorbitant. This meant that there was room for competition. Before he could go further with his “story,” I reminded him that starting a business, leave alone competing with an established enterprise, required capital. He told me, “not really.” That word got my attention. He said to me that all we had to do was cut down some trees and use our creativity to make beautiful Christmas trees. Mike “volunteered”—whatever that meant—to supply any needed material from the family supermarket. To make the story short, we made our Christmas trees and hit the road running.

News about our Christmas trees spread like wildfire. Mike’s decision to publish pamphlets advertising our product was a genius marketing trick. Although we were willing to give people the product on credit, a majority ended up paying in cash. Within three days, we had sold about 20 Christmas trees, and as they say, the rest is history.

My parents’ decision to stop my monthly allowance served to teach me the value of work. However, it was my entrepreneurial adventure with Mike that taught me that working smart is better than working hard.

3. Personal Narrative Essay Sample: Memorable Experience

It was about two decades ago when, at the age of 16, I traveled a distance of approximately 100 miles to get to see a great holy personality. For almost a month, the media had been advertising the arrival of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the founder of Sahaja Yoga Meditation. This religious fraternity has attained a reputation as a global movement of spiritual practices. Since my mother was a committed faithful, I decided to tag along as she made a journey she considered a religious obligation. Little did I know that, by volunteering to accompany my mum, I set myself up for one of my most memorable experiences.

When we arrived at the scheduled venue, an auditorium of a state university, I got nervous for some reason. Since the media had advertised her arrival, the place was a sea of humanity, as faithful and curious individuals like me fought for a space to see this revered lady. One could tell a religious adherent from a curious attendee- it was a tradition that everywhere Shri Mataji visited, people gifted her flowers as a sign of their admiration and reverence.

In light of this, I was carrying a flower under the instructions of my mother. Probably, some also took flowers under the direction of those they accompanied. As soon as it was announced that Shri Mataji was about to enter the auditorium, my heartbeat started racing. The crowd seemed to go on a frenzy, as some tried to move closer to the podium. As Shri Mataji made her way into the packed venue, people approached her in an unrushed way, giving her flowers, one by one. In return, she gave short comments to each person like, “Thank you,” “Oh, such a lovely dress,” and such. I must admit, her stance caught me off-guard. I always thought a holy person never smiles; that they are always serious with a face that tells you they can see your sins, even the hidden sins of the soul. On the contrary, Shri Mataji was lovable and human in every bit.

When it was my turn to give a flower, I was confused. Lovingly, my mother, looking at me with kind eyes, prompted me to offer her my bunch of flowers. Unlike the tradition of offering flowers to a person by giving them to their hands, the present occasion required one to offer them at Shri Mataji’s feet. I later learned that this was the custom in Indian society relating to gurus or persons of significant stature. Although Shri Mataji uttered some words to me, I can recall them; I was excited to listen. I wasn’t sober. My mum tells me that I was smiling as the revered lady commended me for the beautiful gift. All I know is that I was thrilled and highly satisfied, practically indescribable feelings. Indeed, the occasion stands out as one of the most memorable days of my life.

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Personal Stories in Narrative Essays

Indeed, all three stories above are personal narrative examples. Firstly, each of the stories describes personal experiences. Secondly, in each story, an author gives accounts of how events transpired to make described experiences memorable. Lastly, each of the three stories ends with a life lesson or experience that forms part of personal memories. In short, these three stories do not describe what a person has read somewhere. Basically, they describe what an individual has gone through as an individual at one point in personal life.

“Show, Not Tell” Method

When writing personal narrative essay examples, writers focus on giving vivid descriptions of their experiences and not just telling the audience about them. In these three stories, an author has offered such descriptions, such as a personal state of mind, to enable readers to either be emotionally involved. For example, in the first story, an author talks about how he became “moody, lost appetite, developed a headache, and withdrew from family and friends.” In turn, this description makes readers empathize with a personal situation.

Techniques for Writing Better Personal Narrative Essays

  • Use simple language. While research essays require students to use complex words, this feature is not beneficial in personal narrative essay examples. In turn, the language should provide rather than hinder clarity.
  • “Show, not tell.” The goal of personal narrative examples is to inform readers about the life experiences of writers. As such, students should not write it as they would a research essay. In turn, they must incorporate vivid descriptions that enable readers to become emotionally involved.
  • Make an essay “personal.” Narrative essay examples can be considered “personal” only by providing personal details of authors. Basically, students should avoid using the second-person language but covering the first-personal language. In turn, experiences should introduce readers to an aspect of a writer’s life.

Writing personal narrative essay examples is an academic exercise of great importance. Basically, it allows students to perfect their writing, critical thinking, and reflection skills. For example, one of the most effective techniques for writing a personal narrative essay example is the “show, not tell” approach. In turn, this method means that authors should focus more on giving vivid descriptions of their experiences and not just writing about them. Moreover, the audience must get emotionally involved in the story for it to be effective. Hence, some essential tips in writing personal narrative essay examples are:

  • Choose a memorable story to tell.
  • Follow the “Show, not tell” approach.
  • Be authentic by avoiding exaggerations.
  • Ask for input from family and close friends.
  • Proofread personal narrative essay examples before publication or submission.

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Telling the Story of Yourself: 6 Steps to Writing Personal Narratives

Jennifer Xue

Jennifer Xue

writing personal narratives

Table of Contents

Why do we write personal narratives, 6 guidelines for writing personal narrative essays, inspiring personal narratives, examples of personal narrative essays, tell your story.

First off, you might be wondering: what is a personal narrative? In short, personal narratives are stories we tell about ourselves that focus on our growth, lessons learned, and reflections on our experiences.

From stories about inspirational figures we heard as children to any essay, article, or exercise where we're asked to express opinions on a situation, thing, or individual—personal narratives are everywhere.

According to Psychology Today, personal narratives allow authors to feel and release pains, while savouring moments of strength and resilience. Such emotions provide an avenue for both authors and readers to connect while supporting healing in the process.

That all sounds great. But when it comes to putting the words down on paper, we often end up with a list of experiences and no real structure to tie them together.

In this article, we'll discuss what a personal narrative essay is further, learn the 6 steps to writing one, and look at some examples of great personal narratives.

As readers, we're fascinated by memoirs, autobiographies, and long-form personal narrative articles, as they provide a glimpse into the authors' thought processes, ideas, and feelings. But you don't have to be writing your whole life story to create a personal narrative.

You might be a student writing an admissions essay , or be trying to tell your professional story in a cover letter. Regardless of your purpose, your narrative will focus on personal growth, reflections, and lessons.

Personal narratives help us connect with other people's stories due to their easy-to-digest format and because humans are empathising creatures.

We can better understand how others feel and think when we were told stories that allow us to see the world from their perspectives. The author's "I think" and "I feel" instantaneously become ours, as the brain doesn't know whether what we read is real or imaginary.

In her best-selling book Wired for Story, Lisa Cron explains that the human brain craves tales as it's hard-wired through evolution to learn what happens next. Since the brain doesn't know whether what you are reading is actual or not, we can register the moral of the story cognitively and affectively.

In academia, a narrative essay tells a story which is experiential, anecdotal, or personal. It allows the author to creatively express their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and opinions. Its length can be anywhere from a few paragraphs to hundreds of pages.

Outside of academia, personal narratives are known as a form of journalism or non-fiction works called "narrative journalism." Even highly prestigious publications like the New York Times and Time magazine have sections dedicated to personal narratives. The New Yorke is a magazine dedicated solely to this genre.

The New York Times holds personal narrative essay contests. The winners are selected because they:

had a clear narrative arc with a conflict and a main character who changed in some way. They artfully balanced the action of the story with reflection on what it meant to the writer. They took risks, like including dialogue or playing with punctuation, sentence structure and word choice to develop a strong voice. And, perhaps most important, they focused on a specific moment or theme – a conversation, a trip to the mall, a speech tournament, a hospital visit – instead of trying to sum up the writer’s life in 600 words.

In a nutshell, a personal narrative can cover any reflective and contemplative subject with a strong voice and a unique perspective, including uncommon private values. It's written in first person and the story encompasses a specific moment in time worthy of a discussion.

Writing a personal narrative essay involves both objectivity and subjectivity. You'll need to be objective enough to recognise the importance of an event or a situation to explore and write about. On the other hand, you must be subjective enough to inject private thoughts and feelings to make your point.

With personal narratives, you are both the muse and the creator – you have control over how your story is told. However, like any other type of writing, it comes with guidelines.

1. Write Your Personal Narrative as a Story

As a story, it must include an introduction, characters, plot, setting, climax, anti-climax (if any), and conclusion. Another way to approach it is by structuring it with an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should set the tone, while the body should focus on the key point(s) you want to get across. The conclusion can tell the reader what lessons you have learned from the story you've just told.

2. Give Your Personal Narrative a Clear Purpose

Your narrative essay should reflect your unique perspective on life. This is a lot harder than it sounds. You need to establish your perspective, the key things you want your reader to take away, and your tone of voice. It's a good idea to have a set purpose in mind for the narrative before you start writing.

Let's say you want to write about how you manage depression without taking any medicine. This could go in any number of ways, but isolating a purpose will help you focus your writing and choose which stories to tell. Are you advocating for a holistic approach, or do you want to describe your emotional experience for people thinking of trying it?

Having this focus will allow you to put your own unique take on what you did (and didn't do, if applicable), what changed you, and the lessons learned along the way.

3. Show, Don't Tell

It's a narration, so the narrative should show readers what happened, instead of telling them. As well as being a storyteller, the author should take part as one of the characters. Keep this in mind when writing, as the way you shape your perspective can have a big impact on how your reader sees your overarching plot. Don't slip into just explaining everything that happened because it happened to you. Show your reader with action.

dialogue tags

You can check for instances of telling rather than showing with ProWritingAid. For example, instead of:

"You never let me do anything!" I cried disdainfully.
"You never let me do anything!" To this day, my mother swears that the glare I levelled at her as I spat those words out could have soured milk.

Using ProWritingAid will help you find these instances in your manuscript and edit them without spending hours trawling through your work yourself.

4. Use "I," But Don't Overuse It

You, the author, take ownership of the story, so the first person pronoun "I" is used throughout. However, you shouldn't overuse it, as it'd make it sound too self-centred and redundant.

ProWritingAid can also help you here – the Style Report will tell you if you've started too many sentences with "I", and show you how to introduce more variation in your writing.

5. Pay Attention to Tenses

Tense is key to understanding. Personal narratives mostly tell the story of events that happened in the past, so many authors choose to use the past tense. This helps separate out your current, narrating voice and your past self who you are narrating. If you're writing in the present tense, make sure that you keep it consistent throughout.

tenses in narratives

6. Make Your Conclusion Satisfying

Satisfy your readers by giving them an unforgettable closing scene. The body of the narration should build up the plot to climax. This doesn't have to be something incredible or shocking, just something that helps give an interesting take on your story.

The takeaways or the lessons learned should be written without lecturing. Whenever possible, continue to show rather than tell. Don't say what you learned, narrate what you do differently now. This will help the moral of your story shine through without being too preachy.

GoodReads is a great starting point for selecting read-worthy personal narrative books. Here are five of my favourites.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen, the author of 386 books, wrote this poetic story about a daughter and her father who went owling. Instead of learning about owls, Yolen invites readers to contemplate the meaning of gentleness and hope.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944. This Holocaust memoir has a strong message that such horrific events should never be repeated.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

This classic is a must-read by young and old alike. It's a remarkable diary by a 13-year-old Jewish girl who hid inside a secret annexe of an old building during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in 1942.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

This is a personal narrative written by a brave author renowned for her clarity, passion, and honesty. Didion shares how in December 2003, she lost her husband of 40 years to a massive heart attack and dealt with the acute illness of her only daughter. She speaks about grief, memories, illness, and hope.

Educated by Tara Westover

Author Tara Westover was raised by survivalist parents. She didn't go to school until 17 years of age, which later took her to Harvard and Cambridge. It's a story about the struggle for quest for knowledge and self-reinvention.

Narrative and personal narrative journalism are gaining more popularity these days. You can find distinguished personal narratives all over the web.

Curating the best of the best of personal narratives and narrative essays from all over the web. Some are award-winning articles.

Narratively

Long-form writing to celebrate humanity through storytelling. It publishes personal narrative essays written to provoke, inspire, and reflect, touching lesser-known and overlooked subjects.

Narrative Magazine

It publishes non,fiction narratives, poetry, and fiction. Among its contributors is Frank Conroy, the author of Stop-Time , a memoir that has never been out of print since 1967.

Thought Catalog

Aimed at Generation Z, it publishes personal narrative essays on self-improvement, family, friendship, romance, and others.

Personal narratives will continue to be popular as our brains are wired for stories. We love reading about others and telling stories of ourselves, as they bring satisfaction and a better understanding of the world around us.

Personal narratives make us better humans. Enjoy telling yours!

personal narrative speech examples

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Jennifer Xue is an award-winning e-book author with 2,500+ articles and 100+ e-books/reports published under her belt. She also taught 50+ college-level essay and paper writing classes. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, Fortune, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Business.com, Business2Community, Addicted2Success, Good Men Project, and others. Her blog is JenniferXue.com. Follow her on Twitter @jenxuewrites].

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COMMENTS

  1. 15 Inspiring Personal Narrative Examples for Writers -

    In elementary school, personal narratives might be quite short, just a paragraph or two. The key is to encourage kids to embrace a personal style of writing, one that speaks in their own voice. Take a look at these elementary school personal narrative essay examples for inspiration.

  2. Sample Student Narrative Speech Outline

    I. II. Charlyn Gonda Speech 101 – Narrative Speech Outline. To share a personal experience and the insight or lesson gained. After hearing my speech, my audience will understand the importance of expressing their gratitude to the people they love. It’s important to show your gratitude and love to your friends, because it might be your last chance.

  3. Free Personal Narrative Examples: Basic Guidelines With Tips

    💡 Example of a Personal Narrative Essay: My Greatest Life Lesson. 📜 Example of a Personal Narrative Essay (pdf) 🔮 Personal Narrative Essay Sample: Memorable Experience. 📜 Personal Narrative Essay Sample (pdf) 👤📝 Personal Stories in Narrative Essays. 🎭 “Show, Not Tell” Method. 📓 Techniques for Writing Better Personal Narrative Essays.

  4. How to Write a Personal Narrative: Steps and Examples -

    Examples of Personal Narrative Essays. Tell Your Story. First off, you might be wondering: what is a personal narrative? In short, personal narratives are stories we tell about ourselves that focus on our growth, lessons learned, and reflections on our experiences.

  5. 6 Personal Narrative Examples For Aspiring Essayists

    6 Excellent Personal Narrative Examples. 1. The Fateful Discovery a Woman Made After the Sudden Death of Her Infant Child by Rebecca Gummere. 2. In Marriage, Beware of Big Boxes by Cindy Chupack. 3. Mother Rage: Theory and Practice by Anne Lamott. 4. Your Brain’s Response to Your Ex According to Neuroscience by Amy Paturel (Me) 5.