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Mary Rosenblum
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Good morning, all!
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Mary Rosenblum
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I hope you had an excellent
weekend and a nice Mother's Day, all you mothers out there.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Today, I wanted to talk about
the personal narrative.
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Mary Rosenblum
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This is a very popular
nonfiction genre and something that many LR students find they excell at.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's a form of writing that
sort of straddles the line between fiction and nonfiction.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Personal narrative is simply
'telling a real story'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is, you're either telling
about something that happened in your life
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Mary Rosenblum
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or you're telling a story
about something that happened to someone else.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But the stories are not made
up, even though you use the same techniques to write these narratives as
you'd use to write a fiction story
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Mary Rosenblum
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including characterization,
strong dialogue, and dramatic arc.
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k c morlock
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What makes a personal narrative different
from a memoir?
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Mary Rosenblum
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It isn't necessarily different
at all.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Memoir is a type of personal
narrative.
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redwagon
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Is there a set rule for 1st
person or 3rd?
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Mary Rosenblum
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No, but if you're writing
about your own experience, it's a good idea to use first person, redwagon.
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Mary Rosenblum
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To readers, third person does
tend to 'sound like fiction'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you're telling the story of
your neighbor's brush with death while out hiking in the wildnerness
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Mary Rosenblum
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you might want to use a
narrative voice rather than use the limited third person POV of a fiction
story.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You want to remind the readers
'this really happened'.
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christopher houle
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I want to tell a story but can't
seem to get it right about past. Any suggestions?
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'm not quite sure what you
mean about 'can't seem to get it right about the past'. Can you elaborate
on that?
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kagraham
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Can you alter any of the facts
as long as the basis is true?
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is a very gray area,
kagraham.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yes, you can, but there is a
point at which it becomes 'fiction'. And the scandals recently about
'journalist' whose 'personal narratives' turned out to be made up out of
whole cloth
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Mary Rosenblum
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have made editors and the
reading public a bit touchy.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Essentially, if you are using
real people and real situations, yeah, you can fill in dialogue you don't
remember verbatim
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Mary Rosenblum
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and tweak a few details to
suit the dramatic arc....if it's pretty close to what actually happened.
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Mary Rosenblum
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After all, get any three
family members to write down their memory of that last family reunion and
you'll begin to wonder
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Mary Rosenblum
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if you were all in separate
universes!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Very few people have perfect
recall!
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unicorn
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Can you change the names to
protect the people involved in the "narrative". ie. people who
would be angry that they were included in the narrative
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Mary Rosenblum
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You know, Unicorn, I would
certainly do that.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It can be very disturbing to
people to find that they have been 'put on a public stage' for the world to
look at.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I suspect that most writers of
personal narratives do alter the names of real people in order to protect
their privacy.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Of course those people
probably recognize themselves. :-) But the general public won't.
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unicorn
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Thanks! I have been asked to
write a narrative but knew some people involved would be well.....upset
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Mary Rosenblum
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I think most people would be,
actually. I personally would never use someone's real name in a published
work unless it's a well known celebrity.
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christopher houle
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Certain points in my life are
harsh and never appear to read well or work well when written out but each
of these events play important parts in my life.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You know, Christopher, this is
probably nothing more than a matter of craft.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The more you write personal
narrative, the more your craft skills will improve and the more you'll be
able to handle topics and situations that don't read well now.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I suggest you read a lot of
other peoples' personal narratives and see how those authors handled
difficult and harsh situations.
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gail
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I'm curious about personal
experiences which involve the paranormal. As some people will assume these
are fiction, while others believe in their truth, how does an author
categorize this type of storytelling? Is it still "personal
narrative" or does it fit into the fiction realm?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Oh, goodness, Gail, there are
many 'nonfiction' accounts of paranormal encounters. I believe it's Ghosts
Magazine that solicits this type of narrative.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And you have books written by
'ghost hunters' describing their encounters.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The author says it happened
and if some readers don't believe this type of thing is possible, they just
aren't going to buy the book is all.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Plenty of others will. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Christopher, since we were
talking about craft here, I will suggest a good 'how to' book on the topic.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's Creative Nonfiction by
Philip Gerard.
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Mary Rosenblum
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He covers the topic very
thoroughly, from prose techniques through legal issues and interview
technique.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It is published by Story Press
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Mary Rosenblum
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ISBN 1-884910-43-2
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Mary Rosenblum
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Marketing creative nonfiction
stumps some new writers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But it needent.
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Mary Rosenblum
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There really aren't a lot of 'personal
narrative magazines' that simply feature lots of personal narratives.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Usually, personal narratives
wind up in a magazine with a related focus.
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Mary Rosenblum
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For example, I have a talented
student who lives down in Cajun country in Louisiana and writes some of the funniest 'old boys hunting'
I've read for a long time.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I've suggested he send these
narratives to the various hunting and fishing magazines out there -- and there
are lots of them -- that accept personal narratives.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Nearly all of them do, and
they feature stories about personal experiences in the field.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Here, I simply paired the
topic of the narratives he was writing -- hunting and fishing stories --
with magazines whose readers will like those stories.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Humor is good, so is drama.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And one of the benefits of
writing personal narrative is that if you read the submission guidelines
carefully, you'll discover that most nonfiction
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Mary Rosenblum
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magazines want the entire
manuscript of the personal narrative, rather than a query first.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's because it is the
author's voice that sells the narrative, not the topic.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor needs to read that
piece to see how good a job the author is doing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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One thing to keep in mind is
that the personal narrative does have form. It is not just a collection of
random anecdotes from your past.
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redwagon
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The author's voice, not the
topic.......wow thats good insight. thanks mary.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, the topic does have to
more or less fit the magazine, red. You wouldn't send a funny story about
an elk hunting adventure to a gardening magazine.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But yes, it's the
entertainment aspect of the narrative -- the author's voice and the point
that author might be making -- that sells the piece.
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gail
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Does dramatic personal narrative
require some sort of "moral of the story" or uplifting ending?
Sometiimes those are hard to find. Should they be discovered before writing
the story?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, it doesn't have to be
uplifting. Patrick McManus and Bailey White are very popular writers of
personal narrative. Their narratives are funny and often insightful, but
without offering particuliarly 'high moral tone'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And here lies the difference
between a 'home movie' and a 'documentary'
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Mary Rosenblum
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The home movie is only of
interest to the family.
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Mary Rosenblum
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An account of the family
Fourth of July picnic with all the aunts and uncles bickering and the kids
getting into trouble can utterly bore readers
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Mary Rosenblum
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if it's too focused on family
issues. It's not our family, what's in it for us?
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Mary Rosenblum
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But if you can make those
family tribulations universal -- then you connect with the readers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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We all have the Aunt who
fusses over the table, the food, the egg salad is going to get too warm,
you can't let Jimmy play in that creek it might be polluted...
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Mary Rosenblum
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and Mom or Dad or Brothers'
eye rolling tolerance of the old gal is going to strike a chord with a lot
of readers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's no longer just the
author's story. Lots of readers have the Troublesome Aunt so it becomes
their story, too.
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jackie7777
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I am writing a memorir about my
grnadmother - I do not want to expose the DARK SIDE> I am writing about
all the good times. Is this too flowery? Am I being too naive to only paint
the good picture? Do the readers wnat all the gory details? Do I have to
give the dark side? That was not my intention.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can focus on any 'side' of
the family that you want, Jackie.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The main thing is to offer the
readers that universal.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It might be the grandmother
who always seemed to run the family and the narrator one day got to see her
break down privately and reveal her own frailty.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That might have been a
memorable moment for the narrator and it's going to connect
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Mary Rosenblum
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to the many strong people in
readers' lives who tried not to reveal their own vulnerability.
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sunshynsmyl
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How do you keep a narrative from
sounding "editorial"?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Again, that's a matter of
craft, sunshyn, of learning how to do this well.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Narrative voice is a huge part
of personal narrative.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A flat, monotone drone bores
readers to tears.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you read the popular
narrative writers, you'll quickly realize that they have very unique and
strong voices.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I can generally recognize a
Bailey White or Patrick McManus piece even if I don't see the by line.
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redwagon
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As a landlord, I have a zillion
stories, -as far as markets, can you suggest anything?
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Mary Rosenblum
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It would depend on what you're
writing about, red.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Bailey White, for example,
writes a lot about her southern friends and relatives.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If they happen to involve
gardening, they often showed up in gardening magazines.
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Mary Rosenblum
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She has had some appear in
magazines slanted to teachers....she was a grade school teacher and writes
about those days.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So if you write renter stories
that involve home repair mishaps you might find a home for them
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Mary Rosenblum
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in a magazine read by do it
yourselfers or homeowners.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A story about the old retired
guy whose war stories drove everybody nuts at first, you might find a home
for it
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Mary Rosenblum
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with a military nostalgia
magazine or one whose readers are mostly retirees.
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Mary Rosenblum
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See what I mean?
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sss1208
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I want to ask a question about
how long can you make a hook ,does it have to be the very first words, or
can it be longer,like two or three sentences?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Sometimes you just can't do it
effectively all in the first sentence, sss. If you have hooked the reader
by the end of paragraph one, you're fine.
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Mary Rosenblum
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One thing to be very aware of
when you write and send off personal narratives.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is rights.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you begin to really connect
with your narratives, so that you're selling them regularly to large
circulation magazines
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Mary Rosenblum
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sooner or later you'll
probably be able to sell a collection of your narratives to a publisher.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That means you want to be able
to include those early narratives that have already been published as well
as some new ones.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So be very careful in this
case not to sell 'all rights' .
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Mary Rosenblum
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Usually you only see that kind
of bad contract with very small ezines or print magazines where the editor
really doesn't understand rights and mostly deals with novice writers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But as with fiction, the
resale value of personal narratives is high.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's not so true for a
nonfiction 'how to' piece or other piece slanted to a particular magazine.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But do be aware of what you're
selling if you're writing personal narrative.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Personal narratives are a good
writing exercise.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Even if you don't feel that
you had lots of dramatic events in your life, what about that first puppy
and the lessons you learned as a young kid.
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Mary Rosenblum
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We have all had 'learning
moments' in our lives and these make great personal narratives
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Mary Rosenblum
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because they connect to those
similar moments in readers' lives.
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janecj333
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How does personal narrative
compare with an essay, other than length?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, they're part of the same
universe, Jane, and there's no standard definition so some editors use
'personal essay' or 'creative nonfiction' meaning the same thing as
'personal narrative'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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However, 'essay' does tend to
suggest a statement of opinion rather than an account of events meant to
connect and entertain.
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Mary Rosenblum
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One of the things that makes
personal narrative enticing is that you are entertaining your readers,
making a connection through shared experiences.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You don't have to be an expert
in anything other than life.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But the techniques are the
same.
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Mary Rosenblum
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As with fiction, I mean.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's what separates 'home
movie' narratives from something with universal appeal.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's your ability to present
that experience in a way that entertains and connects with your readers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A very strong narrative voice
and a sense of you, the narrator, as 'character' are needed.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Sos think about your life,
your experiences. Give it a try. Write a few, polish them up. Remember, as
with all writing, the more you do it, the better you get at it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A light tone and humor will
probably serve you better than darkness and gloom.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Although they don't have to be
humor and drama is always a good sale.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Notice how many narratives in
Readers Digest involve some sort of personal drama.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, I will post the
transcript of this Forum in the usual place on the website: Writing Craft:
Forum Transcript.
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Mary Rosenblum
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This week's newsletter
'Spotlight' section is on Personal Narrative and I have a review of Philip
Gerard's 'Creative Nonfiction' in the newsletter as well.
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heal
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Do most of the narrative dramas have
their character
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names changed?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Generally yes, heal, authors
don't use real names.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I personally think it's unfair
to the people you're writing about to put their real names out in the
public forum.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, thanks for coming all!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Drop in tomorrow for our
casual chat.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Same time and place, we just
get together to talk.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Have a good week!
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