Narrative Memoir Project
 Typical
It was a day at the end of June. My mom, dad, brother, and I were at our camp on
Rangeley Lake. We arrived the night before at 10:00, so it was dark when we got
there and unpacked. We went straight to bed. The next morning, when I was eating
breakfast, my dad started yelling for me from down at the dock at the top of his
lungs. He said there was a car in the lake.
 I gulped my milk, pushed away from the table, and bolted out of the kitchen,
slamming the broken screen door behind me. I ran down to our dock as fast as my
legs could carry me. My feet pounded on the old wood, hurrying me toward my
dad’s voice. “Scott!” he bellowed again.
 “Coming, Dad!” I gasped. I couldn’t see him yet—just the sails of the boats that had
already put out into the lake for the day.
 “Scott! Get down here on the double!” Dad bellowed. His voice sounded far away.
 “Dad?” I hollered. “Where are you?” I squinted through the screen door but
couldn’t see him.
 “I’m down on the dock. MOVE IT. You’re not going to believe this,” he replied.
 I couldn’t imagine why my father was hollering for me at 7:00 in the morning. I
thought fast about what I might have done to get him so riled. Had he found out
about the way I talked to my mother the night before, when we got to camp and she
asked me to help unpack the car? Did he discover the fishing reel I broke last
week? Before I could consider a third possibility, Dad’s voice shattered my
thoughts.
 “Scott! Move it! You’re not going to believe this!”
 Pacing is one of the most crucial elements to a narrative. If it is too fast, readers are
not satisfied. If it is too slow, readers are left yawning.
 Think of taking a trip down the river in a boat. You need plenty of white water for
excitement, yet you also need calmer stretches in between to breathe.
 Try to vary your pacing to keep the reader’s interest.
 Crafting a natural conversation with relevant information is tricky.
 Be sure your information is relevant enough to merit its own dialogue segment.
Some information is better summarized. Remember the following hints:
 Dialogue should set the scene, advance action, give insight into character, and
foreshadow.
 Keep the character’s voice in mind. Dialogue should read like actual speech.
 Don’t use too much slang or misspelling to create the character’s voice.
 A reflective narrative is a writing piece that describes an experience.
 Structure: be sure to explain what you learned and how you came to that
knowledge. It can be linear in nature, or it can start with the result of what
happened and backtrack to the events that took place.
 Write as if you are telling a story to a close friend or relative. Draw in the audience
by welcoming them to your experiences.
 Add Spice: Like any good book or movie, the plot usually has a twist, drama, or a
problem and solution. Focus on the interesting aspects of your story.