Non-fiction Narrative Writing: Biographies, Memoirs, and

Autobiographies

Non- fiction can come in many forms: personal narrative, memoir, autobiography, and biography.

Everyone has a story to tell. Personal experiences help our foundations for thought and make us unique.

There are different points-of-view

Important Concepts

Writing that tells us about real people, places, and events.

Written to convey factual information Non-fiction is real and can be verified by other

sources Examples of Non-fiction writing:

Newspaper articles Letters Essays Biographies Movie reviews Speeches advertising

Non- Fiction

Review: What is Point of View?

First- Person

The narrator: Is a main or minor

character in the story Uses the pronouns “I”

and “me” Shares his/her personal

view of other characters and events.

Doesn’t know the thoughts/ feelings of other characters

Definition: The point from which a

story is told.

Point of View continued

Third- Person Omniscient

The narrator: Is not a character in

the story, but an outside observer, whose observations can be objective, or unbiased.

Is “all knowing”- he or she has access to all thoughts/ feelings and opinions to ALL other characters.

The narrator:* Is not a characters in the story, but an outsideobserver* Zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of one character

Third-Person Limited

Autobiography

Writer is the subject and it’s an account of his/her own life

Written from 1st person point of view and uses pronouns “I” and “me”

Describes the subjects thoughts, feelings, & opinions about his/her life

Based mostly on details from the subject’s own memories

Diary/Journal: Popular form of autobiography

Biography

History of a lifetime – Must cover entire life Most important facts and events of

someone’s life Contains anecdotes, memories, trips and

cherished moments3rd person point of view Written from Information from many sources, but

sometimes includes details provided by the subject.

Personal Narrative

Focus is on a particular event in a person/writer’s life

Written from 1st person point of view Tells a story about real people & events Short, non-fiction work usually dealing with a

single subject

Memoir

Written in 1st person point of view Captures certain highlights or meaningful

moments in one’s past Contemplation of the meaning of that event

at the time of the writing of the memoir Much more emotional and connects the

writer to someone or something that had an impact on their life

Often gives historical information about the society & culture of the time

Characteristics of a MemoirContinued…

Narrative structure (contains storytelling elements like setting, plot, imagery, characterization, foreshadowing/flashback, and symbolism)

Fictional quality

Imagery- Language that uses the five senses to paint a picture in the readers mind.“The afternoon sun penetrated the mass of honeysuckle that

covered the porch and fell on my upturned face.”- from The Story of My

Life by Helen Keller

Simile- Comparing two things using “like” or “as” Metaphor- Comparing two things directly without a

comparison word.“Like a jewel under a bright light, Houdini responded to attention by revealing brilliant new facets.”

- from Spellbinder: The Life of

Harry Houdini by Tom Lalicki

Literary Language and Devices found in Non-fiction Narratives

Now it’s your turn…

Read the following excerpts and decide whether they are from a biography, autobiography or a memoir.

BiographyHow do you know?

Look for clues in the writing, such as point of view

MemoirHow do you know?

How can you tell if it’s a memoir or an autobiography?

Look at the point of viewLook at the title

AutobiographyHow do you know?

Look at the point of view. How can you tell if its an autobiography or a memoir? Look at the title. Based on the title we can infer that

this story willfocus on his whole life and career, not just his childhood

or onespecific part of his life.