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Non-fiction Narrative Writing:
Biographies, Memoirs, and
Autobiographies
Important Concepts
 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
Non- Fiction
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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:
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Newspaper articles
Letters
Essays
Biographies
Movie reviews
Speeches
advertising
Review: What is Point of View?
First- Person
Definition: The point
from which a story is
told.
 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
Point of View continued
Third-Person Limited
The narrator:
* Is not a characters in the
story, but an outside
observer
* Zooms in on the thoughts
and feelings of one
character
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.
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
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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 Memoir
Continued…
 Narrative structure (contains storytelling
elements like setting, plot, imagery,
characterization, foreshadowing/flashback, and
symbolism)
 Fictional quality
Literary Language and Devices found
in Non-fiction Narratives
 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
Now it’s your turn…
 Read the following excerpts and decide whether they
are from a biography, autobiography or a memoir.
Biography
How do you know?
Look for clues in the writing, such as point
of view
Memoir
How do you know?
How can you tell if it’s a memoir or an
autobiography?
Look at the point of view
Look at the title
Autobiography
How 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 will
focus on his whole life and career, not just his childhood or one
specific part of his life.