Personal Writing The purpose purpose of your writing is is to give an effective and entertaining account of an incident or event for an ANTHOLOGY ANTHOLOGY.

Personal WritingPersonal Writing

Purpose

Do I have to

The The purposepurpose of your writing is of your writing is to to give an effective and entertaining give an effective and entertaining

account of an incident or event for account of an incident or event for an an ANTHOLOGYANTHOLOGY of memories of memories

to be published by your class.to be published by your class.

to entertainto entertain to reflectto reflect

audienceaudience

You will be expected toYou will be expected to

describe the incident in describe the incident in detaildetail

describe and explore your describe and explore your feelings and reactionsfeelings and reactions

reflect on the experiencereflect on the experience

Viewpoints can differ about the Viewpoints can differ about the same eventsame event

They were hilarious and They were hilarious and entrancing. I loved entrancing. I loved

them. I roared and I them. I roared and I hooted and I guffawed hooted and I guffawed

and shrieked.and shrieked.

Other people can see the same Other people can see the same event differentlyevent differently

All the usual tricks. All the usual tricks. I’d seen it all before. I’d seen it all before.

It was the most It was the most tedious routine I had tedious routine I had

ever seen.ever seen.

Our feelings can beOur feelings can be explicitexplicitin our writing when we in our writing when we telltell just what we feel . . . . . . . just what we feel . . . . . . .

I loved I loved them.them.

Or our feelings can beOr our feelings can be implicitimplicit whenwhen we we suggestsuggest how we are feeling how we are feeling

““I was firmly rooted I was firmly rooted to the spot. My legs to the spot. My legs

wouldn’t move.”wouldn’t move.”

Writers describe Writers describe actions and thoughtsactions and thoughts and their and their reactionsreactions to show their feelings. to show their feelings.

My dad My dad reckonedreckoned that anyone that anyone who grew his hair longer than who grew his hair longer than him was a cissy. One Friday he him was a cissy. One Friday he looked at me, rolled his eyes andlooked at me, rolled his eyes and

snapped at mesnapped at me. “. “You’re not playing football You’re not playing football for your school tomorrow looking like that. for your school tomorrow looking like that. Get down the road and have that hair cut. Get down the road and have that hair cut. And you needn’t come back if you don’t!”And you needn’t come back if you don’t!” At that moment At that moment I hated himI hated him. It seemed . It seemed all all he ever did was try to spoil my fun . . . . . . . . .he ever did was try to spoil my fun . . . . . . . . .

Use the senses to describe an Use the senses to describe an experience.experience.

The grass The grass towered towered above and all around above and all around me, each me, each blade blade tattooed with sunlighttattooed with sunlight. . It was It was knife-edgedknife-edged, , darkdark and a and a wicked wicked green, thick as a forestgreen, thick as a forest and and alive with alive with grasshoppersgrasshoppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

High overhead ran frenzied larks, High overhead ran frenzied larks, screaming , as though the sky were screaming , as though the sky were tearing apart. I was lost and didtearing apart. I was lost and did

I put back I put back my head my head and howledand howled..

not expect not expect to be found to be found again.again.

Most writers when writing a Most writers when writing a personalpersonal or or autobiographicalautobiographical item will item will reflectreflect on their on their experiences. This allow the writer to experiences. This allow the writer to look look backback and say or show what he or she and say or show what he or she learned learned from the experience.from the experience.

With every day I lived With every day I lived memoriesmemories of that previous life of that previous life melted awaymelted away. . However, However, images of my past images of my past alwaysalways remained remained – I – I never forgotnever forgot who I waswho I was and and where my roots where my roots trulytruly were. were.

When evening came we returned to the kitchen, back to its comfort, in from the rapidly air to its warmth and cooking. Indoors our mother was cooking pancakes, her face from the fire. There was the of sharp lemon and salty batter, and a burning of oil. The kitchen was with

shadows, no lights had yet been lit.

cooling aglow hisscooling aglow hiss

smell dark smokysmell dark smoky

smokysmokycoolingcooling

aglowaglow smellsmell

hisshiss darkdark

leapt, subsided, corners woke and died, fires shone in the gleam of the candlesticks. We lit the candles, and the wicks in the moving air. Next we lit the tall iron lamp and placed it on the table. The flame in the lamp sprang alive and grew more throwing pools of light on the ceiling. But even the light failed to penetrate the gloomy of the vast kitchen.

shadows Flamesshadows Flames

spluttered radiant spluttered radiant

FlamesFlames

splutteredspluttered

radiantradiant

shadowsshadows

Change the MoodChange the MoodThen I saw the chimney catch fire. A Then I saw the chimney catch fire. A fountain of sparksfountain of sparks shot high in the night, shot high in the night, falling and dancingfalling and dancing along the road. The along the road. The

chimney chimney hissed like a fireworkhissed like a firework and great and great rockets of flamerockets of flame came came gushing outgushing out. .

The moss-tiles smouldered The moss-tiles smouldered with soot, giving off an with soot, giving off an earthy, peaty smellearthy, peaty smell. I . I watched in the rain, watched in the rain, entranced entranced by the sight.by the sight.

Then I saw the chimney catch fire. A Then I saw the chimney catch fire. A shot high in the shot high in the

night, night, along the along the road. The chimney road. The chimney

and great and great came came

out. The moss-tiles out. The moss-tiles

with soot, giving off with soot, giving off . .

I watched in the rain, I watched in the rain, by the by the sight.sight.

fearsome wall of flamefearsome wall of flamerushing and roaringrushing and roaring

exploded like a mortarexploded like a mortarlava-like eruptions lava-like eruptions spewingspewing

acrid, choking fumesacrid, choking fumes

appalledappalled

scorched and searedscorched and seared

And that I’m afraid was that. And that I’m afraid was that. All those yearsAll those years of friendship ended of friendship ended just like thatjust like that. . I haven’tI haven’t spoken tospoken to Marcia Marcia since thensince then and deep down and deep down II

will always regretwill always regret not not giving her the chance giving her the chance to tell her side of the to tell her side of the story. But story. But I also knowI also know

that even if that even if we did get back we did get back together together it could it could never be the never be the samesame as before. as before.

And so December And so December 1981 changed my 1981 changed my life dramatically.life dramatically.

If I hadn’t had that horrificIf I hadn’t had that horrificaccident, I might never have had accident, I might never have had the courage to follow my desires, the courage to follow my desires, never had the perseverance to never had the perseverance to continue when everyone advised continue when everyone advised me against it, and never known me against it, and never known the true happiness of achieving the true happiness of achieving an impossible dream.an impossible dream.

And so December And so December 1981 1981 changed my changed my life dramaticallylife dramatically..

If I hadn’t had that horrificIf I hadn’t had that horrificaccident, accident, I might never have had I might never have had the couragethe courage to follow my desires, to follow my desires, never had the perseverancenever had the perseverance to to continue when everyone advised continue when everyone advised me against it, and me against it, and never known never known the true happiness of achieving the true happiness of achieving an impossible dreaman impossible dream..

Years later when I heard that old Years later when I heard that old Granny McEwan had died I Granny McEwan had died I looked back on the prank and looked back on the prank and felt sorry that I had taken so felt sorry that I had taken so much pleasure in annoying a much pleasure in annoying a poor old lady. But , of poor old lady. But , of course, I was older then and course, I was older then and realised the torture she must realised the torture she must have gone through from boys have gone through from boys like me who thought only of like me who thought only of their own fun and showing their own fun and showing off to others.off to others.

Years laterYears later when I heard that old when I heard that old Granny McEwan had died Granny McEwan had died II looked back on the pranklooked back on the prank and and felt sorryfelt sorry that I had taken that I had taken so much pleasure in annoying so much pleasure in annoying a poor old lady. But , of a poor old lady. But , of course, course, I was older thenI was older then and and realised the torturerealised the torture she must she must have gone through from boys have gone through from boys like me who like me who thought only of thought only of their own fun and showing their own fun and showing off to others.off to others.

As they carried her coffin from the As they carried her coffin from the dank tenement, I shed a silent tear dank tenement, I shed a silent tear and said a silent prayer asking her and said a silent prayer asking her to forgive me.to forgive me.

As they carried As they carried her coffinher coffin from the from the dank tenementdank tenement, I shed a silent tear , I shed a silent tear andand said said a silent prayera silent prayer asking her asking her to forgive meto forgive me..

It was not until It was not until much later that I much later that I realised how cruel realised how cruel I had been . . . . . .I had been . . . . . .

I remember well my first discoI remember well my first disco

and the disappointment and despair.and the disappointment and despair.

That night was one of the worst I had ever knownThat night was one of the worst I had ever known

and I hope I ever willand I hope I ever will

What I remember most about the occasion What I remember most about the occasion was the blistering hot sun and the dry humid was the blistering hot sun and the dry humid wind,wind,

but I was only five years old at the time. . . . . . but I was only five years old at the time. . . . . .

I will always see I will always see

his sad face and his sad face and the tears in his the tears in his eyes as he eyes as he turned awayturned away