Sharing Your Life

"You had better have a good story," your friends say when you show up late. You do. You explain the whole series of events that delayed you. you tell all the details of the lost dog you found, the struggle to catch it, and the thrill of finding its owner and collecting a reward. Your friends are impressed not only by your good deed, but also by the way that you told them about it.

A personal narrative is a story of an experience in someone's life. It focuses on the details--the smells, sights, and sounds associated with the experience. A personal narrative is an example of expressive writing because through the telling of the story, the author expresses his or her thoughts and feelings.

Click here for an example of a personal narrative.

Student Activity: Discovering My Personal Narrative

Get together with other students to share memorable experiences. Try to focus on a single experience, such as playing in an important game or auditioning for a school play or talent show. Include the following as you retell your story.

• Details about the experience (sights, sounds, color, and tastes)
• Your feelings during the experience (Were you nervous, happy, excited, scared?)
• How you felt after the experience (Were you relieved, exhausted, proud, embarrassed?)

Patrick Donohue is an American finger style guitarist born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a Grammy nominated, National Finger Picking Guitar Champion and a songwriter. Donohue has several albums to his credit and his songs have been recorded by Chet Atkins, Suzy Bogguss, and Kenny Rogers. He has performed on A Prairie Home Companion for several years, both as a member of the house band and as a featured artist.

Donohue grew up in St. Paul but moved to Denver, Colorado in 1971 to study at Regis College. After two years at Regis, he transferred to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While carrying a full academic load at Marquette, Pat maintained a rigorous musical regimen, often practicing up to six hours daily. His performances during that time often consisted of three or four forty-five minute sets, featuring an eclectic offering of folk, blues, and jazz material.

Donohue was particularly influenced early in his career by blues guitarists like Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, and Blind Blake. He also listened extensively to folk-oriented singer and songwriters like Bob Dylan, Steve Goodman, and John Prine.