Now that we have talked about several of the conventions of the narrative and descriptive essay, it's time to start brainstorming your ideas. This stage is often called the hardest part of any written assignment--the generating ideas stage. Try and do what I do: a bit of listing, freewriting, even talking to my family and friends about memorable events in my life.
Instructions: Pick five of the following questions and make them relevant to your life by jotting at least three to four phrases related to each topic. Think about these topics, deeply, then expand on the list that you've generated.
Next, think about why the topics might be useful for your essay. Things you may want to consider are: 1) if the story has enough conflict; 2) if the story can be described well enough for your reader to experience it through sensory description: (3 topics)
Try to remember this brainstorming, freewriting process: Start with 5 topics, start to limit down to 3, then finally decide upon 1.
Core Prompts:
| 1. If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? You MUST tie the reason for your choice to a narrative memory, and strongly depict that memory using description, dialogue, and action verbs (if possible). |
| 2. If you could AVOID only one food/dish for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? You MUST tie the reason why that food dish is reviled to a narrative memory, and strongly depict that memory using description, dialogue, and action verbs (if possible) |
Alternative Promprs: Food Specific Focus
| 1. Depict a particularly pleasant memory that you have had with a mealtime—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Express why that memory was so powerful for you.. |
| 2. Depict your personal experience with someone whom you cooked for or someone who cooked for you. What made that experience memorable? |
| 3. Depict the food dish that best meshes with your personality. Explain why that food dish is so important to you. |
| 4. Describe a "bizarre" food experience: eating something strange, having an odd or uncomfortable meal, having a cooking mishap. |
Other topics:
| 1. Depict a conflict that you had with another person in your life. Explain how this conflict was resolved (or unresolved) effectively or poorly. |
| 2. Depict your most frightening experience OR, depict the moment you frigthened other people the most. (something you did really scared other people) |
| 3. Depict the one achievement in your life that you value the most. If applicable, explain the various obstacles in getting to that achievement. |
| 4. Identify a central tension or incident in which your personal values became clearer to you; and use various types of description to vivify that incident. Employ action verbs and dialogue to convey precisely how that moment felt / was rendered in time. |
| 5. Depict a moment when you gave in to peer pressure. Explain what happened and discuss the consequences of that incident. |
| 6. Depict a moment when you had a "set' way of thinking about a person or event, only to have that way of thinking change. Explain what prompted this change. |
| 7. Depict a moment when you had a choice between two paths in your life--for example, the choice between two jobs, two lovers, etc.. Explain why you chose a particular path or person. |
| 8. Depict a moment when you experienced violence, prejudice, or insensitivity. Express how you reacted to such violence, prejudice, or insensitivity. |
| 9. Depict an embarassing moment in your life that you'd like to forget. |
| 10. Express the most important lesson in your life that you've been taught. Explain the history behind the person or event that taught you that lesson and explain why it is important. |
| 11. Describe the one person who has most influenced you, and explain what ONE shared incident with that person defines that person and their influence best. |
| 12. Describe and discuss your most prized possession. Explain what makes it precious to you. |
| 13. Identify and interview a close relative who is at least twenty years older than yourself. Ask that individual what they believed when they were the age you are today—essentially, ask them what values they held. Describe your interview subject so that readers can get a better glimpse of who that person is. Employ dialogue from your interview in the essay. |