narrowing down story ideas

Now that you're done brainstorming multiple story ideas, now is the time that you have to narrow down your choices!  How do you do that? 


ASK YOURSELF QUESTIONS
When narrowing down your choices, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this memory a “small moment” (i.e. zoomed in enough)?
• Are there enough details in this memory to make a narrative?
• Does this memory have special importance to me? 
• Can other people connect/relate to this memory?  (Think about universal themes.) 
  

If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, your story idea would make a great personal narrative!



THINK ABOUT THE STORY MOUNTAIN
All stories follow what we call a "story mountain."  See below: 

A good personal narrative contains all five of these elements.  If your story idea doesn't really have a main problem or conflict, a climax, or a resolution, then perhaps you should choose a different story idea that fits a little better.