When writing about a remembered event, writers often struggle to convey the event’s significance. If you are writing about a remembered event, why not try out some of these sentence strategies to help you capture your experience in words, first for yourself and then for your readers? You will probably want to rework these sentences to make them your own, but they may give you a jumping-
To Think about Your Main Point
When readers finish my story, they will better appreciate how society and culture/an individual person/the human condition _____.
To Sketch Out the Backstory (Exposition) Readers Need to Understand What Happened and Why It Mattered
In [year], while I was _______ing in [location], _____.
John knew all about_______ because he was a/an _____ologist, an expert on ______.
In past years, I had previously ______.
To Explore the Significance of Your Story’s Conflict
During this event, I found myself locked in conflict with _______. [Elaborate.]
Although I struggled with X [a factor outside myself], I also was _______. [Elaborate.]
I kept wondering, should I_______ or should I _______? [Elaborate.]
To Explore How You Felt at the Time
As the event started [or during or right after the event], I felt _______and _______. I hoped others would think of me as _______.
I showed or expressed these feelings by _______.
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To Explore Your Present Perspective
My feelings since the event have/have not changed: _______. [Elaborate.]
At the time, I had been going through _______, which may have affected my experience by _______.
Looking back at the event now, I realize I was probably trying to _______, though I didn’t appreciate that fact at the time.
To Alert Readers to What You Were Thinking or Feeling
I felt _______.
The thought of made me feel _______.
The terror/exhilaration/excitement was _______.
To Make Clear Who Is Speaking and to Convey Their Attitude or Position
She asked, “_______?”
“_______,” he complained.
She snapped, “_______”