. Brainstorm a list of possible details that surround the central event of your personal narrative. For example, if your narrative is about the time you scored the winning goal in the championship game, you might list the following details: Sunny day, nervous, sick to your stomach, the girl I liked in the stands, coach told me I was the team's only hope, whole family there, pancakes for breakfast. Then, go through your list and cross out anything that might not be important (for example, "pancakes for breakfast").