Personal Experience Narratives (PEN) and the power of writing stories

Writing is usually a very challenging task for most people. Students who are less confident writers may feel discouraged and disheartened when asked to write. The challenge for teachers of writing remains how to motivate and encourage their students to engage with composition writing. In this article, I share how writing narratives about personal experiences may help overcome the writer’s block that some students may face. The article is based on a study I carried out in a girls’ school in New South Wales where eighteen students responded to three writing tasks inviting them to narrate their personal experiences.