Since diaries are a very personal form of writing, diarists can decide to include anything in them. You saw an example of this in Anne Frank's diary: She includes lists, fictional stories, poems, and other types of writing.
Still, there are certain forms of writing that almost always show up in diaries—especially those kept by talented writers. Use the activity below to make sure you can distinguish between these different approaches to sharing information.
How do diary writers use each of these approaches to record details about events as well as their thoughts, opinions, and insights? See if you can answer these questions correctly.
In a personal narrative such as a diary, what purpose does an anecdote usually serve?
to share knowledge on a topic
to argue a point or explain an opinion
to describe a meaningful event
Writers use anecdotes to show rather than tell something to their readers.
Writers use anecdotes to show rather than tell something to their readers.
Writers use anecdotes to show rather than tell something to their readers.
How do writers make anecdotes seem meaningful?
by adding a description of the events
by including their thoughts about the event
by adding more details about the event
To help make stories more meaningful, writers include the thoughts and feelings they had during the event, as well as any insights that occurred to them later.
To help make stories more meaningful, writers include the thoughts and feelings they had during the event, as well as any insights that occurred to them later.
To help make stories more meaningful, writers include the thoughts and feelings they had during the event, as well as any insights that occurred to them later.
What is one characteristic of an effective anecdote?
It provides a great deal of context, or background information.
It thoroughly explores the motivations of all the characters.
It begins in the middle of the action or right before it starts.
Effective anecdotes jump right into the story and focus on only one or two characters.
Effective anecdotes jump right into the story and focus on only one or two characters.
Effective anecdotes jump right into the story and focus on only one or two characters.
Which kind of detail is an essential part of documentation?
opinions
facts
feelings
Historical documents leave out the writer's opinions and feelings.
Historical documents leave out the writer's opinions and feelings.
Historical documents leave out the writer's opinions and feelings.
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