A free-write means just that. You set a time, maybe even a timer for, let's say 5 minutes. You begin and don't stop until the timer rings. In a free-write you don't correct errors or wonder if what you're writing will work or "is good." Just write. At the end you will have probably unearthed some nugget pertaining to the event, the narrative significance or details you'd forgotten about the experience. An outline gets main ideas and sub-ideas down on paper in an orderly fashion. You could divide the outline into 1) the event about which you'll write the story; 2) the writer's point of view; 3) narrative significance; 4) the vivid details about the time and place of the event. Once you have those main ideas down you can list elements you want to include for each.

Note cards work similarly to an outline, but instead of creating an outline you use note cards to jot down ideas as they come up. After you're done, you would put them in order, the order of the essay. This method helps organize the narrative. It is useful because the cards can be moved around until the writer finalizes where they belong in the story. From there, a draft is written.

For this discussion, therefore, I'd like you to:

Write a pre-draft document: an outline, a free-write document, or 10-12 overall ideas that represent a set of notecards, and thus a plan for your initial draft.
Tell me what is your purpose in composing this personal narrative? What is your stance? And, who are your readers (the audience)?