A good personal essay can move and inspire the reader. It can also leave him unsettled, unsure, and with more questions than he has found answers to you. To compose an effective personal essay you must first understand what structure to adopt. Then you will need to come up with ideas on the topics to cover, so that you are ready when it is time to start writing.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Starting Your Personal Essay
Step 1. Find a topic for your essay
Your life probably isn't littered with exciting stories or intense drama, but that's normal. Your personal essay can still engage the reader if you focus on a specific perspective. You should describe a particular experience or moment in your life in a unique or interesting way. Observing an event from an original point of view can turn it into a profound and meaningful topic for your work.
For example, you could relate an experience in which you learned about failure. You can think of the time you got a bad grade on a class test. Even if the test at that moment seemed insignificant to you, you later realized that it was that episode that forced you to re-evaluate your goals and that it motivated you to reach the sufficiency. Viewed from a specific perspective, your little failure was the first step on the road to perseverance and determination
Step 2. Tell an important moment
A good personal essay explores a specific experience that has created a sense of conflict in your life. It can be a way to learn how and why you were challenged or hurt by an episode. Consider it a space in which to discuss a significant event and reflect on the impact it has had on your life.
- You can choose a seemingly trivial moment that later provoked a profound influence, such as the first time you felt disgusted as a child or the look on your mother's face when you confessed to her that you were gay. Try to describe in detail the reasons that led you to suffer or that prompted you to overcome a challenge.
- Remember that emotional moments are often more engaging for the reader. Having an intense reaction to a specific episode allows you to tell it with passion and keep the interest of the reader alive.
Step 3. Discuss a specific event that triggered an emotional response
You can also explore a specific episode in your life that left a lasting impression on you. Personal essays are often reflections on events that have happened in your life that have changed you in some way. Think about a specific, unique and personal event. The more particular it is, the more engaging the essay will be.
- For example, you might focus on the day you discovered your father was cheating on your mother, or the week you mourned the passing of a loved one. Think of an important experience in your life that helped shape the person you are today.
- You can also decide to write about a seemingly light topic or event, such as your first roller coaster ride or the first time you went on a cruise with your partner. Regardless of which episode you choose, make sure it's something that has triggered a strong emotional response in you, whether it's anger, confusion, or joy.
Step 4. Think of a person in your life that you have had a hard time with
In your essay you can explore a complicated relationship with someone. Find a person you have strayed from or been rejected by. You can also choose someone you have always had a difficult relationship with and explain the reasons for the conflict in the essay.
- For example, you can think of the episode that led you to stop talking to your mother years ago or why you distanced yourself from a childhood friend. You can also consider past romantic relationships that didn't end well and try to understand the reasons for the breakup, or talk about the relationship with a mentor that ended badly.
- You can also talk about a person who is very dear to you. For example, you can relate an episode that took a toll on your relationship with your best friend.
Step 5. Respond to a news event
The best personal essays consider the specific, like your experiences, as well as the general, current events and bigger issues. You can focus on a recent event or topic that is close to your heart, such as abortion or refugee camps, and look at it from a personal perspective.
- Ask yourself questions about the recent event. For example, how does it intersect with your personal experience? How can you explore a social problem or current event using personal thoughts, experiences and emotions?
- Maybe you might be interested in the situation of Syrian refugees in Europe. In this case, you may want to focus your personal essay on your immigration status in Italy and how the refugee experience shaped your character. This allows you to explore a current affairs event from a personal perspective, instead of talking about what is happening from a distant and journalistic point of view.
Step 6. Create a structure
Personal essays usually follow a sectional format, with an introduction, core, and conclusion. The parts are divided as follows:
- In the introduction you should include phrases with which you catch the reader's attention. You should also add a narrative thesis, such as the start of an important event or a theme that links your experience to a universal idea.
- The core should contain evidence to support your narrative thesis and the core themes of the essay. Often you will propose them in the form of descriptions and reflections on your experiences. You should also note the passage of time in the central part, so that the reader knows when and how the events narrated happened.
- In the final part you must include a conclusion for the events and experiences discussed in the essay. You should also add the moral of the story, where you reflect on what you have learned from events or how your life has changed.
- In the past it was recommended to write 5 paragraphs in total: 1 for the introduction, 3 in the central part and 1 in the conclusion. However, you can insert as many paragraphs as you like in your essay, as long as it contains all three sections.
Part 2 of 3: Writing the Personal Essay
Step 1. Start with an engaging opening scene
You should open the essay with an introduction that is interesting and captivating to the reader. You should present the main characters in addition to the central theme. You should also state the question or concern behind the composition.
- Do not start with a sentence in which you explain exactly what you will be covering in the essay, such as "In this essay, I will discuss the complex relationship with my mother." Instead, it tries to entice the reader to continue reading, while still providing him with all the information he needs.
- Start with a specific scene that features the essay's main characters and allows you to discuss the central question or theme. This way you can immediately introduce the reader to the characters and the main conflict.
- For example, if you have decided to tell the complex relationship with your mother, you can focus on a specific memory in which you disagreed or clashed. You can describe the episode in which you argued for a seemingly insignificant reason or a family secret.
- Try to use the active and not the passive form in writing your essay.
Step 2. Write using your own voice and unique perspective
Even if it is a personal essay, you still have the freedom to use a unique tone and point of view. Like other types of composition, personal essays are also most effective when the writer uses a voice that entertains and informs the reader. This means you should create an engaging narrative voice with your choice of vocabulary, syntax and tone.
- You can write conversationally, as if you were talking to a good friend or relative. Otherwise, you can choose a more reflective and internal voice, with which you question your thoughts and ideas on the topic of the essay.
- Many personal essays are written in the first person, using "I". You can decide to write in the present to give a sense of immediacy to the story, or in the past, if you want to reflect on a specific event.
- Include vivid sensory descriptions in your essay to help the reader connect with your unique point of view. Describing the tactile sensations, smells, tastes, sights, and sounds to the reader can help them get involved in your story and step into the action alongside you.
Step 3. Develop the characters to be complete and detailed
Make sure you describe them in sensory and physical details. Even if you are describing real life experiences in your essay, you should still consider the pillars of the narrative, such as the plot and characters. Using these elements in your essay helps you engage the reader and make your composition smoother.
You can also include dialogues spoken by the characters, based on your memories of the event. However, you should limit yourself to a few lines of dialogue per page, because too much use of direct speech is more suitable for a short story than a personal essay
Step 4. Include a storyline in your essay
Your composition should also have a storyline, in which a sequence of events or moments leads to a realization or conflict at the end of the story. In general, it is a good idea to tell the events in chronological order, so that it is easier for the reader to follow them.
You can also use the plot structure to organize your essay. The central points of the story should become the arguments that support the central question or problem of the composition
Step 5. Try to reveal a profound truth
This means that you should think about the deeper meanings underlying your personal experiences. Try to tell the events with sincerity and curiosity, trying to reveal a hidden truth or that you did not notice at the time. Often the best personal essays can reveal a truth that is unpleasant or difficult to argue for the reader.
- It is important to remember that even if an experience seems to be loaded with enough drama to become the focus of an essay, it can be an event that is too familiar to the reader. Pay attention to familiar and emotional experiences that the reader may have already gone through.
- For example, the sudden death of a loved one can be an important and profound topic for you, however the reader probably knows what to expect from an essay on the loss of a loved one and may not feel involved in the text because they did not know that person as much as you do..
- You might try to uncover a deeper truth than "I'm sad because the person I loved has passed away." Think about what that person meant to you and what impact it has had on your life (good or bad). This can lead you to identify a deeper truth and compose a more exciting personal essay.
Part 3 of 3: Refine the Essay
Step 1. Try various forms and techniques
You can make your poem richer by experimenting with various figures of speech, such as metaphors, repetitions, and personifications. Your essay will be much more compelling if you add literary techniques that showcase your storytelling prowess.
For example, you can use a metaphor to describe the moment you confessed to your mother that you were gay. You can describe his face as a "sudden and impenetrable wall". Or you can use a simile, such as "My mother was silent and stunned, as if she had been struck by lightning."
Step 2. Read the essay aloud
Once you have finished the first draft of your personal essay, you should read it and listen to the sound of the words. You can do it alone or in front of an audience of friends.
As you read, you should write down any sentences that are confusing, unclear, or not as effective as the rest of the composition. You should also make sure that the characters are well developed and that the essay follows some kind of structure or plot. Find out if you are revealing a profound truth and, if it still does not emerge from the text, what you can do to correct the problem. By reviewing your work, you will improve it
Step 3. Check for errors and correct the essay
Once you have a good quality draft you should reread it carefully to eliminate errors and correct them. Use the notes you took when you read the text aloud and the feedback you received from friends as a reference.
- When proofreading your essay you should consider whether your chosen topic is really worth writing about, whether it is something you are passionate about, and whether the reader will be able to understand your message. Avoid confusing the reader, as it will often lead to him not getting to the end of the composition.
- You should also make sure that the themes of the composition are clear. Your experiences should center around a central question, theme, or problem. This way you can be sure that your personal essay is well written and concise.
- Don't rely on the automatic checker to spot all the spelling and grammar errors in your essay.
Advice
- To learn more about the genre you should read personal essays which are considered masterpieces. There are many personal essays that are taught academically, including James Baldwin's My Father Had to Be Beautiful, Virginia Woolf's Death of a Moth, David Foster Wallace's Shipping Out and Joan Didion's The White Album.
- Ask yourself questions as you read the examples, such as: How does the writer introduce the topic of the essay? How do you explore the subject from a personal perspective? What are the key themes of the essay? How does the writer connect his personal experience with a universal theme or idea? How do you use humor or wit in your essay? What is the moral that concludes the essay? Does the composition leave you satisfied, upset, curious or something else?
