Using Personal Anecdotes in Your Articles

When writing an article for a publication - whether for Associated Content or for an offline magazine - consider using personal anecdotes to drive your points home and to entertain your readers. A personal anecdote is a short comment on something that happened to the author and helps to explain the point the author is trying to make.

While a few publications frown on personal anecdotes, most encourage them because they add flavor to writing. Rather than just giving a laundry list of reasons to do something, you can use a personal anecdote to give the reader a frame of reference.

How long are personal anecdotes?

Usually, personal anecdotes are only one or two paragraphs in the middle or at the end of an article. They describe a situation or an event only briefly, but are long enough to convey the importance of the anecdote in relation to the article. Feel free to use creative license in setting the scene and driving your point home.

How do personal anecdotes enhance an article?

Most articles are meant to give advice of some kind, to bestow knowledge upon the reader. Since everyone learns differently, there are some readers who will reach the end of an article wondering, "How does this affect me?" You can show readers why you are giving the advice by describing a personal experience of your own. This brings reality to your article and shows why it is important.

How do you choose a personal anecdote?

Your best bet on choosing a personal anecdote for your article is to think about why you're writing the article in the first place. What event or memory caused you to come up with this idea and why it is important? In most cases, you've subconsciously chosen the topic because of an event in your life, and that is the anecdote you should tell.

Why do editors like personal anecdotes?