Making it Personal - Writing Personal Essays that Work

A personal essay, like argumentative essays, follow the same standard rules of essay-writing. That is to say there is an introduction, a body, and conclusion. But unlike other forms of essays, the personal essay doesn't try to argue a point of view through an argumentative style - -using evidence or anecdotes to back up one's thesis. Rather, the writer tells a story, usually one from her past experience, to make a point. By understanding the standard rules of telling personal essays, you'll be able to tell stories that are interesting, compelling, and memorable.

One of the first things a writer contemplates when writing a personal essay is determining what story she wants to tell and why she wants to tell it. There are no rules which govern what type of story a writer chooses for her personal essay. Any subject is worthy of treatment. But the most important decision before writing your essay is choosing a story you want to tell. The best thing any writer can do in determining what story she wants to tell is by exploring a personal memory or event that has been an important catalyst in shaping her life. Trying to narrow that down, of course, can be difficult, especially if a writer has many experiences of that nature. One thing a writer may do is by looking through an old photo album. This is what I did when I wrote an essay about my late grandfather.