1. ENGL 208 Personal & Exploratory Writing 1
Assignment 2:
Epistolary
Essay
Description of Assignment
For this assignment you will write an essay in the form of a letter to someone to whom
you used to be close, but no longer are. This could be an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend,
an estranged family member, a friend from whom you grew apart, or a mentor to
whom you no longer speak. It could even be someone who has passed away – the
important thing is that you are writing a letter to someone who once was very
important in your life but is no longer present. The letter must contain at least one story
or anecdote – this might be a memory you have with the person, or it might be a
significant event that has happened to you since you last spoke to the recipient of
the letter that you really wish you could share with them.
The letter should be no more than 750 words.
Tips for Writing the Letter
For this project, you will be focusing on developing your individual voice, and writing
to a particular audience. We all speak and act differently according to who we are
around; your job in this project is to choose a specific audience and write to them in
a consistent, particular voice. Your voice in this letter should contribute to your
purpose (if you are condemning the recipient of your letter, your voice might be blunt
and resentful, for example). Thus, make sure you study the Unit 2 materials on “voice”;
voice has a specific meaning in this context, and you will use techniques like word
choice, tone, and syntax in order to craft your voice. You must also use specific
details to tell the story/anecdote.
2. ENGL 208 Personal & Exploratory Writing 2
A fantastic letter will:
1. Use a consistent, recognizable voice from beginning to end.
2. Make a clear point to the recipient of the essay.
3. Show awareness that you are writing to two audiences: your explicit audience
(the letter’s addressee, which provides the “situation” for the essay) and your
implicit audience (the actual people reading your letter, who should be able
to understand the real “story” here)
4. Employ intentional word choice and syntax to achieve a specific effect.
5. Use specific, concrete details.
6. Be free of proofreading and grammatical errors (you will write in a way that
feels natural to communication with the recipient of your letter, but any
deviations from standard, polished English should be deliberate, not because
you don’t know better).
Learning Objectives. After completing this assignment, you should be
able to:
• Effectively convey a point to a specific audience using anecdote and
explanation.
• Maintain a consistent, distinctive voice throughout a piece of writing.
• Use specific, concrete details to create emotional resonance.
