This document provides information and guidelines for writing a personal essay. It explains that a personal essay is autobiographical and focuses on a personal experience, opinion, or incident from the author's life. It can be a personal narrative about a meaningful experience or a discussion of a topic through the lens of one's own perspective and experiences. The document outlines the key elements of a personal narrative essay such as using the first person, dramatizing a real experience, and drawing meaning or lessons from it. It also provides suggestions for choosing an engaging topic to write about and structuring the essay.

1. PERSONA
L ESSAY

2. PERSONAL ESSAY
The personal essay is different than a
formal essay.
In the personal essay, the writer writes
about experience without having to
prove the point. The author needs only
to introduce the subject and theme.
It is based on feeling, emotion, personal
opinion, and personal experience.
It is autobiographical.

3. It is either a personal narrative in
which the author writes about a
personal incident or experience
that provided significant personal
meaning or a lesson learned, or it
is a personal opinion about some
topic or issue that is important to
the writer.

4. The Personal Essay as a Personal Narrative has
the following elements:
 It is based on a personal experience in which you have gained
significant meaning, insight, or learned a lesson. It can also be
based on a milestone or life-altering event.
 It is a personal narrative. The writer tells the story by including
dialogue, imagery, characterization, conflict, plot, and setting.
 It is written in the first person. (“I” point-of-view)
 It is an autobiographical story in which the writer describes an
incident that resulted in some personal growth or development.
 A personal essay is a glimpse of the writer’s life. The writer
describes the personal experience using the scene-building
technique, weaves a theme throughout the narrative, and makes
an important point. There must be a lesson or meaning. The
writer cannot just write an interesting story.

5.  It does not have to be objective. However, the writer
must express his/her feelings, thoughts, and emotions.
 The writer uses self-disclosure and is honest with
his/her readers.
 The writer writes about a real life experience. The
incident or experience must have occurred. The writer
must use fact and truth.
 The writer must dramatize the story by using the scene
building technique. A scene includes setting/location,
intimate details, concrete and specific descriptions,
action, and often dialogue.

6. The Personal Essay as a Personal
Opinion
 A personal essay is a conversation with your readers.
 The personal essay is an informed mixture of storytelling, facts,
wisdom, and personality.
 The personal essay examines a subject outside of yourself, but
through the lens of self.
 The subject of the personal essay may be the self, but the self
is treated as evidence for the argument.
 Passages of narrative often appear but generally get used as
evidence in the inductive argument.
 The personal essay strives to say what is evident, and to come
to a conclusion that the reader may agree or disagree.
 A personal essay can wonder through its subject, circle around
it, get the long view and the short, always providing experience,
knowledge, book learning, and personal history.

7. Subjects for the Personal Essay
 Your subject can be about anything that you are passionate
about.
 You can write about a “turning point” in your life, or a
milestone, or adversity, such as death, illness, divorce.
 The subject you choose must have provided you with
significant personal meaning or a lesson that you have
learned.. So, write about the following:
 Personal experience
 Incident
 Anecdote
 Topic
 Issue
 A memory

8.  Think of a milestone, or something memorable, or a
turning point in your life. What were your
impressions? What did you learn? What meaning
came from the personal experience?
 Be sure that your topic has a universal theme—such
as hard work, love, death, bravery, wisdom.
 Your goal is to make others laugh, learn, hope,
empathize, sympathize with what you have written.
Your readers must be able to identify with what you
have written.
 If something happened to you that was interesting,
humorous, sad, and so forth, you can write about it.
 Write about personal experiences that have taught
you a lesson.

9. How to Choose a Topic
 Choose a topic that you are interested in and
passionate about.
 Your writing needs to be a process of inquiry. So
answer the 5-Ws: Who? What? When? Where? Why?
 Brainstorm your topic. Create a list of topics. Then
create subtopics.
 Mind map your topic. For more information on mind
mapping, search the Internet. This is a popular form of
creative thinking.
 Narrow your topic. Example: Instead of writing about
global warming, you can narrow your topic by writing
about “going green” or “how you should recycle in your
home”.

10. ACTIVITY:
Write your own personal essay
about any topic or subject you
want. Write at least 3 paragraphs
with at least 5 sentences each. Do
this on a one whole sheet of
paper.