How to Write a Personal Essay (E-Course Part 11)

Posted November 24, 2010 | Laura Christianson

This is Part 11 in a 12-part e-course about the types of blog articles.

Personal Essay

I just read an article about how to write a personal essay. The 1,800-word article – which advised writing short paragraphs – was one lengthy paragraph. Just goes to show, you can’t trust everything you read on the Internet.

But I’m confident you’ll be able to trust the information in this article.

Blogging, at its core, is a personal essay. The term blog – a blend of the words web log, emerged about a decade ago when people began chronicling their daily lives in online diaries or journals.

A handful of bloggers have achieved superstardom via the personal essay blog. In 2002, 29-year-old Julie Powell began blogging her attempt to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s cookbook in one year. Her blog garnered a huge following, and she was offered a book contract and a movie deal.

And so many “mommy bloggers” have become relatively famous that I won’t even attempt to list them.

Whether your topic is parenting, fashion, travel, sports, music, writing, or finance, you’ll likely publish personal essays on a regular basis.

PERSONAL ESSAY POINTERS

While it’s important to weave your feelings and responses into a personal essay, don’t make the mistake of assuming a personal essay is all about you.

Just the opposite. A personal essay must avoid “I” strain; it should provide take-away… benefits to the reader.

If you’ve attended any of my workshops, you know that my favorite radio station is WII-FM. That stands for What’s In It For Me? (Me being your reader.)

If you’re exceptionally lucky (or you’re a celebrity), your readers might pretend to care about you. But if every personal essay you post on your blog is “all about me,” your fans are going to get worn out and fed up.

On the other hand, if you embrace your readers by consistently delivering WII-FM content, your readers will grow to trust you, and they will (hopefully) look forward to your posts.

In addition to answering your readers’ “What’s in it for me?” question, your personal essay should be packed with the following:

  • Detailed descriptions… about the subject that affects or concerns you and your readers
  • Factual information… about the topic
  • Exploration… of ideas that surround the topic

STRUCTURE OF THE PERSONAL ESSAY

You learned how to write 5-paragraph essays in school (introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, concluding paragraph), so I won’t bore you by rehashing the details.

You can adapt the 5-paragraph essay technique for your blog. Here’s how:

  • Begin with a short personal anecdote (introductory paragraph of 1-to-3 sentences).
  • In the body of your personal essay, include as many supporting paragraphs as you need to explore your topic. It’s okay – even recommended – to write more than three supporting paragraphs. Blog paragraphs are much shorter than “school assignment” paragraphs, mainly because the content column width of a blog is narrower than a standard 8 ½ x 11” sheet of paper; therefore, a blog needs more “white space” in order to make it readable.
  • You may conclude your essay by returning to or referring to your introductory anecdote, but you don’t have to. When you’re finished writing, just stop.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

  1. What topic is most near and dear to your heart?
  2. Explore that topic, listing one-word feelings you have about it.
  3. Next, do some topical research at Google’s Wonder Wheel. Here’s a blog post about how to use the Wonder Wheel.
  4. Outline your feelings, thoughts, and research, organizing your content in the standard 5-paragraph essay structure.
  5. Give yourself permission to expand on those five paragraphs.
  6. In the Comments area, share the topic that you plan to write a personal essay about.

Coming next:

How to write a Factoid

Previously in this Series:

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9 responses to “How to Write a Personal Essay (E-Course Part 11)”

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