The students write personal essays for different reasons. Some have to complete an assignment for school or college as well as others simply want to tell their story to people. Whatever your goal it is likely that you’ll be taught how to generate such essays at school. It is helpful if you have a good understanding of the structure, the elements, and some techniques.
A personal essay might appear to be a straightforward writing task at first. But, there are a few particularities. Remember when you could clearly see a image in your head? In most cases, once you start placing it on the table the final result isn’t even as clear as the original. Here, you’ll discover the basics of personal essays.
The purpose of personal essays
The title for this kind of essay defines the basic idea behind it in that you have to share the details of your personal experience. Additionally, such tales should illustrate what you learned from a particular lesson based on that incident of your own life. That is, a personal essay’s purpose is to present an important event in the writer’s experience.
The most exciting thing about a personal paper assignment is that you are free to decide on the writing style. If you want to create it to look like an essay, diary, non-fictional piece, or formal essay, you are able to do it! All you need is cohesion and a conversational tone that can connect you with the people who read it. In addition, you are able to select the overall tone: it can be encouraging or even threatening in this case, for example.
Topics for your essay
As you might have guessed, the subjects vary greatly. Some examples for you to choose from are:
- My best summer holiday.
- The most emotional celebration of the previous year.
- A friendship that is not so.
- A teacher who made me the person I am today.
- First time I failed an exam.
- The gift I will never forget, etc.
It is basically every experience you have had in your life that might be intriguing to other people for reasons that are specific to. The tale should be valuable to you and, consequently, can come in handy for someone else.
Structuring your personal essay
Personal essays are well-structured and have three crucial sections of introduction, main body and the conclusion. Although the minimum number for body paragraphs should be three, you’ll want to add some more for sure. The most common number of sections is five. The golden rule is to have three parts that are standard, however.
Introductory part
The first paragraph is in-depth as it contains the hook, the introduction of the theme, and the thesis statement. Your hook should catch the attention of the reader as he reads the article. However, despite the temptation, you should not use words and phrases that are not semantically charge in order for you to “enrich” the vocabulary of your readers. The main thing is to stay clear and to the point.
The main body portion
Think of the body as the meat of your essay, or the stuffing. And you must make sure that this section is worthy of taking the time to read. Your thesis could be exceptional but it’s the section that needs to be able to captivate the reader. The reader has requirements, and you are able to meet these by providing the reader with a compelling and rational argument.
Use different methods like questions, exclamation marks (do not get too sloppy with these, though), appeal to readers’ emotions and make them feel. Every paragraph needs to be finished to ensure that there are no open endings in your story. Additionally, you must link every word you write to your thesis assertion.
The concluding part
In the final paragraph, you’ll paraphrase your thesis, and then lead your readers to your story’s moral conclusions. Examine the importance of the story for you personally. While doing this you should explain the reasons why you decided to share this story, how your readers will benefit from your essay.
Begin to write your personal essay
Every student is given a specific idea of how to prepare for writing and how to complete the assignment. However, general guidelines will help anyone even you. Here are a few of them:
Make the outline for your essay and then follow it
The outline helps students to adhere to the structure and list all the information they want to use for their project. You need to note the thesis statement , as well as the body’s major aspects in your outline. Also, while writing your outline, you’ll check if you’ve picked the correct topic.
If you are stuck at this stage of drafting your outline you will never know how you will be able to complete your essay. This is why you should realize that the outline will make it easier for you to complete your work. Besides, it would help to look at your next paper’s structure. This helps you organize your thoughts and allow you to determine if changes need to be made.
Think about the statement
A thesis that is argued is possible to argue. It must either establish or refute an argument about your subject. To be able to be debated a thesis must possess some chance of being correct. But, it must not be widely accepted as true. Instead, it should be something that many people could disagree with. A thesis can be a combination of observation and an opinion.
observation and opinion (the “why”) (the “why”) = the thesis
Checking if your thesis is able to create an effective counterthesis is a great way to see how solid it is.
Common thesis mistakes:
- A thesis written in the form a fragment.
- A thesis that is overly broad.
- A thesis that is formulated as a question. (The thesis is typically derived from the answer of the query.)
- Additional information is provided in a thesis.
- The thesis begins by words “I consider” or “In my opinion.”
Be specific when you describe HTML0.
You are going to introduce your story about an event to the reader. While doing so be aware that a reader does not know who you are talking about or specific locations. Thus, you need to give enough vivid information. Be precise. Readers must be able to recreate your story in their imagination by your captivating descriptions.
Use the voice of the author in the right way, tone, and vocabulary
The voice of the author is how you express your thoughts when you write. The teacher is going to pay close attention to what words you use and how it all creates a distinct style of writing from any other. It does not mean that you must start being creative each step of the way, however. The trick is to figure out what technique resonates with you and the way you perceive the world.
When it comes to the selection of verbs, it is important to understand that there should be consistency in their tense. If you choose to use the past tense, then keep using it. Also, it would be better to use active voice throughout the text. It is still possible to use passive voice when it’s appropriate, but make sure you focus only on active voices.
Students should pay attention to the vocabulary they choose to use as well. Here’s how you can do it:
- If you want to write about something important and is essential and adds in the whole story, make sure you use strong words and do not hesitate.
- Use some positive language to create a positive environment.
- If you have to convey the impression of fear or uncertainty other, your words should convey a clear message.
Sentences concluding
The conclusion for a personal essay is similar to other type of essay. In this section, you will outline the key points and remind the reader about the thesis statement in another way. The final paragraph should define the lines and offer some conclusions based on the life story that you pictured for your audience. You might want to consider an easy transition between sentences.
You can discuss how this particular story has shaped your life, what it did for you, and why you care about the story so deeply. You can also describe why you must share your story with others and why it will be beneficial to every reader. It’s your choice what you do to conclude your piece. One method is to offer critically-focused outputs. Another alternative is to leave something that readers can think about for in the coming hours. Whatever you decide to do will work.
Final brush strokes — editing
Editing is an important aspect of any writing assignment. You’ll have to put in sufficient time editing following the completion of your paper. It’s best to take a break, and then go back to checking your writing. A walk for 15 minutes, working out or a nap can give you and your brain some rest so that you can look at your work with a fresh look.
Some of the aspects to take into consideration are the following:
- The accuracy of sentences’ structure.
- Punctuation and grammar and spelling.
- Cohesiveness. Are your documents easy to read?
- Do you adhere with the plan and theme?
- The description of the object.
- Correlation with the thesis statement.
Although you are able to check the grammar aspect of the essay using your books, the Internet and even a few online tools, it is your responsibility to perform the remaining tasks independently. One method to determine if the essay flows is to read it both with a voice and silently.
What is the reason you should read your paper aloud? The first reason is that you can see how the voice you use in the paper would sound in real life. Additionally, it could be better at finding out the mistakes. Furthermore, it’s simpler to determine the overall cohesiveness of the story.
You could even ask someone to help you with the revision. An examination from the side can help to gauge the reaction of the reader. So, you’ll know what your language and tone of your author are the appropriate ones for the subject you have chosen. If you see that you need to alter the structure or paraphrase some parts of your works Do it with no regrets.
List of Personal Essay Topics
- The most beautiful spot within the local area.
- A place in which you’d want to live your entire life.
- The works of art that you admire.
- The job you’ve always wanted.
- Your biggest disappointment.
- Books that made a great impression on you.
- What are you irritated by?
- Family traditions from your family.
- Are you addicted or enthralled by technology?
- What contemporary songs are inspiring you?
- Can you do without money?
- Your fondest memory
- An instance when you witnessed your parent crying
- The moment you realized you were a grown-up
- Your earliest memory of Christmas celebrations at your home
- Times when you should have chosen a better option
- An instance when you escaped an entanglement
- Someone you’ll think about at the end of your life.
- Your favorite time period
- A failure you’ve experienced
- A disappointment you’ve experienced
- Unexpected twist of events
- What do you think you could do with power?
- Which superpower would you choose?
- How many games did you enjoy as a child?
- The most difficult challenge you’ve ever faced.
- Do you remember your first birthday?
- Share with us what you gained something new.
- Have you ever encountered an animal in the wild?
- Where would you like to spend in a storm?