what the meaning of personal essay

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What Is a Personal Essay (Personal Statement)?

Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

A personal essay is a short work of autobiographical nonfiction characterized by a sense of intimacy and a conversational manner. Also called a personal statement . 

A type of creative nonfiction , the personal essay is "all over the map," according to Annie Dillard. "There's nothing you can't do with it. No subject matter is forbidden, no structure is prescribed. You get to make up your own form every time." ("To Fashion a Text," 1998) .

Examples of Personal Essays

• An Apology for Idlers , by Robert Louis Stevenson
• On Laziness , by Christopher Morley
• Coney Island at Night, by James Huneker
• New Year's Eve , by Charles Lamb
• How It Feels to Be Colored Me , by Zora Neale Hurston
• My Wood, by E.M. Forster
• Two Ways of Seeing a River , by Mark Twain
• What I Think and Feel at 25, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Observations

• The personal essay is one of the most common types of writing assignment--and not only in freshman composition courses. Many employers, as well as graduate and professional schools, will ask you to submit a personal essay (sometimes called a personal statement ) before even considering you for an interview. Being able to compose a coherent version of yourself in words is clearly an important skill.
• What qualities does a personal essay reveal about you? Here are just a few:
• Communication Skills How effective are your communication skills? Do you write clearly, concisely, and correctly? Note that many employers put communication skills at the top of the list of essential qualifications.
• Critical Thinking Skills How fresh and imaginative are you in your thinking? Is your writing cluttered with cliches , or is it obvious that you have original ideas to contribute?
• Maturity What specific lessons have you learned from experience, and are you ready to apply those lessons to the job or the academic program you're considering? Keep in mind that it's not enough to be able to recount a personal experience; you should be prepared to interpret it as well.
• Self and Subject in Personal Essays "[W]here the familiar essay is characterized by its everyday subject matter, the personal essay is defined more by the personality of its writer, which takes precedence over the subject. On the other hand, the personal essayist does not place himself firmly in center stage, as does the autobiographical essayist; the autobiographical element of the personal essay is far less calculated..."
• The Essayist's Persona "Personal essayists from Montaigne on have been fascinated with the changeableness and plasticity of the materials of human personality. Starting with self-description, they have realized they can never render all at once the entire complexity of a personality. So they have elected to follow an additive strategy, offering incomplete shards, one mask or persona after another: the eager, skeptical, amiable, tender, curmudgeonly, antic, somber. If 'we must remove the mask,' it is only to substitute another mask..."
• The "Antigenre": An Alternative to Academic Prose "[T]he more personal essay offers an escape from the confines of academic prose . By using this antigenre form that in contemporary essays embodies multiple kinds of writing, many essayists in search of democracy find a freedom for expressing in their writings spontaneity, self-reflexivity, accessibility, and a rhetoric of sincerity."
• Teaching the Personal Essay "Given the opportunity to speak their own authority as writers, given a turn in the conversation, students can claim their stories as primary source material and transform their experiences into evidence ..."
• Essay Forms "Despite the anthologists' custom of presenting essays as 'models of organization ,' it is the loose structure or apparent shapelessness of the essay that is often stressed in standard definitions. . . . Samuel Johnson famously defined the essay as 'an irregular, indigested piece, not a regular and orderly performance.' And certainly, a number of essayists (Hazlitt and Emerson, for instance, after the fashion of Montaigne) are readily identifiable by the wayward or fragmentary nature of their explorations. Yet each of these writers observes certain distinctive organizing (or disorganizing) principles of his own, thus charting the ramble and shaping the form. As Jeanette Harris observes in Expressive Discourse , 'Even in the case of a personal essay , which may appear informal and loosely structured, the writer has crafted with care this very appearance of informality' (122).

Theresa Werner, "Personal Essay."  Encyclopedia of the Essay , ed. by Tracy Chevalier. Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997

E.B. White , Foreword to  Essays of E.B. White . Harper and Row, 1977

Cristina Kirklighter,  Traversing the Democratic Borders of the Essay . SUNY Press, 2002

Nancy Sommers, "Between the Drafts."  College Composition and Communication , February 1992

Richard F. Nordquist, "Voices of the Modern Essay." Dissertation University of Georgia, 1991

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Writing Guides  /  How to Write a Personal Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Write a Personal Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

A personal essay is a short piece of writing that reflects the author’s personal experiences, thoughts, feelings, memories or sensations—usually with a unifying or deeper theme or purpose. It is like personal narrative in which the writer is given the freedom to explore his own inner world while also connecting with readers on a meaningful level. Personal essays are most frequently used for college applications, where applicants share their life stories to illustrate a finer point. They are often seen in creative writing courses, where writers allow their voice to shine.

Understanding the personal essay genre is beneficial because of how it can improve self-expression and develop one’s ability to communicate. Mastering the art of personal essay writing can empower you to articulate your stories and experiences, your thoughts and feelings, in a way that will resonate with others. Ever heard of Dale Carnegie or How to Win Friends and Influence People ? Well, therein is a perfect example of how far one can get when mastering the personal essay. All in all, personal essay writing is a great way for self-discovery and self-development.

What is a Personal Essay? (Definition & Purpose)

The definition of a personal essay.

A personal essay is a short, non-fiction narrative essay that is entirely written from the writer’s point of view. That means it’s okay to use the “I” or first-person perspective. It is the one type of essay writing in which the author can simply use his own thoughts and experiences as reference point.

Unlike academic or technical essays, personal essays are very flexible in terms of structure and tone. They may take a storytelling approach—or they may be even more creative by adopting a poetic tone and dreamlike structure. There is really no right or wrong way to do it. The defining characteristic of a personal essay is simply its intimate, conversational voice, which lets the reader glimpse into the writer’s mind and personal life. It is like a sit-down with the author.

Thus, at its core, a personal essay is a platform for self-expression. The writer gets to reflect on and explore memories, challenges, defining moments, or comment on anything by looking at it from his own personal POV. Usually, the writer can give insights or lessons learned along the way—and good essayists like Stephen King do this well . That is why personal essays have the power to transcend mere storytelling; they can be a way to experience personal growth indirectly or vicariously. The essay can be a humorous anecdote or a heartfelt reflection, or a strong and visceral condemnation. It can be anything—so long as it is an authentic representation of the writer’s own mind and heart.

Why Personal Essays Matter

Personal essays are used in a range of situations. You will write them for college applications. You will find them on blogs. People publish their memoirs, which are basically like long personal essays. They are common in creative writing workshops. They are great because they get the writing and critical thinking juices flowing.

In college applications, for example, applicants are often asked to write short personal essays that demonstrate some aspect of their personalities, voice, values, perspective, or experiences. A good personal essay could even end up being the difference between acceptance and rejection.

On blogs, personal essays are ways for authors to share relatable stories and anecdotes that connect to other readers’ lives somehow—and, thus, bloggers win followers and fans.

In creative writing, personal essays are valued for their ability to blend narrative with introspection. It is a form that encourages experimentation with voice and form.

Memoirs often consist of interconnected personal essays, stitched together to form a kind of patchwork quilt of personal reflections.

Overall, the emotional impact of a personal essay lies in its authenticity. The more authentic it is, the more cathartic it can be.

When authors make themselves vulnerable by sharing honest thoughts and perspectives, they invite readers into their soul to see the world through the writer’s eyes. It is unlike any other type of connectivity—nothing matches it: not drama, not technical writing, not even familiar correspondence. This connection created by the personal essay (because it is structured and refined) can spark empathy, understanding, inspiration and change.

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How to Structure a Personal Essay

Typical personal essay format.

The structure of a personal essay is open and flexible. That means it can be set up almost any which way. However, a traditional approach offers the most compelling structure, as it consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion. The essay introduction sets the tone and presents the main theme, the body develops the narrative with ample reflections, and the conclusion wraps up the essay with a final reflection or takeaway. It’s a good, solid approach.

Crafting an Engaging Introduction

The introduction of a personal essay should capture the reader’s attention. Use a strong hook (a good intriguing anecdote usually does the trick) to draw readers in. Effective personal essay introduction tips include keeping it concise, setting the tone, conveying your voice accurately, and presenting the main theme or purpose of the essay. This way, the reader gets a sense of what to expect and is more inclined to read on. The perfect phrasing of the first sentence or two can be a great personal essay opening.

Developing the Body of the Essay

The body of a personal essay is where the writer gets into the personal experiences and considerations that he wishes to share. The body should be organized logically, but the writer is free to use anecdotes and vivid reflections as he sees fit to create an engaging narrative.

The pacing of the essay is important: it should be balanced between reflection and storytelling. You want the essay to emotionally resonate while also speaking to the mind with insight and learning. Each section should focus on an aspect or moment of the story until, gradually, the essay’s deeper meaning is revealed.

If you can foreshadow the full meaning or point in your introduction, even better.

Writing a Strong Conclusion

A well-crafted conclusion leaves a lasting impression. You can summarize the main points, but it’s also a good place to reflect more broadly on the deeper meaning of what you’ve written about. So, instead of restating what has already been said, go for a conclusion that goes deeper still, to reveal an impressive final thought that ties everything together. Personal essays often end on a note of ultimate reflection.

Personal Essay Writing Tips

Be authentic and vulnerable.

One of the most important aspects of a personal essay is its authenticity. Readers connect with genuine, honest experiences, which is why you have to be truthful in your writing. Sharing personal thoughts, emotions, real experiences, worries, concerns, and even insecurities—all of it makes it easier for the reader to relate to you. Writing with vulnerability means being open about your feelings and reflections, even if they make you uncomfortable.

Here’s a tip: balance vulnerability with intention, so that the shared details serve the essay’s ultimate purpose. To be more authentic, avoid trying to impress the reader; instead, focus on simply being sincere and true. No need to apologize—just convey.

Use Descriptive Language and Sensory Details

To create a vivid and engaging personal essay, use descriptive language and sensory details that bring your experiences to life. Show, don’t just tell—describe how things looked, smelled, felt, and sounded. This is how your reader gets absorbed into the writing.

For example, instead of saying “I was nervous,” actually describe the sensation of nervousness: “My hands trembled, my flesh tingled, a cold sweat broke out all over me, and my heart flopped twice in my chest.”

But remember: try to strike a balance between detail and clarity. Overloading your essay with excessive descriptions can bog it down. Too little detail can leave the reader disengaged. Focus on using precise, exciting imagery to improve the narrative when it is most needed.

Editing and Revising Your Personal Essay

Editing and revising are always going to be helpful when it comes to improving your personal essay. After writing the first draft, step away for a bit and come back later with fresh eyes. Read it again and note any areas that could use clarification or expansion. Next, check for common mistakes like awkward phrasing or over repetition.

Be careful, too, not to lose your unique personal voice during the editing process. Avoid the temptation to over-edit, as this can make the essay sound forced or mechanical. When in doubt, have someone else read your essay to offer feedback.

Personal Essay Topics & Essay Prompts

Finding inspiration for your personal essay.

When writing a personal essay, finding the right topic will help you to more easily create a compelling narrative. Common themes often revolve around pivotal life-changing moments that shaped who you are. It will be different for everyone—but just think about who you are and why—what made you that way?

You can look at life-changing moments, relationships, personal growth, achieving personal milestones, difficult decisions you made. Think about family, friends, mentors—how they’ve influenced your development. Think about how experiences have helped strengthen you, or moments of self-discovery that led to deeper understanding of your identity and beliefs.

Personal Essay Topics

High school topics.

• A Challenge I Overcame Reflect on a difficult situation in your life and how you grew from it.
• My Most Memorable High School Experience Write about a specific event during high school that had a significant impact on you.
• How a Teacher Changed My Perspective Discuss how a teacher or mentor influenced your views on education or life.
• The Impact of Extracurricular Activities Share how involvement in a sport, club, or activity has shaped your high school experience.
• A Time I Failed and What I Learned Write about a failure that taught you an important lesson about perseverance.
• How My Friends Have Shaped Who I Am Explore how your friendships during high school have influenced your character.
• The Importance of Balancing Academics and Personal Life Discuss the challenges of managing schoolwork with social and personal activities.
• A Time I Stood Up for What I Believe In Share a story about standing up for your values or beliefs in a difficult situation.
• My Biggest High School Regret Reflect on something you wish you had done differently during high school.
• How I Prepare for Life After High School Write about how you are preparing for the transition from high school to college or the workforce.

College Topics

• The First Time I Felt Independent Describe the moment you first experienced real independence, such as moving to college or making an important life decision.
• A College Course That Changed My Life Write about a class that expanded your worldview or shaped your future goals.
• Balancing School and Life Reflect on how you’ve managed the responsibilities of academics and personal life in college.
• A Time I Took a Risk and Succeeded Share a story about a time you took a big risk and what the outcome taught you.
• How My College Major Has Shaped My Identity Explore how your chosen field of study has influenced who you are becoming.
• The Best Advice I Ever Received in College Write about a piece of advice that helped you navigate college life.
• How My Hometown Shaped Who I Am Today Reflect on how your upbringing or hometown influenced your college experience.
• A College Internship That Changed My Perspective Describe how a work experience or internship impacted your career goals.
• Dealing with Homesickness in College Share your experience of missing home and how you overcame it.
• How College Friendships Have Helped Me Grow Write about how friendships in college have helped you grow personally or academically.

Middle School Topics

• My First Best Friend Share a story about your first close friendship and what it taught you about relationships.
• A Time I Helped Someone Describe a moment when you lent a helping hand to someone, and how it made you feel.
• The Most Exciting Day of My Life Write about a day that stands out in your memory as one of the happiest or most thrilling experiences.
• My Favorite Hobby and Why I Love It Write about a hobby or activity you enjoy and why it’s important to you.
• What I Want to Be When I Grow Up Describe your dream job or future career and why it appeals to you.
• A Family Tradition That Means a Lot to Me Write about a special family tradition and why it’s important to you.
• How I Felt on My First Day of Middle School Reflect on the emotions and experiences of your first day in middle school.
• A Time I Made a New Friend Share a story about how you made a new friend and what it taught you about building relationships.
• My Favorite School Subject Write about the subject you enjoy the most in school and why.
• How I Overcame My Biggest Fear Describe a time when you faced a fear and how it helped you grow.

Unique Topics

• A Mistake That Turned Into a Valuable Lesson Share a story where you made a mistake, and how it led to unexpected growth or insight.
• A Conversation That Changed My Perspective Write about a meaningful conversation that caused you to think differently about an important topic.
• The Time I Experienced a Culture Shock Describe a moment when you were exposed to a different culture or way of life and how it impacted you.
• A Time I Broke the Rules Share a story about when you broke a rule and what the consequences taught you.
• My Favorite Place in the World Write about a place that holds special meaning for you and why it’s significant.
• How a Book or Movie Changed My Life Discuss how a specific book or film impacted your way of thinking or inspired you.
• A Time I Got Lost Share a story about getting physically or emotionally lost and what you learned from finding your way.
• If I Could Live in Another Time Period Write about which historical time period you would want to live in and why.
• A Skill I Taught Myself Describe a time when you learned something on your own and how it shaped your confidence or abilities.
• The Most Unexpected Lesson I Learned from a Stranger Share a story about learning something valuable from someone you didn’t know well.

Sample Prompts for Personal Essays

If you’re struggling to come up with an idea, here are some personal essay topic ideas and essay prompts for personal writing to get you started:

• Write about a moment when you had to make a difficult decision. What was at stake, and how did it change you?
• Describe a time when you experienced failure. How did you respond, and what did you learn from the experience?
• Reflect on a relationship that has deeply impacted your life. What did it teach you about life, yourself, or others?
• Share a story about a time when you stepped outside of your comfort zone. What fears did you overcome, and what did you gain?
• Write about a personal achievement that made you feel proud. What steps did you take to get there, and why does it matter to you?
• Discuss a moment of self-discovery that changed the way you view the world or yourself.
• Describe a significant challenge or hardship you’ve faced and how it shaped your character.
• Reflect on a cultural or family tradition that holds personal meaning for you.
• Write about a time when you had to stand up for something you believed in. What motivated you, and what was the outcome?
• Share a memory that brings you joy and explain why it’s important to you.
• Write about a moment when you learned a hard truth about yourself or someone else.
• Reflect on a time when you felt out of place or misunderstood. How did you cope, and what did it teach you?
• Share a story about a person or event that inspired you to pursue a particular path or goal.
• Discuss how a personal hobby or interest has shaped your identity.
• Write about a time when you faced a moral dilemma. How did you resolve it, and what did you learn?

Examples of Well-Written Personal Essays

Analysis of famous personal essays.

One of the most well-known personal essays is Joan Didion’s “Goodbye to All That,” where she reflects on her time in New York City. Didion’s essay is effective because of its emotional depth and objective storytelling. She blends personal reflection with sharp, sensory details. The reader lives through her experience. Didion’s honesty and vulnerability in discussing her fading love for the city help create the sensation of disenchantment—and the reader feels it completely.

Another excellent example is “The Death of a Moth” by Virginia Woolf. In this essay, Woolf transforms a seemingly mundane event—the death of a moth—into a profound reflection on life and mortality. Woolf’s ability to take a small, ordinary moment and imbue it with universal meaning is what makes her essay stand out. The essay is less about her own life and more about life in general, but it is all her in the sense of perspective. Her prose and insights, and use of symbolism, gives the reader some big themes to chew on.

Key Takeaways from Successful Personal Essays

To make a personal essay impactful, here are a few techniques to follow:

• Authenticity : Share personal stories and emotions honestly and openly.
• Vivid descriptions : Use sensory details to make the narrative come alive for the reader.
• Emotional depth : Convey your inner thoughts and feelings to create a connection with the audience.
• Universal themes : Relate personal experiences to broader, more relatable human experiences.
• Reflection : Go beyond storytelling by offering insights or lessons learned.
• Symbolism and imagery : Elevate ordinary moments into meaningful reflections by using literary devices.

How to Get Feedback on Your Personal Essay

The importance of peer review.

Receiving feedback can help with refining your personal essay. Peer review can give you new perspectives on your writing, help identify unclear sections, and allow you to see what you didn’t see before. Constructive criticism from others can give you an idea of what your audience might be thinking. When seeking feedback, be open-minded and accept critiques as opportunities for growth. Not every suggestion needs to be followed—after all, it’s your essay. But focus on the suggestions that improve clarity, emotional impact, and narrative flow, and don’t be afraid to make revisions.

Online Tools & Writing Communities

There are numerous online platforms where you can share your work and receive valuable feedback. Writing forums like Reddit’s r/writing or Scribophile are spaces where writers can exchange critiques. Social media groups dedicated to writing are also great places to get input from fellow writers. So are structured writing workshops, like those offered by Writer’s Digest or The Write Life. These platforms help you to connect with a community of writers. With them you’ll have a chance to get personalized peer review for essays and online writing feedback.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Essays

Overloading with unnecessary details.

One common mistake in personal essays is including too many irrelevant or trivial details that detract from the core message. Descriptions are important, but don’t overload the essay with unnecessary information. Describe what needs to be described to communicate the themes. Don’t overwhelm the reader and dilute the emotional impact by focusing on insignificant details. Give, instead, details that add to the story and contribute to the overall idea. Every sentence should serve a purpose—if it doesn’t add value or further the narrative, it’s best to leave it out.

Lack of Focus or Clear Theme

Another mistake is writing without a clear theme or losing focus as the essay progresses. A personal essay should revolve around a specific idea, experience, reflection, or lesson. When the essay lacks focus, it just ends up feeling disjointed and confused. To avoid this, establish a central theme early in the essay and stick to it; make sure every detail somehow relates back to it so as to deepen its meaning or enlarge it somehow. Every story, anecdote, reflection, and detail should tie back to that theme. A strong narrative thread will make the essay more engaging and meaningful.

Over-Editing or Losing Personal Voice

Be careful to avoid over-editing, which can result in an essay that feels too polished and impersonal. In an effort to perfect grammar or structure, writers sometimes lose their own unique voice and emotional authenticity. Avoid editing to the point where the essay becomes mechanical—try to keep the raw, honest tone that makes personal essays compelling. Trust your voice and trust your gut and let it shine through.

Final Checklist Before Submitting Your Personal Essay

Editing and proofreading tips.

Before submitting your personal essay, run through this quick checklist:

• Grammar and spelling : Correct any grammatical errors and typos to ensure professionalism.
• Flow and structure : Ensure that your essay follows a clear, logical progression, with smooth transitions between paragraphs.
• Clarity : Make sure your main points are easily understood and that your theme remains focused throughout.
• Emotional impact : Review whether the essay evokes the intended emotions and resonates with readers.
• Personal voice : Ensure that your unique voice and perspective shine through without sounding overly polished or formal.

Confidence in Sharing Your Story

As you prepare to submit your essay, remember that your story is uniquely yours. Embrace your experiences and insights with pride. Your personal essay is a reflection of you. Don’t apologize for it. Confidence in your writing comes from understanding that no one else can tell your story the way you can. Trust your voice and be proud of your work!

Writing a personal essay is a powerful way to express your experiences, thoughts, insights, lessons learned, feelings, and memories. You can structure it however you want—but be consistent. The traditional way is to start with an engaging introduction, followed up by a well-organized body, and finished off with a reflective conclusion. Use that approach and you have the backbone for a compelling narrative.

Remember to maintain authenticity by writing with honesty. Let yourself be vulnerable—it’s okay and expected in a personal essay. Use descriptive language to bring your story to life—but don’t overdo it. Take time to revise carefully. Polish your essay, but don’t kill it with too much care. Let your personal voice live and shine in your words and ideas. This is, after all, a reflection of you and who you are and what you’ve seen and where you’ve been!

Need additional help?  Download our personal essay writing worksheet to help get you started!

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What is a Personal Essay?

Are you wondering what is a personal essay? Discover more about personal essay, its examples and structures.

A personal essay is a short written work that lets a writer describe a personal experience or significant event based on their experiences or worldview. It is a short piece of creative nonfiction, and it’s often written in the first person.

Personal essays provide you with the chance to create a piece of writing about a life experience, personal accomplishment or worldview. They’re also a literary form of expression that many non-fiction writers use when considering an experience, idea or event.

It is not a memoir or academic essay requiring detailed citations. If you have ever applied for a job or college admission, this type of essay is necessary to help those making decisions about you.

In short, learning how to write one is a valuable skill for many different types of writers. Here is everything you need to know about writing your personal essay, with examples.

Examples of Personal Essays

What makes a strong personal essay, personal essay writing 101, choosing essay topics, examples of personal essayists, introduction, body paragraphs, 1. know your main points, 2. consider a universal truth, 3. grab reader’s attention, 4. establish a sequence of events, 5. write your personal truth, 6. summarize your essay, a final word on what is a personal essay, what is a personal statement essay, what is a personal essay for college.

Some examples of personal essays include:

• College essay. The college essay is typically written in high school as part of the college admissions process.
• Personal statement . A personal statement may be part of a job application or resume.
• Personal story. A personal story summarizes something that happened in the writer’s life, without the particular purpose of getting a job or getting into college.

A strong personal essay is one that grabs the reader’s attention, explains the main problem or challenge the writer faced and takes them to a turning point and conclusion. It is short, which means every word has a purpose. It uses compelling language to encourage the reader to keep reading. Typically it’s:

• Entertaining
• Inspirational

A strong personal essay also depends on choosing the right topic. While the overriding topic is the individual’s life, personal essayists must learn how to pull an event or topic from their life to write the essay on. Personal essay topics drive the writing and keep it focused on a particular point, which makes the essay strong and effective.

To write a personal essay, you will need to understand how to choose personal essay topics, the structure of a formal essay, and make your writing compelling. Reading and studying examples from other personal essay writers can also help.

A personal essay is not a biography. That’s because an essay is usually much shorter than a book or a memoir. Plus, and essayist focuses on a topic and not themselves. To write one, you will need to brainstorm specific topics from your life. Ideas may include:

• An incident you view as a turning point in your life e.g. a birth, death, passage or turning point
• How you learned from a mistake or error or personal set back.
• The impact of someone specific , like a mentor or family member, who taught you an important lesson
• How you made a major life improvement or change a personality trait that was causing negativity in your life
• A pivotal moment in your life like a near death experience, addiction or crisis.

Anyone can write a personal essay, but some authors have been able to make a career out of it. 

Annie Dillard’s famous work “Total Eclipse” is an  example of a personal essay . In this short work, Dillard masterfully tells her experience of watching a total eclipse. From the very first word, she engages the reader with sensory-rich language.

David Sedaris  is another popular personal essayist. His collections, including Naked , Me Talk Pretty One Day , and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim all show his ability to take his personal life and weave it into engaging nonfiction writing .

Sedaris is an unusual essayist in that many of his essays start as journal entries. He writes several thousand words about what happened to him any given day. Then, he takes on of these anecdotes and edits and rewrites it until a personal essay takes shape. Finally, he performs his personal essay in person, on stage and on tour to gauge what parts readers respond to.

To read some other personal essay examples, I’d recommend checking out some of the personal essay compilations edited by Philip Lopate .

Structure of a Personal Essay

Personal essays follow a specific structure. They should include these elements:

Your introduction will help you grab the reader’s attention and provide an interesting tidbit bout yourself or your personal experience. This can be a fact or short story, but it should give the reader a reason to engage with your essay. Start with a strong sentence, an image or an inciting incident .

If you’re struggling with the introduction of a personal essay, leave this section until last as it’s easier to set up a piece, once you know what it’s about.

Most academic essays will have at least three paragraphs, but you can have more or less depending on the main topic of your essay. Literary personal essays can span thousands of words or dozens of pages. Include descriptive details and go through the events in order to reach the defining moment of the story.

In the body paragraphs, make sure you keep the main point of your essay in mind. You aren’t just telling a story about your life. You are using the essay to make a specific point. Take the reader along a journey so that you can tell your story and present an argument of some sort.

Finish your essay with a memorable conclusion that calls back to the introduction. This should summarize what you have written about, bring closure for the reader and give you the chance to reflect on what the life event taught you. A good personal essay conclusion leaves a reader wanting more or encourage them to reconsider their worldview.

Tips for Writing a Personal Narrative Essay

When writing a personal essay, these tips will help you stay on track.

Before you start writing, know what your main points will be. Structure an outline that determines what each part of your essay structure will talk about. This will drive your writing.

Your main points may simply be the order of events, or they may be more specific facts that drive the details of your story. Choose the main points before you start writing. That said, if you’re writing a literary personal essay, you can always explore these main points through free writing .

Is there a universal truth you wish to convey with your essay? For example, you may want the reader to come away feeling as though they can do anything if they work hard and push through obstacles, or you may want to explore the impact that one person can make on another’s life.

If your essay has a universal truth, state it in the introduction and use it as you plan your outline. Keep this truth in mind as you write, ensuring that every sentence continues that truth. 

The reader doesn’t have to agree with your universal truth, but it should still inform the central argument of your essay. When in doubt, write this truth as if you’re speaking or writing a letter to a good friend.

Effective personal essays grab a reader’s attention from the first sentence and keep it through the conclusion. Use words that appeal to the senses to craft your writing, but avoid dipping into cliches or overly flowery language, which can detract from your meaning.

You can grab the reader’s attention with an interesting anecdote, common quote or shocking statistic in your introduction. Then pull from that attention grabber to naturally draw the reader into your essay.

If you need help, check out our self-editing checklist .

Because personal essays discuss something that happened to you, you will need to have a clear sequence of events. This will usually be the order that you saw the events happening, but a different order may make sense depending on your writing goal .

No matter what order or sequence you choose, stay consistent. If you’re a new essayist, going out of order may confuse the reader, so keep things in order through your writing. More experienced writers and essayists regularly play around with narrative structure and time to keep things interesting for the reader.

Don’t embellish your story to make it larger than life. Pull meaning from the events that happened, and stay true to those while writing your essay. That said, you can focus on a single detail or event and magnify it for the reader.

The key to writing a successful personal essay is taking an event that may seem trivial and transforming it into an essay that keeps the reader engaged. Embellishing the truth is not necessary if you are using your writing skills well.

Good personal essay end with strong conclusions. If it’s an academic essay, summarize the lesson learned and your overall journey.

In the conclusion, summarize your thesis statement or main idea and your overall essay points. Bring the reader to a satisfying conclusion. It’s sometimes helpful to callback to an image, metaphor or a moment from the introduction. Again, it’s easier to do this if you write the conclusion and introduction last.

Literary essayists sometimes like to end an essay by leaving the reader a point, image, scene or piece of dialogue to ponder.

A personal essay showcases your writing skills to readers, editors, academics and interviewers. It takes the reader on a journey that is personal to you because it is your journey. It’s a popular form of literary expression for many non-fiction writers, across genres. And confessional personal essays are increasingly popular online too.

The personal essay is often an important part of both college admittance and job selection. It demonstrates your abilities with the written word and reveals who you are as a person, which is why it’s a vital skill. Learn how to write a personal esay well, and you will be ready for whatever the future holds.

Need help? Check out our guide to the best essay checkers .

FAQs About What Is a Personal Essay

A personal statement essay is a type of personal essay used to introduce yourself to people who are making a decision, such as potential employers or a college selection committee. It contains many of the same features as a resume, introducing the reader to who you are and what your accomplishments are. 

A personal essay for college is what an admissions team or selection committee looks at to determine if they will accept a student into a program. It should include academic achievements and some career goal information. 

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A personal essay is a form of non-fiction writing that provides a first-person account of significant life experiences, reflections, or observations, allowing for self-expression and showcasing the writer's unique voice and perspective. These essays are often characterized by their intimate tone and narrative style , engaging readers while exploring broader themes or personal growth. To craft a compelling personal essay, focus on honesty, vivid storytelling, and connecting personal insights to universal truths.

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How do secondary themes contribute to personal essays?

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What is a personal essay?

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Definition of Personal Essay

A personal essay is a form of writing that reflects the author's individual experiences, thoughts, and emotions. It is often written in the first person, allowing for a direct and intimate expression of personal insights and stories.

How to Start a Personal Essay

When beginning a personal essay, it's essential to find a way to capture the reader's attention while introducing your theme. A personal essay often starts with an engaging hook that can consist of an interesting anecdote, a provocative question, or a vivid description that ushers the reader into your unique perspective.

Personal Essay Introduction Questions

Before writing your personal essay, consider the following guiding questions to set the stage:

• What personal experience or story do you want to share? Think about moments that had a significant impact on your life or changed your perspective.
• Why is this story important? Reflect on the reasons why this experience holds value, not just to you, but potentially to your readers as well.
• Who are the key characters in your story? Decide which individuals influenced your experience and how they contributed to the narrative.
• What emotions are tied to this experience? Identify the feelings and sensations you experienced during the event to vividly convey it to your audience.
• How did this experience shape you? Consider the lessons learned or the personal growth that resulted from this experience.

Using descriptive language in your introduction can help paint a picture in your reader's mind, making your story more engaging and relatable.

Exploring the essence of your personal story can deeply enhance your essay. By evaluating the underlying themes and core human emotions in your narrative, you connect with a broader audience on a universal level. This requires understanding not only the facts but also the implications of your experience, including culture, beliefs, or societal norms that influenced you.

Moreover, when constructing your introduction, consider experimenting with narrative styles. For example:

• Chronological order : Present your story in a sequence of events .
• Flashback : Start with an intriguing moment, then delve into the background story.
• Reflective insight : Begin with a reflection, then lead into the events that prompted this understanding.

Each style offers a distinctive way to showcase your personal insights, letting your personality shine through the structure you choose.

Techniques in Personal Essays

Writing a personal essay requires a unique blend of emotions, descriptive detail, and thoughtful reflection. Various techniques can help you convey your experiences effectively, allowing your readers to connect with your story on a deeper level. Understanding these techniques is crucial for crafting compelling and insightful personal essays.

Use of Vivid Descriptions

Incorporating vivid descriptions into your personal essay can significantly enhance the reader’s experience. These descriptions provide a sensory experience, drawing readers into the world you are portraying. Use specific adjectives, metaphors, and similes to create a rich, immersive setting.

• Colors and Textures : Describe the vivid hues and tactile sensations that surround your story.
• Sounds and Smells : Include auditory and olfactory details to make your narrative come alive.
• Emotional Underpinnings : Convey the emotions intertwined with these sensory details .

A vivid description in a personal essay involves using detailed and specific language to create a mental picture for readers, engaging multiple senses to enrich the storytelling.

Engaging readers with vivid descriptions isn’t just about meticulous detail but also about balance. Too much description can overwhelm, while too little might not convey the depth of the experience. Always tie descriptions to the purpose of your essay—highlighting an essential theme, revealing character development, or illustrating a turning point.

Experiment with linguistic elements like:

• Personification : Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.
• Onomatopoeia : Using words that imitate natural sounds.

Themes in Personal Essays

Themes in personal essays serve as the foundational elements that provide structure and meaning to your story. They encapsulate the main ideas and insights derived from personal experiences, helping both the writer and the reader find greater understanding.

Identifying and effectively portraying themes involves reflecting on life events that have taught you valuable lessons or changed your worldview.

Personal Essay Examples

Examining examples of personal essays can provide insights into how themes are woven into compelling narratives. These examples often illustrate a range of human experiences and emotions:

• Coming of Age : Essays exploring the transition from childhood to adulthood, highlighting the challenges and realizations along the way.
• Overcoming Adversity : Stories of resilience and triumph in the face of obstacles, embodying hope and inspiration.
• Identity and Self-Discovery : Narratives detailing personal growth and the search for self-identity amidst societal and cultural influences.

For instance, a personal essay about adapting to a new country might explore the theme of identity . The writer might delve into the challenges of balancing the cultural norms of their heritage with those of a new environment, reflecting on how this journey shapes their sense of self.

Diving deeper into themes, you can explore how they intersect and influence each other. A personal essay might not only touch on an individual's struggle with identity but also how this battle is compounded by societal expectations and personal beliefs. This duality often leads to rich, multifaceted storytelling that resonates on multiple levels.

Consider how secondary themes, such as hope or loss, provide contrast and depth to primary themes, resulting in well-rounded narratives.

Personal Essay - Key takeaways

• Personal Essay Definition: A form of writing centered on the author's experiences, thoughts, and emotions, usually in the first person.
• How to Start a Personal Essay: Begin with an engaging hook like an anecdote or question to capture attention and introduce the theme of the essay.
• Techniques in Personal Essays: Utilize emotions, descriptive detail, and reflection to create a connection with the reader through vivid storytelling.
• Questions for Personal Essay Introduction: Consider the personal story to share, its significance, key characters, related emotions, and personal impact.
• Themes in Personal Essays: Common themes include coming of age, overcoming adversity, and exploring identity and self-discovery.
• Personal Essay Examples: Illustrations of essay themes like adapting to new cultures highlight identity struggles and celebrate personal growth.

Flashcards in Personal Essay 12

They overshadow the primary themes completely.

Themes limit the narratives to a single perspective.

Direct and intimate

Determine the political affiliations involved.

Use technical jargon initially.

Omniscient narration

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7 Helpful Tips on How to Write A Memorable Personal Essay

Everyone has a story to tell and a message to share. The challenge lies in getting that story and message out of your head and into print in a way that resonates with your audience.

Starting somewhere in the late 2000s, a certain type of personal essay experienced a popularity boom. These essays were ultra-personal and confessional in nature, often in a TMI sort of way. Their headlines were clickable, not to mention shareable, for their shock value alone.

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Although the confessional shock essay’s star seems to be fading, the personal essay itself is still standing strong. Essay collections by late greats like James Baldwin ( The Fire Next Time ) and David Foster Wallace ( Consider the Lobster ) still top Amazon’s Best Sellers in essays. Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) launched a career with her darkly funny and self-effacing essays about her health and mental illness challenges ( Let’s Pretend This Never Happened ). Celebrities like Mindy Kaling ( Why Not Me? ) and Tina Fey ( Bossypants ) blended personal essays into memoir-esque collections that became best sellers. We head for the nearest bookseller when essay titans like David Sedaris or Anne Lamott have a new release.

We’re looking for real stories and musings from people who are able to share their foibles, lessons, and truths in a way we can relate to. Here are seven tips to help you craft a personal essay that will connect with readers.

1 Understand what a personal essay is

Ask three different experts what a personal essay is and you’ll likely get three different answers. Are they structured? Must they address a certain type of subject? Here’s a definition we like:

A personal essay is a short work of autobiographical nonfiction characterized by a sense of intimacy and a conversational manner. Also called a personal statement. A type of creative nonfiction, the personal essay is ‘all over the map,’ according to Annie Dillard. ‘There’s nothing you can’t do with it. No subject matter is forbidden, no structure is prescribed. You get to make up your own form every time.’

Personal essays relate the author’s intimate thoughts and experiences to universal truths. They aren’t simply a retelling of events, though—that falls more in the realm of memoir or autobiography. They conclude with the author having learned, changed, or grown in some way and often present some truth or insight that challenges the reader to draw their own conclusions.

2 Find a compelling topic

The best essay topics are often deeply relatable. Although the story itself is unique to the author’s experience, there’s some universal truth that speaks to us from just below the surface. Topics like facing a fear, falling in love, overcoming an obstacle, discovering something new, or making a difficult choice tackle feelings and events that happen in everyone’s life.

3 Start with a strong hook

As with any type of writing, it’s essential to draw the reader in from the very first paragraph , or even the first sentence. Here are a few examples.

Aside from Peter, who supposedly guards the gates of heaven and is a pivotal figure in any number of jokes, the only saint who’s ever remotely interested me is Francis of Assisi, who was friends with the animals.

When I was young, my family didn’t go on outings to the circus or trips to Disneyland. We couldn’t afford them. Instead, we stayed in our small rural West Texas town, and my parents took us to cemeteries.

I underwent, during the summer that I became fourteen, a prolonged religious crisis.

Alone, we are doomed. By the same token, we’ve learned that people are impossible, even the ones we love most— especially the ones we love most.

Your hook and opening paragraph should establish the topic of your essay (or at least allude to it) and set the scene and tone.

4 Create an outline

All it takes to understand the importance of an outline is listening to someone who struggled to tell a personal story. Often, the story will seem to have no real point. The switchbacks where the teller says “But wait, I have to tell you about this part, first!” are maddening and disruptive. An outline will help you organize your thoughts before committing them to text.

Consider your opening hook and the statement it makes, then map out the sequence of events or main points that support it. Just like a good fictional story, your essay should have rising action. Raise the stakes with each paragraph until you reach a climax or turning point. Plan to add a conclusion that will evoke an emotional response in your reader.

5 Narrow your focus

Don’t try to write to a general topic. Your essay may well be about sexism, but you need to illustrate it through the lens of a defining incident that’s deeply personal to you. What did your experiences teach you about sexism? What does it mean to you as an individual?

6 Show, don’t tell

Close your eyes. Think of the scene you’re about to write down. What were you experiencing with your five senses? How did you feel?

Your challenge is to evoke those senses and feelings without flatly stating them. Don’t say “I felt cold.” Say “I exhaled and my breath turned to vapor that hung in the air. I shivered and pulled the blanket tight around my shoulders in a vain attempt to trap my body heat.” Your description should help the reader experience the cold with you. Stephen King describes it as making the reader “prickle with recognition.”

7 Craft a thought-provoking conclusion

Your essay should end with your own reflection and analysis. What did you learn? How have the events and thoughts you described changed your life or your understanding of life? It’s not enough to say “And that’s what happened.” You have to describe how whatever happened shaped you.

Just as a good lead hooks readers and draws them along for the ride, a good conclusion releases them from your essay’s thrall with a frisson of pleasure, agreement, passion or some other sense of completion. Circling back to your lead in your conclusion is one way to give readers that full-circle sense. Try to restate your thesis in a way that reflects the journey the essay has taken.

There is so much outside the false cloister of private experience; and when you write, you do the work of connecting that terrible privacy to everything beyond it.