Title:

Write a Personal Essay

Word Count:
498
Summary:
Do you know why the Chicken Soup for the Soul series is so popular? Aside from te
rrific marketing and unequaled publicity, it is the stories or personal essays t
hemselves that readers love. They are short, personal and teach a lesson or mor
al. If you would like to be a better writer of the personal essay, just include
the following points:
Keywords:
writing,essay,write,life lesson, personal essay,article,self-publish,chicken sou
p for the soul, short essays, new writers, letters to the editor,personal short
story,life stories, memoir, life sketch,
Article Body:
Write a Personal Essay
Judy H. Wright, author, speaker and life educator
www.ArtichokePress.com
Do you know why the Chicken Soup for the Soul series is so popular? Aside from te
rrific marketing and unequaled publicity, it is the stories or personal essays t
hemselves that readers love. They are short, personal and teach a lesson or mor
al. If you would like to be a better writer of the personal essay, just include
the following points:
1.
Be brief. Many essays are 500 words or less. However, there is a gener
al rule that an essay is between two and twenty five typed, double-spaced pages.
A good essay needs to be an unbroken reading experience.
2.
Tell a story. A personal essay is a story that has happened to you or th
at you know about. The reader assumes that it is non fiction and will contain de
tails and descriptions we will recognize. Structure your story around examples,
using a pencil as a paintbrush to evoke the images and paint a picture in the re
ader s mind.
3.
Make a point. You will want to tell, teach, and explain a specific topi
c or subject or even support or criticize something. Your aim or goal is to win
sympathy or agreement. Do not make it into a sermon or a soapbox to present th
e superiority of your ideas by including shoulds or musts aimed at the reader.
4.
Use your senses. Enliven your essay with sensuous detail like how it sm
elled, tasted, sounded or felt. Make the reader feel like they are seeing and e
xperiencing it through your body.
5.
Tell about the ordinary. Essays are often best which speak about a comm
on but freely shared experience. It doesn t have to be about being a survivor of
the twin Towers. Tell about your reaction to 911. Or tell us about watching a s
unset or baking bread.
6.
Make it engaging. An essay should arouse curiosity about life. Instead
of preaching, invite us to consider your point of view by sharing the particular
experience that brought you there, describe what happened, how you reacted, and
why you interpret your experiences the way you do.

There you have it. Think about your own interests and areas of special knowledge
, activities, skill, attitudes, problems as well as typical obstacles faced in l
ife.
Teach us what you gained or lost in your life lesson. It is much easier to be c
onvincing when you can draw from personal and firsthand information. Write it t
oday. Submit it to Chicken Soup for the Soul and become a published author.
There are readers out there who want to learn from you.
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This article has been prepared for your use by Judy H.Wright, author and life ed
ucator. You have permission to reprint it in your ezine or newsletter as long a
s the author and her web address is included www.ArtichokePress.com 406-549-981
3-Check out the website for FREE articles and to subscribe to the ezine The Arti
choke-finding the heart of the story in the journey of life.