Essays

What Is a Personal Essay and Tips for Writing the Best One?

A personal essay is the simplest and the most complicated type of essay at the same time. Here is why. It is simply because it requires you to write about an important event, person, or period of your life. On the other side, we can see that it uses narrative and descriptive writing simultaneously, which makes it confusing for some writers. When you know what a personal essay is, we will give you a few tips to make the best copy.

  • Use details, a lot of them

    What is a personal essay is not the ability to describe a particular individual, action, or situation, as we have mentioned? This means that you must describe using as many details as possible. Your mission is to reveal the story, not tell it! For instance, if you mention sunset, make sure to describe it with words so readers can imagine it in their heads.

    Simply telling that sunset won’t be a wise thing to do. You will literally tell a reader something that he can imagine in a million ways. When you describe it, he will imagine your particular sunset.

  • Use all the senses to describe

    One of the most common issues with personal essays is when a writer focuses on the sense of sight in particular. We all use sight as the primary sense, and we usually translate this fact into our words. But, all professional writers will tell you that this is something beginners do. Luckily, there is a solution.

    The idea is to use your other senses when describing an event, period, or purpose. Don’t forget about the taste, touch, and particularly smell. By incorporating all the senses into your essay, readers can get a more accurate picture while reading.

  • Explain how that person or event affected you

    If you recall, we mentioned that a personal essay is about explaining a specific period, person, or event that had a strong effect on you. Sadly, some writers forget to reveal the big picture. They write only about a particular event, and they forget to explain how that event changed them.
    To stand out from the crowd, make sure you explain to readers who that event affected you and your life. How were you able to change? Why did you change? Answer these questions with a proper description and explanations, and you will get a proper personal essay.

  • Use proper tenses

    Luckily all of you know this tip. We only mentioned it because of its hidden possibility. Yes, you can use the present tense to explain an event that occurred in the past. However, you need advanced writing skills to achieve the goal, which isn’t always easy.

Now you know the answer to the main question, what is a personal essay, and you have all the main tips to make an outstanding copy that will impress the readers. Just follow the tips and don’t forget about the main idea.