Personal Essay Writing

Question 1

what is it?

Answer 1

• subjective
• 1st person
• highly opinionated

Question 2

what ISN’T it?

Answer 2

• autobiography
• academic writing
• criticism
• journalism
• opinion

Question 3

6 I’s of the personal essay

Answer 3

1. Informal
2. Investigative
3. Individual
4. Intimate
5. Inconclusive
6. “I” (first person I)

Question 4

Philip Loparte on personal essays

Answer 4

• seem to digress, yet zeroes in on topic
• vulnerability, exposure of own betrayals, uncertainties, etc.
• unity to human experience

Question 5

Informal

Answer 5

• doesn’t give concrete info of who, where, what, etc.

- ie. Michael Herr

Question 6

Individual

Answer 6

• talks about own experiences and life

- ie. Zadie Smith

Question 7

Investigative

Answer 7

• quotes others, go off on seemingly unrelated tangents

- ie. Megan Nelson

Question 8

Intimate

Answer 8

• reveals personal details

- ie. Scott Russell Sanders

Question 9

Inconclusive

Answer 9

• doesn’t really clarify anything

- ie. Joan Dideon

Question 10

Personal Essay structures

Answer 10

1. Personal to universal OR universal to personal (personal experience/zoom in -> broad issue/zoom out)
2. Braid (weaving various topics together, ie. Tennis, Trig, Tornadoes)
3. Spiral (nonsensical, brings in a bunch of seemingly unrelated topics)