PERSONAL ESSAY
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSONAL ESSAY PERSONAL --- HAVING TO DO WITH ONESELF NARRATIVE – STORY A PERSONAL NARRATIVE IS A STORY ABOUT YOURSELF
Point of view First person Pronouns such as I, we, us, me, etc.
may be others besides the author but maintains first person POV
Where and when the story takes place SETTING TIME (day, year, history) PLACE (scenery, weather, location) USE SENSORY DETAILS Where and when the story takes place
FOCUS ONE EVENT ONE IDEA Does NOT tell an entire story. ONE moment ONE snapshot Does NOT tell an entire story.
CHRONOLOGIC ORDER Starts with what happens first and moves forward Transition use – then, later, next, etc.
PLOT Introduction rising action climax falling action resolution
If you had an assignment to write your own personal essay, what questions would you ask an instructor about personal essays?