How to effectively integrate anecdotes into your writing

What is an anecdote? An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. You probably use anecdotes every single day when you are talking to your friends or family. Integrating anecdotes into your writing helps to engage the reader.

When writing an anecdote: Start at the peak of the drama or excitement or conflict. Jump right in! (You will just back up and explain it later.) Set the scene: Describe what you see, what you hear, what you feel(both literally and figuratively), what you smell and taste, if relevant. These are called sensory details. Use the 5 Ws—Who was involved? What happened? Where did it happen? When did it happen? Why did it happen? ( “H”: How did it happen?) Paint a picture with your words, or even better, describe a snippet of video. Zoom in on the action. Usually the “action” in your anecdote takes place in a matter of a few minutes. Throw in a line or two of dialogue to add drama or move the action forward. Use “concrete details.” Be specific! Instead of saying, “The dog ran up to me.” Say, “the neighbor’s bull terrier, Brutus, charged me…” In general, use short sentences or mix up the short and long.

Anecdotes shouldn’t be too long. If your mini-story (anecdote) takes three paragraphs to relate, try to go back and see if you can cut it down to two or even one paragraph by keeping only what you need to re-create the moment. You will be surprised how you can shorten them, and actually make them better!

How to integrate an anecdote into your essay writing: In essays, an anecdote is an example of a point you want to make that uses a little story or animated description.

Let’s pretend that you want to make the point in your essay that you are a creative person. You write an anecdote to illustrate your point: You could describe something creative that you made, or you could describe yourself making something interesting. Like this: During a walk near my home, I found a long stick that looked like the letter “Y.” I smoothed the surface with sandpaper and covered it with blueberry blue paint I found in the garage, then wrapped it with twine and colored yarn. From my junk drawer, I tied seashells, a couple old keys and a bent fork to the ends and hung it in my room. “What’s that?” my little sister asked. “Art,” I said, even though I wasn’t even sure what I had made. (Then background your interest in art, how you think about it, why you value it, how it has affected you, changed you, and what your plans are for it in the future…)

Why do we use anecdotes? Writers often start essays with an anecdote as a way to illustrate their point. In a way, it’s like showing a photograph or picture along with the information. Anecdotes create pictures—or a small snippet of video—using words. The writer wants you to see their point for yourself, rather than explain it to you. That’s why it’s important to include details to help the reader see what’s happening. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What do you hear (does someone say something?)?

The benefits of using anecdotes: What introduction would grab your attention better in an essay? 1. (Explaining) I am a very creative person, and I always use my imagination to make cool things. Sometimes I collect found objects, such as sticks and old trinkets, and turn them into mobiles. My sisters think they are strange, but to me they are art. 2. (Showing) During a walk near my home, I found a long stick that looked like the letter “Y.” I smoothed the surface with sandpaper …

SHOWING Most people find that when writers SHOW instead of EXPLAIN, it makes the content much more interesting.

What does an anecdote look/sound like? Here is a real life example of an anecdote that may be familiar to you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kggwE_vAdOs

And finally, just a little more about anecdotes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aRd-mCCEkg

Try writing an anecdote Begin writing your own anecdote using the following idea: You want me to know a specific personality trait that you have (creative, funny, likeable, shy, stubborn, etc.). Through the use on your own anecdote, SHOW me this trait. Your anecdote should be at least one paragraph long, but CAN be more.