Writing A Personal Essay

A personal essay explains the writer's opinion and gives reasons to support the opinion.  In this lesson you will be writing your own personal essay about a point of view that you feel strongly about. Answer these questions in your journal to get started:

    What audience are you writing for?

    What is your purpose in writing? to amuse or entertain? to connect with other people?

Come up with three or more possible ideas for a topic.  These questions may help you:

    Are there any people in your life who are really special to you?

    What things make your life rich?

    Have you seen, heard, or experienced anything lately that was: thrilling? surprising? greatly disappointing? just plain wonderful?

To organize your essay, consider these tips:

    List thoughts, opinions, and feelings.   

   Find connections between thoughts, opinions, and feelings.

   Organize your essay around the connections your find.

Tips for the Main Idea and Details:

   Think of each paragraph as a tower with details serving as a foundation for the main idea.

    Make sure that details work together.

    Make sure each detail is interesting and to the point.

Tips for the Introduction and Conclusion:

     Challenge, question, or surprise the reader in the introduction.

     In the conclusion, bring the essay to a close.

      Take a look back at the beginning as you end your essay.

Use this Planning Chart to help you organize your essay.

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