Momwriters Write

{All About MomWriters} {MomWriters Write}
{Special Events} {Projects} {Resources/Links}
{Contact Momwriters}

Working Words

The Personal Essay
Racing the Stars -
In Pursuit of the Personal Essay
by P.L. Elliott-Makolondra

My daughter has brought in the mail which, considering I only had to remind her once, is a cause for celebration. But there is more to celebrate, for the pile contains my new copy of "Yankee Magazine."

I drop my writing project mid-sentence, yank off the plastic-seal protection, pull off the cardboard-like "Resubscribe Now!" offers (my subscription runs out in the year 2001; I'm not real concerned about missing any issues), and flip open the back cover. There, on the back page, is Edie Clark's essay column, "Life Viewed from Mary's Farm."

Every month Ms. Clark inspects the seasonal cycle of life as it takes place on Mary's Farm, and in so doing peels back another layer of her own soul, bravely offering it up for our inspection. She does so beautifully, poignantly and with such subtly you don't realize while reading her piece how your life is, in some wonderful way, being changed, thanks to her.

This is the power of a personal essay when in the hands of a master - and Edie Clark is a master. The personal essay, like no other form of writing, provides the writer an opportunity to seize and hold the reader, to exact an emotional response. Though poetry also functions on an emotional level, an essay does not require your reader make an interpretation, guessing at the message the writer wishes to convey. An essay spells it out for you and while it requires your reader to think and examine personal prejudices or beliefs, it does so in a manner the reader understands. To my thinking this is more effective than the poem, for there's nothing left to chance.

My Journal Made Me Do It?

I have noticed a welcome resurgence in both the writing and the reading of the personal essay. Though pure speculation on my part, I believe this is simply a natural outgrowth sparked by the increasing popularity of journal writing. Writing a journal is an excellent training ground for identifying and then setting to paper the value of your life experiences, the depths of your emotional ties and the power of your dreams.

For many, journal writing is satisfying in and of itself and the need to branch out is never an issue. The day may come, though, when you discover the simmering urge to write for yourself turns into a boiling passion to share your thoughts with others. Journal writing has nurtured the desire to write but the constraints of the journal may become stifling. It is then you accept the challenge inherent in writing personal essays; your words meant for others' eyes.

But What Do I Write About?

In each and every one of us there exists a well of wisdom, an ocean of knowledge. Often it is hidden - it's there under the flood of laundry, drowned out by the chorus of "not again" in response to the menu for dinner that evening, swishing about amongst the flotsam and jetsam of everyone's life.

It is this very day-in, day-out side of life which allows for the most sensitive, thought provoking personal essays. The personal essay speaks of the mundane, possibly, but raises it to the level of self-revelation and fulfillment. These works are made up of the stuff of our lives, these thoughts set down in the essay are those which have been touched on but not yet set in place. Your essay will help your readers accomplish this task, come to grips with certain aspects of their lives which had been confusing, maybe even frightening.

Always, always the essay must force us to THINK.

Okay, So What Is a Personal Essay, Anyway?

Unlike an article wherein the writer's goal is to convey information, or a work of fiction in which the goal is to entertain, an essay tells a reader how the writer feels about a particular topic and then explains why.

An essay is purely an opinion - the writer's. Writing a personal essay is a bit like having a debate with only one side being heard. The reader will supply the counterpoint, but the writer will probably remain blissfully unaware of any contradicting opinion.

This is the purpose of the personal essay: whether the reader agrees with the opinion expressed, the essay has evoked a reaction; the reader was moved to consider individual beliefs, to look inside and come up with a personal evaluation. The essay writer wields a pretty powerful punch, actually, and it is not a responsibility to be taken lightly.

I Have Something the World Needs to Hear, but How?

Look upon writing the personal essay as an attempt to convince someone what you think is correct. Since the reader is not there in person to contest your opinion, allow her to toss out questions in your head, instead. Hold a mental conversation as you write, answer the reader's questions as they arise, knock them flat if they get annoying or too argumentative (it is your essay, after all).

It might be helpful to think in the following terms:

1. State your point
2. Question your point
3. Support your point
4. Revelation made
5. Reiterate point in closure
6. Pick up check
7. Pay the mortgage

What could be easier? Well, jumping the Grand Canyon on a moped comes to mind (particularly in regards to #'s 5 and 6).

I would like to now take you on a little romp through my essay writing process. This is how it works for me and may not necessarily be the best method for you. I include it here because it might give some insight not only in how the personal essay develops, but also the self-editing process that takes place along the way.

Back to Top