EXPOSING THE PERSONAL ESSAY
Deborah Bouziden Copyright © 2002

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Do you have an opinion about the world around you? Friends? Holidays? The death penalty? Public restrooms?

In the sixteenth century, the Frenchman Michel Eyquem de Montaigne had many opinions. Thus, the esai was born. Open almost any magazine today, visit most websites, and you will find his literary undertaking still popular. If you can express the way you feel about any given subject (perhaps the President's Health Care Plan or a certain kind of food you enjoy), you can write an essay. The first thing you must decide, however, is whether your topic lends itself to an op/ed piece, a personal essay or a personal experience piece.

ESSAYS DEFINED
To alleviate confusion, let's define these three article types. The true essay--or as it's often called today, the op/ed piece, short for opposite the editorial--remains issue oriented. Though personally uninvolved, the author still bases his essay on his opinions. His writing will express a strong view about an issue of public concern, and he will try to convince the reader to share his belief. The op/ed essay, usually formal in tone, takes a stand, justifies it with supporting details, and often includes a call to action.

The personal essay also needs a single stated theme, which carries throughout the piece. However, the tone of the personal essay is usually more relaxed and conversational. Personal essays may cover broad topics involving common- place, everyday situations. These topics might range from burglary to stuffed bears. This essay depends on the author's personal experience and his reaction to those experiences. It conveys the feelings of the writer and gives the reader a personal view of the author's life.

In these pieces, the writer makes his point by telling the reader about something that happened to him and how he feels about it. In a successful personal essay, the reader will identify with the author and relate to his feelings of anger, fear, joy, sadness or embarrassment. The author confides in the reader as if he's a close friend.

Personal essays often deal with something taken for granted every day, now revealed in a different light. Every personal essay includes anecdotes or scenes from the author's life. The writing should be so crisp and clear that the reader feels the emotions the writer went through in the situation.

At this point, let's make the distinction between personal experience and personal essay pieces. Many writers confuse the two. Both the personal essay and the personal experience article deal with an incident in the author's life. The personal experience piece, however only shows the incident. The personal essay relates how the author felt about the lessons learned, or opinions formed.

For example, a few years ago I sold a personal experience piece about my three-year-old son Nathan coloring himself blue with a magic marker. It related the incidents of my finding him, trying to wash off the pigment, and driving to the doctor with my self-made Smurf. If I had written the same incident but included a theme, my reaction to what he did, and the anger and embarrassment of the situation, it could have become a personal essay.

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THINKING IT THROUGH
Personal essays require a lot of thought. A journal can help when you're planning such an essay. In the pages of your journal, you can jot down feelings, images and details from an unexpected incident. Observations of an early morning sunrise, the gnarled finger-like branches of a leafless tree, or the V-flight pattern of birds going south for the winter can become visual image material for your essay.

Throughout this thinking process, you must understand the purpose for your essay. Your piece should state a single theme. Express the theme in your statement, which embodies your reason for writing about the topic. A stated theme will hold the piece together and give continuity to the article.

The essay should not be a rambling account of a personal crisis. Analyze the situation and write about the problem only after you've come to terms with what you've learned and now believe.

WRITING IT DOWN
Personal essays usually run no more than 1,000 words and are intended to be read in one sitting. Some writers choose to take a step back and write their essays in third person, but most are written in first. Whichever style you choose, you must make your words come together in an intimate way to achieve the mood you want the reader to remember. Make your point without being preachy. Be personal without being sentimental. At all costs, guard against reliving every past moment of your life.

Like any article, the essay needs an opening, a body and a closing. The opening should introduce the topic and state the theme. The body should elaborate on the opening by presenting the specific incident which motivated you to write on this topic and arrive at your stated theme. The closing will make a full circle and sum up what you have said.

Use figures of speech, comparisons, crisp images and specific details to enhance your essay. For example, describing a tree's twisted branches as an old hag's knotty fingers gives clearer images than simply stating its branches were twisted. Subtle uses of simile and metaphors will bring your essays alive and make them memorable.

Use the five senses--sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing--to bring your reader into your experience. Let him see and feel the incident as you saw and felt it. Sensory details touch the reader emotionally and help give him a new point of view or direct him toward new insight.

While some personal essays are written with a serious tone, most are light-hearted. Even humorous, satirical, or controversial essays must express the thoughts and feelings of the author.

MARKETING STRATEGIES
When you're ready to market your essay, select a publication with which you're familiar. Send for guidelines and read five or six recent back issues. Find the essay page and study the style and tone of essays published.

When I study specific articles, I keep colored markers on hand. If I'm using library publications, I photocopy the pages I want to analyze. First, I count the words to get an approximate length.

Then I mark the theme statement in one color, the closing in another. I underline feelings expressed with a different color and figures of speech with yet another. Anecdotes and incidents are highlighted. It looks like a color collage but after a while I can recognize a pattern and get a feel for the type of essays that particular magazine publishes.

Look on the newsstand for current markets for your personal essays. Check out regional markets like your local newspaper, religious and literary magazines as well. Studying before you submit is the best way to get an editor's attention.

I once read that a personal essay is a personal journey. Making that journey come alive for the reader and touching him emotionally can be rewarding, both in bylines and in the satisfaction of knowing you are sharing a part of yourself with the world.

PERSONAL ESSAY CHECKLIST
Can theme be stated in one sentence?
Is theme carried throughout?
Is theme universal yet personal?
Does theme leave reader with a new awareness?
Does theme stimulate further thought on the subject?
Are the topic and theme timely, or overused and boring?
Is tone appropriate to the subject and publication?
Is subject expressed in logical order?
Does writing style appeal to reader?
Is writing intimate but not sentimental?
Are strong verbs and vivid figures of speech used?
Does the closing tie the piece together, leaving the reader satisfied?

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DEBORAH BOUZIDEN has been writing and publishing since 1985 and has hundreds of articles published. Her current books are: THE JOURNAL WHEEL AND GUIDEBOOK, HOW TO GET FREE BOOKS (AND POSSIBLY GET PAID) AS A BOOK REVIEWER and her novel, YANKEE SURRENDER. Read more about Deborah at her website, www.deborahbouziden.com.