WRITING TO DISCOVER
LIFE MAP
PERSONAL WRITING
• Personal writing is a written work that describes
the events or experiences of one's life in an
informative and engaging way. Personal writing can
be a form of anecdotal (based on personal
experience) storytelling and often imparts some
kind of lesson or wisdom to the reader.
• What distinguishes personal
writing from merely storytelling?
A key difference is that personal
writing has a more profound point
or purpose, whereas storytelling
can simply entertain or amuse.
PERSONAL WRITING FEATURES
These are some of the key features of personal writing:
• A strong hook - A hook does what it says on the tin – it
hooks the reader's attention and makes them want to
continue reading. If a piece of personal writing starts with
really mundane or overly complicated information, the reader
might think, "Yup, this is not for me," or "Ugh, what are they
talking about?" and stop reading then and there.
EXAMPLE
• I hope I shall be able to confide in you completely, as I have never
been able to do in anyone before, and I hope that you will be a great
support and comfort to me.
-Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl, 1947
This is the opening line of Anne Frank's diary, later published as The
Diary of a Young Girl in 1947.
This line is a compelling hook as the reader may feel Anne Frank is
directing her sentiment toward them by using the personal
pronoun you. Because Anne Frank is also talking about needing to
confide in someone, the reader is left wondering what she could say
next, making them want to continue reading.
A COMPELLING STORY
• As we've already covered, personal writing is a form of storytelling. To do this, you need to
have, well, a story. If the story you're writing about isn't interesting and engaging, why
would people want to read it? A good story should have believable characters, a vivid sense
of setting, and a plot.
A MEANINGFUL LESSON OR
POINT
• One of the key differences between personal writing and fictional writing
(apart from the fiction vs. non-fiction part, of course) is that personal
writing imparts a lesson or piece of wisdom to the reader based on the
writer's own experience.
• Fictional writing does not need to do this and can be solely for
entertainment purposes. A good way to think about personal writing is
storytelling that gives advice or teaches something.
PERSONAL WRITING EXAMPLES
• The most common type is the personal essay. Personal essays can come in different forms and
can be written for several different purposes. We will cover personal essays in more detail in the
next section, but examples of personal essays include:
• College admission essays
• Personal statements for job applications
• Written pieces for blogs or other publications where the writer shares their personal experiences
and the lessons they've learned or realizations they've had
PERSONAL WRITING IDEAS
• If you want to try your hand at personal writing, here are some ideas to get
you thinking:
• Write about a dream or hope you had as a child. Have you achieved it?
Why or why not? Have your dreams changed since then?
• Think about a place you've traveled to. What did you learn about this place
or its people that changed your perspective on life?
• Have you ever had to confront a lie you've told? How did you
• deal with the consequences of this lie, and how did this affect you moving
forward?
• What are you most grateful for in your life? What impact has this subject
had on your life to make you appreciate it?
