Personal essays should be every bit as intimate as they are revealing. With this form of writing, we try to provide a deep insight into our lives, highlighting the biggest challenges and accomplishments. Besides talking about our experiences, we also share our thoughts and emotions.
However, although personal essays are meant to be direct and even shocking, only a handful of them hit their mark. Many writers don’t know how to utilize the basic storytelling premises to connect with readers. As a result, essays come off as self-indulgent and without a proper structure that would provide the necessary immersion.
With storytelling, the essay gains depth and shape while guiding the reader throughout. “Personal essays can be written about a transformative journey, a silly childhood memory, or a story of conquest,” shares a college admissions consultant from H&C Education. “However, these essays still have to be packaged in a way that would be relevant to a target audience.”
In this article, we will explain why storytelling is so important and how it can change a short blurb into a powerful story.
Creating Emotional Connection
Connecting with the audience is the main goal of storytelling. Writers shouldn’t try to simply pass down information to the reader. Instead, they need to invoke a reaction, creating either a positive or a negative sentiment. In fact, the best essays are the ones where a reader puts themselves in the shoes of the main protagonist.
Storytelling is meant to create a bridge between the two sides, sharing simple universal truths that everyone can relate to. Given that essays are short-form pieces of writing, you need to be as direct as possible, as readers might not get convoluted metaphors.
Another good piece of advice is to focus on sensory experience. Describing what you’ve seen or heard ensures better immersion, allowing a reader to feel vulnerable. You must also think about the type of emotion you want to evoke in your audience. For example, if you’re writing a college essay, you want admissions officers to feel compassion, increasing your chance of acceptance.
Providing Structure
If you were to simply sit behind your desk and start writing, you’d quickly lose your train of thought. You might have trouble passing down the idea to readers, while your journey will often take unnecessary detours. This is why we implement storytelling as a method for structuring a few thoughts into a small literary masterpiece.
This concept introduces a clear narrative structure, or you might even say, the story’s backbone. Here’s how structuring your essay should look:
- Introduction: At the very beginning, you should talk about characters, their motivations, and the overall setting.
- Middle: Create the plot and build tension between different characters. Introduce the challenges each protagonist must overcome to reach their goals.
- Conclusion: Resolve the situation and explain how it impacted each of the characters. Explain how the journey helped characters evolve.
The reason why the classic storytelling arc is used to this day is that it works. More importantly, it gives you direction as a writer and helps you package your thoughts into a meaningful whole.
Revealing the Character Traits
The writer is the main character in every personal essay. Aside from the fact that you’re using storytelling to tell your story, you’re also trying to show readers who you are. Each decision you’ve mentioned in the essay can be justified through your character traits, past experience, and world views. In a way, an essay is a vehicle for telling your life story.
By understanding your point of view, a reader can build a more intimate rapport with the writer. Even if your choices might sound awkward or unjustifiable, you can use the essay to explain the motivation behind each one of them.
- Character Development: Similar to traditional novels, you’re using an essay to immerse readers into a personal journey with various challenges and drama. A reader will experience your transformation and understand the struggles you had to overcome to grow as an individual.
- Voice: Personal essays give you a chance to create a unique voice. Basically, you can emotionally guide readers with the essay's tone, making them feel vulnerable, optimistic, or courageous.
Storytelling gives you a chance to guide your own narrative. It allows you to shift readers’ perspectives on a situation and connect with them on a deeper level.
5Tips for Creating Powerful Essays
Although writing a good essay might sound simple enough, there are a lot of rules you have to abide by to drive your point. Of course, you also have to be a decent writer; otherwise, a person reading the piece might feel disconnected or bored. Here are a few tips that will help you create powerful personal essays that stand out:
1. Use Hooks: Like for any other piece of writing, you must use hooks to get readers invested. For example, you can open with a compelling first scene, thought-provoking ideas, or shocking reveals. Your main goal is to provoke curiosity, keeping the reader engaged throughout.
2. Focus on Moments: Even if the rest of your essay isn’t that interesting, a single, powerful moment can define the entire story. Well-written moments can leave a longer impression, drive a point, or make you relatable.
3. Introduce Dialogue: When writing personal essays, most people don’t even think of dialogues. However, conversation is a great way to reveal characters’ motivations and provide exposition.
4. Edit Heavily: No matter the reasons why you’re writing the essay, it has to be heavily edited. Give the piece to a few other people so they can provide their own feedback. Improve story arcs to ensure the story flows naturally.
5. Reveal Yourself: Many essays fall flat because writers don't reveal enough information about themselves. The whole point of the piece is to feel vulnerable and expose yourself to a broader audience, embracing your own imperfections.
Last Thoughts
By following these simple tips, you can create powerful essays for college or public consumption. Just make sure that you’re writing from your heart, and that the story and characters feel authentic.