Although personal essays are not as coveted by editors as they once were, it is still possible to write a personal essay and to find a publication that will buy it. As evidenced by the success of the Chicken Soup series, as long as your personal essay is original, though-provoking, entertaining and interesting, it can find a home in today’s literary marketplace. If you are hoping to write or a personal essay, you should first study the personal essays that have been published in recent issues of magazines, and then read articles like this one on how to make your essay as clear and interesting as possible. Following are ten tips on both writing personal essays and getting them published.
1. Start with Something Significant. One of the most important aspects of the personal essay is the “hook” — the introductory paragraph during which you entice the reader to continue on. The hook should be something significant that pertains to the rest of your personal essay, but also drives the reader directly into the meat of your theme. For example, if your personal essay is about getting arrested in Mexico, you should start your personal essay either with the arrest or with a day in the Mexican jail. This will place your reader directly into the scene you create and will “hook” him or her into reading the rest of your story.
2. Provide Pictures with Your Essay. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and even if your essay can stand on its own, you should include pertinent photos to go with it. Editors look for ways to entice their readers, and photographs will do that in ways that words alone cannot. You want people to actually read your essay, but photographs draw them in. If the personal essay is about your childhood, include photographs of you as a child. If it’s about an injury you sustained, include photographs of the injury or of the aftermath (i.e. you in a cast).
3. Try Not to Philosophize. While a personal essay is exactly as it sounds — intensely personal — you should do your best to stick to the facts rather than philosophizing on the meaning of life. While your experience may have had a spiritual or emotional factor, the readers care about what actually happened versus your interpretation of events. You can include your thought process during the time of the incident or event, but don’t go into too much detail. When you insert your opinion too frequently, it will turn editors off.
4. Keep It Short. Most personal essays are fewer than 2,000 words, and a great many are fewer than 1,000 words. A personal essay should be told in as few words as possible for the maximum effect. Your goal isn’t to go on for ten pages about your life experiences; instead, you want to touch on one profound incident that has changed your life. You want it to be short because there aren’t many people who will read a 5,000-word personal essay, and editors know this. So keep it down to a page or two, and expand if requested by your editor.
5. Stick with a Specific Time Frame. Before you write your personal essay, write down exactly what you want to say and the time frame in which it takes place. One of the biggest mistakes writers make with personal essays is jumping around in time. If you do this, your readers (and the editor) will be confused because, after all, they haven’t lived your life! Make your writing as clear and as succinct as possible by staying within a specific time frame.
6. Avoid Cliches. More than any other type of writing, personal essays are magnets for tired cliches. When you are writing your personal essay, think of new and original ways to express yourself. Stay away from tired sayings and anecdotes and move into the unknown for the maximum effect. When editors judge personal essays, they look for writing that will surprise and astound rather than writing that sounds like everything else they’ve ever read.
7. Make it Memorable. A personal essay must be unique, so don’t write the same personal essay that someone else has written. For example, every pet magazine in the world has received hundreds of submissions about “My First Puppy”. It’s tired, it’s boring and everyone has experienced it. Your goal in a personal essay is to set yourself outside the pack and to demonstrate an experience that few others have had. Think about all of the things that many you unique, and write a personal essay that will stick in the memories of your readers.
8. Submit the Essay, Not a Query. Unless the submission guidelines require that you query first, I would always recommend that you submit the entire essay to an editor for consideration rather than a query letter. The reason is simple: Personal essays are extremely hard to place, and if the editor has any qualms about them, he or she will not request to see the finished piece. Make sure you personal essay can speak for yourself, and submit it in its entirety to potential publishers and editors.
9. Incorporate How-To Advice. One of the best ways to transform your personal essay from “dead matter” into an excellent candidate for publication is to incorporate how-to advice into the essay itself. For example, let’s say that you’re writing a personal essay about your experience with identity theft. This is a great topic because it’s “hot” right now and because not everyone has it happen to them. After you’ve finished describing your experience, include how-to advice for readers that might experience identity theft. Explain what to do (and what not to do) so that your essay is helpful as well as interesting.
10. Include a Call-To-Action. If you’re writing a personal essay about a socio-economic, political, religious or social topic, you will earn more points by including a “Call-To-Action”. The call to action is a statement at the end of your essay that incites the participation of others. For example, if your personal essay is about abortion, you might include a call to action that encourages your readers to get informed about abortion. This aspect of the personal essay makes the reader (and the editor) a viable participant in the essay itself.
It might take several tries before you’re about to write a salable personal essay, but don’t give up if this is something you want to pursue. It might be a good idea to write several personal essays before you begin the submission process. Always have a backup so that you aren’t disappointed with rejection letters, and can keep the submissions going.
