How to Write a Perfect Personal Essay in 3 Steps


In some ways a personal essay is the easiest type of essay to write. If you are writing about an unknown topic or one with which you have little prior knowledge, research is the name of the game. This is not the case with the personal essay. You are writing something which is close to your heart. You already have significant prior knowledge of the topic and if it is about you so much the better.

But just because you know a lot about the topic doesn't mean that the essay you write will be perfect. So what three steps can you take to ensure that your personal essay really is perfect?

  • - Never lose sight of the structure.
  • - Never lose sight of the reader.
  • - Never lose sight of the basics of good writing.

Just because you are super familiar with the topic doesn't mean that the structure of a personal essay needs to go walkabout. The tried and tested structure of introduction, middle section with fact paragraphs and finally the conclusion does indeed work and should be used for your perfect personal essay. Maintain the structure. Maintain the way each section of the structure operates.

And though you might be terribly interested in the topic of your personal essay you should remember you're not writing for yourself, you are writing for the reader. The fact that the reader might be your teacher or professor is beside the point. Always bear in mind that somebody has to read what you are writing. Aim to be informative and entertaining with a fine balance between the two.

It doesn't matter which topic you choose in your perfect personal essay, good writing will never go out of style. You need of course to edit and proofread once you have finished your first draft. But then there are questions to be answered.

Does the writing flow? Have you avoided flowery language and stuck to the point? Have you removed any spelling and grammatical errors? Is your personal essay perfect in every way?

Every essay or paper needs preparation. Part of that will include a plan. You need to create an outline of what you will write, in what order and with how much explanation and detail. The writing of your personal essay will be easy and effective once you set up a detailed plan of content. That’s the way to create a perfect personal essay.