| |
| |
|
Writing Information |
|
|
|
The Makings of a Personal Essay, Really
Sometimes I can be dense when it comes to realizing the potential of my own life experiences as essays for magazines. I, of course, fully believe that everything in my life is newsworthy, but sometimes have trouble figuring out which experiences will hit home with other people. I recently learned the secret, and it can be summarized in one word: Really? My friends know that I can talk. I mean, I can talk! Get me on the phone and Im likely to tell you all about my day, from my breakfast to my editors latest comments to my insomnia. I dont inflict my tendency toward verbosity on everyone, but at least a few trusted souls get to bear the brunt of my solitary lifestyle and my need to dish. Their reactions tell me whether or not I have the material for a marketable personal essay. My all-time best-selling essay is a simple story about a boy who won a stuffed animal for his little sister in a crane machine. When I saw it happen, I was so touched I almost cried. When I retold it to my mom, the tears welled up again. I got to the climactic momentAnd then he bent down and gave the stuffed animal to his little sister and kissed her on the foreheadand my mom asked, Really? Thats so sweet! Bing. Really? translates to Thats a great story. When I tell mom about the new toy I bought for my cat, she never asks, Really? She doesnt press me for details. She probably cant wait for me to shut up so she can hang up the phone and do something productive that doesnt involve listening to my escapades with my cat. But when Ive hit on something that might actually warrant an article, her reaction wont be a simple Mmm-hmm, or Thats great. Itll be a question, or a plea to share more. The reactions to listen for, in addition to Really? are:
A few weeks ago, I was talking to Jamie Blyth (Im helping to write his book, Fear Is No Longer My Reality) about how far Ive come in beating my anxiety disorder. One of the things I mentioned was that I used to have an obsessive-compulsive disorder related to food. He wanted to know more. I explained that I went through a two-year phase where I ate nothing but canned foods and other food with really long shelf lives. Really? he asked. Oh. I hadnt thought about that phase of mine in quite some time, and had forgotten that it might be intriguing to people whove never experienced OCD. OCD as an overall topic has been done many times, but this detailthe canned foods and my almost deadly diethasnt. It doesnt belong in a how-to article. It works because of the telling, because of the personal nature of the story. And as I sat down to write it, a beautifully marketable essay formed almost effortlessly. Think about what details of your story set it apart from similar stories. Countless essays have been written about alcoholism, eating disorders, miscarriage, drug abuse, abusive marriages, finding God, giving birth... that doesnt mean you cant tell your story. You just have to find a unique angle, a new way of telling it, a nugget that people will remember. The same effortless type of story formed when I told people how Anthony and I bought our house. We fell so in love with it that we kept coming to visit and take pictureswe would sit on the other side of the lake, facing the owners backyard, and just hug and dream of what it would be like to live there. When it came time to make an offer, we were immediately outbid by thousands of dollars and couldnt match the price. We went to say goodbye to the owners, and they told the Realtor to take it off the marketwe were the people they wanted to live in the home theyd loved for 40 years. They had seen us from their back window all the times we came to admire the house from afar, and they knew we would appreciate the gardens, the greenhouse, the lake. So they took a loss of thousands of dollars because they wanted us to live our dream. Quick, what was your reaction to that story? I hope it was Thats amazing!, because thats the reaction I got from nearly everyone who heard the story. Within a couple of weeks of moving in, I sold the essay to A Cup of Comfort and sent the anthology to the previous owners of the house. If someones eyes light up when you tell a story, chances are excellent that theres a market for it. If one person finds it interesting, inspiring, hilarious, or moving, others likely will, too. Consider your friends and family your test audience. Test out your experiences on them. If they dont press you for more details, either the story isnt there, or you need a more compelling way to tell it. You can also test by e-mail; send a few friends a note about a recent experience of yours and see how many of them react to it. Note, too, how quickly they react. If they respond right after reading it, their interest levels are probably high. If they respond a week later and mention, By the way, that was a nice story, it likely didnt pass the test. Personal experiences dont need to be earth-shattering to be worthy of print. They just need to be interesting, insightful, and emotion-provoking in almost any sense of the word. Your story may make someone happy, mad, upset, horrified, shocked... as long as you can elicit a strong emotion, you can draw readers. And editors like writers who can draw readers. Go forth and share your experiences. Personal essays are wonderful gifts to share with the world. Really! About The Author Jenna Glatzer is the editor-in-chief of Absolute Write (www.absolutewrite.com). She has written for hundreds of national and online magazines, and her latest book is MAKE A REAL LIVING AS A FREELANCE WRITER, which you can find at www.jennaglatzer.com. Find out how to get a FREE editors' cheat sheet with this book! Copyright 2004 Jenna Glatzer. All rights reserved.
MORE RESOURCES:
Writing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Write For Yourself First It would be very selfless or noble of me to tell you that I have created my web site only to help you and the rest of humanity. The reason for me spending so much time and energy into my writing and this site is selfish. How To Identify Your Own Style Of Writing This article is to help identify which style, technique or strategy of writing that one may use. I will also help to understand the method in the way a writer writes and help in determinining which aproach may suite your needs. The Bottomless Notebook Reading through a writer's notebook or journal is like discovering pearls, rubies and diamonds amidst a pile of rubble.That little notebook is a powerhouse of ideas for every writer: The more you write down bits and pieces of your thoughts and observations, the more you are adding into the well of ideas for future works. Effective Editing: It Spells the Difference! If you think proofreading equals editing, then you're wrong! Editing is a lot more than just scrutinizing your manuscript for misspelled words or missing punctuation marks.As a whole:Edit only *after* you've written the *whole* piece. The Untold Secrets of Writing Best Selling Childrens Books Ever wondered how the most successful children's book writers get their ideas? The answer may surprise you.Most children's books are based on the same exact story - good versus evil. 3 Quick Tips on Plotting Your Book Plotting a book can seem an overwhelming task when you're just starting out, but it does get easier when you understand various plotting strategies.Here are 3 quick tips that could be all you need to get you started: One: You'll find it useful to analyse published books. Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 4 of 6 LATER, LATTERLater means afterwards; latter is the second of two things."Later that day we went for a walk. Crime Writing Beckons If your cash is running out fast and you have an incessant need to write, why not turn to crime?No! Not committing crime, but to writing about crime. Crime is all around us, and people want to know about it. Slow Pokes: Short Story On The Changing World Of Writing "No one will ever know who I am, I'm a nobody-writer from nowhere? I've had a thousand rejections from all the major publishers. It seems my destiny is never to be read, another nameless soul lost to the sands of eternity. Getting Looked Over, Without Getting Overlooked: Writing for Scanners and Skimmers * Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages or Web site sales letters, you need to know how to hold the attention of different types of readers. Even the readers that don't actually "read. Revising Your Manuscript: Fourteen Questions to Ask Yourself 1) Can you summarize the story in about a sentence or two?Example:Three daughters try desperately to save their father from his conniving new wife.A cop has to fight a losing battle with the bottle and discover the identity of a serial killer. A Writers Life Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that breathing, sweating, hungry, weary, bona fide guy does when he's not at the keyboard? How does his "day job" affect his writing? When he's mowing the lawn, grocery shopping, or babysitting grandchildren - what goes through his mind? Is he sucking up every sensation as he moves through his day, tucking tidbits away for a future piece? Or, does he simply journey through life, just - doing - these things?How do I define myself? Am I Aaron Paul Lazar, with the obligatory middle name, author of the LeGarde Mystery Series? Sometimes. At book signings, indeed. How To Become a Freelance Grant Writer What is a freelance grant writer? These individuals have a lot of power in their hands. When they work for companies, they are essentially trying to help gain free money for that company to help the company expand, do research, or to stay in business. Celebrating Writing and Life Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a few minutes of goals and visions for the day swirl in my head. The Best Freelance Job Boards for Writers How many times have you checked out a job board to that either it no longer exists or that there is one or two jobs listed. Out of the hundreds of job boards on the Web today, how do you find those containing projects that you are interested in and qualified for. Reasons for Recording Your Life Story 1. No one else will do it for you. Sharpen Your Writing With Structure At some point, every serious writer is forced to sit down and conclude that there is something seriously wrong with their work. It wanders; it is pretty in some spots and horribly ugly in others. What Is The Single Worst Mistake Most People Make When Writing Classified Ads? All sales begin with some form of advertising whether it's word of mouth or printed media or even electronic. To build sales, this advertising must be seen or heard by potential buyers. The Iniquitous Slip All the famous writers I heard of could paper the walls of their offices with rejection notices.Rejection slips are the bane of all writers, yet they are inevitable. 7 Weapons to Conquer the Giant Procrastination Keeping You from Your Book Dream Have you been guilty of procrastinating on your book project, lately? Like the author, many writers get hung up with wrong thinking about writing and completing their books. They feel like a loser because they have stopped and started countless of times over the years.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
