Gloucester Project: Personal Experience Essay

Cape Ann Art & Culture Multigenre Writing Project:

Personal Experience Essay

Due Tuesday, June 11

* [Minimum requirement] Go somewhere or do something (have an experience) related to the aspect of Cape Ann culture that you are exploring. Or, think of an experience (or experiences) you have had in the past related to your topic.

* [Minimum requirement] Write a personal essay (narrating a story, describing the experience(s), and reflecting on the meaning of the experiences) that is 500 words or fewer in length (twelve-point font, double-spaced.) You must have paragraphs.

* [Minimum requirement] Give your personal essay an appropriate and imaginative title.

·        Narration: Narrate a specific experience (and along the way describe and reflect). Bring the experience alive and bring your thoughts & feelings alive for the reader.  Make sure there are transitions between sentences and paragraphs. The writing should flow.

·        Description: Describe the experience by presenting engaging, suggestive, and vivid sensory imagery (sight, sounds, textures, smells, and/or tastes). The descriptions should create a tone and mood. The descriptions might even suggest a theme. The descriptions should be woven together with thoughts and feelings about the images.

·        Reflection: Reflect on the meaning of the experience to you. Reflect on what you have seen and felt. Develop these thoughts and feelings. Think about prior experiences, memories. Think about your research. Reflect on it all. Make meaning.

·        Command of writing conventions: Proofread. Write properly punctuated and complete sentences. Choose words carefully; use them correctly; spell them correctly. There should be no run-on sentences and no homophone errors. If your essay contains dialogue, remember that each utterance should be given its own paragraph.

·        Command of personal style: Philip Lopate says, “the hallmark of the personal essay is its intimacy.   The writer seems to be speaking directly into your ear, confiding everything from gossip to wisdom....”  I want to hear you—the thoughtful, observant, reflective you—on the page. The style of this essay should convey intimacy with the reader and care with language.