English 1121 - Writing about Personal Writing

English 1121: College Writing and Critical Reading

Fall 2003 / Section 14

Essay #1 -- Writing about Personal Writing

After reading 10 of the 32 essay selections in the “Personal Writing” section of The Writer’s Presence, write an essay of your own in which you discuss what you consider to be the qualities (characteristics, traits, etc.) of “good” personal writing.

As I have mentioned in class, your essay might be most easily compared to an “opinion essay” since it is your ideas that will guide the “argument” -- do not simply write what you think your professor wants to hear. In addition, notice that this assignment is a bit different from the more straightforward “likes-and-dislikes” kind of essay. Certainly, what you “like” about personal essays will guide your choices of the most important qualities of good personal writing; however, try to move beyond the “personal taste” way of thinking into a more analytical, thoughtful explanation of what “criteria” we should use to determine whether a personal essay is “good” or not.

In your essay, as support for your points and ideas, refer to some of the personal essays you’ve read in The Writer’s Presence. By “refer to,” I mean mention the authors’ names and titles of the essays, and offer brief summaries, descriptions, and even brief quotations from the essays as needed, but try to avoid quoting at length from the essays. Then, combine your examples and details from the essays with clear explanations so that your readers will know exactly what you mean.

When you think about structuring your essay, do not organize your essay by picking 3, 4, or 5 essays and discussing each of them one at a time. Instead, come up you’re your own main points and use the essays we’ve read as evidence and support for your main points. In other words, structure your essay using the qualities of good personal writing that you’ve chosen, perhaps organizing the ideas sequentially in order of logic, importance, or complexity.

Your essay should be at least three (3) pages but no longer than five (5) pages -- double-spaced and word-processed -- with 1.0-1.25” margins, and a 12-point “normal” font (Times New Roman or Arial). No title page is needed; put your name, the course, my name, and the date in the upper left-hand corner of the first page (see BNCH pp. 44-48 for a picture of what the format should look like).