personal essay
First-person narrative piece
A personal essay is a short piece of nonfiction in which the writer explores their own experiences, thoughts, or feelings on a subject.
Unlike academic essays, personal essays emphasize voice and reflection over argument: Her personal essay about grief appeared in the magazine's lives section.
The form invites intimacy—readers expect the writer to reveal something of themselves.
- memoirWritten personal recollection
- life storyAccount of someone's existence
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- narrativeAccount of events
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
inner life · confession · voice · intimate · vulnerability · truth · real life · storytelling · memory · slice of life · self-discovery · journaling · draft · revision · anecdote · experience · honesty · catharsis
- military admissionsWest Point, USNA, Annapolis, Air Force Academy, military academy
- nonfictionbiography, autobiography, biographies, history, memoir
- creative expressionself-portrait, memoir, diary, journal, autobiography
- written worksnovel, anthologies, history books, letter, literature
- admissionsapplication, acceptance letter, admissions, application deadline, admissions committee
- magazine contentarticle, editorial, feature, photoshoot, profile
personal essaynews report
Broadcast about recent events
journalism · hard news · investigative journalism · wire story · encyclopedia entry
personal essaypress release
Official statement for media
government report · form letter · committee report · legal brief · boilerplate
personal essayfiction
Imagined narrative work
novel · short story · novella · fantasy · science fiction
personal, essay, person, persons, personhood, personally, personality, personalities, personalize