For your first essay, you will write a Memoir Essay in which you reflect on a pivotal event or person in your life.
Choose an event that changed you (it can be a “small” event as long as you were changed by the experience), or, write your essay about a person who’s had an impact on your life.
Your goal is to use plenty of descriptive detail to unfold an engaging story which builds suspense and character. Your essay should clearly reflect the significance of the event or person in your life.
After writing the first draft of your Memoir Essay, you’ll want to follow these steps.
Read your draft out loud. Listen for vague or “filler” words, awkward, wordy, or unclear sentences, and obvious grammar errors. Mark these problems on your draft.
Determine if you’ve added enough detail about the 5 W’s of narration: is it clear what happens?
Do you sufficiently describe who the characters are in your story? Is it clear when and where this story is taking place?
Is it clear why this person or event is significant to you? Mark up your draft with suggestions for improvement.
Make the revisions you deemed were necessary in steps 1 and 2.
