Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Writing Personal Essays: How to Shape Your Life Experiences for the Page

Writing Personal Essays: How to Shape Your Life Experiences for the Page
reviewed on + 625 more book reviews


The way this book is structured is really helpful. The author breaks down the skills needed for eight types of personal essays. For each type she includes first drafts, critiques of them and later drafts. Going through the book is like having a (good) writing class.

On the downside, almost all of the sample personal essays are really boring. Student work, not professional grade, not artful, not inspiring for the aspiring writer.

Still, far and away better than Dinty Moore's book on the same topic from the same publisher.