How to Write a Good Personal Response Essay

A personal response essay is a type of creative writing that shares your personal experiences, insights, or opinions with the reader. It is different from other academic essays, which are usually based on research and analysis of a topic. A personal essay can be written for various purposes, such as applying for college, reflecting on a life event, or expressing your views on a social issue.

A personal response essay is a type of essay that asks you to think critically about a piece of writing or media and express your own opinions, feelings, and experiences in relation to it. Writing a personal response essay requires a lot of preparation, analysis, and reflection.

Here Are Some Steps You Can Follow to Write a Good Personal Response Essay:

1. Understand the text. Before you write your response, you need to read or watch the text carefully and understand its main ideas, arguments, and purpose. Do some background research on the author, genre, context, and audience of the text to help you interpret it better.
2. Reflect on your personal thoughts and feelings. After you understand the text, you need to think about how it affects you personally. What are your initial reactions, emotions, and opinions about the text? How does the text relate to your own experiences, values, and beliefs? Write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal or a brainstorming sheet to help you organize them later.
3. Identify key points and arguments. Next, you need to identify the most important points and arguments that the text makes and how they support its purpose. You can use direct quotations, summaries, or paraphrases from the text to illustrate these points and arguments. You can also analyze the text’s writing style, tone, structure, and techniques and how they affect its meaning and impact.
4. Organize your thoughts. Once you have identified the key points and arguments of the text and your personal thoughts and feelings, you need to organize them into a coherent and logical structure. You can use an outline to plan your response and decide what you want to say in each paragraph. A typical personal response essay has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
5. Write your personal response. Use a clear and engaging language and voice that reflects your personality and perspective. Add transitions, topic sentences, and evidence to connect your ideas and support your claims. You should also acknowledge and address any opposing views or counter arguments that the text or your readers might have.
6. Proofread and edit your response. After you finish writing your personal response, you need to proofread and edit it for any errors, inconsistencies, or weaknesses. Revise and refine your response to make sure it is clear, concise, and convincing.

The Structure of a Personal Response Essay

The structure of a personal response essay can vary depending on the purpose and audience, but it generally consists of three main parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Introduction:

This is where you catch the reader’s attention and introduce your topic. You can use a hook, such as a question, a quote, a statistic, or a personal anecdote, to draw the reader in. You should also provide some background information on your topic and state your main idea or thesis statement, which summarizes the main point or message of your essay.

To transition from the introduction to the body paragraphs, you need to use a transition sentence that connects your thesis statement to your first main point. A transition sentence can also serve as a “reverse hook” that references the entire thesis, bridging the two paragraphs. A good transition sentence should be clear, concise, and specific. It should also indicate the purpose and scope of your body paragraph. You can use transition words or phrases, such as “firstly”, “secondly”, “however”, “therefore”, etc. to introduce your body paragraphs and create a logical flow for your essay.

Body:

This is where you develop your main idea and support it with evidence, examples, and analysis. You should organize your body paragraphs according to a logical order, such as chronological, compare-and-contrast, or problem-solution. Each paragraph should focus on one main point that relates to your thesis statement and start with a topic sentence that introduces the point. You should also use transitions to connect your paragraphs and guide the reader through your essay.

To maintain coherence between paragraphs, you need to ensure that your ideas are logically connected and consistent throughout your essay.

• Repetition of key terms/concepts/phrases: This helps the reader follow the main threads of your essay and strengthens the organization and clarity of your writing.
• Synonyms: This adds variety to your word choice and avoids redundancy. You can use synonyms to refer to the same idea or concept without repeating the exact same word.
• Sentence patterns: This creates a rhythm and flow for your writing and makes it easier for the reader to follow your argument. You can use parallel or similar sentence structures to introduce or develop your points.
• Pronouns: This helps you avoid repetition and create cohesion between sentences and paragraphs. You can use pronouns like he, she, it, they, those, this, these, etc. to refer back to something previously mentioned in your essay.
• Transitions: This helps you create a logical flow and structure for your essay. You can use transition words or phrases, such as firstly, secondly, however, therefore, in conclusion, etc. to introduce, connect, or summarize your ideas.

To transition between different ideas or topics within a paragraph, you need to use a transition word or phrase that shows the relationship between them. Transition words or phrases can help you indicate contrast, comparison, cause and effect, addition, example, or sequence.

The transition word “for instance” in the sentence helps the reader see that the second idea is an example of the first idea. It also creates a smoother flow and connection between the sentences.

Here are some examples of transition words or phrases for different purposes:

• Contrast: however, nevertheless, on the other hand, although, despite, etc.
• Comparison: similarly, likewise, in the same way, also, etc.
• Cause and effect: because, therefore, as a result, consequently, etc.
• Addition: moreover, furthermore, additionally, in addition, etc.
• Example: for example, for instance, such as, namely, etc.
• Sequence: firstly, secondly, finally, next, then, etc.

A good transition word or phrase should be clear, concise, and appropriate for the context and purpose of your paragraph. You should also avoid overusing or misusing transitions, as this can confuse or distract the reader.

Conclusion:

This is where you wrap up your essay and leave a lasting impression on the reader. You should restate your thesis statement in a new way, summarize the main points you made in your body paragraphs, and explain why your essay matters or what you learned from it. You can also end with a call to action, a question, a prediction, or a personal comment to engage the reader.

Example of a Personal Response Essay

Here is an example of a personal response essay outline based on the question: “How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your life?”

Introduction

Hook: Start with a statistic or a fact about the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the number of cases, deaths, or lockdowns worldwide.
Background: Provide some context on the COVID-19 pandemic, such as when and how it started, what are the symptoms and risks, and how it has impacted the world socially, economically, and politically.
Thesis: State your main idea or message, such as how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed your perspective on life, health, or society.

Body

Paragraph 1: Explain how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your personal life, such as your family, friends, hobbies, or routines. Provide specific examples and details to illustrate your point.
Paragraph 2: Explain how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your academic or professional life, such as your studies, work, or career goals. Provide specific examples and details to illustrate your point.
Paragraph 3: Explain how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your mental or emotional well-being, such as your mood, stress, or coping strategies. Provide specific examples and details to illustrate your point.

Conclusion

Summary: Restate your thesis statement in a new way and summarize the main points you made in your body paragraphs.
Significance: Explain why your essay matters or what you learned from it, such as how the COVID-19 pandemic has taught you to appreciate life, value health, or support society.
Ending: End with a call to action, a question, a prediction, or a personal comment to engage the reader, such as asking them to share their own experiences, opinions, or hopes for the future.

We hope this helps you understand the structure of a personal essay.

Some Common Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Response Essays Are:

Using bloated thesaurus speak. You should use a clear and engaging language that reflects your personality and perspective, not a formal academic tone that sounds unnatural or pretentious.

• Fixating on word count. You should focus on telling your whole story first, regardless of how many words it takes, and then edit for word count later. Cutting too early might make you miss important details or insights.
• Picking the wrong prompt. You should choose a prompt that allows you to showcase your unique voice, experiences, and opinions, not one that limits your creativity or forces you to write about something you don’t care about.
• Not meeting the minimum number of hours worked prior to submitting your application. You should make sure you have enough work experience to qualify for the scholarship or program you are applying for, and enter the correct total number of weeks and hours worked for each year of employment.
• Not engaging with evidence. You should analyze the text’s writing style, tone, structure, and techniques and how they affect its meaning and impact, not just summarize or quote from it. You should also acknowledge and address any opposing views or counter arguments that the text or your readers might have.
• Holding back. You should be honest and authentic in expressing your personal thoughts and feelings, not censor yourself or avoid controversial topics. You should also use dialogue, anecdotes, and sensory details to make your response more vivid and engaging.

Professional Personal Response Essay Writers

Personal response essays are usually based on research and analysis. Personal response essays can be written for various purposes, such as reflecting on a book, a movie, a current event, or a personal issue.

If you need help with writing a personal response essay, you can find many online writing tutoring services that offer professional assistance. These services such as Exclusivethesis.com can help you with various aspects of your essay, such as brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, and formatting. You can also choose from different levels of support, such as one-on-one tutoring, group tutoring, or online courses.

However, not all online writing tutoring services are the same. You should consider several factors before choosing the best one for your needs, such as:

• The quality and qualifications of the tutors or writers
• The availability and accessibility of the service
• The pricing and payment options
• The guarantees and policies of the service
• The feedback and reviews from previous customers

You can use a web search tool to find some of the best online writing tutoring services to help with your personal response essay writing.