Hints On How To Write A First Person Essay

Every high school student will have been told time and time again that when writing an essay they are not to use the first-person. You don't say I, we, my, etc. and while this is a good rule to follow you also need to understand that sometimes when writing an academic essay, which usually are more formal in tone, it is not against the law to write a first-person essay. By all means do not overdo the use of the I word. But by the same token don't accept the saying that you must never ever use it.

When is it a good time to write a first-person essay?

When you are instructed to do so is the obvious time and when you are writing an application essay wanting to win a place at a particular college or university are both ideal times for a first-person essay.

And when you are writing any form of narrative essay, there will come a time when you will want to include a personal story or anecdote. When you are giving a speech or writing an essay, one of the best ways to capture and hold the attention of the listener or reader is to tell a personal story. Suddenly you move from theory to practice. People far more readily associate with a tale. Now if you are writing a first-person essay and you include a personal anecdote then you will almost certainly write in the first-person.

If you want to be direct and clear in your writing, and everybody should be, then writing in the first-person is often the best way to explain something. Some students fall over themselves to avoid writing in the first-person and as a result their prose becomes tangled and convoluted. There are times when it is perfectly okay to slip into a first-person narrative.

When you're trying to prove a point or make a point in an essay, making it a first-person essay is a great way to establish credibility. You put yourself front and centre in the argument. You express your opinion and refer to yourself as the source of the information. All this happens when you write a first-person essay.

Finally you need to think about the opposite situation of writing in the third person; by doing that, you remove yourself from the essay. By reverting to a first-person essay, you stamp your personality on the writing. This form of writing is easily identifiable and done well packs a serious punch.