On a higher level, an essay can be broken down into (1)introduction, (2)body, and (1)conclusion - much like our lives into (1)childhood/adolescence, (2)twenties to sixties, and on to (3)the last decades of our existence. Each section having an inherent set of unique, self-generated rules and ideas and each section different from the other although connected by our theme… our story… our life.
DEVELOP A SOLID, CONCRETE THEME/THESIS
A good essay needs direction, a theme, and connectedness. It needs to have definition and purpose because without it, you’ll write random sentences with minimal coherence leading you and your audience absolutely nowhere.
Live with purpose and define where you want to go. Take the time to painstakingly figure out what you want to accomplish, how you’ll get there, and what your next steps will be. Failure to do this and to define your theme early in life will lead to frustration, aimlessness, and general dissatisfaction. Choose a good thesis, make it your passion, and take a giant leap of faith with the understanding that doors WILL open for those who follow their bliss. The universe conspires when you live the live you've imagined. You just need connectedness.
HAVE CONNECTEDNESS AND ENGAGE THE READER
Every sentence in your essay should have a purpose and should connect to your theme. Every thought should have direction and the tension should be engaging.
Wake up every day to accomplish that purpose. Everything you do should be meaningful and connected. Make these tangible goals like I did for last week – simple and doable. Then make sure these smaller goals fit into the bigger picture and take chances! Nothing great is ever accomplished without risk. Take that vacation that may lead to a life-changing encounter. Finish that book at the expense of your social life for a few months. Finally ask out the crush you’ve been small-talking by the water-cooler at the office. These are the details that make our story unique and memorable.
USE DETAILS AND MEMORY-SOAKED WORDS
A good narrative should have words and details that appeal to your audience on a personal level. Show your audience the smells, color, sights, feelings, and tastes with memory-soaked words and details. Show them by identifying the particulars in your story. Don’t just tell. Telling is boring… anyone can tell, but only a good narrator can SHOW.
Learn to identify those moments in your life that are priceless! A night with friends and a bottomless bottle of cheap wine; a family trip with funny pictures of everyone in silly hats; a perfect cup of coffee out on the porch on a perfect morning; or a great night with just you and a great book that changes your life in the most unexpected way.
COMMUNICATE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR EXPERIENCE
A good story is only memorable when the reader understands the before-and-after, the contrarieties being examined, and the lessons learned. Always remember to not only tell a vivid tale with great details, but also the reason why we should care. “So What?” is something that should always have an obvious answer.
Do YOU know the “So What?” of YOUR life? Why IS it relevant? How have you grown? And if you so, have you shared that knowledge? That's why we're here! To learn, to grow, to give away our wealth and knowledge because in the end, no matter how hard we try, we just can’t take any of it with us. Other than working for a paycheck to feed you and your loved ones, what have you done? Where are you going? And of course, so what?
CONCLUDE WITH LESSONS LEARNED AND AVOID GENERALIZATIONS
A good narrative should have a solid conclusion where events have come full circle and lessons have been learned or simply understood. You should allude and show how this has been accomplished rather than telling using generalizations or universal blanket statements such as “in life we all know that” or “society always has a way of”. These are empty sentences with generalizations that usually take away from the singularity and personal aspect of your writing.
Since we learn on a daily basis, our general conclusion will always be in flux. Plus, we never really know when our time to go will be so we might as well have a working conclusion of sorts always in our minds. But we have all learned lessons along the way and these should be documented in your mental file cabinet and these should be shared with all around you. As with the narrative conclusion, don’t develop overly-broad and “blanket” statements in your life. Always keep it personal and keep it simple. Make every action count! Remember: It’s not good to be industrious. What are you industrious about?
REMEMBER THE ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS
Such an important part of the writing AND living process. This deserves its own post so I’ll come back to it later.
PERSONAL END NOTE
One of the main concerns I’ve read in college freshmen narratives has been their aversion to red edits on their papers. They hate to see so many mistakes on something they’ve worked so hard on. As part of our pedagogy training we’re learning to give good “readerly” comments that not only highlight the obvious grammatical issue, but will clearly show them how to improve the higher order aspects of writing that I’ve discussed in this post.
This got me thinking...
I wonder how much red ink would be all over my life if it was all written down for a “higher” review of sorts. How many comments like, "this doesn't make sense" or "where's your theme" or "where are you going in this tangent" would I see on the margins? Good thing that just like my students, I have the crucial and monumentally important understanding that there’s always that improved, revised copy you can turn in for a higher grade. Oh and guess what? The due-date is flexible!
Life as an Essay
