ESSAY #2
PLANNING PAGE
Personal Statement
WRITE 10 moments that stand out in your memory. The most useful ones are often the
memories that seem to be there for no reason.
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TWENTY-ONE WRITING PROMPTS
1. What was a time when you were a victim?
2. What was a time when you gave forgiveness?
3. What was a time someone forgave you?
4. What is a sacrifice you made for someone?
5. When did someone make a sacrifice for you?
6. What was a lesson a grandparent (or elder) taught you?
7. What is an experience that involved race, gender, sexual orientation, or prejudice?
8. Is there a special song that always brings back a memory?
9. What is a place you loved and lost?
10. What is a story about a pet?
11. What is a personal story about a hospital?
12. What is your greatest fear and a story that illustrates that fear?
13. Did you ever experience a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, flood?
14. When were ever betrayed?
15. When did you betray someone else?
16. What is a loss you suffered in life?
17. What was your first experience with death?
18. When is a time you gained confidence?
19. What is an experience you had with water?
20. What is a mistake you made?
21. What is a decision you had to make concerning travelling to a new country?
22. What experience made you know that you were growing up and becoming an adult?
PURPOSES: (reflect and express)
(Flesh out your specific purposes. For example: My purpose is to reflect on a painful moment in
1995 when my grandmother taught me a valuable lesson about respecting one’s elders.)
My purpose is to reflect on a time when
AUDIENCE (You know this one! Your audience is your English 1301 class, a community of
supportive writers and readers. However, you might consider a wider HCC audience if you were
to publish your memoir in our school newspaper The Egalitarian.)
College Admissions Officer
GENRE: (the type or category of your writing)
Memoir (For our purposes, write a memoir that tells a story
involving a conflict. Out of this conflict comes a valuable
lesson or strong impression.)
TONE (What are some words to express the mood, attitude, or feeling of your personal
experience?)
STRATEGY :
(Your primary strategy is narration; your secondary or supporting strategy is description.)
primarily narration with some description
TENTATIVE THESIS :
(At this early point in your planning, try to articulate a tentative thesis, one that suggests,
through your carefully chosen diction, your purpose and strategy. Think of your thesis as the
main point of your essay. You can always go back and revise and refine this tentative thesis.)
DEADLINES and LENGTH:
Length: 750 – 1,000 words or up to three full double-spaced pages (No more than three!)
DOCUMENT DESIGN:
Times New Roman point 12, double spaced
MANUSCRIPT MECHANICS
MLA
REVERSE OUTLINE:
(Identify the main points of action in your essay. Perhaps locate major actions leading up to the
climax. This outline could be an informal listing outline. Feel free, though, to use Roman
numerals and letters to develop your outline. )