Chapter 11 - Description and Reflection - Summary

“The College Writer”: Chapter 11 – Description and Reflection – Summary

This chapter is very similar to the last (Narration and Description). You are still going to be writing an essay on a personal experience, but you are also going to be reflecting on that experience and why it is important in your life. You need to write about something that is a memorable experience; one worth reflecting upon. You reader need to pick up on that and understand why you reflect back on this experience. You need to be honest and show the reader all of the emotion that is attached to this experience. Even if you were embarrassed or felt a great deal of pain, you need to portray this to your reader. This experience may be a time when you felt secure, distraught, appreciated or frightened. This experience may be a time when you made a decision about your lifestyle or religious belief, about your education or deciding to leave home. You may decide to talk about an event that tested your will or patience or an event that changed your opinion of a person or institution. Regardless of what topic you choose, you must follow some writing guidelines. After your topic has been selected, you need to gather the details, get organized, and write you first draft. Once you have a draft of your essay, review and revise it based on accuracy and completeness. Then you can reflect upon the writing. You need to reflect on your tone, viewpoint and assess if the readers will appreciate your essay. Get feedback from peers or family or friends. Make sure to edit and proofread your essay and then you are ready to write the final copy and publish your writing. I feel like this chapter was really an extension of the last chapter. It is just one more step towards the process of writing a good personal experience essay.