This I Believe Essay Tips

1. This I Believe Essay Tips • You will need powerful lead-in’s /hooks to get your reader’s attention. • Your lead in is the doorway in which you welcome the reader to your idea. • Avoid starting with: “This I Believe” • Try various strategies that will make an impact on your writing.

2. Types of Leads- • Question: “When was the last time you went without a meal?” • Quotation: (from someone famous or significant in your life)- “Be careful,” were the last words my father said to me each time I left the house. • Strong statement: (that your essay will either support or dispute) “If you eat enough cabbage, you’ll never get cancer.” • Metaphor: “The crows in the back garden are the small boys in the playground, impressing each other with their new-found swear words. These crows all belong to the same biker gang. You need to know their secret sign to join the club.” • Description: (of a person, setting, or situation): “Michael once mowed the lawns around the court halls wearing a frilly apron, high heels and nylons, with a pillow stuffed under his sweater so he looked pregnant. And it wasn’t even Halloween.” • (Taken from This I believe educator guide)

3. How Do You Support Your Personal Philosophy? • Here are some simple writing techniques you can use to support your personal beliefs: • D-Dialogue- “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all,” my mother told me throughout my childhood. • R-Rhetorical Question-”When you are eighty years old, what will you regret that you didn’t do?” • A-Anecdote-a brief tale that narrates an interesting or amusing incident-they are based on real life stories. • P-Personal Experience • E-Example • S-Statistic • (Taken from This I Believe educator guide)

4. Tips to Add Audience Appeal to your Essay • Be sure your essay is about something you truly care about or believe enough to elaborate and be passionate about. • While the idea of the essay is personal, make the context big enough so that your reader can find parallels between your experience and theirs. Give the reader a “A ha!” moment. An effective writer must draw in the audience to show a more universal implication of that personal belief. • If you write about a personal occurrence, put your idea into a context that gives the reader insight to both the small moment and wider perspective. Shift focus. Think of your essay as a camera lens. • Use details to draw the reader in. Be specific-show, don’t tell. Avoid using abstract expressions and phrases, cliches, etc. Make the emotions real and immediate by noting specifics and details that draw the reader into your experience. • Employ all of the senses to convey your ideas. • Make sure beyond everything you can do for idea development, that the main idea you pose is ONE YOU TRULY BELIEVE. You must aim to leave your reader feeling clear and satisfied-whether they agree with you or not. A brief echo of the opening is a satisfying clincher to bring your personal essay full circle-DON”T SAY-”What I’m trying to say is” or “What I mean is.” • (Taken from This I Believe Educator guide)

5. This I Believe Essays • This is a very difficult process, but it can make you a better writer. • Some of you may find this considerably challenging to go beyond vague generalities; go beyond the surface; look deeper in to yourself. • These essays should hold deep personal belief at the heart of your core being. • Topics could include your view of a certain issue or problem, universal ideas, a motto/credo you live by, something or someone who inspires you, your definition of something, a philosophy you hold, something you learned, something you’ve overcome, ideals about yourself, etc-the sky is the limit! Try to avoid trite ideas-say something, but make it wonderful!