Writing Personal Experience Pieces

Writing is communication, not self-expression. 

Ah, the power of story.

Imagine you’re sitting in a college classroom, listening to the professor drone on and on about world history. He’s lost you completely. Until he utters these magic words: “I’d like to tell you a story.” As he dives into a tale about how he escaped from Vietnamese soldiers, you find yourself captivated. And as he shares the key point to his story—the part where his best friend gave his life so that he could live, you realize your own life has just been changed.

What changed you? Someone else’s personal experience. You were changed by his story. Now think about the many things you’ve walked through in your own life. You’ve got stories to tell, just like that college professor. And maybe – just maybe – one of your stories might change someone else’s life. 

Of all the article types we’ve discussed, there’s one that is seen routinely in nearly every time of magazine. It’s written in first person, is chatty (or conversational) in style, is extremely engaging, and often anecdotal. It’s the personal experience story. In recent days, perhaps with the publication of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, there has been a regenerated interest in these types of pieces.  

Why?  

Because we need to know someone has “been there.”  That someone can relate to what we’re going through. Not only that, we need to see with our own eyes—through someone’s story—that we’re going to make it through the situation we now find ourselves in. 

It’s not a matter of just spouting off your story to sing your own praises. Personal experience pieces often go to the deepest, darkest places, causing you to show your vulnerable side. And personal experience pieces almost always have a clear takeaway—that little nugget of truth the reader takes away with him. Some writers understand this concept right away. Some of us—me, included—have to be taught. 

My Story

The year was 1996. I was at my first writing conference. During the lunch hour, I found myself seated at a table with a well-known children’s writer who had published multiple articles and even more non-fiction books. What a great opportunity! I asked her if she would mind looking at a cute personal experience piece I’d written about my adventures as a homeschool mom.

She readily agreed. This angel of a woman buzzed through the piece, chuckled a couple of times, then reached the end. I could almost read the question marks in her eyes as she turned the page, looking for more. Uh-oh. She glanced my way and asked a question I’ll never forget: “What’s your takeaway?” I stared at her, unsure of how to respond. At the time, I had no clue what a takeaway was. She passed the article back to me and whispered, “You know, honey…the takeaway. That little nugget of truth the reader takes away with her after reading your story. Your article is missing that.” 

A Clear Takeaway

Trust me, every article I’ve written since has a clear takeaway at the end, especially my personal experience pieces. I’ve learned my lesson. The reader wants to know that he or she can experience hope through my story and I now work extra-hard to make sure she gets it. 

What about you?

Have you found yourself reading personal experience pieces to bring comfort? Do you look for the nugget of truth to get you through? If so, you are certainly not alone. More and more, people are turning to these types of articles. They’re searching for like-minded souls who’ve walked a mile in their shoes. And trust me when I say that personal experience pieces abound in nearly every magazine or newspaper. 

Going through financial struggles? A personal experience piece about a single mother who started her own company might just inspire you to keep going. 

Struggling with a cancer diagnosis? Likely you’ll find comfort in an article by a woman who recovered from Stage Four Ovarian cancer. 

Wrestling with an addiction? Maybe that college student’s personal experience piece about nearly dying after an overdose will reach you. 

Regretting that decision to buy the fixer-upper? Hopefully that personal experience story about the first time homebuyer who renovated his home on a dime will give you hope. 

Wondering if you can make it through a tough situation? Read a mountain climbers tale of how he almost didn’t live to see the top of Mt. Everest. 

Thinking about traveling to Italy? That amazing personal experience piece about the fellow who hitchhiked from Rome to Venice might just make you feel like you’re right there with him. 

You get the idea. Personal experience pieces let us know we’re not alone. And they touch us right where we live. 

Here are some specific characteristics (or components) of a personal experience article/story:

• Personal experience pieces are always written in first-person
• Your personal experience piece is distinctly you. It has your voice, your humor, your style, your way of thinking. 
• Personal experience pieces focus on one specific incident in the writer’s life. When you sit down to write your piece, don’t jump all over the map. Focus on the ONE story that makes the most sense to your take-away and tell just that story. You’ll be tempted to rabbit trail, particularly if your story is tied to other stories, but resist the urge to purge. Stick with one story and do it justice. 
• There’s nothing more engaging than seeing it, feeling it, tasting it, smelling it and hearing it. Take your reader on the journey with you by tapping into the senses. And don’t forget the “sixth” sense – the emotions. 
• The take-away is clear. The readers get the message without explanation. 

Epiphany!

Most personal experience stories have an “epiphany” moment—that moment where the writer recognized his or her need for change. It is this epiphany many readers are waiting for. What if your article served as the trigger for change in someone’s life? What a wonderful feeling that would be! 

A Personal Tale...

In 1997 I decided to write a personal experience piece about how my youngest daughter, Courtney Elizabeth, came to live with us. I was fortunate enough to have this story picked up by a compilation book, a non-fiction project. Shortly thereafter, I sold the story to a magazine.

Not long after that, I got a note from an editor of another magazine who’d seen it in the prior publication. He wanted to buy reprint rights. From there, the story was once again published in a compilation book. I lost track of how many times I sold that article. Why did it resonate with people? Because in that heart-wrenching piece I told the story of a little girl who needed a home: a child whose mother left when she was five, and whose father was an alcoholic who’d been in ICU six times over a four month period due to alcohol poisoning. 

In other words, I got real. I stripped back the flesh and revealed the bare bones, in all of their ugliness. And because I held nothing back, readers could relate. The good news is, editors could relate, too. I keep that story on file, even now, because I know it will be published again and again. And I’ve offered it to you as a bonus feature for this lesson so that you can see how uncomplicated a personal experience piece can be. 

Maybe this idea of writing personal experience pieces is growing on you. If so, where will you come up with ideas for your stories? Dig deep in your own personal well to find out. Perhaps you could write about: 

• Your most frightening experience
• Something you’re really proud of
• Something you overcame
• A failure that haunts you
• A grief, tragedy or loss you’ve faced and lived to tell about
• Something you thought you couldn’t forgive, but did
• A special relationship in your life
• A funny childhood memory
• Your favorite vacation
• A story about one of your children or your parents
• An “on the job” story
• A friendship story
• A restored relationship story
• A near-death experience
• A memory from your school days
• How you survived a terrible accident
• A favorite teacher story
• A bully story
• An animal/pet story
• The day you almost caught the kitchen on fire
• The time you planted a garden with someone you love

The list could go on forever.  In truth, there are thousands of stories you could tell from your own life experiences.  Just make sure your story is applicable to the reader and has an effective take-away. Something the reader can relate to. The point is to engage the reader and allow her to experience the story through you. And it goes without saying that you should be honest. No exaggeration. The only exception to this rule would be humor. 

And that brings me to an additional point: Not all personal experiences pieces are heavy. Some of my favorite first-person articles are light-hearted and fun. Yours can be too. Take another look at the list of ideas I’ve provided, this time examining it through the eyes of a humor writer. Can you see how you could twist things up, tapping the reader on the funny bone? 

One last bit of advice: editors aren’t looking for articles about the author. You heard that right. Even with personal experience pieces, editors are looking for articles about the reader. In other words, your story must be one that resonates with the reader, one he could just as easily have experienced as you. And remember, you need to motivate the reader to achieve something in the future, not just reminisce about something he’s already experienced in the past. 

That’s it for now, writers. Go out and experience life so that you have more wisdom to share with the masses. And while you’re at it, learn the lessons that life is teaching you so that you can turn around and share them with others.