Title: Creating First Lines
Course: This I Believe: Writing a Creative Personal Essay

Create a Question

A question is a good way to start your essay. It can help your reader understand where you are going, and it can help you figure out your own thoughts. Sometimes it's easier to think of answering a question than to think of writing an essay. An example is shown below.

Example: “When was the last time you went without a meal?”

As you can see from this example, the essay could be about a lot of different things, but it will end up focusing on something important to the author and a belief he/she is sharing with the reader.

Now, try your own. In the answer box, write a question that would lead you to a personal essay about a belief that you have.

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Feedback: Good job. You have 4 assignments left in this lesson. Your instructor will get back to you with feedback from this assignment.

Create a Quotation or Saying

Many times, the words we hear from other people have a strong impact on us; they impact how we act and what we come to believe in our lives.

Here is an example:
“Be careful were the last words my father said to me each time I left the house.”

Think of something someone has said to you. Go back to Lesson #5 of this course if you need help remembering some. Or, look at your blog and see what you wrote about.

Now, you are going to either find a new quotation, or make up one of your own. In the answer box, write the quotation. Be sure it is something you can personally relate to that could really get you started on a good personal essay.

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Feedback: Good job. You have 3 assignments left in this lesson. Your instructor will get back to you with feedback from this assignment.

Create a Strong Statement

Sometimes when someone says something to us, or we read someone's opinion, it creates a strong emotion in us. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don't.

Here is an example:
“If you eat enough cabbage, you’ll never get cancer.”

In a personal essay, you would either strong agree or strongly disagree with a particular statement. Think of statements you have heard, or make up your own.

In the answer box, create one strong statement and remember that you must feel very strongly about it. It should be a statement you are willing to support or argue against in a personal essay, so it should be something directly related to your life.

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Feedback: Good job. You have 2 assignments left in this lesson. Your instructor will get back to you with feedback from this assignment.

Create a Metaphor

A metaphor is a type of language that relates or compares two things that are not usually put together. Similes (when you use "like" or "as") are the most common type of metaphor.

Here are some examples:
"Her eyes were like torches, shining brightly to light the path in front of me."
"My family is a tornado, sucking everything into complete and utter destruction."

In the answer box, create one metaphor that explains something in your life. Remember that this would be the start of a personal essay, so have a belief in the back of your mind to help get you started.

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Feedback: Good job. You have 1 assignment left in this lesson. Your instructor will get back to you with feedback from this assignment.

Create a Description

It is absolutely necessary that your personal essay has a lot of description. One of the best ways to start an essay is to think of a particular moment and really describe that moment.

Here is an example:
“Michael once mowed the lawns around Municipal Hall 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.”

This is probably one of the most common ways to get started. It can make essay writing easier because it feels like you are just explaining your story, but you must move the essay around to also explain your belief.

In the answer box, write a description of a particular moment. The description can be from 1-5 sentences, depending on what you need to say.

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Feedback: Great job! You're done with this assignment. Check with your teacher for feedback.