Almost every morning, I take a run before I start my day. At this time, I clear my head and release my thoughts to whatever I please to think about. As I was jogging, I contemplated the many ideas on which to write my personal essay. Should I write about Hawaii’s serene beaches and beautiful waterfalls, or my first romance, or perhaps my favorite play place as a child, or a mission trip that changed the way I view life, or maybe the time I welcomed home the soldiers from Iraq? These were all ideas that I considered venturing into. But, I have decided that I will write about my vacation to Lake Powell and the love I have for waterskiing.
In Chapter 4 of the Curious Writer, Ballenger describes the motives for a personal essay. Below the picture, the caption says, “Writing a personal essay is often like seeing an old picture of yourself. It thrusts you back into a particular time and place, but at the same time you see yourself from a certain distance, bringing knowledge and understanding to past events that you didn’t have when they occurred.”
Based on Ballenger’s quote, I came to decide on this topic of water skiing at Lake Powell. Every year, my family takes a vacation to what I consider one of the most beautiful places in the world. So, I consider it a common place- an element of a personal essay. I know the reader will be able to relate to a vacation spot that they feel in awe and taken away by. I can visualize exactly what I am sensing: how I feels, what I see, what I smell, and even what I taste.
More specifically, I love to water ski. I want to inquire and discover why it is that I will get out of my warm and comfortable sleeping bag early in the morning so that I can experience this utopia. I expect to search for an answer to why I love this hobby so much, and maybe I will discover a common theme when writing that the reader can relate.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Hey Kristin!
Your topic sounds great. I can tell that you've thought it out well. It seems to be a topic you can elaborate a lot on and express your love of the outdoors. The only thing I could possibly say is maybe to go into the first experience that sparked that passion in you. What made it a joy to keep coming back? You are a very talented writer and I can't wait to see how it all comes out.
-Aaron
wow. KRISTEN. I am an idiot.
I think this is a great topic to cover in your essay. You sound like you've already started digging into the questions that surround this topic. Looking forward to reading your draft on Friday!
Kristen,
This topic sound really intersting and sounds like it will be somthing fun to write about. Water Skiing is somting you sound very passionate about and along with your memories on the lake. I think everyone can easily relate to your topic because we all have a vacations spot that somehow takes us back, and we have certain memories about it and for you it is Water Skiing.
Post a Comment