creative titles for essays about myself

Creative essay title generator for students

Type a few relevant keywords in the relevant section of the tool to describe your paper.

Pick the subject that fits you.

Hit the Generate button to get plenty of fresh and catchy ideas and pick the perfect one!

What is an academic essay title generator?

It is worth noting that the titles of your articles have a significant impact. Even if the content of your essay is exceptional, a boring title can spoil the overall impression. A strong title sets the right tone for your article and captures the reader's attention. Our advanced title generator for essay assignments is created to help you get catchy headlines. With our tool, students who want to buy an essay can find great titles in a few simple clicks. And the best part of it is that it’s free, with no word limit, and no sign up!

Why choose an essay title generator from Studyfy?

With a creative essay title generator by Studyfy.com, creating winning headlines is made easy! Our tool allows you to find the best titles for your papers. But even that’s not all! Here are the top benefits that make our tool the best choice for students:

No registration and no charges

Students love our free essay title generator because no fees are involved. You don’t even have to sign up. Choosing Studyfy, you can create outstanding titles anytime, anywhere, without any limitations!

Intuitive & fast in use

Our tool is fast and easy to use. All you need to get a brilliant heading for your essay is to follow three quick steps - type relevant keywords, choose a subject, and click Generate. Just that easy!

A large database of information

Our title generator has a huge database of information to help you find tons of great ideas that will surprise your professor. It collects ideas from our own database, as well as from outside sources, that are constantly being updated to make relevant suggestions.

Guaranteed Originality

Rest assured, our paper title generator ensures complete originality, eliminating any concerns about plagiarism. With our free tool, you can generate titles that are 100% unique and creatively tailored to your needs. Say goodbye to worries about unintentional duplication and welcome a hassle-free way to generate captivating titles for your essays.

Free features

We can turn your paper into a perfect one.

At Studyfy, we provide superior writing assistance to support your academic journey. Our team comprises skilled professionals adept at various tasks, including homework aid, proofreading, and essay refinement. With extensive knowledge and experience, our experts ensure your writing is impeccable and tailored precisely to your needs. When you rely on our team, rest assured your papers will surpass expectations and adhere to rigorous academic criteria.We invite you to take action and experience the difference our services can make in your academic success. Don't hesitate to utilize our expertise and entrust us with your " write my essay " requests today.

How does an essay title generator work?

Insert the keywords.

Use keywords to define your essay’s topic or a central idea. Our title generator will analyze the inserted keywords and search for relevant suggestions in our database. The more keywords you put, the easier it will be to find your perfect topic!

Pick subject category

To get even more accurate results, choose the subject category that suits your needs most from the list. The tool will use both your keywords and the chosen category to find relevant titles. There are plenty of categories to suit every user’s needs. Try to use different ones to find even more interesting and catchy ideas.

Get many great ideas

After inserting your keywords and choosing a category, click the Generate button. The tool will scan the database, which updates regularly. It will suggest creative options for you to choose from. Run it as many times as you need to find your perfect essay topic!

How can Studyfy title generator for essay help you succeed?

Tons of attention-grabbing topics, constantly updated databases for relevant results, lots of subject categories to choose from, unique ideas exclusively.

Tips for using our essay title generator to your benefit

Pick the right subject

Is there any specific subject or area of research that has to be covered in your essay? Then try choosing a subject that fits you from the list of suggestions

Choose the best topic

So, you found many title ideas with our essay titles generator. How to choose the best one?Copy your options or write them down. Then, eliminate them individually until you are left with the perfect one.

Are the topics on our list broad? Even better! With our title maker, you'll have a starting point to narrow them down further and find the best option. Whether you're seeking inspiration or guidance, our tool is here to streamline your search and aid you in crafting the perfect title for your needs.

Our customer reviews

Students and professionals choose our creative essay title generator to find the best, catchiest, and most intriguing titles for papers. Here is what customers who’ve used our tool have to say about it:

Thanks a lot! :) This generator is my golden ticket! Brainstorming with it takes almost no time, and each idea I find is flawless. Studyfy is a lifesaver for students!

With this tool, I always know what to cover in my essayUnlike any other random essay topic generator, this one has helped me generate tons of great ideas. It suggests awesome topics, and I feel inspired! Now that I found Studyfy and this awesome tool, academic writing is just a piece of cake :)

I use this all the time! It’s free and does its job so well. Thanks Studyfy for helping me get inspired and taking my writing to the next level!

I usually write essays myself However, sometimes I feel like I just need an extra push to find a starting point. In such cases, I use this title generator. It helps me find dozens of cool ideas in a few seconds. Anyone who needs inspiration for writing, this is the place to seek it!

Awesome generator! It really helps me find great titles for papers on any subject matter! Earlier, I tried a few different ones, but this one is my fav; it is truly a catchy essay title generator.

Frequently asked questions

What topic categories i can choose from, what should the good essay title generator be like, how many times i can run the tool to find my topic, will my topic be unique, get the most out of studyfy essay topic generator.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment and choose different keywords to
• Pick the title that suits your unique voice.
• Use the tool for inspiration and shape your own topic.
• Don’t hesitate to get help from our pro editors if you’re facing other issues. We will be happy to assist in making every paper perfect!

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Create relevant and appealing titles with the Title Generator. You may use keywords, phrases, or topics you have entered to create titles.

How would you like the results to appear?

What is Title Generator?

Title Generator helps you generate a host of titles based on the search terms, keywords, or topics you have entered.

A title is a key feature that will induce people to click on your site and read your blog or article. If your site doesn't have a catchy title, the chances are that the reader may not click through to read it. Having a unique title is as important as writing good content for your blog or article.

A specific title will inform your reader what questions you have a deal with, what information you are offering. The reader will make an informed decision as to whether to click and read the content or not and will do it only if they think that it is something they will need or something they will find interesting. All this from the title.

A good title should be interesting, grab the reader's attention, solve their needs or be informative, set expectations for the rest of the article, induce the reader to click through and read, and include keywords of the topic or niche are writing on.

When you select titles, you will know how hard to include all or most of them into your headline.

All this involves extensive research, but our Title Generator will make this easier for you. You need to focus on excellent content; we will ensure we develop great title options for it.

Features of Title Generator:

Generate Relevant Titles - The titles generated will be relevant to the industry, niche, topic, etc., that you want. It wouldn't be some random or irrelevant keyword.

Generate Customized Titles - Whether you want your title result to be a sentence case, title case, or all caps, etc., you can customize.

Generate Category Based Titles - You will get a host of suggestions based on the category. The tool will analyze whether it is a Generic Term, an Event, a Skill, an Industry, a Brand/Product, a Location, etc. And give results based on the category.

Generate Unlimited Titles - If you are not happy with the first several titles shown up, you can generate more. Overall, you will be shown up to 700 titles from which to make your pick.

Accurate & Quick Results - Once you enter the keyword, the sophisticated algorithm will analyze its database for topics related to it. The results are correct and highly accurate. You will be shown all the results in a matter of seconds. You don't have to wait around for a long time.

How to Use Title Generator?

Do a bit of analysis, identify keywords relevant to the content you will write on, and then enter the keyword in the Enter Your Keyword box.

Select whether your keyword is a Noun or Verb .

Now click on the Generate button.

Choose how you want the title results, whether an upper case or title case, etc., by choosing the Advance Options .

You will see results in a popup for the keyword that you have entered in a matter of seconds.

If none of these titles are what you are looking for, select other categories at the bottom of the window.

Keep checking more titles until you identify a title that you think will work for you.

Once you have a great title, the rest of the content will fall in place.

Final Words:

A great title will increase your conversion rate by a whopping 528%. So, it makes sense to use Title Generator. It will help you curate titles for your articles, blogs, stories, essays, magazines, site pages, email, and just about any content that requires catchy, unique, relevant, and meaningful titles.

If you want to jump out and grab the reader's attention, a great title has the power to do this. Add great content to it, and you will see your traffic and conversions skyrocket.

A title generated using Title Generator will grab attention, drive engagement, enhance your SEO readability , increase clicks and conversions, and excite and interest the readers to peruse the content.

Frequently Asked Questions:

- Title Generator is a tool designed by our developers to create different titles for the specific content you have asked for.

- To use this tool, you must go through the tool and use it by following the how-to section's steps.

- There is no such basic plan available with our tool. Our tool is 100% free of cost, and hence, you are not required to pay for the same.

- No, there is no extension available till now. You can go through the website and use the tool for now.

• Have your assignments done by seasoned writers. 24/7
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Good Titles for Essays about yourself: 31 Personal Essay Topics

Titles for Essay about Yourself

What is a Personal Essay?

 There are quite a number of essays used by writers to communicate ideas out there. One of these essays is the personal essay which is written to capture a person’s ideas, emotions and feelings towards something.

This essay is a non-fictional piece that provides the reader with an interesting, humorous and thought provoking narrative drawn from either the personal experiences of the writer or information from another party.

It is a non-fiction story in which you as the author share your lessons, incidents and predicaments faced in life with your audience, the readers.

The personal essay is an essay written about one’s life, experiences and thoughts in turn providing readers with an insight about life lessons and experiences about yourself. It captures your memorable moments like you can ever imagine.

Therefore it ought to describe you positively to your audience by highlighting your inspirations and motivation but at the same time leave your audience with a wide understanding of what you are, what you stand for and importantly your tick boxes.

In other quarters it is also known as the narrative essay and somewhat it appears different from the other essays because it shares a story with the readers. The story in a personal essay needs to be non-fictional otherwise it will lose the meaning intended in it.

A personal essay can appear as a class assignment or a college application depending on the circumstances. In case it appears as a college application, it should stimulate the readers in acting in a particular way.

The author is expected to provide an account of their roles and provide an insight in their subjects.

How to Write a Good Title for an Essay about yourself?

Normally news titles tend to have a story title distilled into five to ten words in order to accurately summarize the intended information to an audience. For instance, a title may appear like ‘Plane Crashes Minutes After Takeoff’. Magazines on the other hand will have catchier titles to the readers’ delight such as ‘Ten Ways to Improve your Body Fitness’ or rather ‘Destinations You Do Not Want to Miss on a Cruise Ship’.

Newspapers will scream their titles with catchy phrases or words like ‘Lockdown in Miami’ or simply ‘Betrayed’. In these three settings, the audience is already aware of what to look out for from the story from the advent.

A blog post title will probably begin with a playful or catchy question in order to draw the readers’ attention but at the same time inform the readers’ on what is about to follow.

Contrary to the above, personal essays possess unique and finessed titles that make the readers’ wonder about what is there in the essays.

These titles require readers to insert themselves into your essay in order to reveal your personality, beliefs, thoughts, hopes, experiences, dreams and even your sense of humor.

Personal essay topics usually include your own opinions, experiences and even real stories.

Two types of Personal Essay Topics

Personal essay topics exist in two types: Defining moment and Secret lives.

Titles on secret lives will concentrate on mysterious but important experiences where the writer provides stories on infrequent life and to some extent unusual exploits in life. Defining moment’s titles on the other hand will focus on a person’s life during a critical moment.

When you consider these two types of themes, the essay you write will definitely be outstanding to your readers.

The titles of personal essays if done well will challenge the writer and audience on what the essay is about because they will provide hints rather than summarize, they will add as opposed to mirroring and infer instead of summing up the essays ideas. How is this done? Simply by engaging similar skills harbored in a catchy personal essay.

The essay title undoubtedly sets the tone and the flow of the essay and so it has to be as catchy as possible. You can start by giving a description of yourself using a key word in the title.

Words like determined, optimistic or thoughtful can suit your title well. For example, your title can read like ‘An essay about Sam, the resilient optimist’.

Your audience will therefore be introduced to the main trait that you desire to reinforce in your essay thereby setting a good tone for the essay.

It is important to follow up the essay by using the same term a number of times throughout the essay in order to emphasize it as a vivid motif.

Since the title of your essay is the first thing your readers will see, it has to fully grab their attention. It would be better if the title is short with about four words or less though there are exceptions. The title and your essay ought to connect but not to fulfill the expectations of the readers immediately.

In order to spice up your title, you can use punctuation marks as options. Exclamation marks, the colon and the semicolon can serve you good in coming up with a good and catchy topic. Moreover, you should capitalize all words with the exception of articles, pronouns, conjunctions and prepositions.

This implies that titles should be flexible to the liking of the readers.

31 Personal Essays Topics

The hardest breaking news I had to deliver

How I spent a fortune on travel

The things I can do that robots can never do

The animal I would like to be

The one thing I would change at my school

What I have learnt about conquering poverty

A disappointment I will never forget

My most embarrassing moment

The moment I realized I needed help

Why I had to succeed

My bravest moment

Nowhere I can run to

The distance between us

The memories I desired but I lost

When did I stop?

My best summer ever

Strange beliefs

My peculiar flowers

Dress your family in silk

Let our children accomplish their dreams in their own way

In 40 years’ time…

My adulthood memories

What I would like to change most about my life

My favorite animal

The wall is not listening

That cake was not for you

How I understand death

How did my parent’s choices influence my spending?

My no pleasant experience in high school

Impacts of workout on my stress levels

The moment my life took a turn for the worse

Personal essays ought to portray a writers writing skills and take the reader to the writer’s personal journey. It is so because it demonstrates who you are as a person and as a writer and so you have to be as coherent as possible in providing your personal statement.

It also reveals a number of qualities about the writer such as the writer’s persona, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and maturity, teaching and personal skills.

This essay can act as an inspiration to your audience if well written and in essence allows the writer to provide a description about their personal or significant life events and experiences.

A number of employers, graduates and various schools will ask you to provide a personal essay before they consider you for an interview and therefore it shows that this essay is not just limited to composition courses in schools.

The question now is: Can you actualize your desire to write a good personal essay?

Jessica Kasen is experienced in academic writing and academic assistance. She is well versed in academia and has a master’s degree in education. Kasen consults with us in helping students improve their grades. She also oversights the quality of work done by our writers.

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Studying / Writing Tools

Essay Title Generator

Essay titles are not the easiest things to come up with on your own. We know. That’s why we developed our Essay Title Generator to help you create the title your paper deserves. How does it work? Simple. Just enter the topic you’re interested in researching and a random title will be generated from our database based on the parameters you provide.

Why start with a title? Easy. The best way to start your research is to identify a specific focus within your topic—and that’s what a title does. It tells precisely what your paper is going to be about. So if you’re lost and confused about where to start, try our essay title generator.

How to Use our Essay Title Generator

1. Select your "essay topic" or "type of essay" from drop down menu 2. Click the button for "Generate Essay Title." 3. Read the title that our auto-generating system produces. 4. Want more? Click the button for "Generate More Essay Titles." 5. That’s all there is to it! Use our title to help get yourself started on your research.

Essay Title:

Topic not listed in drop down? Search your specific topic

Essay Titles

Why would generating an  essay title  help you get started in your research? Think about it. Picking a focus for your paper is no walk in the park. How do you whittle down a broad topic to a narrow subject? Well, here’s a way! Try thinking of a snappy title first and going from there! Of course, not everybody is good at whipping up a creative title to get the juices flowing. That’s why we’re here to help.

All you have to do is select your topic from the drop down menu. If you have more than one topic in mind, use the generator more than once and get a bundle of titles to pick from. If you go berry-picking you don’t head out with a basket and come back with one berry, do you? NO! You fill that basket up with as many berries as you can find, then you sort them out, select the best ones, and make yourself a delicious berry pie!

That’s what we’re doing here with our essay title generator. We’re helping you to create a great essay by helping you take the first step in that process. Get your title, get your engine revving, and get going!

Important! Don’t stress—no one likes stress, and it doesn’t help anyone—ever! So leave your stress at the door and see for yourself how simple this can be. No more worries that you can’t think of anything, no more fretting over whether you’ll ever be able to focus and create a thesis. This is easy. You tell us the topic. We tell you a title idea. Want another? Click the generator button again. Need another after that? Keep clicking. Our database is filled with great titles that will launch you into the stratosphere of great ideas quick than a SpaceX Falcon rocket. So strap yourself in because we are going for a ride!

Essay Titles Generate Ideas

The title is just the beginning. It’s where the action starts. Getting a great title can be like getting a ray of sunlight that cuts right through the fog. Everything clears up and suddenly you can see where to go. There down in the valley is your essay and laid out in a path all the way to it are the stones that your essay title has tossed out. Look how they stretch out down into the valley of sweet success.

Think about it—that’s what an essay title can do for you! It gets you elevated and out of the haze so that the research becomes accessible. In the dark, you’re fumbling for a way in, unable to find the key. Well, quit fumbling! The essay title is the key. It is the way in. It opens the door for you and turns on the lights. It points you in the right direction so all you need to do is follow the straight and narrow path

As you get started on that path, stop to look around at all the fruit that pops up along the way on the vines and trees that line the path. These are the ideas that our essay titles have been designed to generate in your own mind. You see, our essay title generator is not just a generator of titles: it is a generator of ideas. It supplies the fuel that will get your brain humming and before you know it your imagination will take over and all the information you have at your disposal will suddenly start clicking into place. That’s what a good essay title does, after all. It gets all cylinders firing!

Brainstorming Essay Titles

The brainstorming process is one of the most important steps when it comes to writing. Though some professors say you should wait until after you’re finished writing to come up with a title, the reality is that sometimes starting with a title can jumpstart the brainstorming process. This is especially true when you’re having writer’s block and can’t come up with a focus for your paper. You may have the topic, but where do you go from there? There are a thousand ways you could approach it, so which one do you choose? Or—worse—you can’t think of a single one! How do you know how to start, or, if see some options, how do you know which will get you where you need to go and not end up just getting you lost?

Brainstorming is the key! So how do you brainstorm successfully? You generate ideas! And how do you do that?

Why, you pick your topic, click the generate title button, and let the brainstorming process begin!

These titles have been specially designed to stimulate your brain and get you thinking about all the possibilities to pursue with your topic. Our titles are filled with ideas. They are brimming with possibilities. There are more potential ideas in our titles than there are grains of sand on a sandy beach. Okay, so maybe there aren’t that many—but you get the idea.

Let’s get started! You need a title, and we have the answer: our essay title generator will give you exactly what you need to get going. Don’t even think about how to come up with that perfect, snappy title. Just enter in your topic and click the button. Our titles will keep you coming back for more and keep you buzzing with ideas. We’re sure you’ll find one that hits you the right way and gives you the spark to get started with your research. Our titles help to illuminate the research process. They give you an indication of where you can go and what you can do. As soon as you feel like you’re getting stuck and need some help, don’t delay. Come get the title you need and deserve. Life’s hard. Don’t wait. Select your topic from the drop down menu and click the blue button. Generate that title, and get some great ideas—let’s go!

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17+ Great Ideas for an Essay About Yourself

An essay about yourself should present you in a positive light, but also leave your reader with a greater understanding of what it is that makes you tick. What’s your inspiration and motivation?

In this article, I’ll give you a range of ideas to include in your essay about yourself. These ideas will show you how to tell a compelling story about who you are.

Pick one or more of these ideas and use it in your essay to improve its quality.

1. Come up with One Word about Yourself and Put it in your Title

Your essay heading sets the tone for the rest of the essay.

One way to get yourself started on the right track for your essay describing yourself is to ensure you have the one key word that describes you in the title.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Here’s a few ways I’d describe myself:

• Introverted

Now, if you need to write your essay in a way that presents you in the best way possible, then of course you’d select the one that does that!

So for me, that’d be ‘optimistic’.

I could then set my title to something like: “An Essay About Chris, the Eternal Optimist.”

Here, your reader has been introduced to the central trait I want to reinforce in the essay right away. You’ve set the tone now.

Now that you’ve used that key term at the start, make sure you follow-up by using that same term a few more times throughout the piece so that you keep it as a clear motif throughout. I’d recommend at least using it in the introduction, body and conclusion.

2. Make it Personal using Anecdotes

The difference between a good and great essay about yourself is the use of personal anecdotes.

You want your essay to stand out because it’s thoughtful and unique.

Anyone can tell a story of who they are. Anyone can say: “Here’s who I am and here’s what’s good about me.”

Not everyone can tell a detailed, thoughtful and personal story that’ll show (and not tell) people who you are.

Personal anecdotes might include:

• A discussion about your ancestry;
• A story about how your ancestors came to your country;
• A story about how your parents came up with your childhood nickname;
• An important story from your childhood;
• A personal challenge that you currently face;
• A personal challenge from the past that you’ve overcome

Or anything else that shows your personality! So, let’s zoom in and take a look at how you could write about each of the points from above.

3. Describe your Ancestry

Dig deep – way back. Who are your ancestors?

Two of the best questions you can ask to tell a really good story about yourself are these:

Who are your ancestors?

How did your ancestors shape who you are.

What is your connection to them?

Let’s take them one at a time.

Your ancestors might be Greek, or Scottish, or Irish, or Italian. Maybe you have some Native American ancestors or maybe they were Pioneers heading to America?

You can start this essay by explaining your ancestry to really start shaping a quality story about yourself. One example is to tell a story about how your ancestors came to your country.

For me, I’d talk about how my Ancestors were a loose collection of quirky characters who came to Australia for a better life. Some were “10 Pound Poms” – British people seeking a better life. The paid 10 pounds to get on a boat and head to a new world. And others were convicts, sent out for stealing sheep.

Is there an interesting hook about your ancestry to start your essay?

Your ancestors should mean a lot to you. They should show you the path to a better life. What sacrifices did they make for you to be who you are today?

I could talk about how they had a tough life to come from working-class backgrounds. They worked the land and battled hardship to give me what I’ve got.

Now, I’m a happy, free, relatively wealthy person because of their hard world.

Who you are is because of your ancestors.

For me, they are the reason I value hard work. I also know my grandfather fought hard for a good wage for people on the railways. So, I have a sense of solidarity with hard-working working-class people because of him.

I also believe strongly in the importance of living a free and happy life because my ancestors are Australians. We’re Aussies! We work hard and have fun. That’s something my ancestors gave me, and I’ll carry all those values forward for my children one day, too.

Can you see that telling a story of your ancestors can really reveal a lot about what’s deep inside you? They show you your values and they’re your guiding star.

4. Tell the story of how you got your Childhood Nickname

Here’s another interesting story idea that can get your essay started on the right track.

How about telling the story of how you got your childhood nickname?

Here’s an example: My sister’s nickname was Boo Boo.

(She’d be made at me if she knew I told you that!)

She was called Boo Boo because she was always hurting herself! She was always having “boo boos”, which was our slang for “mistakes”.

Here, her nickname tells a story about herself. It tells a story about how she can sometimes be a little bit clumsy. This could be a good personal story to use to introduce herself to the reader.

Do you have a unique nickname story?

5. Tell an Important Story from your Childhood

Do you have any childhood stories that really reflect who you are?

This story might be:

• Tell the story of a childhood family holiday: Your story of your family holiday might highlight how important family is to your sense of who you are. Did the family holiday show you how much family is important to you?
• Tell the story of a time you realized something: I remember seeing a kid at school being bullied once and feeling really uncomfortable about it. I ended up sitting with him during the lunch period because he was upset. That was the day I really realized that something deep inside me is a sense that kindness is one of the most important things in the world.

Have a think. Are there any stories from your childhood that you can tell that reveal something about who you are and what your values are?

6. Start with “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on…”

Here’s a strategy that works really well.

When you start from the perspective of someone looking back, you often reflect on the things that are most important.

Have you ever seen an older person telling a story? It’s often a story told from the perspective of wisdom . We might call this 20/20 hindsight.

So, start your story by discussing what you’ll look back on about your life: what will you be proud of? What parts of your personality would you want to reflect on with pride?

It might be:

• “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on the things I did to help other people. For example, one time I … [did this]”
• “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on the quality time I spent with my family. My family is the most important thing in my life. One of these quality times is when …”
• Any other ideas you have?

7. Or, Start with “In ten years I will be…”

We can flip Step 6 on its head, and talk about where you want to be in 10 years. This will force you to reflect upon what’s most important to your future.

When talking about your goals and how those goals are linked to your values.

Here’s some examples:

• “In ten years time I will be just returning from an amazing trip around the world. I have a strong sense of adventure and I want to spend the next 10 years fulfilling my dream of adventure.”
• “In ten years time I want to be busy working in a not-for-profit doing something for people less fortunate than me. This vision drives my decisions that I make today. It drives my desire to … [study a course?]”
• What will you say if you start with “In ten years time…”?

8. Describe your Interests

No matter how you start your essay, you need to make sure that your story shows what you are interested in.

Your interests are what you do in your spare time

You might, for example, be interested in a particular topic. This will show how you’re set apart from others. We all have different interests.

Here’s a few examples of people’s interests:

• Dinosaurs: Ross Gellar from the TV show Friends would write in his story that one of his biggest interests is dinosaurs!
• Sports: Many people put sports at the center of their interests and motivations. Are you passionate about a sport that you watch or play? This could be included in your essay about yourself.
• Reading: Many young people love to read. You can talk about this as something you love, and then discuss how reading helps you think more deeply about issues in this world.

What are your interests? Could you use these as the basis of your essay about yourself?

9. Describe what Motivates You

Right at the core of your essay about yourself should be a message about your motivations. What is it that you dream about? What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning?

A motivation is different to an interest. Your interest is what you do in your part-time. Your motivations are your long-term goals that will give you fulfillmen t.

People want to see what makes you tick.

Your motivations don’t have to be for money or a career. A lot of people are deeply motivated by their passions like:

• Getting fit, or pursuing fitness goals;
• Being a part of a community;
• Helping others out, especially the less fortunate;
• Making their family proud;
• Seeing amazing, remarkable things;
• Inventing or discovering something that improves the world

For me, my biggest motivation is my blog. I take pride in it and how it helps people out. So maybe I’d tell the story of my blog, and how it reflects my intrinsic desire to help people learn new things.

So, what motivates you?

10. Identify your Current Personal Challenges

Teachers like to see that you are taking a proactive role to address or overcome personal challenges. So, you can base your essay about yourself on a current personal challenge.

The important thing for an essay on a current personal challenge is this:

• Identify what your challenge is; and
• Explain how you are working hard to address it.

Your challenge might be a personal disability, a setback you’ve recently had, or a goal that you’re working towards achieving.

• Wanting to join the military: You could talk about your major challenge being a career goal like getting accepted into the military. Then, you’d need to show something about how you are addressing this by, for example, following a rigorous exercise regime.
• Living with a disability: Maybe you have a disability or medical problem that you need to address. You could talk about how it hasn’t stopped you from believing in your ability to achieve. While it might make life harder, show how you’re a determined person who won’t let adversity get in your way.

By revealing how you are overcoming your challenges, you’re revealing something about yourself. You are showing your marker that you’re a hard, diligent worker. That you have resilience and drive. And that you’re someone who strives to achieve.

11. Identify the Biggest Challenge you’ve Overcome

If there’s challenges in your rear-view mirror that you have already overcome, you can also talk about that.

Pause for a moment and think about the biggest achievement of your life. Was it getting that score you wanted in a science test? Was it making it into the football team after a lot of training and practice?

By telling the story of a personal challenge that you have already overcome, you’re showing how you’re a competent, capable and resilient person.

Here’s some examples of overcoming challenges:

• Winning a team sport: Talk about all the work you did as a team in the lead-up to the win. Did you take advice from the coach and use it to become better? Did you learn that you had to work as a group to succeed?
• Getting an award: Were you awarded once for your skills? What did you need to do to win the award? Was it hard work that paid off?

12. Be Humble

It’s important to strike the appropriate tone for your essay about yourself.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they too hard to sell themselves. This usually makes you sound arrogant and self-absorbed.

One of the best ways to sound humble is to express gratitude. When discussing who you are, what you achieved and what your strengths are, remember to mention who it was who helped you get there.

People you might be grateful for include: parents, teachers, siblings, friends, your country and mentors. Talk about how they were instrumental in your success. Maybe they were patient with you, presented opportunities for you, or forgave your mistakes.

It’s also good to make sure you don’t compare yourself to others. It’s not a good idea to say “I achieved better than anyone else.” Focussing on how you worked hard for your achievements is enough: there’s no need to talk about how you’re better or the best. Focus on the effort you put in, not the fact that you’re better than anyone.

To learn more about tricks on being humble, I recommend this good summary of ways to be humble from Forbes.

13. Describe your Personality Type

Here’s another interesting way of approaching the essay.

If you’re struggling to explain yourself, you can take a quiz that tells you what your personality type is. Something really nice about these quizzes is they not only give you words to explain what your personality type is, but they also give you some ideas to talk about.

Here’s a few good personality type quizzes:

• 16 Personalities : This quiz decides which personality you are from 16 types, such as debater, entrepreneur, adventurer and entertainer. I got the ‘Advocate’ meaning I am driven by “idealism and morality” and am mainly an introvert. What are you? Share in the comments below!
• Learning Styles : This quiz finds out how you learn. Are you the sort of person who learns in solitude or with others? Are you an introvert or extrovert? Another alternative is the VARK quiz which sees which sort of category of learner you are: Visual, Auditory (sound), Read/Write, or Kinesthetic (using your body).
• Career Quiz : This quiz asks you a range of personality questions to give you ideas about what you want to talk about. Then, it’ll suggest the ideal career for you based on your personality!

14. Include Details you’d put on a CV

You want your essay to tell a story about yourself.

But you also need to include hard, solid details.

So once you’ve told your story of yourself, go through your CV (or ‘resume’) and see what else you can include. Can you include details about your strengths that you have listed on your CV?

Maybe you can also include points about your previous jobs or education achievements that you have listed on your CV.

This will help back up your story with hard evidence.

You might also find out that there are a lot of details on your CV that will give you story ideas. You might not think you’ve achieved remarkable things until you look at your CV and reflect on the hard work you put into each of the jobs or achievements you have listed there.

15. Describe your Physical Attributes

Another thing you can weave into your story is an outline of what you look like!

It’s one of the first things you read about someone in any story.

Here’s how Mr. and Mrs. Dursley in Harry Potter is introduced:

“Mr Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.”

How would you describe your physical attributes? Remember not to be negative about yourself, but you could describe yourself as tall, short, stocky, or lanky. How about your hair? Is it frizzy or straight, long or short?

16. Explain who is your Biggest influence and Why

The person who is your biggest influence would reveal a lot about who you are. Are you influenced by someone because of their power and strength, or wisdom and insight? Are you influenced by people for their nobility and patriotism, or their sense of adventure?

This will show your reader what makes you tick.

One of my big influences is Alex Honnold. He is a famous rock climber. What does that reveal about me? Well, it shows that I admire adventurous people and people who follow unconventional careers.

Who is your biggest influence? What does this reveal about you? Can you weave this into your essay about yourself?

17. Conclude by Returning to your Opening Hook

In this article I’ve shared with you a ton of ideas that you can use for your essay about yourself.

No matter which idea you select, I recommend including this last tip.

You should start your essay with an interesting ‘hook’ or anecdote about yourself.

I recommend concluding your essay by returning to this opening hook. We call this the ‘closing the loop’ method. You can start it something like this:

“I began this essay by telling the story of how I’m inspired by my father. I want to return to this point, as it’s the most important point in this essay. All of the points in this essay about myself have highlighted how I’m driven and motivated to live up to his amazing example. I have discussed…”

…And then you’d sum up what you discussed!

I outline the exact process of how to conclude an essay using this ‘closing the loop’ method in this post on how to write great conclusions .

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

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55 Self-Reflection Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for good titles for self-reflection papers? Look no further! In this list, you will find the best hand-picked self-reflection essay topics for high school and college students. Get inspired with our titles for reflection papers and essay examples!

🏆 Best Self-Reflection Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

⭐ good title ideas for reflection paper, 👍 simple & easy self-reflection essay titles, ✅ how to choose a title for self-reflection essay.

• Self-Reflection in Nurses: 70-Year-Old Patient The paper provides a self-reflection analysis based on a case of an elderly patient who presented to the nursing home where I worked with the signs and symptoms of urinary retention.Mrs.
• Self-Reflection on Course Participation Active contribution to discussions is a reflection of competency of the skills I have gained in class. I stuck to the objectives of the course throughout the sessions.
• Child Development Observation and Self-Reflection She has a nanny to care for her in the absence of her parents, and her maternal grandparents also visit and stay with her most of the week.
• Self-Reflection: Community Health Nursing The three crucial objectives of this course are: analyzing the impact of lifestyle and environment on the public’s health and applying culturally competent health strategies to the care of communities, families, or individuals.
• Self-Reflection Pertinence in Understanding Oneself It is significant that there I found a lot of information on the possible education in psychology, and then, of course, I passed to the link Career, which made me quite satisfied, for there one […]
• Personal Identity & Self-Reflection In the reflection, Ivan examined his past life and the values that he had lived by in all of his life.
• Society’s Self-Reflection: “Shooting an Elephant” and “The Real Story of Ah Q” This paper endeavors to highlight some similarities and differences especially in the aims and the writing style of these two authors. The aim of these two pieces is to portray societies as notorious for curtailing […]
• Self-Reflection About Life Questions It made me realize the importance of stopping and reflecting on the causes of events, the reasons for our actions and the best way to proceed.
• Self-Reflection on Life Values, Goals, and Death I want my life to be full of genuine relationships despite how challenging it is to find and cultivate such bonds in modern society.
• Self-Reflection in Social Work Therefore, social workers experiencing vicarious trauma and burnout are likely to make invalid assumptions about clients’ behavior because they project their desires and histories to the client. Professionals in the social work provision and students […]
• Self-Reflection and Successful Communication The role of introspection is also not to be underestimated by someone willing to become a leader and contribute to the development of a team. Overall, introspection represents a vital quality of mine that I […]
• Self-Reflection on John Adams: Slavery and Race This could demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of the freedom of speech limitations that are considered in modern America. Therefore, I would like to know the perspectives of different political parties on the events of […]
• Self-Reflection and Awareness: Cultural Concealment and Therapy Outcomes In the case study, the intern’s goal is to provide social work services to Helen, and the constant focus on this target should make the intern draw sufficient attention to all the details.
• Black Lives Matter: Diversity Awareness and Self-Reflection The “Black Lives Matter” movement continues to spread across the United States, provoking a number of positive and negative emotions.
• Self-Reflection: Maintaining Patients’ Rights I had to go and ask the buddy nurse to come and assist because the patient needed two people to help her get to the toilet.
• Event-Related Alpha-Band Power Changes During Self-Reflection and Working Memory Tasks in Healthy Individuals
• Decision Making, Self Reflection, Setting Goals and Priorities
• Critical Thinking Self Reflection and the Human Thought Process
• Self-Reflection and Its Connection to Depression
• Individual Academic Critical Self Reflection and Personal Branding Portfolio
• Analytical Support for Decision Making Self Reflection
• Cultural and Teamwork Map and Self Reflection
• Self Reflection and Organizational Behavior
• The Self Reflection Process and How I Am a Professional Writer
• Psychology Theories and Self-Reflection
• Article, Background and Self Reflection
• Casey Kirwan, Civic Engagement Self Reflection
• What Is Self-Reflection and Why Is It So Important?
• Self-Reflection for Business and Organizations
• Human Resource Management and Self Reflection
• Self Reflection and Personality Traits
• Microteaching Self Reflection Issues
• Self-Reflection About the Challenges and Benefits of Cross-Cultural Society
• Self-Reflection in Ethical Choice Making
• Self-Reflection and Personal Evolution as the Keystone of Sustainability
• Self-Reflection, Responsibility for Own Mistakes, and the Power of Integrity in the Crucible by Arthur Miller
• Personal Experience Encourages Self Reflection and Improves Self Awareness
• Before Individuals Can Truly Belong, They Must Engage in Self-Reflection
• Culture Self Reflection Exercise Through Awareness
• Enhancing Diversity Within University of Georgia Community via Self Reflection, Counseling, and Leadership
• Making Ethical Choices: Self-Reflection and Beyond
• Self Reflection and Project Management Plan
• Improving Dynamic Decision Making Through Training and Self-Reflection
• Self Reflection: Perceptions and Hypothetical Thought
• The Self Reflection in Business
• How Does Language Allow Self-Reflection?
• Self Assessment Through Self Reflection and Professional
• Defining Culture and Self Reflection
• How Does Language: Allow Self Reflection
• Operation Management: Self Reflection – Get a Complete Solution
• Saint Augustine and the Mapping of My Life Through Self-Reflection
• Self Reflection Regarding Quantitative Reasoning for Business

Follow our helpful tips to choose the best title ideas for reflection paper!

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Write About Yourself: Tips and Prompts

by Joe Bunting and Sue Weems | 199 comments

When you have to write about yourself, do you hit a roadblock? If so, you're not alone. There are a number of situations when you have to write about yourself for school, work, or publication. Let's break down a few ways to make it easier and then use some prompts to get you started.

When Do You Have to Write About Yourself?

Several scenarios might require you to write about yourself from personal essays to job applications and biography blurbs. 

The key for each is to think about the purpose and the target audience. Then shape your personal history or life experience into a well-crafted piece of writing that meets those needs of purpose and audience. 

Let's look at a few of the most common scenarios where you have to write about yourself. 

Personal Essays

Personal essays aren't just for high school. A personal essay typically reflects some aspect of your life that you are sharing for a specific purpose. Many college applications or scholarship applications ask for a college essay or personal statement to help them get to know you as a student or applicant. 

If it's for a university or school application, you might write about:

• academic achievements
• personal accomplishments
• difficult experiences that helped you grow
• personal stories that relate to your desired field of study

Personal essays will have a friendly tone regardless of the essay topic. The personal examples you include or the personal stories you tell will need to be focused tightly on the audience and purpose. If you're trying to get into a university engineering program, you don't want to write about a pet's passing.

Your story of losing a pet is likely moving and will tell committee members about you and your personality traits, but it won't communicate why you might be a good fit for their school or program. 

If you're writing a personal essay for a course in narrative or memoir, then of course, your story of your pet's passing would likely be a solid choice. 

Personal Essay Prompts

1. Tell about a time you overcame a significant hardship.

2. Describe an interest that makes you lose track of time. 

3. Tell the story of an experience or person who changed the way you thought or lived.

4. Describe a time you overcame rejection or fear.

5. How has your community shaped you as a person?

Job Applications

More and more job applications include personal statement sections or questions that ask you to describe your professional experience in more detail. Job seekers are often used to listing out bullet points on a resume, so writing about yourself can feel uncomfortable, even in a letter of introduction. 

In professional settings and applications, you want to focus on four elements as you write about yourself:

• relevant experience
• recent professional accomplishments
• personal details that enhance your qualifications
• specializations

Again, keep your purpose and audience in mind. If you're having trouble narrowing down your relevant experience, consider looking at the job listing to see what they require of applicants. That way, you tailor your experience to what the position requires.

Some common job application prompts

1. Tell us about yourself. (They aren't asking about your favorite food or vacation last year! Focus on professional experiences.)

2. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

3. How have you managed conflict in former roles?

4. Describe your strongest professional accomplishments.

5. Why do you want to work here?

Remember, each of these questions is designed to help a company get to know you as a professional—share only relevant stories and details that align with that purpose. 

Author or Speaker Biographies

As a writer (or speaker!), you need an author biography to include on any publications. These can be short 100 word statements that give the audience a sense of who you are as a person.

Again, the purpose and audience matters. If you are a scholar writing and speaking on a topic in your academic field, it's appropriate to list your relevant degrees and major publications to build a sense of credibility and authority. 

If you're a fiction author, your biography will likely reflect a few personal details that are meant to connect with readers in a positive light. 

The best way to know what will connect with your intended audience, is to look at the biographies and About the Author pages in books like your own. 

A few things you might include in an author or speaker biography:

• where you live (generally speaking—not your personal address)
• themes you explore
• awards, recognition, or other publications
• relevant personal background info

You can see our full guide here on writing an author biography here .

Prompts for author or speaker biographies

1. What are the two most important things for your audience to know about you?

2. Find two authors writing in the same genre you are. Write your biography using their bios as models. 

3. What themes do you explore in your work and why are they important to you? Write them out, and then condense.

4. What experience or awards are relevant to your work? List them out and pick the top two.

5. Make a list of all the things that you likely have in common with your target audience. Choose two to include in your biography. 

How to Write About Yourself 

Whenever you're asked to write about yourself, take it as a challenge to share relevant personal experiences with vivid details and your unique point of view. Remember that you're not sharing your entire life story. Stick to short personal anecdotes and pay attention to your purpose and audience. 

How do you feel about writing about yourself? What tips have made it easier? Share in the comments.  

Choose one of the prompts above. Set the timer for 15 minutes and write about yourself without stopping. If you don't have an essay, job app, or bio to write, then simply try to capture something true about yourself and your experience in the world today.

When time is up, share your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop here and leave feedback to encourage a few other writers too.

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website .

199 Comments

This is one of my favorite ways to write 🙂 Except I like to use “you”, as if I am talking to myself and telling myself what I am doing or have already done.

He sits in his office chair, staring at the computer screen. In the cube next to him he can hear the sound of a coworker banging on a loud keyboard. The printer spits out paper after paper, other co workers talk and laugh. “I would never want to be a landlord.” “It’s not so bad.” The light of the mid morning day streams in behind him as he works on his assignments, filling in forms, completing spreadsheets, answering emails. Sometimes he thinks the entire job is all about email management. How did he get to this place, to this life? Simple, small choices add up until years later he finds himself bored and unenthusiastic about where he is. His cell buzzes next to him, notifying him of a text message. He checks it, hoping to see a message from his girlfriend but finds instead a message from his ex-wife. He ignores it. Chatter continues around him, papers turning, the mail delivery guy singing to himself pushing a squeaky cart down the aisles. Time passes under the glow of fluorescent lights and the hum of overhead heaters. The fan on his laptop starts spinning and he places his hand next to the computer to feel the warmth blowing out from it. Simple pleasures. He puts headphones on to drown out the noises and looks at his plan once again. The way out. Hope for a future of freedom and joy, real life, not the feeling of entrapment and stagnant death. It all begins with courage. The courage to face up to the difficult choices ahead, courage to face his fears, courage to be honest and real with himself and those all around him. It starts now.

I learned a long time ago that I am not trapped in any place in my life. I think the truest thing you said was to be honest and real with yourself. This certainly touched a chord in me.

I continue to learn that lesson. I’m glad the message touched you.

brilliantly inspiring. I don’t know if you meant for that. Like it!

I’ll take it, thanks!

i’m intrigued as to what the details of “his plan” are; like the mystery with which you end your last paragraph.

i might try deleting certain phrases to slim it down. for example, i might get rid of “notifying him of a text message” after “His cell buzzes next to him” and just end the sentence there, since in the next sentence you talk about anticipating a message from a certain someone.

“email management.” i like how it all reminds me of the movie office space but has more depth. thanks for sharing!

Thanks Sara, great feedback!

Josh, I recognized the office. In fact I think I worked there. Good job. I like your last sentance. “It starts now.” If you were writing about a fictional character would he get up and walk out of that office then?

You got it Vicki!

I love how you wrote your piece this morning. It shows your longing to discover who you want to be..

Here’s my attempt at it:

The morning starts as it always does, with the cold seeping into her bones. Although she is under the covers somewhere there is a gap in the covers because the cold invades her dreams. AS she wakes her thoughts begin to race as she wondered where her writing will take her. Which story will she choose and what will she learn about herself from her Characters today.

Because the cold works to sap her energy as she pulls herself from the covers, she sets her feet on the rug. She feels older then she is. Reaching for her robe she works to keep the dreams fresh in her mind so shemay write them on paper before they are lost forever never to resurface again. Until she is away from writing instruments.

With her eyes barely slits she shuffles to the kitchen to start her day. Knowing where everything is she begins the task of making coffee and waits impatiently as it heats. Finally with her cup filled she carefully moves to her desk by the window and takes a seat. Pushing the button that awakes her ‘baby’, she listens for the hum as it awakes ready to take in what her fingers type.

What will her writing revel to her today as she steps one step closer to discovering who she is, for she can only know these secrets when her fingers what no one else will see.

But we want to see the secrets. 🙂 I’m intrigued.

When I finish writing I will share with you, then we’ll both know. *smiles*

Good timing! This is the morning I am having. And having written this, I know what I am going to do.

My practice…

In a moment of utter frustration, she walked away from the computer. The story in her head wouldn’t form; it came out in bits and pieces.

She knew she needed more research but couldn’t find what she wanted. How do you explain a world when your perspective is that of a child? While the world swirled around her, she didn’t take notice. As a child, she didn’t care about things she couldn’t comprehend.

The story’s important. It’s a tale of innocence that was destroyed by events she didn’t understand. The story’s old. Ruth died 46 years ago. The anger at her death is old too but doesn’t seem to lessen. Sometimes, it seems like it happened yesterday. The images of the last day are clear. The sounds and the smells are as fresh now as they were then.

Again, frustration overtook her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to change her perspective to that as an adult. The child in her would not let go. It was easy enough to check dates and events but those were just the things that happened to other people outside her realm. In their small neighborhood, none of the global events affected them. They had been sheltered from the reality of the adult world.

Years later when she was able to piece the events together, she realized what had happened. She was angry all over again. And the child in her took over, raging at the adults who let it happen, who shattered the innocence forever.

“Screw this,” she thought. She sat back down at the computer and started to write. “I am going to write it from the child’s perspective.”

Yay! That’s what I was hoping for!

Throughout your piece I KNOW what you are writing about. The fact you were able to make me feel your pain and frustration, without actually describing the acts that caused them,

I really like your practice, Joe. Here’s mine:

Alicia should be ashamed of herself, but she isn’t. She should be working on her recent assignment but has yet to make it past 16 words, and she still doesn’t hate herself. Instead of getting paid to write, she’s spent the last hour writing about why she loves writing and reading about writing. Does that bother her? No. Should it? Probably.

Alicia normally has a full cup of self-discipline, but with the end of the semester approaching, she just wants a break, and it can’t get here soon enough. So she finds comfort on her couch, crosses her legs, and types whatever comes to mind through her fingers. She lets the writing consume her, take it where she needs to go, until she can muster up the energy to begin her assignment.

But the day is still young, and it’s quiet in the living room, with just the soft sound of running water in the fish tanks to calm her nerves. And while Alicia’s been stressing all week over her endless to-do list, she’s calm now because she gets to write about what she loves and learn how to improve her talents.

Alicia glances at the clock, and her heart flutters with annoyance. She had planned to finish her assignment before heading back to class, and now she only has an hour to research and write 675 words to meet this goal. She narrows her eyes. Will she be able to do it? Or will part of the article have to wait for later? She exits out of the extra tabs on her browser, even the pages she has yet to read, and prepares to settle down and get to the writing she should actually be doing.

Love that “the writing consumes her” and the “water in the fish tanks calm her nerves”. She “writes about what she loves”….the best reason to write!

Thanks for the feedback. I wasn’t actually sure how I did since I was in a rush.

She had been up for two hours and only after making picky- eating- nutritionally- acceptable breakfasts, appetizing yet balanced lunch boxes with the right sized plastic containers to fit every corner of the bento boxes, looking for toys, crazy loom bracelets, socks, shoes, super hero shirts, underpants and sweatshirts, negotiating every minute of TV watching and making up games to get everyone off to school on time, only then, she was able to finally sit and be herself. It took making sure that the 4th grader had the confidence to ask classmates to come to his birthday, even though they “think I’m weird” and that the 3 year old could look forward to playing with preschool toys instead of swords and handle being away from his mommy for at least four hours straight. It took giving more than what she had, setting aside her needs, her feelings, her frustration, her anger, her timing, her opinions, her natural inclination to wake up slowly into the world, to induce her children into a hostile world that had to contain them while she could become a person again. A person who had to reconstruct herself everyday at 9 am; reviving memories, making sense of goals and lost dreams, making sure she retained the spark in between errands and chimerical schemes.

[whew]. i feel like i got caught in the whirlwind with you.

Love all of it, but especially the lines, “It took giving more than what she had, setting aside her needs, her feelings, her frustration, her anger, her timing, her opinions, her natural inclination to wake up slowly into the world, to induce her children into a hostile world that had to contain them while she could become a person again. A person who had to reconstruct herself everyday at 9 am; reviving memories, making sense of goals and lost dreams” … you have captured many moms’ gut-wrenching feelings, and done us proud!

Been there, done that. I’m right with you on this. It is but a thumbnail sketch of a mother’s morning.

Ditto. My kids are grown, but you took me back. And your last sentence is spot on, with or without kids underfoot.

Her days are filled with projects and a certain urgency to life, a hurry to complete goals before time floats away. Her head is full of stories, imaginary and fully lived. A favorite time of day is retiring to the small office, just off the kitchen, where she writes. One wall of the office features an oil painting by her sister of a mountain scene, another photo depicts the Appalachian mountains with low clouds floating like angels across the peaks. A small window allows a glimpse of sky, a few leaves tumbling out of the roof gutter and the imprint of a dizzy bird which hit the window. Stories spill out of her mind as fast as she can type, with hesitation just long enough to find the right words to transfer an image to paper. The urgency is there: don’t let the memory fade, the precious moment escape before sharing it. Her heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for life itself. Sticky notes surround her desk: a reminder to read a new book, a list of stories to be included in a collection, several titles for her book, a reminder to run a backup disk of all her writing. Every week she reads books to elementary school children, pouring out her love of written words to children dominated by TV and the Xbox. Others her age have passed on to a different life. Time is precious. She considers the title for a blog, “Not Done Yet”.

so. i forgot to describe my surroundings. it’s been awhile since i’ve done a prompt! i think the last time was to help me get started on my personal statement, so maybe this one will rev me up again for the final onslaught/phases of my applications. thanks, joe. now i have to resist the temptation to revise this instead of working on apps. 😛

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Desperate times calls for desperate measures, she thought as she clicked “Deactivate” on the screen. This might’ve been a good weekend to hole up in a cabin, somewhere in the Hudson Valley, maybe. But with what money? She’s trying her best to resist the plastic precious in her wallet.

She’s also trying her best to focus on the many tasks at hand. Revise her resume for one school. Send a Hail Mary email to a professor for a letter of recommendation. Write about how she would add diversity — convincingly, too; debunk the notion that there are enough Asian females in law school, and in law in general.

She also wants to do the right thing. Her heart has entered yet another spin cycle of “Does he like me like me?” She’s not tired of being wrong, she’s tired of the uncertainty. She’d rather know if he’s just not that into her — those late night text messages actually don’t count?! — and be put out of her misery.

But it’ll hurt anyway. Is it wrong that she just so happened to connect with someone else that might actually be into her? She thinks there might be something there…

But she still can’t forget how quickly the two of them connected. How they met twice in the span of one day. Who does that?

She clocked in at the library and went to sit down at the library’s little coffee bar. If she she was lucky she would have time to study in between customers… if she was lucky. Her eyes scanned the little library…. it looked like it would be a slow day. Time to study… but would she use it? It seemed forever ago since she had started the semester and now she was almost done… not really done though… school always just seemed to keep on going. Semester after semester…. year after year. “Study,” she told herself, but her mind would not focus. Too much had happened to not just take a moment to think about. Sometimes she wondered if God liked to see her scrambling so she could remember… remember Him. She’d had so many instances to turn her mind to God that week, too many times it felt like… and probably many more times in the future. She sighed. Study.

I can see myself playing this mental/spiritual game too.

She wakes before the clock radio starts muttering. Realizing that she slept through the night makes her giddy. Yes. All right! A full night’s sleep. The Holy Grail. She wakes rested and ready to take on the day, but not quite yet. Husband breathes deeply next to her in the king-size bed she loves. Day has not dawned, but there is enough ambient glow from night lights and electronics to take in the cloud-like expanse of their white comforter. This is her nest, her safe haven. She would be embarrassed to tell anyone how much she loves this retreat, with its cathedral ceiling, extravagant crown molding, paintings and family photos. It is hidden away in a corner of their townhouse that looks like hundreds of neighboring abodes from the exterior. And yet, even though she shares it, she coverts time alone here to read, to write. to muse.

Love this…can relate (except the husband part) … laughed out loud re: “She would be embarrassed to tell anyone how much she loves this retreat, with its cathedral ceiling, extravagant crown molding, paintings and family photos.” Men are not the only ones who have their caves! Your retreat sounds so cozy and I share your love for having my own comfy hideaway, my respite from a sometimes chaotic outside world!

Tami, I hadn’t thought of my retreat as the equivalent of a man cave. That made me smile and nod.

She might have been embarrassed to share how much she enjoys her retreat, but I’m glad she did. Loved that thought. And knowing people who struggle hoping to get a good night’s sleep, I understand giddy. I liked your piece.

Anne, Thanks for affirming that what I was feeling came across.

I empathize with the feeling of not wanting to move from your space, to actually enjoy what you’ve bought, cleaned, and decorated.

Thank you, Susan. It feels so good to know that my words connected with you.

She would always hide in the corner, and curse quietly in a funny little accent she wouldn’t dare identify if you remembered her name. She’s usually silent, invisible, and overly polite, but once you got her to start talking there was no end to her rapid fire run-on sentences, stretched analogies, and skewed logic, peppered with random facts acquired from a long reading history or else personal experience. Sometimes people gather around her and just listen, if they can follow, and it’s the only time they see her at all–when she’s rambling incessantly. She gets weird looks from everyone around her and it’s one of the only things in the entire world that make her smile. Ah yes! The humans think she’s an oddling! Cue the fanfare.

She’s willing to talk about almost anything, but sometimes certain things come up and she quiets right back down and doesn’t say another word for hours. Did you hear about that celebrity that just got diagnosed with cancer? How about that girl who killed herself? The dude caught dealing drugs and killed a cop? And what about that serial rapist they just caught?

If you looked closer, you might see the way she trembles. You might guess what sinister reminders it brought.

But she’s not talking, and nobody sees her when she isn’t talking.

I’m not sure why this doesn’t have more comments, because you’re certainly not silent in your writing.

Beautiful, beautiful! I can identify with her, silent and invisible, until she speaks, and people listen because her words are rare, precious and unique!

She lays back in the chair, hair still damp, her skin glistening. The smell of coconut oil conjures up tropical beaches and swaying palms; a strong contrast to the snow covered view through the window. As her eyes open, grey as the sky, she thinks of tomorrow. A fresh pot of coffee, followed by a quick pick up, and since the heavy chores are done the day will unfold as she chooses. She anticipates choosing to think about things that have not yet been thought. She anticipates the time to remember things that deserve remembering, and maybe some that do not. Perhaps since she’s been ‘good’ she can start now. After all, she can’t see the clock from where she sits so time is not really passing. It is better, she thinks, to measure time by what gets finished- a thought, a smile, a loaf of bread, a good book.

Very nice mood, here. I can totally picture it.

Thank you, Susan. Maybe now that the mood is down on paper, I can conjure it up on demand 😉

You’re welcome. I love writing that evokes (invokes?) mood.

Evoke vs Invoke- Initially evoke worked for me, the idea that the writing “calls up” a mood. But then your choice had me googling- and I like that invoke suggests an active calling, maybe even with incantations. And I see that I posted more than once in response to your initial comment….time for that second pot of coffee!

I’ll join you for coffee.

Thank you Susan. I liked hearing that you can picture the mood.

“After all, she can’t see the clock from where she sits so time is not really passing.” What a great line! An inner thought that probably all of us have felt, but never quite put into words. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you. This is my first prompt exercise and it is lovely to get feedback. I had recently had a conversation with a friend about the bane of electronics and clocks in our lives so I suppose that this thought has been brewing for a while. When I saw the 15 minute limit for the prompt, I ‘promptly’ turned away from the clock and so…..

What about the numbers that rule our lives?

Well, only if we let them….but truly, people impart a magic to the ‘right number’. Just look at how the media uses numbers: the TEN best, SEVEN most……

I was thinking of our numbers for social securiy, bank accounts, cellphones, passports, vehicle registrations, etc. Must admit they bring a sort of order to everything.

very nice description of your thoughts, feels like a calm mind

Thank you. I think that writing brings me calmness.

Those are wonderful measuring tools. Enjoyed this peaceful peace. Wondered if she was drinking a cup of tea as she sat there. Nice.

Thanks. And no, she was not drinking a cuppa. But the pot was set to boil.

Very simple, but very effective. I love her thoughts on time- just passing thoughts, but important all the same

“It is better, she thinks, to measure time by what gets finished- a thought, a smile, a loaf of bread, a good book.” I really loved this. The true value of time is found in the things that make it special.

13:23 to 13:38 She prefers numbers to words. The numbers maintain their meaning whether she says them or someone else tells them to her. She’s sitting outside this afternoon, warming in the sun, thawed out for the first time today. The sofa faces the garden, downhill and she sifts through the chores in her mind, the only way she knows how to avoid getting up, finding her garden gloves and walking down and through the gate to get dirty. But today she has limited time, a to do list perched on her desk reminding her to stay on task. Lunch has been eaten, dishes cleared away. It was bean soup, the same thing she’ll have for dinner tonight and the same thing she’ll have for lunch again tomorrow. She would be happy as a dog, eating the same food every day. She read and wrote on her lunch break instead of rushing back inside to sit at her desk and finish the lingering items. What was the use? There would never be a day without a long list if to do items. She abandoned her desk every day at lunch. She demanded outdoor sunshine, the smell of dirt and the sounds of birds and bugs, of leaves skittering across the pavement. The same wind that scattered the leaves made the chimes release their music. Planes roared over head at thirty thousand feet. The numbers would call her back soon enough. She’d arrange and rearrange them and send them off in different forms to different departments. She didn’t believe for a minute that anyone read or analyzed her numbers but since she was paid to do it, she worked the spreadsheets and calculator. One day she’d total everything up in a today package and start using words. A backlog was developing and she knew that one day they would have to come spilling out across pages and pages and books and books. The End

Yes, one day the words would have to come out. They can’t be jammed in there forever. I liked the wind that scattered the leaves and made the chimes release their music. I also like how she had to choose between numbers and words. Though I have made similar choices, I still prefer the words. They dance.

Numbers…the universal language…

I felt a bit wistful (on her behalf) reading this.

The Yahoo Mail waiting symbol chugged slowly in a circle as it pulled messages from who knows where. He wasn’t too worried or impatient, though. It had only been a couple days, and he was sure there wouldn’t be a response yet. Even if there were, he was prepared.

99.5 percent of new authors are rejected, he’d told himself a thousand times. And he believed it.

On top of that, he wasn’t crazy about his query letter. And, after reading his manuscript a hundred times over, he’d decided there were parts he positively hated. But this was a crucial step. Unlike all those other times in his life, he was saying, “Fuck you” to fear. It felt nice, and was especially easy this time, because he knew exactly what would happen. In fact, he was downright excited to get that first rejection.

I’m putting myself out there.

Smiling to himself, he clicked the “Check e-mail” button for the hundredth time that week.

This time, a new message appeared, and he gasped after reading the familiar e-mail address.

This was it. And he was ready. More than ready; this wasn’t even one of his favorite agents. He had decided to submit to a couple ‘middle of the pack’ agents, first. That way, he could hone, as needed, for the big dogs.

Not even bothering to take a breath, he clicked the e-mail and its contents flashed on the screen.

Dear author:

Blah blah blah blah blah blah Rejected blah blah blah blah.

Sincerely, Agent

He stared at the screen, wide-eyed. There it was, exactly as he had expected. And, exactly as expected, he tried to grin and nod to himself.

But something different happened.

For some reason, his neck faltered and his head hung like a corpse.

Then, before he could stop himself, he’d lowered himself to the desk. The second his forehead touched the cool metal, his eyes overflowed, and he choked a sob into his keyboard.

This is such a great portrayal! Though I haven’t gotten that brave yet, I can see myself acting and reacting just the way this guy does, even after he’s steeled himself for rejection!

Thanks!! This actually happened *today* :/ It’s a little exaggerated but the wash of emotions was definitely accurate. Oh well, it will get easier! And if I can be that brave (although I wouldn’t call it that, lol), anyone can.

He should just remind himself how many times some bestsellers were rejected. They say you don’t finish a novel, you abandon it. We’re always learning. Right till the moment when we write our last words and curl our toes.

Just a hint of light was showing through the datk navy roman shades. The three cats were already restless, anxious to be fed. Ghost, the smallest of the three, curled up next to her right ear purring loudly. Brother began to paw at her feet, nibbling on her toes. The third cat, pounced onto the bed, and curled himself onto her belly.

Pulling the covers over her head, she moaned. “I’m not ready to get up yet guys. Go away.” Flexing her right shoulder, she dislodged Ghost and rolled onto her left side. The cats, sensing her mood, quickly.vacated the bed.

Like a blow, the large empty space in her bed confronted her. This was where her husband should be. Instead, on the nightstand next to his spot sat a black box. It contained all that was left of the man she had loved for thirty.seven years. Seeing the box always caused her to sob. Crying was better than not having something of him with her. She reached over and touched the box. “I love you sweetheart.”

Slowly she swung her legs out of bed and sat up on the edge. The room around her was cluttered, dirty, and disorganized. She sighed and heaved herself slowly up, holding to the edge of the bed for balance. Already her back ached and hard pain shot down her left leg. As she reached for.her mefication bag her shoulder screamed, “time for.a pain pill.” Hastily.she swallowed a handful of meds. In thirty minutes she would feel better.

The boys were now milling around her feet, begging to be fed. First she bent and scooped the nights gifts from the litter box. Then, she filled thier bowl with dry food topped with a can of tuna. With her furry children content, she finally turned to her laptop.

Now was her time, in the quiet morning hours, to put words on a blank page. This was what kept her getting out of bed each day. This was the gift she gave herself, permission to create.

I like the “nights gifts from the litter box”.

She’s surrounded by her favorite entity – words. A long bookshelf mostly contaning classics, hangs overhead, winding the wall. Small hands with slim fingers type on the laptop placed on her lap. Though the room is dim, christmas lights hang around the window, cast a festive glow. The black coated corgi keeps her company, laying at her feet and occasionally popping up for a pet. The girl, for she is not fully a woman, bites her pink lips and runs her hands along her auburn hair when stuck for ideas. As she writes away in her second book, thoughts of doubt begin to creep in. For a minute, her hands stall and the fire drains from her green eyes when she listens to the lies. Is it worth it? Who would read it anyway? Success has been slim thus far, why would this book bring a different fortune? With a sigh she glances at the books behind her. Some of them are so tattered that the binding is becoming undone, so often has it been read. Very few of them are from this century and as she ponders why, she turns to her work again, mindful of her passion. She MUST write this story for the love of good literature, wholesome stories and beautiful writing. Though in many ways, she knows she lacks necessary experience, that is why she must write all the more. So that perhaps one day, she can contribute to the world that has helped her so, if not just to say thank you.

I love this picture! The Christmas lights around the window, the black corgi for company, shelves of old books for inspiration, small hands on the laptop. I’m a bit confused by listening “to the lies”? Maybe you could expand on that a little? Very touched by “she can contribute to the world that has helped her, if not just to say thank you.” Thanks for sharing.

I really identify with the “lies”, for that’s what many of our self-doubts are. Also the good books on the wall, I share that affinity, and very few of mine are from this century either! And writing as a thank-you to the world is a beautiful idea. Good work!

Thank you! I’m glad I’m not the only one 🙂

Isn’t that how it is for us writers? To be compelled to keep on writing, not knowing how successful we will be. We owe it to the craft itself, to write, not just to be published, but to become better. Good empathy.

As if swimming were not lonely enough, she ventures off to the beach for an open water swim. All by her lonesome. She and her sisters coined this part of the shore, “Lonely Beach.” It was where they went when they didn’t feel like being social or seen.

She waded in on a Sunday afternoon—the sky shrouded in gray humidity. Sharing the sand with an old lady walking a dog and a hippy wielding a metal detector, she sighed. Within the sigh she asked herself a question and then answered it. “Why do I do this? …You’re paddling the extra lap.”

She stood staring at her feet as the water washed over, their prints seeming like primitive clay monster feet. She crossed her arms, hugging each elbow in a palm. Her hair blew across her nose, causing it to itch. She paused to watch the guy deliberate over the metal detector. To her, it was an odd way to spend an afternoon.

Yes, she was stalling. There is a certain amount of psychological readying to taking the plunge. She bolstered herself, silently.

“You’re here.”

“You might as well get started.”

She thought that may be she was a lonely soul, an old soul. She craned her head over a shoulder to look at a vacant lifeguard stand, imagining a chiseled sun bleached body, shading his eye contact in Ray-Bans. The sign read, No Lifeguard—Swim At Own Risk. She was swimming, at her own risk.

I like the lonely feeling of the place, that certain stretch of beach, and the sense of looming risk that she stalls from facing. Her response to the sign — swimming, at her own risk — sounds like it could be a theme in the story. Good practice!

Thanks John. Yes, you nailed it. The theme for a story that is…

Hope this develops into a short story (.meant as one of the highest compliments) … want to hear more…want to know where this goes!

Thank you, Tami. I kind of cheated. This is part of a larger piece I’ve been working on for years. It was not an impromptu writing effort.

I was able to step into the image and the feelings you impart in the paragraph describing her staring at her feet, hugging her elbow,etc. Thank you.

Thanks JC. Again, writing can be so creatively charging!

Loved the primitive clay monster feet. I got to experience those when I went to Michigan with my daughter so you gave me a chance to revisit. And I almost felt like I had to brush the sand off my feet even now. Thanks for your piece. And stalling. I know stalling.

I liked how that came out too, Anne. Isn’t it great fun to create something out of the blue? Wouldn’t know it was there if I hadn’t started typing. And the word, ‘stalling’, I had to use that. It is a strong verb.

Mister Computer says it’s 34 degrees Fahrenheit. The rain hasn’t started yet; they’re saying it could be worse than at the 2011 Superbowl. If it sleets/snows, the office will be closed and he won’t have to go and repeat yesterday’s terrifying wrestling-match: answering calls, first-day panic, taking questions he didn’t know the answers to yet — he answered phones for the gubm’t for nine years through sheer force of will, Before. Does he have it in him to do it again? He kinda hopes it snows.

He remembers how much fun it was this morning helping with the produce at Seniors, wrestling three dozen frozen turkeys into an upright position so his partner could slip a wal-mart bag over it. He broke a sweat, he’d have you know. It’s good to work for your dinner.

It’s gonna be a tight couple of weeks due to car registration, high heat bill, just too much dang month left at the end of the money. But that sackful of food from this morning is gonna help a whole lot. He’ll make it. He always makes it.

He’s just a little less self-confident at the moment, with the new job, new people to deal with, and the memory of backing into that man’s pickup in the bank parking-lot Monday morning isn’t helping. He keeps worrying at it in his mind. His fault. Insurance likely to go up. Is he losing his edge? Should he give up the car and start riding the bus? Did it for five years in the ‘nineties, and has less problem with the idea than some would.

He’ll never get too old to make a mistake. And he’ll never escape change.

Definitely a man aging back and forth. I like the word picture you use in the first paragraph of the office zone being like a wrestling mat. I also like the line about too much dang month at the end of the money.

Aging back and forth, yeah, exactly, I like that! Age coming on, but the youth hasn’t left the building. Thank you!

Agreed, I loved the line “too much dang month…”. I actually did a double-take when I read it, thinking “huh?” Then it hit me and I smiled (maybe a little jealously 🙂

It’s amazing how self-doubt creeps in with age. That’s when you start taking a hard look at the person you’ve lived with all the years.

Yes, taking a hard look at that person — and still choosing to accept him/her! Self-doubt is a temporary state of affairs.

I can’t explain it, but I love the line (and the feeling that goes along with it), “He’ll never get too old to make a mistake”.

Today the flame went out. It had been slowly dying for quite some time. Flickering, waning… But always still there.

Today it gave up. It no longer had wind, wood nor heat. Today the fire died.

The wind should have come on the wings of laughter,

From whispered words of love, kindness and affirmation. From the sheer joy of knowing they had been SO blessed. But even then, Wind is not enough.

The wood should have been there too. It used to be. It was determination, commitment to their future together. Fuel is necessary, and it must come from

A renewable source, Unconditional and full of promise. They must have stopped gathering wood together.

The heat is gone too. Flames would sometimes rise, showing promise of the Once familiar fire… Sometimes it was all-consuming, Sometimes warm and comfortable. Now, it is neither. There is no wind, no wood, no heat.

He had big dreams, but she doesn’t know what they were. He didn’t share them with her. She’s not even sure he could because maybe He didn’t even know what they were himself.

She had dreams too…everybody does, right? Not lofty dreams, but good dreams still. And her dreams included him. What she thought they had together, Yesterday, today, and all her tomorrows.

She doesn’t know which happened first. Did the flame go out and she awakened from the cold? Or did she just become cold, And watch the flames die? All she knows is, today the flame went out. Today, the fire died.

Tami, This is so poignant. I want to mourn for what they have lost because they stopped trying and didn’t share their dreams and hopes.

Thank you, Marilyn. I realize it didn’t really follow the prompt directions, but sometimes, it’s just what comes out, ya know? Thanks for sharing.

I like the element of fire showing a relational climate. It was pleasant to follow your prose with the way you formed your lines, like a poem.

Thank you, Susan, for sharing your observation. It did, indeed, evolve into more of a poetry format, though not intentionally. I often write long hand — maybe how I process things — and I decided to use the same format when posting.here.

This grabbed me, a very interesting and well done way to describe a relationship and how it flickered away.

Tami, Great piece. Sadly it captures what my brother is going through. His plans included her. Hers did not. He’s hurting because the fire died. Also it reminded me of a song my son’s group just released. His words and yours run parallel. Enjoyed this.

She sits there, staring numbly into the computer screen of a random website. Noises of her father and brother are behind her along with their laughter and christmas music. But she just stares, thinking of her life, how she is beginning to see things differently. She thinks of the morning of school today, waiting for the bell to ring as her childhood friends laugh and just goof off but she just couldn’t bring herself to laugh. She yawned and just looked to her left, passed her closes friend’s face. Should she feel guilty that once she sees another friend she only known from her early years at the school she begins to laugh and enjoy herself? She questions herself in front of the computer screen. She blinks…then her mind travels to another problem:her dream. Her dream of writing short stories. She has good ideas and her mind won’t shut up but of course right when she grab that dreadful pen her mind suddenly zips up and her ideas hitch a train for nowhere. And that train would be reality.

The alarm rings, and she presses the snooze button every ten minutes for the next half hour. It’s early, way too early, but she finally gets up at 5:30 to the sound of classical music. Her chocolate lab watches as she rises, and she could hear his tail thumping against his mat. Adorable. By the time she goes downstairs, the coffee has already perked; its wafting aroma stimulating her senses.

By the time her husband comes down, the breakfast table is set, and they share the first morning brew along with some conversation. Once he’s out the door, things quiet down once again. Her mind wanders as she does the morning dishes., but as usual, it focuses on her afternoon down time because once the chores have been completed, she ensconces herself in her nook and writes. Once her imagination is liberated, it’s the highest kite she can fly…

The highest kite she can fly. Love it. I also loved the tone of your piece. It just quietly unfolded. And how nice to come down to a table set. I felt as if I were peeking in to see it all. Love the tone.

Thanks, Anne. That’s about how it unfolds.

Writing as the antithesis to chore. Love it!

Yes, JC, “antithesis” is an excellent word to describe what writing is to me as compared to other things. Thanks.

He could have taken the car to work. But that meant sitting in traffic, and a hefty slice out of your savings for the parking. After all, his retirement, or call it by its real name, retrenchment, loomed. At his age he’d never find anything. He sits on the upper deck, among all the youngsters. Not for the company, but for the view. From there he can see into people’s houses, how they scramble around to be in time at the office. He tried sitting downstairs once, but it wasn’t the same. He was lower than them; it felt as if they were watching him. So he went back upstairs among those boisterous youngsters, who spoke about which club they’d been to the previous night, and other mindless things. Energy is wasted on the young, he often thought. Rather give it to us adults, who’ve had a lifetime learning to put it to good use. On the way back there’d be those drunkards heading for that rough working class neighbourhood on the route He later found that if he buried his nose in a book they left him alone. And the noise faded into the background as the youngsters excluded him from their sphere of attention. Now that his pension days were around the corner he’d like to turn the clock back and do things he should have done. And undo those things he shouldn’t have. He’d spent his life as a passenger, becoming part of what went on around him by being a spectator.

And now it’s time to pull out all those treasures you’ve been storing up through all those years of spectating, sort them out, categorize them, and share them with the world. No time for retirement! You have work to do! I agree, energy is wasted on the young. Those of us with things to tell need the energy to do it!

Thanks for the advice.

The room is small, cozy. The air is still, having not yet been disturbed by the travels of the people still sleeping in the darkness. Looking out the window he sees the trees reaching up towards the grayish sky waiting for the rain as a young boy would be as he watches a ball falling toward him, anticipating catching it. His back is achy despite a few hours of rest. These 15 minutes of tapping on the keyboard a pleasant new exercise, for his brain if not his body. Despite the quiet of the day, the current task at hand, the single light on in the darkened house illuminating his desk he is struggling to keep his mind on the task at hand. So much work ahead of him in the next 12 or 14 hours. Shortly he will get up from this silent moment and awaken the day. Start the rushing process of making sure she is ready for the bus. A lunch to make, to approve of an outfit, breakfast to prepare, dressed warm enough for the day, the hair!, the hair is always the delay, even at a young age of 11. He marvels at how hair is a concern everyday for him despite him losing his 15 years ago. The anticipation of the craziness that is about to begin has his mind racing already, a warm cup of coffee adding to the adrenaline rush starting to kick in. He glances at the clock, 2 minutes and this quiet day will kick into overdrive very quickly. Off to the races, time to put the silence back to bed for another 24 hours.

I like that your writing cocooned you with silence at the start of the day.

She sits in the quiet. The darkness still surrounds her but she knows in time the darkness will give way to light. It always does. Oh sure, sometimes it takes its sweet time like when the cold embraces us. Days like today.

She pecks away at the keys watching stories slip out of her head. Wondering all the time how they got in there and then she remembers. She used to run to stories when life was hard, when life was scary. She ran to stories a lot.

And now she does what she has to do again. She waits. She waits to see if the test results are good for her brother. She waits to hear that the procedure went well. She waits to breathe again.

She can’t afford to lose any more people she argues. But she knows that she knows nothing compared to the one who holds the keys to life and death. She knows, but still she argues. It’s the one thing she can do. The only thing she can do.

And yet, there is this place inside her. This room that she goes to when she’s afraid. She sits there waiting and knows He will show up. And she won’t be alone. He always comes. He always sits with her when she’s afraid. Always.

He was there when she stood at her mother’s coffin at 16. There as she said goodbye to her father at 24. She was there as she revisited the cemetery again and again. Too many times to count and yet she does.

It’s easier to count the remainder. Two. There are just two left. There were five of us siblings and then Peggy was gone. Domestic violence. Brutal thief. But years in between another huge loss. And those years got her used to living. Well, kind of.

Then she saw cancer rip away one brother. Watched as it took his health day by day. Had to remind him he was dying when he’d say, “Get my coat, let’s go home.” And later he’s say, “Oh yeah, we ARE home.”

And then there was February when she sat in a hospital bed with anxiety. Something new that keeps pestering her life. Something that causes her blood pressure to spike when should flow steadily. Yes anxiety had visited her. Intruded and refused to leave.

Anxious about her one brother getting a heart procedure. Unaware another brother clutched his heart and died.

Two. There are just two of them left. And while she tries not to think about it, that thought bullies its way in her mind and pushes out all the other thoughts. No thoughts like to be bullied.

She sits quietly and as she suspected she senses His presence. And hears His voice remind her she is not alone. He’s right there beside her. Just as He promised He’d be. And He never broke one of His promises. Not one.

Anne, this line caught me: ‘She can’t afford to lose any more people she argues,’ yet not in the way that I think you intended. I guess I put myself in her place. I mentally added the word, ‘with’ at the end of that line. As if the people, or God himself, being the ones we argue, love, and struggle with are the ones who cost us the most. They are the ones that we stand to lose the most of ourselves. Like a part of us dies with each one.

I should have put a comma after the word “people.” She is arguing with God.

I wasn’t correcting you. I got what you were saying, I just liked the twist of arguing with everyone, including God and self. hugs…

Sorry, Susan. I didn’t mean for it to sound abrupt. I was actually angry at myself for not putting in the correct punctuation. I also like the twist of arguing with everyone. Thanks.

Anne, You introduced us to a lifetime of grief and loss so great that it could rip your soul apart.

And except for the fact God was in it, you’re right. And do you know what he brought out of it? Poetry.

Thank goodness that you have experienced Him — so much love !

Joe, Loved your piece. There were so many things about it that made it alive. Loved the continual thankfulness that just had to ooze out of you. Absolutely loved how you ended your piece. The piece just flowed so evenly. Actually inspired me to even sit down and take part.

Thanks Anne. 🙂

So, here he sat again in front of the screen. Open the last page of his book. Words appearing in succession, staining the whiteness with characters burping from the brain.

For some time now he was aphasic to open it, almost scared. He might have turned on, to check emails and to play solitaire, but even that reluctantly. Many, some several months old, particularly those related with writing were loitering in the list of unopened mail. There was no reason for it.

A slap of life had smashed all desires to write.

I have to commence writing again. Now! And in the same sentence: Why write? It will not contribute to be alive. Arg! Too damn trumpery and useless! Thought of impotence heaped his mind. Had a bad mood, even snappy. It took awhile for him to grind down the disappointment and in the end accept he had to live a life whatever the circumstances. The end will come soon enough.

Some days ago, he started again reading the book with an earmarked leaf, which was lying around for a while. That night, he couldn’t sleep, and for him, reading was the best somniferous. Soon, ideas invaded the spirit, and he made notes, searched words, concentrated in modisms. That night and many after, he did not sleep enough.

Bad habits were kicking in again.

But there was a difference. He realised, just today, a big difference. Before, when his wife asked what he was doing, the answer had been: Working! Nowadays he says, Writing!

What a difference a misfortune makes!

Misfortune? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows? He remembered the old Chinese saying.

The energy is back with vigour. Carelessly ignoring the numbness his backside and the urge of nature. Barely walking to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He has to prepare it. It takes too long. Better, some water, he decides and is back to the frantic clicking on the keyboard in one corner of his bedroom. The music plays away. It’s cold. His heart has, though, been warm and palpitating to the rhythm of the script.

Hey! Of that, life is all about!

I love what you wrote….a bit of mischief is getting ready to happen, I think…..

Here is what I wrote for 15 minutes:

She sits at the desk in front of the laptop almost everyday. But nothing comes to her mind. There is too much going on around her – even the dog and cat prevent her concentrating on what she needs to say – what she must say. There is a story inside her somewhere. But she has no time to dwell on its location, to find out where in the body or mind such a story could be. She is a writer. She has always been a writer, even if she rarely puts pen to paper. She has been a writer since she was very young, sitting on the back porch on a hot summer day with nothing but chores to do.

She used to wonder about eternity. The concept of eternity was troubling her when she was only eight or nine years old. Sitting on that back porch in the heat of the summer in Dallas, wondering about eternity. She would imagine the world never, ever ending, like the nuns told her classmates and her, but somehow she could not get a true connection. What would eternity look like, she wondered, forgetting that she was only in the third grade…what could it be like?

Well, it had to be better than just sitting on the back porch, waiting for her mom or dad to come yell at her for not doing anything. They had small patience for little girls, especially for her, since she was the eldest girl in the family and should be helping her mother to care for the younger kids. Man, what a life for a kid! But that is what an adult would have thought, had an adult been sitting on the porch with her, sharing those eternal thoughts. Kids had not much of a past, so they had little to refer to. Still, she knew that whenever there was not much work to do, the little kids were asleep, and she had finished her homework (funny that she could not remember doing homework, for the most part!), she ought to have a bit of time for herself. Time to swing on the swing set before her dad opened the screen door and hollered for her to get her butt inside and do more work.

Little did she know, however, what lay ahead. And that was definitely a good thing. A damned good thing. Because if she had known even a little bit, she might have found the courage in her heart to take a short cut while walking home from school and end up elsewhere.

Funny because I’m listening to Above and Below, which seems to go along with this.

Where would I find “Above and Below”? I am a newbie here. Thank you for your comments.

It’s by The Bravery and there is a moon version and a sun version. Youtube has both.

The murky shape of a fish torpedoes through her peripheral vision and is swallowed by the clouded lake waters. She cranes her neck in its direction, hair following suit in a dull golden cloud and coming to rest in front of her eyes. Her back arches as she kicks deeper where pressure begins to replace sunlight and the sandy bottom full of discarded clam shells beckons as a silent refuge. Her elbows come to rest against the gritty surface as she releases her air from its chambers, watching it flee to the surface in a shimmering cloud of light. She could beat it if she wanted to; kick up from the bottom and satisfy the dull ache in her chest, but she doesn’t want to. Not yet anyways. She closes her eyes and the water seems to disappear, swaying around her with the same heat which runs in her veins, melting itself against her skin until the two are indistinguishable. She could lie here forever, in her secret, dim world. But it isn’t hers. Her lungs tighten to remind her that hers is up there, into the sun which shines so far away from this place. She jumps off the her throne of sand, rising into the surface.

You must know something about diving. I would not have been able to create this scenario without having been underwater myself. Good job !

Thank you, It’s one of my favorite pastimes and I bought my first monofin last summer.

She wakes reluctantly, feeling him stir by her side. The familiar feeling of heaviness returns as the reality of their life now seeps into her consciousness through the last wisps of sleep. Further rest will elude her now. Should she get up and try to use the time when he is asleep to do some writing? She is bone tired, but she knows there will be little chance for time alone later in the day. She turns to watch him sleeping and thinks of other Saturdays when he would be first to wake, always active, vital. Perhaps after some leisurely lovemaking he would return to her with a cup of tea and her favourite – hot buttered toast with marmalade. Then off to get the paper, maybe stop for coffee on the way. Now he can’t get out of bed by himself anymore or pee alone. This horrible disease is taking its time to kill him. She watches his dear face, at peace in merciful sleep for a while. She is sad but angry too. Maybe she will get up and write, despite her weariness.

While I have no really experience of what this is like your writing doesn’t use such fancy words that make it seem like a show. Yours seems real, but still showing how you feel underneath the words. I like it.

She stood at her computer, wishing she could feel comfortable in her own body. The room is lit with natural light and her husband is listening to the book Wise Blood on AudioBooks. She needs to jump start her energy, needs to get her blood moving. The calendar tells her it really isn’t good day to do anything, unless it is to work on her own set of personal challenges – releasing her bad habits, for god’s sake.

How does one work on one’s bad habits, she wonders. They are there, the patterns of behaviors. She circles around them and then gives in to nap. It is like earlier this week when her calendar asked her to retrieve her soul. Retrieve her soul? That is a long process, but she tried. She went through every memory she had – sitting on the front porch when scarcely older than a toddler, wondering what is infinity. Come here, little girl, she entreated. She remembered the last time she wet her pants after they stopped letting her wear diapers; squatting under a shrub, being amazed there was no diaper to catch it. Come back to me, she asked. Playing in her sandbox, riding her bike for the first time, climbing a skinny tree to get away from either a small snake or a big worm. Come back to this big empty spot in me, she asked. The memories of her life flooded her and with each memory, she invited herself home. Some of the memories weren’t so good and she hadn’t behaved admirably. She invited that girl back too. Get them all here, retrieve them, she told herself. Before long, all the retrieved people she could ever remember being gathered in her solar plexus and built a bonfire. They raked the coals around. This made her nervous. She wanted to fill that hole, not burn a bigger one. Oh well, all those soul pieces were in charge of this, not her. Just let it happen and she did.

Is she more whole now? More of one cloth? Who knows. There is an ache in her left back side. She feels full, lethargic. What are her bad habits? Is procrastination really that bad or is it her creative process? Certainly eating potato chips, her new vice since quitting gluten, could be something she skipped today.

Her husband stops listening to his story and comes over to the computer and wants to talk about the parade Saturday and had she told her youngest granddaughter they were staying in town, so now they could all go to it. Leave me alone, she finally explodes. Just 15 minutes, that is all I want. 15 minutes to write this exercise. And it is done. He goes away and the 15 minutes are gone.

Sorry for posting so late on this. I loved the exercise! I did it a day late and then my internet was down for an entire day. Finally this morning, I have internet!

She sits, reclined on the couch, trying to escape reality for the umpteenth time that week. Not that it’s been a hard week, or that she doesn’t love her life or anything, she’s actually enjoying life; she just likes to pretend it’s different sometimes. She picks up the book on the table and shimmies down into a position that says, “leave me alone. I’m reading.” A frown crosses her face as she struggles to drown out the sounds of her five younger siblings and piano-playing dad by immersing herself into a different world.

Later she will probably try to drain her emotions through writing, allowing the paper of her beloved notebook to carry some of the burdens weighing on her heart. Typical teenager burdens: love, hate, wonder, and longing. Regret too. And Nostalgia. All of these mixed up feelings trapped inside her will flow out onto the blank pages in inky words that will somehow sooth everything. She’d like to think she was unique, but she has the same problems as every other teenage girl. And then some.

Left to her own mind is much too dangerous these days. It’s a trap that ensnares her at her weakest times when she’s alone. Which is most of the time. There are certain people who help her though, and she’s seen them all this week. The greenish grey eyes of her best friend. The grey ones of her beloved music teacher. These are the people who put a little bit of light into her dark mind and draw her back into reality: the good reality. They keep her safe from the trap her mind has set for itself and remind her that love is a very big part of life. Not being loved necessarily, but loving. Being the one TO love is what matters most and it makes all the difference.

She lays with her knees up, covered in three army surplus wool blankets and an old, yellow stained feather blanket she’d known for years, though it wasn’t hers. Her bed, which takes up most of the room, is on the floor, the bare dirty white walls sometimes remind her of one of those old, padded asylum rooms. The kind that don’t exist anymore. And while that might have once really bothered her, even scared her, it amuses her now.

The room sits in the back half of the “house,” which is actually an old trailer, half of one, where they used to hang the plants to dry. The front half of the house is wooden, with wooden walls and floor and a high ceiling. Behind her, cold air comes up through the cracks between the wall and the chipping lanoleum floor. Last night, she had made a feeble attempt to remedy this with another rolled up wool blanket, but then figured out that a sheepskin did the trick.

It’s her idea of luxury. She’d been sleeping on the floor for years, with intermittent mattresses here and there, but she preferrs the floor. Maybe it’s just that it reminds her of the last place she called home, where they slept on the floor, and ate meals together in a circle around a fire or a woodstove. Where things made sense.

The house is finally quiet. It’s her favorite time, when she doesn’t feel the pull of anyone. Somewhere inside of her, the tug of an impending decision making time. She has no idea where to go from here. This little room, which for some reason she can remember seeing for the first time three years ago, when it was filled with April’s willow baskets and craft making materials, is starting to feel like hers. Even the weather seems to be comforting her here all of a sudden.

Fall in Northern California is strange for her, someone who has never missed a real winter. It’s sunny and warm, and her body kept expecting the change. Something, anything to signal that it was this time of year, and not another. But it never came here, and it felt like she was somehow stuck in time. The wintery slant of the sun was strange in the heat. Finally it changed.

This morning she sat outside on the porch, the sun just barely coming over the horizon but nowhere near her, those huge, intimidating redwoods stood in the east and shaded everything. Her afternoon cigarettes were the time where she could find a tiny patch of sun. this morning the wind howled, and she put on a wool hat and wool shirts and felt the crispness, and imagined brown leaves falling. She had never been so happy for a brisk morning chill. And wind, actual wind, blowing a fall hello. Her body swayed with it as she smoked her cigarette and the smoke didn’t matter. She didn’t want to smoke with all this weather calling .

She needs to get back to that piece, due tomorrow morning. She hears Susan sneeze in the other room, and Chris beside her shifts. They whisper to each other, and then go silent. She hears the hot water heater, and feels at home.

I like the phrase about her room – “where things made sense”.

Her childhood was a happy one, filled with pine forests and pussy willows, shading trees and deep shadows, bright sunlight and fairies. Her mind was a blessed country where music filled the air and magical creatures were waiting with secret smiles around every corner, offering new adventures. A little sister was a ready and willing companion in her exciting fairy world.

As she grew, reality pressed in with dawning dismay. Too late, she discovered that her childhood world had been one of the imagination, and in the business of growing up the door grew narrower until it closed altogether. The only way she could alleviate the anguish was to write – anything and everything.

Her one delight in the agonizing world of puberty became a pure white sheet of paper before her, and a pen poised in readiness. It was only then that her soul could be at ease.

With her teenage years came the realization that she must find an identity for herself, or perish, and that involved searching with every bit of strength she possessed.

The search lasted for many years, tumultuous, exhausting and filled with some bitter sorrows and some unspeakable joys, but the search bore fruit. She discovered who she was at last!

Outside her office window the sun is blazing. The temperature is frigid, below freezing. Her garden appears shocked, the plants struggling to breathe outside of their designated zone. Whoever decides what will thrive through winters in the Pacific Northwest probably didn’t have a day like today in mind.

The sun is a mixed blessing for her. In her chest she wants to run outside, through her arms open wide and hug those rays for the weather forecast indicates the usual gray clouds will return in just a few days. Yet, she looks at her desk. A half-done presentation awaits, due on Monday. Follow-up with a creative team on her new website is tugging at her “let’s play inside” persona. And then there’s the prospect of a trip to Costco to get the wreath, the garland … the overdue beginnings of the whole holiday decoration process. In the next room her husband lingers over the New York Times. They only subscribe to the Sunday edition so she looks forward to that leisurely read every week (and, she just learned, having something to look forward to can increase your personal baseline for happiness).

Happiness, she decides, shows up physically today. Sun rays streaming through the window. A second cup of coffee resting on her desk. The prospect of unpacking the Christmas decorations makes her smile inside. Finding a place for the crystal snowman, the mantletop garland, the collection of German smokers – a yearly ritual that signals the holidays have arrived, along with that endless of to-do’s that never quite get done.

WOW ! I love especially the image of the sun streaming through the windows. And yes, we have the have just the perfect place for each Christmas item, don’t we? I wish I could read more !!

First job on a dark winter morning: tending fire. The fires of evening languish after midnight and leave the big house chilled in this snow country. She is the designated early riser.

She stirs hot ash to wake red coals, then adds wood scraps that in a moment will blossom into flame. Coffee goes on while she waits. Once the fires start up again she adds firewood, small and then larger pieces. When they catch she damps the flow of oxygen back down for a slow burn. The fireplace in the family area is first, followed by the wood stove in the entry way. Family first.

A glance outside the window answers the pivotal question: is it falling, blowing snow today, or are bright snow fields already dimly visible down the hill? Her favorite is dry snow that glitters under the sun. It’s like a field of cool white velvet thickly strew with tiny opal chips.

Maybe this will be that kind of day. Warmly dressed now, she does a few minutes of yoga while the others stir and wake. An hour before dawn, with the sounds of day rising and the first cup of coffee in hand, she sees a small herd of deer cross the field below. They are graceful dark silhouettes in the dusky blue. As a small child she once cried for wild things outside in the snow, at the unfairness of it all, and sometimes she still wonders how they manage. Often, she knows, they don’t. Perhaps that germinal sense of fairness has wandered over time. Perhaps it’s merely been polished by emery grains of experience.

These deer, though, seem lively and inquisitive, at ease in their travels today, unperturbed by human habitation near by. Her kitchen is warm, bright, and yellow, and there’s a day of writing ahead.

Jealous of that morning routine! Maybe I wouldn’t be over time, but it sounds like such a perfect way to ease into the day: a little work to get a fire going. Some exercise. Then recollection.

Thanks, Brett. I’m a little conflicted about it, though. Having read some of the stunning entries here (plus almost all of Glimmer Train Issue #89, which to my mind has kind of a bleak feel) this little practice piece seems “fluffy” in comparison. I’ve taken it aside to give it more than 15 minutes. Notwithstanding my encultured training to convert lemons to lemonade, the hand of a darker angel rests on this character’s shoulder. It deserves observation. These prompts are great practice, but I think practice only works for us to the depth we actually dive.

It’s 5:49am and about 39 minutes behind schedule. My coffee never seems to be as warm as I want it to be. By the time I top it off and sit back down, it feels like it needs to be nuked.

The Bible and journal next to me, open to Isaiah. It’s mostly confusing to me right now, but slowly meaning pops out. My car journal is to my right. It’s a little spiral bound notebook that I keep in the car while I listen to podcasts. Texting and driving is unsafe, but I hope note taking on the center console isn’t. The laptop is open between them.

The lights are off and I’m typing in the dark. This space between 5:30am and 6:00am is tricky in our house. One of my children, were I asleep, would wake and crawl into the big king bed between my wife and me. But since I’m up, he might hear me and come downstairs for some attention.

I’m selfish. At least, I try to be selfish prior to 6:00am, or 6:15 if I play my cards right.

Across the dining room table is a my belt, my t-shirt, a children’s Bible, and a couple spiral notebooks that the kids like to write in. Plush green and white candy canes barely visible, are hanging in the dark underneath the light fixture.

I know the condensation is puddling around my water glass. This is my second day trying to write first. 500 words daily before I do anything else. I should probably get an earlier start and take a walk or do some stretching. It always seems I’m much more inspired after some early exercise. My brain seems to function. I’m using this prompt from deep in my Gmail because the cupboard was bare. And writing as a discipline, apparently, is tough the first couple mornings especially since I don’t have a clear end game. The last thing I want to do is write for work. And I’m not excited to write for my personal blog that centers around living a simpler life. And the blog on the url for my name has been in technical difficulty for over a year.

Consequently, I’m on Evernote practicing.

It’s 5:49am and about 39 minutes behind schedule. His coffee never seems to be as warm as he wants it to be. By the time he tops it off and sits back down, it feels like it needs to be nuked.

To his left is the journal open stacked inside the Bible, also open, opened to Isaiah. That ancient book is mostly confusing to him right now, but slowly meaning pops out. His car journal is to his right. It’s a little spiral bound notebook that he keeps in the car while he listens to podcasts. Texting and driving is unsafe, but he hopes note taking on the center console isn’t. The laptop is open between the two books of records.

The lights are off and he’s typing in the dark. This space between 5:30am and 6:00am is tricky in their house. One of his children, were he asleep, would wake and crawl into the big king bed between his wife and him. But since he’s up, his young son might hear him and come downstairs for some attention.

He’s selfish. At least, he tries to be selfish prior to 6:00am, or 6:15 if he plays his cards right.

Across the dining room table is a his belt, my t-shirt, a children’s Bible, and a couple spiral notebooks that the kids like to write in. Plush green and white candy canes barely visible, are hanging in the dark underneath the light fixture.

He knows the condensation is puddling around his water glass. This is his second day trying to write first. 500 words daily before he does anything else. He should probably get an earlier start and take a walk or do some stretching. He always feels much more inspired after some early exercise. His brain seems to function better. He’s using this prompt from deep in his Gmail because his idea cupboard was bare. And writing as a discipline, apparently, is tough the first couple mornings especially since he doesn’t have a clear endgame. The last thing he wants to do is write for work and his insurance blog. And he’s not excited to write for his blog that centers around living a simpler life. And the blog on the url for his name has been in confounding technical difficulty for over a year, so that’s not an option.

Consequently, he’s on Evernote practicing.

The coffee part was funny. Towards the end you wrote me instead of he. Also I did not like the last paragraph as much of the rest of the story. Maybe there are too many details in it. I’m not sure. The writing overall is good and I can feel the balance between being dutiful to the family and also having a special time to do one’s own work. And the grappling with is it selfish to hope the boy stays asleep a little longer.

He knows the condensation is puddling around his water glass. I think it would be better to say: Condensation is puddling around his glasses. He knows feels like it slows it down to me.

He wants to be a writer. He knows wanting to be a writer is not the same as being a writer. He sits in front of the laptop every morning before the birds have begun singing, before the sense of duty comes alive to distract him. But he always ends up posting, commenting, arguing.. on the facebook, anything to avoid actually writing. His other hobby is reading. He reads everything, with no discrimination. His childhood heroes were not cricket players or action heroes, but writers. While his friends admired Amithabh Bachan and Kapil Dev, he worshipped R K Narayan and Arthur Conan Doyle. In his dreams, he saw himself publishing Sherlock Holmes stories. But he could never convert these dreams to reality.

The moment he cherished most from his childhood was when he won a writing competition inschool. More than the prize itself, what he remembered was the praise he got from a famous writer, a judge for the competition. Yet he could not write.

Recently, he suffered a mental break down. It dawned on him that he wa 40, he had passed the prime of life, perhaps crossed the half way mark. He realized with surprise that he could not recapture time, recreate the past, that he was locked in a day time job that he loathed, that he was also shackled by the sense of duty from which thete may not be any escape.

very moving, and throughout I could sense the struggle and the longing to be formed and changed (thinking of a caterpillar/butterfly) seeing what you know you need to be, but also feeling not there yet. And then the sad realization of not being able to go back in time was a good ending paragraph.

All around her, the air was still. Not just still, but paused, muffled. All the world seemed to be put on mute. It was probably because of the snow outside, padding the roads and the sidewalks with white fluff. She didn’t mind- the quiet was a nice break from the noise and the cluttered mess. She sits beside the window this morning, curled up into a tight ball underneath a patchwork quilt, in a too-large chair. The heater is blowing out warm air besides her, and she can’t help but be a little reassured at the gentle hum of it running. Not that she needed it- her dachshund was curled up in the crook of her legs, acting like the miniature space heater she was. She couldn’t sit there forever, she knew. As she typed, the list of things she needed to do pressed on the front of her mind with continuing urgency, barrating her with a buzz of reminders and loose ends. But a little time for herself couldn’t hurt, could it? A thin strand dangled in front of her eye, and she blew it aside in mock irritation. Maybe this wasn’t the best time for this. Maybe this was just her way of procrastinating while she had real work to be done. That was very probable, and very like her. She knew there were real things to do, things that had to do with nasty words like ‘school’ and ‘chores’, but for the moment she was fine with brushing them off with a flick of her wrist and delving deep into her writing.

good job using the five senses so someone can really feel your environment. That makes it cozy. And even though there is a lot of stuff that the writer knows will have to get done, you could feel how she was still very immersed in her writing, and not getting overly stressed by it.

She sits at a funny little place – too small for a window seat, too large for a windowsill. Her cheeks press against the cool dampness of the glass, her fingers curled into the nails which she had been painting a few hours ago. It was the holidays – she should be relaxing, why was she agitated anyway? There wasn’t any homework assigned anyway. Her family ignore her and her own little ramblings, they only treat her ponderings and opinions as ‘teenagerdom’ and something ‘bound to change when she grows up’. They’re too busy in front of the television, intent on ‘The Wizard of Oz’, unaware of the clock ticking on the wall, that the children they have in their arms will eventually be doing the same. Perhaps it is only her who can glimpse into such thoughts. Perhaps it’s due to how she is in that time in adolescence when you know that you’re going to grow up, and that you’re nervous about what it will bring. Perhaps… She slides off the seat, and plops onto the sofa. Her younger sibling comes to her lap, bringing the scent of warm milk and love, something which will outlast all time. She smiles. Love, which can outlast all time.

yes. I like this. The writing is good, it doesn’t have unnecessary words. And also I like how you go into the feeling of fear of growing up and leaving what is known and people loved.

He, sits. He thinks. He ruminates. What is he doing with his life? Come Jan 24, 2014 and he would be completing 23 years of existence on planet Earth. But what has been accomplished so far? A bachelors degree, a film school diploma and now on his way to gain his Masters in Marketing and still he doesn’t feel very accomplished with himself. Still leaving at home, feeding of Dad’s income with absolutely no work experience as such, was he worth anything?

The fact that the girl he really had a thing for not only rejected his romantic advances but went on to say that “I will never like you” didn’t help his cause. He needed to find his ‘eureka’ moment where he finds the true purpose of his life. Maybe it lies in the world of words. Maybe that’s why his heart always kept tugging at this direction but he was too lazy to sit and let the words flow. Maybe it’s time for him to realise that there is no point in trying to rush and see what his future is going to turn out like. Live life and Just let it be.

I could really relate to this and the feeling of not yet being there, at that place where one wants to end up.

The blue chair was her throne, her childhood home her castle. Right now, just for right now, there were no doors opening and closing. No pounding on the stairs as parents and/or a brother made their way to the second floor. Not even the hum of the dishwasher or the thump of the washing machine intruded into her time.

All she heard was silence. That blissful, marvelous silence that came from just being. Not doing or crying or wondering or worrying. Just being.

For these few minutes, she could pretend. Pretend that it hadn’t been almost a year since she had to move back home. Pretend and remember what it was like to live in her own space, among her own things, free to think her own thoughts or even to dance in the kitchen with no one watching. If she wanted to, she could even watch an entire episode of “Glee” without any eye rolls or scoffs thrown her way. Or questions. She was so relieved, really, to have this time without questions about how had her day been, and who did she eat lunch with, and why did she like this show or that so much, and had she heard from so-and-so lately?

Not even the temptation of having the family TV all to herself was enough to pull her away from her words. The words were there, always waiting. She just had to sit still long enough to see them. To feel them, run her hands over them, testing their strengths, their weaknesses.

She wasn’t always sure of what she was writing, or why she was. “Writers write to be read,” she remembers telling a friend, many moons ago. But somewhere along the way, she stopped. The writing fizzled, save for a sporadic blog post here and there. She didn’t remember when, exactly, but she had lost herself, and was always, always in search of the She she used to be.

The blue chair didn’t have any answers. Neither did the blue walls, or the red mantle. My mother is a colorful woman, she thought. The fake greenery arranged artfully around the room also offered no secrets, no clue to the person she was looking for.

So she ignored them all — the reds, the greens, the blues — and leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The searching could wait another moment. For now, there was just being.

This was really intriguing and interesting to me.

Love the opening line

Life is complicated for her, if not physically, then on the inside. Between work stress, school priorities, and guys, she doesn’t always make time just to talk to God, and often suffers for it. She struggles with finding her identity. Her family is always supportive and loving, and that gives her strength and hope.

She is inside now. She wishes she were drinking coffee but she thinks it a waste of time to make some for just a few spare minutes of writing. She loves the outdoors though. She also loves people. Everyone coming from different places with different ideas, many she had never thought of. She loves how life changes. But she is starting to realize somedays things don’t seem to change. At least not for her, not always. Someone told her once life doesn’t hand us a new lesson until we first master the one given. Perhaps she was stuck on something. But perhaps she just expected too much from the universe.

Her garden is being eaten away by bugs, and she has been working to get ahead of it. And even though she had gotten the bugs under control, the plants look damaged and many have died. Can the plants catch up and be in time for the harvest time, she wonders.

This one is actually quite, quite mad, but I’m literally just writing the first things that come to me on these prompts!

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22, single, Bristol! Straight up social construct looking for love. Seeking the sort of love that can be conceived of as a ‘lagoon’ or ‘oasis’. Enjoys music and gambling, always up for a PARTYYY! Young displaced whisper floating among suburban streets. Massive Kanye fan, second biggest hero probably Messi!! Youthful fun-lover carried invisibly by a discourse I can’t remember. Travelling, traveller forever <3 .

he was lying in bed. another day is over.every night it occurs to him that he hadn’t been giving much attention to the the passing of days, to opportunities he missed. but then he admits that counting them wouldn’t really make a difference. you’d think it will end there and he’d go to sleep now, but it never does, because he always needs to do something about it or at least think about doing something about it. why is it that he never feels satisfied at the end of the day? may be because he’s not doing something he likes, may be because he is not doing anything, or may be because it doesn’t matter what he does as long as it is HE who’s doing it. he’s not dissatisfied with life, he’s dissatisfied with being.

three body in the small dim room- two sleeping. one sits cross-legged, her fingers tucked in around the cover of her small neon notebook. her eyes constantly gaze around the object that surrounds her and for a second she wondered why she loves to write in the dark so much when there’s plenty damn lights in the daytime. her heavy eyes darts to her brother’s sleeping figure, his snore low and she always find it funny in some way; maybe because she could tease him about it later and she always wonders about her sister’s eyes when she sleep; they’re never fully closed and she still think about it at some point. suddenly, her hand pauses and she took a short breathe, reciting what she had just wrote in a careful whisper. it’s almost three in the morning. she felt a familiar feeling of wishing she could just drift away to her beauty sleep haunts her every night, though she could never come close to stop thinking about so much things.

Sunlight gently streams into her room, caressing her face. Her eyes flutter open; another day has begun. She carefully selects the outfit she will wear; the dress must match her shoes while the earrings must offset the color of her hair. Everything must look perfect because in reality nothing really is.As she carefully applies her make-up she notices tears glistening in her eyes. She smiles weakly and although her eyes shine with life, the lace of death within them is unmissable. Try as she might she cannot hide the pain that is always with her.

She tries to remember a time when laughter was her life’s song, and hope was her constant companion. A time when she had a spring in her step, a trunk full of dreams and a heart bursting with love. Reality intrudes on her wistful musings and she remembers she must get to work. She carefully tucks away the pain and meticulously hides her bleeding heart, and once the burden of loss is tightly secured on her back, makes her way to work.

‘laughter was her life’s song’- beautiful

He sits on his computer all day his mum says, wondering out his window, what is actually out there? look, whats that and whats that? it looks like a rock falling from the sky in the distance burning with fumes of smoke, the rock is the same size as Africa I heard on the news, it was cooling but they say it could cause collateral damage on a major scale, like one we’ve never seen before, this is the end call it judgement day, the end of days, the second coming. I didn’t care for that one moment I knew what to do with my life…

“Wake up, you lazy mongrel! Time for school!”

Those blaring words, coupled with a rigorous jolt made against her shoulder, ends her long sleep nestled with a dream. It seems to her that her mind stiffens as still as a frozen figure before it adjusts to reality. In other words, the brain waves take a long while to recognize what is happening now.

Slowly, eyes half-closed and struggling with her depleted energy, she reaches out for the alarm clock which is situated on her bedside table. It is now six o’clock in the morning, when she realizes it is fifteen minutes too late to get up. A thought dawns on her: must she go back to sleep or head for school? With a quick burst of energy, she dashes off for a good bath and after ten minutes, emerges from the bathroom all wet, with a wrapped towel on her wet hair and another covering her naked body. Without further hesitation, she dresses into her school uniform and stamps out of her room with her bag in tow.

While having a breakfast with her family, her thoughts are on her assignments, which are almost complete at that moment. She leaves very little time to ponder on her dreams as doing this would waste precious time. Having finished with all the usual preparations, she skips off outside.

He shows up to job that moved him across country, that he was unsure of. He graduated from school July 2011, and didn’t get a call from a company until January 2014. He wasn’t sure if it was the right decision. He believes the move part was right but the job, the job is boring and doesn’t challenge him like his last. Their is a lot more down time and sitting around. He often jokes with is coworkers he has watched more tv the past year and a half than he has in the previous five combined. He doesn’t know what to do. He went to school to work on planes, but he doesn’t like it. It is not what he expected. Coming on to the age of 30 what does he do? Does he stay in this career path or find another? He doesn’t have any special skills or hobbies to make a career out of. He kind of misses his old way of life. Doing electrical wasn’t so bad always busy at work, did not have to work second shift and sit around until 2-230 am while his supervisor fucks around on the internet, just because.

His old boss knew how to take care of his men. He would buy a few thirty racks for the guys every week, sometimes twice depending on how thirsty we were that week. Occasionally he would takes us out to dinner. It was a fun environment to work at. Its funny how things work he tries to better himself and make himself happier but all he has done is made him more frustrated. He is a city 850 miles away from his friends and family. He has a smaller social group. He loves the city of Chicago and is glad he made the move. Because it’s a fun city and always something to do. And if he didn’t take this risk, he could look back at his life 10 years from now regretting he never took this risk.

On the sofa laptop in place cats at his feet yearning for touch

Warm summer night air invited in through fully opened windows cars speed past passersby talk in swift whispered tones

He finds words to add to a new poem some fall from his fingertips with ease others drop haltingly fishing for the right word in this first draft

like he usually does uncertain where he’s going fear to share to much, not enough thinking, thinking of the point

of why his writing this poem words battle in his mind for recognition to be chosen

to show the feeling he’s trying to capture with words on a laptop in place cats at his feet yearning for touch

He stops and strokes them they need him now

She’s sitting on a bed with a mac on her laps. Her toes are freezing even though she’s on a tropical island with the ocean in a safe distance hiding in the dark, frogs quietly perfecting their tunes, and the wind coming in and out of a little house without using the door.

Solitude. Silence. Nature. Time. She has almost everything a writer could be dreaming of.

Has she written much since she came here about a year ago? A few Facebook posts. Three probably. No. Four.

In her defense, she’s just recently discovered that ‘morning pages’ or the stream of consciousness that helps get rid of what’s obstructing the writing and is intended to be kept private just like a diary does not count as actual writing. Who knew?!

Plus she was busy with work. The work she loves. And can conveniently hide behind.

And often times it just felt pointless. Someone else surely wrote about the things she wanted to write already. Or will write about it very soon. And better than her.

And doesn’t she need to learn more, understand more, become more, better, enough to write the book she wants?

She also had to finish reading yet another book about creativity, sincerely wishing it was longer. Or endless. And read more about writing. And how all the above and below should be solved by a simple motion of typing word after word, sentence after sentence, otherwise known as writing.

This evening all she wanted to do was write. But then she had to find the log-in details (that haven’t been used for two years) to the unfinished online course on how to create a blog that makes a difference. And think about a perfect topic. And a WordPress theme. Just to kill that urge to write. Something. NOW. Nobody would read that blog anyway with the plentitude of brilliant ones out there to choose from.

Maybe she’s not that passionate about writing after all. She could definitely survive without it. She could keep updating the list of things she wants to write about and share, and keep exploding about not doing that on those private pages that will never be shared.

She would survive. But would she thrive? Another year might be given for her to find out.

She puts her headphones in as she types away on her laptop. The music drowns out her problems and the writing washes away her pain. A cold cup of coffee sits beside her, but it’s been long forgotten as she absorbs herself in the lyrics that were made to speak to her hurting ears. She imagines the life of her characters and fantasizes about slipping into her precious books and never coming back to reality.

The messy kitchen that surrounds her is suffocating and she thinks of just walking out of the house and starting a new life somewhere else. Her mind is in a million and three places all at once. Right now, all her mind is filled with is the fantasies of her dreams and the music that calms her soul.

Her frizzy, curly, brown hair is in a messy bun and her brown eyes sparkle with inspiration. Her mind has doubts about society finding her pretty and talented, but the writer in her has a different personality and she has a confidence in her that only comes through in her writing.

As she sits in school, her headphones have been banned and the only writing she does is equations and the answers to problems that are not her own. She watches the other people and envies their happiness. Everyday’s a struggle not to snap under the pressure of having straight A’s and expectations that her shoes are too small to fill. Day to day this is the same feeling, the same agony.

Someone changes her though. When she’s around this person, the pain fades and not a keyboard in sight, her problems are forgotten and the headphones she so often turns to are abandoned as she embraces this person. True happiness can be seen in her eyes, but of course this is just another fantasy that will fade as quickly as the door is shut and she once again is left in the messy kitchen with her writing and headphones.

She always has a smile on her face. Sometimes it’s real and sometimes it’s not. The truth is that, deep inside, she’s a warrior. Her head is a battelfield. One might think she’s always optimistic, like her life is a musical where a happy tune is playing in the background. But no. She’s constantly at war with her mind, struggling with keeping her innocence intact. She likes to think of the world as an ocean. But she’s not fooled by it’s beauty. She knows very well that the ocean isn’t such a scary place if one’s solely observing it from the shore. She knows she’s not brave enough, not strong enough. She knows she can’t dive in, even in her wildest dreams. So she lays there, on the burning sand, watching the sunset, thinking about love, as if she were in a fairytale. Thinking about reality terrifies her. Thinking that there’s a world out there where only few know happiness makes her want to stay forever in her little happy place where people desperately get out of the ocean looking for someone to make them see the good in the world again. And the fact that she hopes to be that someone, for any stranger who’s struggling with life, makes her who she is. And that’s why she makes it a point to put a smile on her face and laugh, no matter what war she’s in.

A very real scenario a lot of us will identify with

She always has a smile on her face. Sometimes it’s real and sometimes it’s not. The truth is that, deep inside, she’s a warrior. Her mind is a battlefield. One might think she’s always optimistic, like her life is a musical where a happy tune is playing in the background. But no. She’s constantly at war with herself, struggling with keeping her innocence intact. She likes to think of the world as an ocean. But she’s not fooled by its beauty. She knows very well that the ocean isn’t such a scary place if one’s solely observing it from the shore. She knows she’s not brave enough, not strong enough. She knows she can’t dive in, even in her wildest dreams. So she lays there, on the burning sand, watching the sunset, thinking about love, as if she were in a fairytale. Thinking about reality terrifies her. Thinking that there’s a world out there where only few know happiness makes her want to stay forever in her little happy place where people desperately get out of the ocean looking for someone to make them see the good in the world again. And the fact that she hopes to be that someone, for any stranger who’s struggling with life, makes her who she is. And that’s why she makes it a point to put a smile on her face and laugh, no matter what war she’s in.

He sat staring in to the laptop screen. It’s dull light painting his face a subtle shade of cyan. Was it dull though? Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe the afternoon sun streaming its heat in through the three wide windows behind him, in his bedroom, was just too bright. Everything was relative. None of it constant. He realized as his fingers, now slightly oily with sweat, drew circles on the touchpad and traced the edges of the black ‘accutype’ keys. Sweat was trickling down his forehead too, forming droplets on his thick eyebrows, dampening them and blurring his vision. He didn’t wipe them off with the handy towel he kept nearby, as was his custom. Let the heat burn this sickly feeling inside of me, he thought.

He couldn’t think of any other way to get rid of the feeling. What had he done? He had said his good byes to her. That’s what he had done. That’s what he had accomplished with his morning. Ended something that had kept him human and alive for a year. He had destroyed something he might have on this very day, in the previous year, sworn to keep true forever. Why had he done it? The flurry of strong, sharp, pointed reasons that had left his quiver of logic and pierced the bond that tied them together, seemed flaccid now. Strangely impotent. Was he happy now? He could tell that if only he could feel his heart. It had gone silent, and numb.

The blinking cursor on the white screen gave him no comfort. Write! His head screamed at him breaking the silence. Write something! Let it out!

What would he write about? Every word seemed to form around her, framing themselves around her face and her smile.

Find something else to write about.

Look it up. Find a prompt. He finally moves and the fingers that were caressing the plastic keys before him, began to press them with vague intent taking shape in him. Find a prompt, he thought, wiping the droplets of sweat hanging from his brow, and trickling down his face. Let it out…

She keeps biting her nails. And she doesn’t know why she just cant quit this disgusting habit. Disgusting. Do you really write it like that? She doesn’t remember. Its already 5oclock in the afternoon and she still is in her pjamas, too lazy to even get off the couch and get a glass of water, she is much too comfortable. She feels ok, but the rainy day outside makes it hard for her not to think about negative things, like her break up and the fact that she hasn’t written for such a long time. She even forgot how to use the keyboard properly. Why did she quit? Was it because of him? Maybe he wasn’t encouraging enough? Too full of himself as a writer? That he made her feel like she isn’t good enough? No. He did a lot of things wrong, but not this. It all comes to herself and her lack of self confidence. What happened now? What changed? She did. She is herself again, because it all depends on her. How she feels, how she behaves, how she speaks. Its kind of like karma. What goes around comes around. She hates cliches, but its true. If you don’t love yourself, who will love you truely in the end of the day? If you don’t believe in the story you are telling, how can you expect others to fully believe it?

She is too lazy for everything, or maybe not lazy but too scared. Scared of trying, scared of losing, of disappointment. Maybe thats why she keeps biting her nails, doesn’t even try to quit it, because she knows that she will not be strong enough and start it again anyway. But you know what they say, if you don’t try you will always wonder why. Another cliche. But thats why right now she is writing, because she doesn’t want to be the one to not even try. Who knows, maybe putting her fingers on top of the keyboard instead of in her mouth, might even help her to overcome that disgusting habit. She still doesn’t remember how you write that word, and she is still too lazy to look it up.

He sits in a dimly lit room, typing on a dimly lit laptop. He is lost in himself and lost in the world. He finds himself lost in a maze he doesn’t understand the dimension of. Up is darkness and left is melancholy. But he still types.

He has always been numb. He has always been detached. He was ok with how it was before. He is a thinker. Once a problem presents itself he decides right then whether to pursue it or to wipe it from his consciousness. But he knows he can’t wipe The Question away.

The Question is why he has always read. He hopes to find a glimpse of an answer. He doesn’t have any other choice. Someone else must have had The Question before. Therefore, there must be instructions or directions or a fucking path to follow to lead to an answer. But he has come up short. 21 years of searching and he has only just grasped the simplicity of The Question.

“Who am I?”

It haunts him. It lies behind every word, underneath every step, and right at the edge of his vision. He sees the world as nothing but a mirror by which he can maybe hold fully catch a true glimpse of the answer. Before high school, books were the mirror. Then it was that hurricane of a woman. Now it is in friends and maybe just maybe he won’t need a mirror for much longer.

But it is hard work. To drown but to hold off on getting help. To suffer but to refuse to ask the pain to stop. He knows the answer to The Question is in these experiences. He writes for the same reason he once read.

Hopefully the answer arrives soon. Treading water isn’t easy.

Really well written. I find this so easy to follow a see the growing emotions and battles.

He;s sitting quite content in a sense. Throughout turmoil being anything but rare state of mind. As he sits here computer in lap writing, he feels home again. Trying to chase various paths of life throughout the past couple years, yet always knowing in the back of his head that he will end up home. Writing. Doing what he has always truly loved since he first discovered it in elementary school. Funny thing is; he discovers this in the most humorous way, at his best friends house, regardless of the fact that he is 2000 miles away at school. His best friends name is Andrew, and he goes to school in Colorado. Andrews house was always the 2nd home in his life. Single mom, raising 3 kids Andrew being the oldest. The boy on the bed, yeah over here *waving*[trying to use imagery], he on the other hand is home from school taking part time classes after being a full time student for the past 2 and a half years. You see, he was in a dark place for a while. Lots of things going on in his life, battling unhealthy relationship with long-time girlfriend, various family medical situations, trying to catch up on sleep from being a student-athlete with a rigorous schedule constantly. On top of all that he is being told these will be the best times of my life, yet all he feels is a cloud of depression over his head glooming larger and larger as the day goes on. Throughout all this, he decided it was best to come home for the semester. He has had a lot of time on his hands; a lot of support from his one and only woman he will ever need in his life, his mother. The true best friend. He has come to realize a lot of things about life. Life is what you make it, there’s only so much opportunity out there that you have to be willing to put the work to achieve your true goals. The right people relationship wise will come to him. All he needs is his family of five sisters and one brother with two loving parents behind his back. He can achieve anything he wants. Throughout the past couple days, he had a chance to think very deeply. He decided he’s going to attend college to play lacrosse, while majoring in business with a minor in some sort of english or writing. He feels like this is the right thing for him to do. He is very personable, and feels he can excel in the business world by day and by night take care of his body, be athletic, and destress and by night doing what he loves most, writing. And heck, if he ends up being good at it and maybe pursue a career in that path, then screw it. Life is what you make of it, you have to do what feels right, and what truly at the end of the day put a smile on your face and make you happy.

Her Bed is made. That’s a change. It isn’t always. For once she made it. She dared to tame unruly blankets that had twisted and tangled themselves throughout the night. Confined to her room, quarantine self imposed, she lay on her neatly made bed. Propping her head up on pillows she angled her laptop to just the right angle for bearable squinting. Her glasses were annoyingly smudged, but un-cleanable on the black Batman t-shirt she wore. She gave them a once over. Better than they were before, good enough, she pushed them onto her face. There. Comfortable.

She sighs. What is she doing anyway? Music plays over the internet radio. There is so much passing through her mind that the firewall is up to keep the virus from corrupting essential programming. So far high functioning. So far so good. Processing power is diverted to essential tasks, managing the menial necessities. Depression is a daily deviant she fights.

Around 15 minutes long:

She sits on a soft and cushioned couch, legs close together, eyes staring at an electronic screen of white and light. A glass of water rests close by. In her mind, words gush forth like a national gyser, and her hands shake with excitement on top of the black keyboard keys. She could already imagine the clickity-clack sounds they make after each of her fingers’ caress.

She clicks her tongue, and carefully navigates the keyboard, placing each fingure on a well travelled path. Usually, she does so with confidence, joyfully skimming the web and dreaming of a future of transformation and delight.

Today, she tilts her head and clucks her teeth, straightens her back, and glares. She glares at the notepad from left to right, tilting her head to and fro. Her toes start fidgeting, and she moves her knees up and down, as she searches her house for inspiration.

She sighs, and blinks. The cursor blinks back. She cradles the mouse carefully in her hands, preparing to place a few words to look at.

“Come on,” she thinks. “I can do this!”

She types one word, “She”, then another. And it seems as if she has finally broken through the dam holding her vocabulary hostage. Then she stops, and takes a look at her work.

After what has felt like weeks of travel from one country to another she sits looking out of a huge floor to ceiling window at the undulating tropical ocean. Despite the air con, the room feels warm and the air close. After a fortnight on European shores yearning for the heat on her back the unerringly grey and stormy weather has put a dampener on her mood. Whenever she feels like this, she reminds herself of how many people would give their right arm to be living in a tropical island paradise, but on days like today its hard not to remember the laughter, ease and shared history of familiar faces back home.

Man’s best friend commands her attention by snuggling his face on the seat in front of her. He misses his Daddy and with only one human in the house today to look after him he’s insistent on commanding her full attention. His eyes wonder to his ball. The intention is clear, “Play with me then?”. A game ensues of ‘throw and fetch’. She’s amused that he hasn’t quite mastered bringing the ball back; he takes it back to his bed each time then pushes it slightly with his foot and draws her eye as if willing her to take action through his glance.

Her thoughts wonder to the feelings this furry friend stirs inside her: maternal instinct. Is it a desire that will ever be fulfilled? Does she even want to disturb the calm freedom with which they lead their lives? Maybe nature should decide. Is that selfish or human nature she wonders?

As her mind fogs with the racing of thoughts inside her head, she hears a gentle snoring from the furry mound on the floor. Life is so simple for him she thinks, maybe they should both take a leaf out of their pet’s book and stop thinking too far ahead. “ Enjoy the moment”, she thinks and smiles to herself as she remembers how many times an online article has advised her to do just that.

I’m so alone. I thought death would bring me peace but instead it is a constant torment. I thought finally after all my pain and suffering I could have an endless sleep, an infinity of nothingness. But no. I’m stuck, forever here to watch drones get married, start families, fall in love… Why am I here? What did I do to endure this suffering? I’ve been here for centuries. Watched the decimation of my family line, the rape of my sister, murder of my father, things I probably would have been able to prevent if I was there.

It’s so lonely here on the other side, I haven’t spoken a word out loud for almost 80 years. Because what’s the point? The worst thing about it is being able to see everyone progress and not being able to interact with them, or maybe the inability to have someone touch love and care for you. It’s just nothingness.

Live your life to the fullest as this is what is in store for you, an eternity of torture and torment, oh well.

She is restless. Sitting in front of a computer monitor trying to contain a lifetime in 15 minutes. Trying to squeeze in a few words a life that was lived and a life that wasn’t. Her heart can’t contain it, her mind can’t, her room can’t contain it either. How could then a few words do it?

She is writing about the hope that is renewed as the dawn is re-birthed every day. The faith that hasn’t yet seen it all. About her real self that is yet to be manifested in a whole new way as she is becoming more and more who she was born to be.

The pictures on the wall remind her of the special moments she has lived. The sleeping man next to her reminds her of all that is yet to be lived. The silent hot night is just one of the many that she has lived; yet it is special. She can hear it whisper to her : “you are blessed”.

He woke up in the morning, and looked up at the damp patch in the corner of the room. He then wondered who was going to show up on this day, would it be white lightning, or the green eyed monster. White lightning was the mad wild white stallion that he was trying to break in, he is attempting to get a saddle and reins on this wild horse, but white lightning is a feisty beast, and doesn’t like to be controlled. But given time, he hopes that they can learn to respect one another, and white lightning won’t give him to much of a bumpy ride.

He knows that there will be times when he will loose control of the wild horse, and loose grip of the reins, and fall off. But he hopes that with help from his family, he can stand back up, and dust himself off, with only a few minor cuts and bruises. He hasn’t named the green eyed monster, as he doesn’t want to be familiar with him. This beast turns up unannounced, and at anytime, night or day. He was doing so well riding white lightning, and he was approaching the finish line, when the monster showed up, and ripped the reins from his hands. This is how he describes what it’s like living with bipolar disorder.

This mental state of hers is deteriorating, falling apart as she types. Another pretty face taken for granted, and lost in a wonderland of words. Only sure about one thing, she is alone. Alone because she pushes them away, the human race. She picks up a book and is lost again. She reads to escape this world, and writes to turn it into something else. Looking close, while she grips this pencil in her hand, a familiar feeling, it shakes. If you trace her fingers to her arm you see the cuts that bury deep into her wrist and forearm. Three months have passed and they have only faded a little. If only you could see into her body, you would notice the crack in her rip cage, and the collapsed lung that threatened to take her life two years ago. But the only visible scars from that night lie among her face, busted cheeks and scarred temple. Bruises long gone. Her shoulders start to cave with the weight of her mothers relapse, her dads disappearance and reappearance, death following her in every step along the way. She made her peace with him, why can’t he make his peace with her. People threaten to take her life and he said no. She tried to take her own and he said no. Begging to put her out of her misery. Wondering if she is here for a reason. Only time will tell.

Every form of creating is an escape, from what she still doesn’t know. She’ happy, mostly, even though she knows she shouldn’t be. There is a weird sadness and yet poetic justice about her situation. Moved from one entrapment to another, never sure which is worse. Yet here she is, still smiling and laughing because that’s all that she can do. To say she find’s this world disturbing is pushing it a bit far. There is a lot in this world she finds beautiful and there is so much to be happy about. Overly emotional and a weirdo in her own right, that’s what she is growing to accept. People come and go in her life, she watches her own life progress as if she is an on looker for things her body says and does without her permission. There have been so many late nights where she sits up cringing over thing’s she’s said and done anywhere from 2 minutes ago to 18 years ago. That in itself making her cringe. There are those around her, her friends and peers that she sees changing, being so different from who they used to be. So many of them posting their lives on social media, filling up folder after folder of selfie and fun yet hers lay bare, the latest upload 3 months ago of raspberries on her fingers because they looked like people. The childish curiosity and amusement still there. She sees all the statuses, while she sits on the sidelines of everyone else’s life, as pathetic as that is, and watches as they post how dweeb-y they USED to be and here she is, unable to say those words because the truth be told, she still is. Her weird, erratic behavior covering the scars and loathing. A volatile concoction of bitterness, love and naivety. The happy mess she’s made her life.

The same wind that scattered the leaves outside accompanied by the sounds of a passing train fills the room accented by the crisp fall air. The vibrant aroma of a fresh cup of coffee seemed to have extricated itself from the thick, cream coating over the surface, penetrating deep into his nose, watering his mouth. He craved the subtle undertone of caramel, and his cup showed a festive color. He wraps his fingers around it, enjoying the heat spreading through his hands. But without a conscious thought, it is in his hand, and the first milky sip creeps over his taste buds and down his throat. After only a few minutes he is bathed in the kick of the caffeine.

With cookies and candy nearby, he begins typing on his computer. At first his thoughts flow free and smooth like a quiet stream. But after twenty minutes or so his creative thought process hits a road block. He turns to his outline he made only minutes before hoping for more creative words. Checking the online timer he still has about ten minutes before the planned time runs out.

He has a to do list perched on his desk to serve as a reminder to stay on task. He loads some of his favorite mood music on his computer into his headset. The creative center of his brain stimulated by the music provides him with the visual and emotional thoughts he now types onto the page. Words begin to flow more freely and faster. Soon paragraphs, even chapters are written. Lost in his own world he can feel, taste, and experience every nuance his characters are experiencing.

As he types, the deep emotional thoughts translate onto the page bringing his characters to life. The timer runs out indicating a red flashing message on his screen. He stops typing. While taking a break, he reads the words his mind had provided him.

His eyes tear up as he reads what he created realizing the beauty of the words. Reading them aloud almost brings them to life.

If only he could enter that world.

She was the type of girl who was loud and outgoing. Her curly smokey brown hair and dark chocolate brown eyes that everyone though was always happy. when someone would look at her she would always be smiling , as if she had no worries in the world. At least thats what people thought. She was the happiest yet the saddest person. She never knew what she felt. she once mentioned she was seeing a psychologist to help with whatever she had,that didn’t help, it just confused her more than she already was. She was alice in wonderland but in her own world. she didn’t know whether she was mad sad or happy so she just smiled the pain away. No one ever seemed to ask how she felt because they didn’t care, but when it came to them she was the one who was always there. she was an excellent student, she played sports, and was loved by her family, yet she hated herself. Why? who knows. all she knows is that she doesn’t lover herself. she wishes that she could be the perfect picture of a teenage girl that society looks for. Those curves,flat stomach, colored eyes, etc. she had extremely nice features yet she wasn’t satisfied, she didn’t like what she saw when she would look into the mirror. all she saw was a hideous girl starring back at her. she’d would wake up knowing that she would be the same girl in the mirror. she worked out everyday and ate so little to meet societies expectations, but no matter what it wasn’t good enough for her or society. Her only escape was writing and music, she couldn’t describe her feelings or thoughts, she was emotionally and mentally muted. she would talk about anything and everything except herself. she doesn’t feel loved , she feels as if shell never be good enough for anyone or that no one will ever see her for who she truly is. On the outside she’s beautiful, smart, funny, outgoing etc. yet on the inside there is the ugly part of her that consumes her more and more everyday, she was sinking into a dark hole that no one knew about. she would take pills that would make her feel good, she would smoke pot and eat edibles, it didn’t complete her. she’s missing something that completes her but what could it be? Love? Attention? she doesn’t even know the answer to that, all she wants is to be left alone but at the same time she wants to be happy, she doesn’t want to portray to be something she’s not. She’s tired of it! She wants to be set free and be that little girl that everyone knew she was, she doesn’t want to be this rotten 16 year old girl. Her mother always tried to figure her out but she never got anywhere because she would never try to talk to anyone. Instead of talking to someone she goes to sleep or goes to work out. Her body says one thing yet her mind and soul say another. She is searching for ways to communicate through her actions yet no one understands her complexity, but thats what makes her who she is. Her complexity of emotions and mentality make her beautiful.

She sits on her couch. Goes for the remote to watch news. News is not her kind of thing but today she needs to watch. She feels the urge to see what’s happening to the world. How can she be so interested today in news? She asks herself. Deep down, she is scared. Not sure of what to do with her life. She has just finished campus and does not know what life ahead has in store for her. All she is sure of is that she wants the best life. She doesn’t want to look back and regret one day. As she sits there, she sees this cockroach just fumbling around her living room. It hits her that she has dirty utensils. Utensils from the previous day. Nothing nags her than doing the utensils but does she have an option? She let’s go the thought and picks her phone to call her little brother to see how he is doing. As she goes through her contacts, her phone vibrates..she looks, it is her boyfriend calling to ask her to meet up tomorrow they need to talk. What is it that he wants to talk about? What had she done? This freaked her out. The nervous feeling inside her does not allow her to watch the television in peace. She walks to her bedroom, lies down and lets the night slip away..

She always remembered herself listening to music. By now she pinned it down to the fact that she dreaded being alone. It wasn’t fear of the dark or any other shady thing that might be luring in dark corners, she had her own personal demons to keep her entertained. Those vengeful entities with such free will but no sense of boundaries that kept reaching out to gradually more sacred and untouched parts of herself. No music in the world could stop them today. The turntable was whistling jazz tunes and coffee was bubbling on the stove-top. She looked outside the window and the sharp stillness felt like failure. She felt the failures she’d experienced and all the failures yet to come weighing down on her. All those opportunities she’d missed and all of those she’d never gotten. Why? What was she afraid of? For one, she was afraid of answering that question.

He sits in his newly-furnished living room. Alone, as always. Of course, this is a burden that he has always bestowed upon himself. He could not be lonely, people like him enough. But nevertheless he is alone. Perhaps subconsciously, for his consciousness constantly dreads it, this is the way that he wants it to be. He silently types out his “creative” piece, only listening to the conversation within his mind and the only-occasional clicking of keys. You see, he wants to be a writer; ever since he was a small child he has dreamed of touching people’s hearts in the way that his heart has never been touched. A weird sentence? Yes, but truthful nonetheless. He has always had a sort of appreciation for the art of creative writing and reading, an appreciation that grew into a desire, not a desire to entertain but more of a desire to awe people, to make them think. Unfortunately, his laziness is the only thing that has ever stopped him from achieving his own potential. He certainly will never be the person who bows down to society and proceeds to lick it’s sweaty, fungus-ridden puss-covered toes but the least he can do, he thinks to himself, is work so that he eventually will not have to. There has always been this game he has played in his head. One where he writes something that is truly phenomenal, a piece that nobody in their right minds would ever dare to pass up, and then he shows it to a teacher or professor, somebody with power. Of course, they would be so impressed by it that they rush out of their office or classroom, wherever they are reading it at the time, and drive straight to their friend Steve-The-Editor’s house and he is so impressed by it that he immediately bestows a book deal upon the boy and he makes it big. Within two years time, he is talking movie-deals, daily interviews, widespread acclaim and above all else, a more than ideal living situation. But instead, the boy just sits alone in his newly-furnished living room, thinking of his glory-days and all they are meant to be.

An Exorcism

He listened to the audio tape, wandering idly in this crypt, that extended under the Parisian bedrock-the ossuary giving the city a foundation of bones. “This historic place was originally a quarry, a place where stone was dug…” He ignored it, too focused on exploring. He was not usually like this, but there was a difference lurking in his actions, something strong, something elemental, something overpowering. Fear-He was scared, not of the grinning skulls that littered this labyrinth, nor of the musky scent of the already decomposed skulls and bones, not even of the long narrow corridors, and leaking pipes.

He feared what the skulls implied; they were identical, forgotten, alone, and He prayed for them. For everything has a past, an origin, and with any beginning comes an end. With that realization He prayed. This time for himself. For his beginning was known, but his end, that was uncertain. Would He end forgotten, alone, indistinguishable, an enigma, from the rest, in the eternal conformity of death?

With these thoughts relentlessly agonizing him, He slowed, his extensional crisis not yet resolved, instead looming over him, in an insidious invasion. He felt meaningless, after all, without humanity the sun would still shine, space would still expand, and the mantle would still convect. What was the worth? Why were they here? What was life if not an exercise in futility? These Toxic thoughts pained his soul, and He could find no answer-no reason for his self-importance in the face of these fears and questions. It seems fitting that in a place of death, these questions haunted him.

He felt alone, until He looked at his family, and thought of his friends, and in a flash of realization, his blindness to the beauty of humanity lifted, and He remembered. He remembered the beauty of our endurance, dauntless in the face of a hostile world, a species that rose from the bottom of the food chain to the ones that create it. A race that when faced with nature’s wrath, they rebuild, and repopulate in the exact same places. Using the god-given tool of innovation, to create a society that links the world together. Rising above all that burdened them until they were smart and resilient enough to ask these questions.

With that, He realized that the answer to his crisis was in the company of his fellow man. He wouldn’t die as a nobody, because the people He loved would remember him. His life had barely begun, He had an opportunity-no a gift-to make an impact, and to change the world. With that his demons had been exorcised, that in an odd juxtaposition, his restoration of hope, occurred in a place of sadness, mouring, and death. But He supposed, that is the nature of humanity, finding inspiration in the oddest places.

He was lying in his bed, listening to the voice of newspaper flickering through the wind of ceiling fan. He was tired and having a sever headache. But was determined to learn how to write since he is very close to giving an entrance for a college. When I talk about his frame of mind, he is very scared, someone who has a confidence with a sense of doubt – “Will I be able to achieve this?”. He thinks and longs for sleeping, but there is a burning sensation, a desire, a goal that keeps him awake during the nights, gives him a typical of 4 hours of sleep every night. After all, what keeps him alive is the what kills him the most – desire to achieve success.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know where else to go, who to tell or who even to trust. So he panicked. Without a second to think, he quickly grabbed the phone out of Uncle Jack’s coat pocket and dialed 9-1-1. The phone hardly rang before a operator answered. ” 9-1-1 what’s your emergency?” “Yes! can you please send medical help to 123 Main Street, my uncle has been shot and he’s not responding! There’s blood, a shit load of blood, everywhere.” he cried. After, he ended the call, quickly wiped the phone clean of any fingerprints and placed the phone in a wooden drawer near the closet.

She sits alone at a desk, a dual-monitor computer flickering lazily in front of her as she scrolls through websites online. Her eyes are tired, for such a young soul. She has had enough. The dark circles under her eyes made her seem like an infant panda, or possibly a raccoon, and no matter how much makeup she used she could never quite rid herself of them.

Often, she finds herself wandering aimlessly in her own mind; the mind itself seemingly a vast expanse of intrigue and wonder. Thoughts can linger for hours, or disappear as quickly as they come into being. After a while, she often forgets herself in her thoughts and lets time pass her by.

The stress of exams lingers over her, a hovering overlord dooming her to fail. She, however, ignores it. With a wave of her pen, she writes facts and figures to remember for the next day. A flicker of her weary eyes across a page gives her a sense of reassurement as she realises she knows more than she once thought.

The clock ticks seven. Her revision session is over. She is content and prepared, even if she looks physically exhausted.

She wakes up every morning at six o’clock sharp. Not a little bit more nor less. She likes doing that,even if its not a school morning or a day necessary for her to wake up so early. She thinks by doing that, she can catch up with time and run alongside it, not behind. She’ll sleep very late at night and wake up with the sun, a constant routine she’s careful not to break. Afraid that if she did, one precious hour will passed without her enjoying her favorite youtube channels, usually talking about different psychology topics or the meaning of her birth chart explained by amateur astrologers. She likes the silence that comes with the early morning, when everyone in her family is still asleep. For a moment, she knows that she’s safe, with only the sun and sounds of someone speaking through her iphone screen or sometimes, just her own thoughts ringing in her ears like small bells reminding her that she’s alive and all the reasons why she should be glad of that. Breathing in and out, opening and closing her eyes, a small smile tugged at her lips, and birds singing, vaguely signaling that a new day is approaching.

He is sitting in the separate room as a study room .He looks joyful remembering his family, his child and of course his parents too. Even he tries to ignore the some cuts he received in his fresh battle with his spouse. As he is somehow determine to overcome by this. Now again the question which makes him vociferous is what to do.. It is very long time ago now as he remembers his old work job. Because there is nothing credibility left in that concern or by that job. As it is morning time,he has to do some rituals but completing some more sentences. Of course he is now determined man. who has seen all gritty petty of life. He tries to answer his questions then why he is sitting ideal.

She sits back in the same seat she always sits in at 1:10pm. She scans the room around her. “What am I doing here?” she questions herself. “I belong somewhere bigger, better, faster.. most importantly more creative.” She begins to think of everything she’s ever been through and then moves onto thinking about everything she deserves. This girl had been through hell and back and never really seems to get a break. In her 7th grade year she was told that she needed to move to a house almost 20 miles away from her whole life, not extremely far.. But it was a lot for a 12 year old. There was something revealed about her parents. They were addicts. They were addicted to the effects that heroin gave them. The way it made them feel, but they realized they needed help and there was only one place their child could go and still have some sort of way to go back and forth to her school that she couldn’t just drop. Her heart dropped to her stomach every time she ever started to think about the place she was sent. She felt sick of everything she’d been through because she fears every day she’ll have to go back. The girl was sent to her aunt’s house. Sounds all great and family oriented until you realize the way she was treated and what she had to go through. When she first stepped foot into the home that she would live in for the next 6 months, she felt ery. She cried herself to sleep for a majority of the nights spent in the basement of their home. She contemplating ending her life more than once but she continued to hold on, “For mom,” she would remind herself, “Stay Strong for mom” She paced around the basement trying to figure out how to get out of her hell on earth. She was treated as a red headed step child… some would even call it a life like cinderella. She was told to make a meal once a day for the people she was staying with. She had family counselors that would come to the house and speak with her, they would find any way to possibly help her. She was in the deepest depression… nothing seemed to pull her out from the dark depths she had entered. Now the day she was taken out of the home was the most traumatic experience she had encountered. “TWO WORDS. THANK. YOU.” These words rang through her head to this day. Her aunt screamed these words at her whilst in a family counseling session. She now struggles keeping herself together everytime someone raises their voice even in the slightest bit directed towards her. Her body trembles occasionally throughout the course of her life due to these events. She doesn’t remember breathing this day. She just remembers crying and balling herself up for self protection. She was rushed into the basement to collect what she could grab. “You are the most ungrateful, disrespectful, selfish kid I’ve ever met!” The young girl still thinks about herself like this. She takes one look in the mirror. Disrespectful. Selfish. Not good enough.. This is what she sees. New things have been added to the ways she sees herself because her self esteem was destroyed. Ugly. Untalented. Rude. Broken. That word… Broken. There was no way to unsee this word written across her forehead. She never thought she would be able to be loved again. After she left her aunt’s house she moved from one house to the other of her family. She was moved to another aunt’s house, this time her mom was with her. Her mom had to leave the recovery house she was staying in because the broken hearted girl wasn’t able to keep herself together anymore after the horrifying memories that blocked her state of mind. After a few months they were asked to leave there as well, due to having a relationship with her father. He was also a recovering addict and wasn’t the best with keeping his old ways under keeps. He had stolen about 200 dollars in change from the woman who allowed his girlfriend and daughter to stay. They moved forward from this and the young girls grandmother allowed them to enter her home. At this time in her life she was about 13 now. Her mother was diagnosed with an unknown disease that caused her brain to swell. Her mom fell back into a deep depression and the only way she knew how to cope with this was to begin using again. She was constantly in and out of the hospital and her young daughter struggled with the idea that she had no clue what could happen to her mom. Eventually she was released and all was well, except that fact that they were sooner than later kicked out of this home they were staying in as well. Her heart broke. She wasn’t good enough, her mind flew to the conclusion that her family didn’t love her. Hate grew in her heart. She began to come off as hard and unloving. Her heart looked black. She didn’t feel anything anymore. She definitely believed no one would love her anymore. Here comes the part where we fast forward 2 years. She falls in love with a boy she never thought she would even have noticed. She fell in love with not only this boy but his family, his heart, his looks, and his interests. He put on the cover of loving her more than anything. She opened her heart to the boy, she gave him everything. Near the end of the relationship she gave him her body, her heart, her soul and her mind. He was the first boy she’s ever gave these things to. She valued herself more than expected and took these things very seriously. But not long after she did this he decided it was time for things to come to an end. She never saw this coming… she had planned so far in advance for them. She started planning for next year, next summer, their one year. She truly believed that he was the one to help her through everything. He lightened up her life in ways that hadn’t been lit up in years. She found herself in a dark space again. She didn’t really understand why it hurt her so bad to have her heart broke over and over again. Her mind told her this would become a normal thing. The broken girl never really stops being broken right?

At the moment, she was worried. It felt like everything was all too much and not enough at the same time, and it was overwhelming in a way that was seemingly impossible to explain. She was sitting in a chair with ugly red flowers sewed onto a grey fabric, and she was contemplating her life. It felt like so much had already happened, but there was still more to come. It was an exciting thought, but it was also what was frighting her. She had everything planned. A college acceptance letter was tacked onto her wall above her bed; her future was ready to begin. She would attend an unreasonably expensive school, live in mediocre dorms with a room mate she feared she would hate, but she would survive. The college wasn’t far from home, so any time she felt her sanity slip she knew her mother was only a twenty minute drive away. Her mother could always help her clear her mind, and she knew within the next couple of years, she was bound to need plenty of clearing. College wouldn’t be easy. She would be working on her writing, investing herself into the one thing she truly loved, even though she knew it was a bad idea. That this tacit rarely worked, and it rarely worked for people like her. People with so much doubt in themselves that the feel that maybe everything would just be easier if they gave up and did something smarter. Maybe she could do something easier with her life. Major in math, like she always thought she would, maybe become the veterinarian she had dreamed herself to be for so many years before she got it in her head that she wanted to be a writer. Still, as she considers quitting on her dream and doing something that would be more successful in the future, she can’t ignore that fact that she wouldn’t be happy in any other life. She’s passionate about writing, more passionate about creating her own words than reading others, and this is saying something because she can often be found hiding somewhere with a book in her hands, ignoring f all of the responsibilities of high school and life. She wishes that it would be easy to get where she wants to go, but she knows it won’t be, and all she can do is hope that she can keep her doubt at bay for long enough to do something amazing, because she knows she can. But she doesn’t know if shes strong enough for that. Strong enough to ignore the world and all the judgmental people in it who are trying to hold her back. Doesn’t know if she can ignore herself for that long. This is what scares her. Herself. So she sits in her ugly chair and prays that she doesn’t get in her own way of changing the world with her own words.

Behind a desk loaded with papers, she sits in an office chair looking anywhere but at those files waited to be sorted through. She wonders, ‘How much paper would it take to completely barricade me into this office I despise? Could I stop my boss from popping in periodically if I flooded this room with papers, making it impossible to open the door without risking a paper cut frenzy?’ She wouldn’t mind the paper cuts if it meant more autonomy and less need for these useless details depicted on every form. She sips her coffee, which the receptionist brewed too strong (again) and will surely cause a queasy stomach as she taps fingers and feet, hoping to make 5 o’clock come more quickly. Coffee is no time machine though – merely a morning ritual which always seems like a comfort until she’s at the bottom of the cup, realizing it actually brought her almost no comfort at all. ‘Oh well’. she thinks. ‘Maybe tomorrow’s cup will help the time pass faster.’ And yet time passes at the same rate it always has, ticking away her life, file by file, cup by cup.

Eleven Years Ago They make it seem like a past can just be forgotten. They don’t truly realize what it really was like. Smoke. Silence. Constant pain and fear. Hungers of a child compel her out of the safety of the closet. Creeping past the slumbering Bringer of Agony and Rare Love, she trips over imagined escapes. Scouring the kitchen, she looked for something – or anything to eat. But a roar of the mother’s wrath interrupted her anxious search. A fist met her stormy blue eye. Cries of confusion and agony echo in the sparse and bare apartment. She falls face first into the cruddy, grey shag carpet, fresh cigarette butts singing her cheekbones. She whimpers like a kicked puppy, trying her hardest to not let The Woman see her tears carving canyons down her pale freckled face. She knows this to be her life, and that it will never change. At the tender age of five, she already knew that her mother couldn’t and wouldn’t love her, and each day will follow like the one before it. Abuse would’ve been her eternity. But she also did not know of hope. She didn’t realize that the unexpected can occur in the deepest, darkest of midnights. When the silver moon was just a glowing crust, the storm in her eyes brewed. A thought rose like the tide, and an idea crashed down in waves. Before her mind could rationalize the idiocy, she crawled out of the sleeping bag in the closet. The Woman had left the child alone that night, again. Grabbing her coat, shoes, and a cereal bar, she climbed out onto the steel ladder going down the five story apartment complex. Her footfalls made little to no noise as she clambered clumsily. A tomcat yowled and hid when she stepped out onto the pavement. She looked both ways. The stars winked mischievously as she disappeared down the unknown alleyway, escaping from the frying pan and into the great and terrible fire itself.

Now She sat in her creative writing class. Creative non – fiction, huh? Sounded interesting. She recalled the stolen file hidden under her mattress. She knew she was adopted. Her parents knew that at seven years old, she was bound to remember something and thus didn’t keep it a secret. But they also never gave her any details. They say they really never knew the background of the little blonde child they opened up their arms for. It wasn’t until she was older that she recalled memories of eating rotten apples and discarded, half eaten sandwiches in the darkness. She remembered grey shag carpets, and a ripped sleeping bag in a tiny closet. Images that she couldn’t have imagined on her own began sprouting up from nowhere. She didn’t dare tell her parents. They always assumed her overactive imagination tended to skew her version of reality. They thought they knew better than to trust her words. So just the other day, when her parents were gone, she poked around in her dad’s office looking for the keys to the intimidating file cabinet prowling in the corner. She didn’t believe that her parents were as ignorant as they portrayed themselves to be. Besides, when you go through a huge financial and legal change like adopting a child, don’t you usually keep records of everything? They had to be in that filing cabinet. She had shuffled around through the desk drawers and the bookshelf beside her computer. She saw a ring of little keys beside a small wicker basket filled with other random brick-a-brack. Excitedly, she tried the first key. It didn’t even insert. She heard her mom open the garage door. The second slid in easily, but refused to turn. The dogs were sitting at the laundry room door expectantly. Her heart racing, she almost dropped the keys before using the last one. Slippery like butter, it turned. The drawer popped open. Her eyes glanced at all the different files, and saw the one titled Annalia. The file was heavy, and she thrust it into her shirt. The papers felt cold and sharp against her sweaty back as her mother walked into the house, laden with groceries. “What are you doing in dad’s office?” Her mom was definitely suspicious. “I was getting printer paper for a drawing. It looks nicer than the lined notebook stuff.” She nodded. “Ok. Help unload the car please, then get started on your homework. And remember, it’s trash to the curb night, and you have to be at choir practice at 6:30…” After school that day, she plopped herself on to her bed and pulled the thick file out from under her mattress. She didn’t know what she expected to find, but this – this was something else entirely. It was a record, from the day she was introduced to the family on their doorstep in the August air, to just few days ago while she was working out at the Dojo. She read her mother’s handwriting, of every single conceivable mistake and error she made, and was picked apart and analyzed. There were even notes from some parental class she was taking, something about child development and discipline. She read every single day entry. Then behind the notebook there were medical reports dating 2001 – 08. It was a little hard reading the messy handwriting of a doctor, especially with the older technology of photocopying fading the paper. The day that she put into state custody, apparently there was a very thorough physical examination. She had purple and black bruises all along her arms and legs and stomach and back, and even rings around her neck from a chokehold. The were long red streaks, presumed by the writer as proof of a constant whipping from a belt. There was also damage to her lungs from secondhand smoking. She had three deep puncture wounds on the bottom of her left foot that were infected. She vaguely remembered crying on brick steps, holding a bloody foot and smoke curling around her tear stricken face. She was horrified. She always dreamed of finding her parents, and meeting them again. She imagined herself to be like Annie, where her parents would come back for her someday. She knew that she couldn’t just go back to live with them again, but she liked the idea of both sets of parents all sitting down at the dinner table, laughing and eating delicious food together. She could see her adoptive dad taking out the monopoly game board, and both of them having conversations about boyfriends, and moms sharing their own mother’s chocolate chip cookie recipes. Her fantasy was destroyed. That could never be. Her own mother was only thirteen years older, young enough to be an older sister. Her father went unmentioned throughout the file, as if he only existed to bring her into the world, then ceased to exist. There were also gaps. 2006 and 2007 weren’t recorded. She knew she was going to have to learn more. This file – this wasn’t enough. Her hunger for the truth to be dragged out only increased when she snuck the file back to the cabinet after making more copies of every single page. She stored her copies between the layers of spare sheets on the top shelf in her closet. They couldn’t know. Not yet. She needed to know more. This couldn’t be the end.

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• College essay

How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples

Published on September 21, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability. Your essay shouldn’t just be a resume of your experiences; colleges are looking for a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

To write about your achievements and qualities without sounding arrogant, use specific stories to illustrate them. You can also write about challenges you’ve faced or mistakes you’ve made to show vulnerability and personal growth.

Table of contents

Start with self-reflection, how to write about challenges and mistakes, how to write about your achievements and qualities, how to write about a cliché experience, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Before you start writing, spend some time reflecting to identify your values and qualities. You should do a comprehensive brainstorming session, but here are a few questions to get you started:

• What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
• Whom do you admire most and why?
• What are the top five things you are thankful for?
• What has inspired your hobbies or future goals?
• What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

As you self-reflect, consider how your values and goals reflect your prospective university’s program and culture, and brainstorm stories that demonstrate the fit between the two.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Writing about difficult experiences can be an effective way to show authenticity and create an emotional connection to the reader, but choose carefully which details to share, and aim to demonstrate how the experience helped you learn and grow.

Be vulnerable

It’s not necessary to have a tragic story or a huge confession. But you should openly share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to evoke an emotional response from the reader. Even a cliché or mundane topic can be made interesting with honest reflection. This honesty is a preface to self-reflection and insight in the essay’s conclusion.

Don’t overshare

With difficult topics, you shouldn’t focus too much on negative aspects. Instead, use your challenging circumstances as a brief introduction to how you responded positively.

Share what you have learned

It’s okay to include your failure or mistakes in your essay if you include a lesson learned. After telling a descriptive, honest story, you should explain what you learned and how you applied it to your life.

While it’s good to sell your strengths, you also don’t want to come across as arrogant. Instead of just stating your extracurricular activities, achievements, or personal qualities, aim to discreetly incorporate them into your story.

Brag indirectly

Mention your extracurricular activities or awards in passing, not outright, to avoid sounding like you’re bragging from a resume.

Use stories to prove your qualities

Even if you don’t have any impressive academic achievements or extracurriculars, you can still demonstrate your academic or personal character. But you should use personal examples to provide proof. In other words, show evidence of your character instead of just telling.

Many high school students write about common topics such as sports, volunteer work, or their family. Your essay topic doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but do try to include unexpected personal details and your authentic voice to make your essay stand out .

To find an original angle, try these techniques:

• Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses.
• Mention objects that have special significance to you.
• Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight.

Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality. When read out loud, the essay should sound like you are talking.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

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How to Title an Essay: Guide with Creative Examples [2024]

It’s not a secret that the reader notices an essay title first. No catchy hook or colorful examples attract more attention from a quick glance. Composing a creative title for your essay is essential if you strive to succeed, as it:

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• causes the first impression;
• reflects the tone, topic, and the purpose of the writing;
• indicates the author’s credibility.

Thus, how you name your paper is of the same importance as the paper itself.

Good titles for essays should be concise and eye-catching. Nobody likes long and cumbersome headings that do not reflect the point of the paper. While tilting your work, pay enough attention to the word choice. How do you come up with a good title? Use your common sense and imagination. For more details, our experts prepared the sections below.

• 💭 What Are Good Titles?

✔️ Finish Your Essay

🤲 sum it up, 🏷️ define the keywords, 🖊️ follow the format, ⚖️ change words, ✨ 23 creative title examples, 💭 what are good titles for essays.

A title is a critical part of any academic paper, so you must understand what to include and how to choose it. Here are some features that your heading has to show.

👩‍🏫 How to Title an Essay?

Are you struggling with formulating a heading? Yes, this task is quite challenging. But let’s figure out the basic rules.

The title of any paper should reveal:

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• What the paper is about. Cover the general idea of your work in the title.
• Why the reader might be interested in it. Prove the relevance of your paper to the audience.
• The context of the issue. A good title previews the full picture of the topic regarding its “when” and “where.”

To nail your essay heading, follow the guide below. Check our title examples if you are not sure about your abilities. You can also try and use a creative title page generator for a faster result.

Before writing a title to your essay, you should finish your paper. This way, you’ll be able to reread and get the whole idea to incorporate it into your title.

Moreover, you’ll see how long a title should be for an essay after finishing the entire piece. But remember: not too lengthy and not too wordy.

The essay title depends on the type of essay:

• Narrative essay . For this kind of essay, the title should not provide any detailed info or reflect your position. It should only present the general idea of your piece of writing. For example, the narrative essay topic may look like this: My Thorny Pass to Success.
• Argumentative essay . The title for an argumentative essay should clearly state the point you are going to support. For instance, you can choose the following heading: Social Media Has a Negative Effect on Teenagers.
• Cause and effect essay . For this kind of essay writing, the title should be clear and provide a background of the issue. The reader should immediately understand what the problem is, what its cause is, what an effect is. Usually, writers use the words “due to” or “because” to highlight the cause-effect correlation. Look at the example: Because Coronavirus Attacks, People Start to Explore New Ways of Remote Working.
• Persuasive essay . A persuasive essay should have a dynamic title that immediately calls to action. Moreover, the topic has to be relevant to the audience. For example, for students, the following title would be compelling: Sleep 7-8 Hours a Day: the Lack of Sleep Affects Academic Performance.

The most straightforward way of creating an essay title is summarizing. Sum up the whole paper in one sentence, focus on the central idea, cut the details, and use it as the title.

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For this purpose, you can take your thesis statement and restate it, adding creativity. Or use the best summary generator you can find to simplify the task. But don’t forget to make sure that it sounds catchy and explains why the potential reader should check your essay.

For example:

Let’s imagine, you are writing about Artificial Intelligence, and your thesis statement sounds like this:

The purpose of this paper is to explore the advantages of Artificial intelligence’s influence on society and to discover possible outcomes.

Then, the title may be the following:

Artificial Intelligence – the Next Step into the Bright Future.

Every essay includes the key concepts that you explored and the terms that you used for this. You should find essential words and phrases and incorporate them into the essay titles. The keywords will focus the reader’s attention on the central topic of your paper.

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You are writing about the negative impact of deforestation on the environment. These are your keywords, as they are the most vital ones. Thus, the title would sound like this:

Protecting the Environment: Deforestation Should be Stopped.

Every educational institution requires to format the academic papers for a particular writing style. Among a wide diversity of citation styles , the most popular ones are APA and MLA formats.

There are a lot of specific requirements regarding the essay title formats. So, let’s investigate these styles.

The APA style requires a title page at the beginning of your research paper. Here, where the readers first meet the heading. The title page should include the following:

• The paper’s title. Centered, bold, capitalized, 3-4 lines below the top margin.
• The author’s name (first name, middle initial, last name). Centered, not bold, two lines below the title.
• The author’s affiliations. Centered, not bold, immediately after the name.
• Number and name of the course.
• The instructor’s name and title.
• Page number in the top right corner.

See the example of an APA title page below:

The MLA style does not require a separate title page. Still, some formatting rules are to be strictly followed.

• The MLA paper should start one inch from the top of the document, flush left.
• Write the author’s name, then the instructor’s name, the course number, and the date. Each item should be on a separate double-spaced line.
• Add the title of your paper. It should be centered and capitalized.
• Do not put quotation marks, underline, italicize, or boldface your MLA title. Just make it centered and capitalized.

Here is an example of an MLA title formatting.

Before choosing a title, figure out is the tone of your essay. Is it more formal or friendly? Do you write it for a college or a personal blog?

Change the wording to make your title sound more catchy and positive. Or serious and official. You can try something new and come up with a creative title for your essay.

You need to write an article about the benefits of healthy eating for university and your online blog. For an academic essay, your title would probably look like this:

A Well-Balanced Diet Is a Key to a Healthy Organism.

In contrast, for a blog article, it would be better to write something like this:

An Apple a Day Keeps a Doctor Away: How Healthy Eating Helps us Be Fit.

Do you see the magic? One topic, different wording, and completely diverse tones as a result. So, try until you reach the most appropriate version of the title for your piece of writing.

Are you still struggling with the selection of a heading for your paper? Take a look at our creative essay title examples! Inspire, then turn on your imagination, and create a personal title.

Argumentative Essay Titles.

• Intercultural Community at University: Prosperity or Constant Encounters.
• Leadership Nature: a Congenital or an Acquired Feature?
• Do Energetic Drinks Help or Harm the Organisms?
• Why Should Sex Education Be Taught at Schools?
• Should the Law Punish Bullying?
• Guns Legalization is an Unsafe Way of Self-Protection.

Narrative Essay Titles.

• Lady Macbeth – One of the Most Frightening Female Characters of Shakespeare.
• The Art of Overcoming Failures: How to Deal with the Downfalls Easily.
• Steve Jobs: from a Poor Student to a Multi-billionaire.
• The Most Influential Person in my Life.
• Three Biggest Events of my Life that Shaped me as a Person.
• What Does it Mean to be a Loving Kid for your Parents?
• What Does “Family” Mean to You?

Persuasive Essay Titles.

• Never Judge the Person by their Appearance.
• Music Should be Implemented as a Medical Treatment.
• In the Battle Between E-Books and Paper Books, the Last Ones Should Win.
• Remote Learning Cannot Replace Face-to-Face Classes.
• Technology Addiction is a Threat to the Future Generation.
• Murderers Should be Sentenced to Death Penalty.

Cause and Effect Essay Titles.

• Because of Traveling Around the World, People Expand their Horizons.
• Due to Massive Immigration, Countries Lose their Cultural Identity.
• Home Abuse as a Cause of Depression and Suicide as its Effect.
• Drug Addiction: a Cause for Psychological Disorder or an Effect?

Thank you for reading our article. Now you get how to come up with a good title for an essay. Don’t forget to share our page with your friends.

• Writing an Effective Title: Quick Tips, Student Support Writing Center, University of Minnesota
• Choosing a Title, Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Research Guides at University of Southern California
• How Do I Write a Great Title: U-M LSA Sweetland Center for Writing, College of Literature, Science, and Arts, University of Michigan
• General Format: Purdue Online Writing Lab, College of Liberal Arts, Purdue University
• Formatting a Research Paper, Heading and Title: The MLA Style Center
• Title Page Setup: APA Style, American Psychological Association
• APA Title Page (Cover Page) Format, Example, Template: Saul McLeod, Simply Psychology
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Essays About Self: 5 Essay Examples and 7 Creative Essay Prompts

Essays about self require brainstorming and ample time to reflect on who you are. See our top picks and prompts to use in your essay writing.

“Tell me about yourself.” It’s a familiar question we are asked in social situations, job interviews, or on the first day of class. It’s also a customary essay writing topic in schools to prepare students for future career interviews, cover letters, and, most importantly, to assist individuals in assessing their personalities. 

Self refers to qualities of one’s identity or character. It’s a broad topic, but many find it confusing. Before your get started on this topic, learn how to write personal essays to make this challenging topic easier to tackle.

5 Essay Examples

1. essay on defining self by anonymous on wowessays.com, 2. long essay on about myself by prasanna, 3. self discovery: my journey to understanding myself and the world around by anonymous on samplius.com, 4. how my future self is my hero by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 5. essay on self-respect by bunty rane, 7 writing prompts on essays about self, 1. who am i, 2. a look at my personality, 3. my life: a self-reflection, 4. my best and worst qualities, 5. reasons to write about myself, 6. overcoming challenges and mistakes, 7. the importance of self-awareness.

“Google provided a definition of self as a “person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others, esp. considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action.” (Google.com, 2013) This may be as simple as this, but the word “self” is far more complicated than the things that make an individual different from other people.”

The author defines self as the physical and psychological way of perceiving and evaluating ourselves, which has two aspects. First is the development of an existential self which includes awareness of being different from others. Meanwhile, the second aspect is when someone realizes their categorical self or that they have the same physical characteristics as others. 

The essay includes three aspects of self-definition. One is sell-image, or how a person views himself. Two is self-esteem, which dramatically affects how a person values ​​and carries himself. And three is the ideal self, where people compare their self-image with their ideal characteristics, often leading to a new definition of themselves.

“Each person finds their mission differently and has a different journey. Thus, when I write about myself, I write about my journey and what makes the person I am because of the trip. I try to be myself, be passionate about my dreams and hobbies, live honestly, and work hard to achieve all that I want to make.”

Prassana divides her essay into sections: hobbies, dreams, aspirations, and things she wants to learn. Her hobbies are baking and reading books that help her relax. She’s lucky to have parents who let her choose her career where she’ll be happy and stable, which is being a traveler. Prasanna finds learning fun, so she wants to continue learning simple things like cooking specific cuisine, scuba, and sky diving.

“High school has taught me about myself, and that is the most important lesson I could have learned. This metamorphosis has taken me from what I used to be to what I am now.”

In this essay, the writer shows the importance of self-discovery to become a better version of yourself. During their high school days, the author was a typically shy and somewhat childish person who was afraid to speak. So they hid in their room, where they felt safe. But as days pass and they grow older, the writer learns to be strong and stabilize their emotions. Soon, they left their cocoon, managed to express their feelings, and believed in themselves.

Because of self-discovery, the author realized they have their thoughts, ideas, morals, likes, and dislikes. They are no longer afraid of mistakes and have learned to enjoy life. The writer also believes that to succeed, and everyone must trust themselves and not give up on reaching their dreams.

“Bold, passionate, humble these are how I envision my hero to be and these are the three people I want to work on, moving forward as I strive to become the self I want to be in the future.”

The essay shows how a simple award speech by Matthew McConaughey moves the writer’s mind and ultimately creates their hero. They come up with three main qualities they want their future self to have. The first is to be someone who is not afraid to take advantage of any opportunities. Next is to stop being content with just being alive and continue searching for their purpose and genuine passion. Last, they strive to be humble and grateful to every person who contributes to their success.

“People with self-respect have the courage of accepting their mistakes. They exhibit certain toughness, a kind of moral courage, and they display character. Without self-respect, one becomes an unwilling audience of one’s failing both real and imaginary.”

Self-respect is a form of self-love. For Rane, it’s a habit of the mind that will never fail anyone. It’s a ritual that makes a person remember who they are. It reminds us to live without needing anyone else’s approval and walk alone toward our goals. Meanwhile, people with no self-respect hate those who have it. As a result, they become weak and lose their identity.

People can describe who you are in many ways, but the only person who truly knows you is yourself. Use this prompt to introduce yourself to the readers. Share personal and exciting details such as your name’s origin, quirky family routines, and your most memorable moments. It doesn’t have to be too personal. You only need to focus on information that distinguishes you from everyone else.

Personality is a person’s unique way of thinking, feeling, and behavior. You can apply this prompt to describe your personality as a student or working adult. Write about how you develop your skills, make friends, do everyday tasks, and many more. Differentiate “self” and “personality” in your introduction to help readers understand your essay content better.

Connect with your inner self and conduct a self-reflection. This practice helps us grow and improve. In writing this prompt, you will need time to reflect on your life to identify and explain your qualities and values. 

For instance, talk about the things you are grateful for, words that best describe you according to the people around you, and areas of yourself that you’d like to improve. Then, discuss how these things affect your life.

Every individual is a work in progress. Although you consider yourself a good person, there are still parts of you that you want to improve. Discuss these shortcomings with your readers. Expound on why people like and dislike these traits. Include how you plan to change your bad characteristics. You can add instances demonstrating your good and bad qualities to make your piece more relatable.

Writing about yourself is a great way to use your creativity in exploring and examining your identity. But, unfortunately, it’s also a great medium to release emotional distress and work through these feelings. So, for this prompt, delve into the benefits of writing about oneself. Then, persuade your readers to start writing about themselves and give tips to help them get started.

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining what is persuasive writing ?

If you want to connect emotionally with your readers, this prompt is the best to use for your essay. Identify and discuss difficult life experiences and explain how these challenging times helped you learn and grow as a person. 

Tip : You can use this prompt even if you haven’t faced any life-changing challenges. The problem you may have encountered can be as simple as finding it hard to wake up early.

Some benefits of self-awareness include being a better decision-maker and effective communicator. Define and explain self-awareness. Then, examine how self-awareness influences our lives. You can also include different types of self-awareness and their benefits to a person.

If you want to try these techniques, check out our round-up of the best journals !

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Myself — About Myself

Essay Examples About Myself

Engaging prompts for your essay about myself.

Prompt 1: Describe a moment in your life that significantly influenced your personal development. How did it shape the person you are today?

Prompt 2: What are your major achievements, and why do you consider them as such? Discuss what these achievements reveal about your character and values.

Prompt 3: Reflect on a challenge you've faced. How did you overcome it, and what did you learn about yourself in the process?

Brainstorming and Choosing a Unique Essay About Myself Topic

Brainstorming is crucial for uncovering unique aspects of your story. Reflect on memorable experiences, achievements, and lessons learned to find a central theme or unique angle for your essay.

Unique Essay Topics Beyond the Common Narratives

• The Intersection of Personal Adversity and Academic Pursuit
• From Hobby to Purpose
• Cultural Heritage and Identity
• Innovation in Solitude
• Navigating the World as a Neurodiverse Individual

Inspirational Writing Samples for Your Essay About Myself

"Facing the mountain, I felt an unprecedented mix of fear and exhilaration. Climbing had always been a metaphor for my life's challenges. Each step upward mirrored my journey of overcoming [specific challenge], teaching me resilience, focus, and the importance of trust. Through this experience, I discovered that perseverance, even in the face of uncertainty, is the key to surmounting obstacles."

Phrases for Inspiration:

• "Transforming setbacks into comebacks, I learned..."
• "In the crucible of [experience], I forged..."
• "Navigating the intricate tapestry of [situation] revealed to me..."
• "The confluence of [event] and my response to it underscored the importance of..."
• "Drawing from the well of my experiences, I find strength in..."

How My Transition to Adulthood Changed My Life

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Characteristics of Myself Essay

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My Plans for a Successful Future

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What is Your True Self: The Importance of Self-awareness

How my future self is my hero, me, myself and i: ordinary person, real-life experience, the void in my life, admission to the university of adelaide: describe your background, answer on the large-scale question 'who am i', the way my curiosity defines myself and my desires, understanding myself: exploring the layers of my personality, that's how my personality defines myself, who am i: a glimpse of my personality development, one day i'll be someone's first choice, analysis of my top-5 personal strengths, self-awareness: my experience on path to better me, analysis of a teenager's personality profile, a look at the benefit of personal encouragement, who am i: answering the question through the body theory, memory theory, and illusion theory, a reflection on myself as a writer, the analysis of my personality tests, personal writing: why i love winter, personal narrative: myself as a writer, relevant topics.

• Personal Goals
• Personal Strengths
• Self Assessment
• Self Reflection
• Personal Beliefs
• Responsibility

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Title Generator for Essay

Use our AI essay title generator to generate title for your acedemic essay.

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You’ve poured hours into your essay, carefully crafting each argument, refining your thesis, and ensuring that your conclusion leaves a lasting impression. But there’s still one hurdle left: crafting that perfect title. Titles are often overlooked, but they play an essential role in captivating your readers and setting the stage for your work. Enter the Title Generator for Essay, your next must-have writing tool. Let’s dive deep into the realm of essay titles and discover how our tool can elevate your writing game.

The Significance of a Stellar Essay Title

Before we delve into the features of our Title Generator, let’s understand why titles matter so much:

• First Impressions Count: Your title is the first thing a reader, instructor, or examiner sees. A well-chosen title can intrigue and beckon them into the depth of your essay.
• Summarizes Your Argument: A good title encapsulates the main idea or argument of your essay in a few words.
• Enhances Searchability: If your essay is published online or in a database, a relevant title helps readers find your work when searching for related topics.

Challenges in Crafting Essay Titles

Crafting an engaging and relevant title isn’t as simple as it sounds. Writers often struggle with:

• Keeping titles concise yet informative.
• Avoiding cliches or overused phrases.
• Making sure the title aligns with the essay’s content.
• Striking a balance between creativity and clarity.

Why the Title Generator for Essay is a Game-Changer

This innovative tool is designed to address these challenges head-on:

• Context-Driven: Simply provide your essay’s context, and our tool will deliver a tailored title that aligns seamlessly with your content.
• AI-Powered Precision: Leveraging cutting-edge algorithms, the Title Generator ensures uniqueness and relevance.
• Time-Efficient: No more hours of brainstorming. Get a range of title suggestions in seconds.
• Flexible and Customizable: Whether your essay is argumentative, descriptive, expository, or narrative, our tool caters to all types.

How to Use the Title Generator for Essay

Harnessing the power of our title generator is straightforward:

• Navigate to the Tool: Visit our user-friendly Title Generator for Essay page.
• Enter Essay Context: Describe your essay’s main theme, argument, or subject in the provided field.
• Select Essay Type (optional): If you want a title tailored to a specific type of essay, choose from our dropdown menu.
• Generate: Click the ‘Generate’ button and explore a variety of title suggestions.
• Pick, Tweak, and Finalize: Choose the title that resonates most, customize if needed, and voila – your essay is now ready for the spotlight!

How to write compelling essay titles

• Before trying to come up with a title, make sure you fully understand the core message or argument of your essay.
• Consider your thesis statement or main argument; it can often be a source of inspiration for your title.
• The title should provide a hint or summary of the essay’s content. Misleading titles can confuse or frustrate readers.
• Avoid long-winded titles. Aim for brevity while ensuring that the title still conveys the essence of the essay.
• Using strong verbs can make your title more dynamic. For example, instead of “The Effects of Pollution on Marine Life,” consider “How Pollution Devastates Marine Life.”
• Alliteration can make titles more catchy and memorable. For example, “Fame, Fortune, and Fallacies: The Myth of Celebrity Success.”
• Posing a question can engage the reader’s curiosity. For example, “Is Artificial Intelligence a Threat to Humanity?”
• Overused phrases can make your essay seem unoriginal. Always strive for a fresh and unique title.
• Including pertinent keywords can make your essay more discoverable, especially if it’s being published online.
• Play with Dual Meaning or Puns (when appropriate): This can make your title more interesting, but it should be used judiciously and not forced.
• Consider Your Audience: Ensure the tone and style of your title align with the expectations of your audience. An academic paper will have a different title style compared to a casual blog post.
• Draft Multiple Titles: Don’t settle on the first title that comes to mind. Write down several options, mull over them, or even get feedback from peers.
• Finalize After Writing the Essay: Often, the process of writing the essay will offer clarity or a fresh perspective, making it easier to craft a fitting title.
• Avoid Sensationalism: While it’s important to capture attention, don’t exaggerate or sensationalize just for the sake of drawing readers in. The title should remain true to the content of the essay.

Final Thoughts

An essay’s title can make or break its reception. While the body of your essay provides depth and detail, the title serves as the inviting entryway. With the Title Generator for Essay, you’re not only saving time but also ensuring that your essays get the attention they deserve right from the start. So, the next time you find yourself stumped for a title, let our generator do the heavy lifting!

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Essay Title Generator

Essay title generator – unleash your creativity.

Generate creative and engaging essay titles easily with our Essay Title Generator. Perfect for students and writers seeking inspiration.

Crafting the perfect title for your essay can be just as challenging as writing the essay itself. That’s where the Essay Title Generator steps in – a tool designed to spark creativity and provide a starting point for your writing journey.

At Essay Title Generator, we understand the struggle that comes with starting an essay. The title is not just a label; it’s the first impression, the hook that captures the essence of your work and engages the reader. Whether you’re a student grappling with academic essays or a writer exploring various topics, the right title can make a significant difference in how your work is perceived.

Our tool leverages the power of Natural Language Processing (NLP) to generate thought-provoking and relevant titles. With a focus on simplicity and effectiveness, it’s tailored to inspire you, offering a plethora of ideas that resonate with your essay’s theme. Imagine the ease of having a list of potential titles at your fingertips, saving you time and sparking your imagination.

Think about the last time you struggled to title your essay. How long did you stare at a blank screen? How often did you rewrite that one line? The Essay Title Generator alleviates this challenge, offering an array of titles with just a few clicks. It’s more than just a tool; it’s a companion in your creative process.

Our goal is to streamline your writing process, starting from the very beginning. The Essay Title Generator is designed to offer a blend of creativity and practicality, ensuring that your essay stands out. So, the next time you find yourself pondering over the right words to crown your work, remember, a seamless, inspiring solution is just a click away.

Table of Contents

About the Essay Title Generator Tool

In the realm of essay writing, the inception of your work begins with a title. It is the gateway to your thoughts, the first glimpse into your argument or narrative. This is where the Essay Title Generator tool, a cornerstone feature of our website, comes into play. This innovative tool is not just a random title maker; it is an advanced, user-friendly platform that employs Natural Language Processing (NLP) to generate meaningful and relevant essay titles.

How the Tool Works

The Essay Title Generator is built on the foundation of NLP, a branch of artificial intelligence that deals with the interaction between computers and human languages. NLP enables the tool to understand, interpret, and generate human language in a way that is both meaningful and contextually relevant. When you input keywords or a topic into the tool, it processes this information using complex algorithms to create a list of potential titles.

These algorithms analyze patterns and structures in language, drawing from an extensive database of words, phrases, and commonly used linguistic structures in essay titles. By understanding the nuances of language, the tool can create titles that are not only unique but also resonate with the topic you are exploring. This makes each suggested title more than just a string of words; it’s a reflection of your essay’s core idea and purpose.

Benefits of Using the Essay Title Generator

• Saves Time: Brainstorming a compelling title can be time-consuming. Our tool streamlines this process, providing you with multiple title options within seconds.
• Sparks Creativity: Sometimes, all you need is a little nudge in the right direction. The generated titles can serve as a source of inspiration, helping you to develop more focused and creative ideas for your essay.
• Enhances Essay Relevance: A well-crafted title directly influences the perceived relevance of your essay. The titles generated by our tool are designed to be closely aligned with your essay’s content, making your work more appealing to readers.
• User-Friendly: The tool is designed for ease of use. Regardless of your technological expertise, you can navigate and utilize this tool effectively.
• Adaptable to Various Essay Types: Whether it’s a narrative, descriptive, expository, or persuasive essay, the tool is capable of generating titles that suit different types of essays and writing styles.
• A Learning Aid: For students and novice writers, the tool is not just a convenience but a learning aid. It demonstrates how effective titles are constructed, offering insights into the art of title formulation.

In conclusion, the Essay Title Generator tool is more than just a utility; it’s a bridge between your ideas and their expression. It respects the complexity of language and the creativity of essay writing, providing a synergy of technology and artistry. As you embark on your essay writing journey, let this tool be your guide, transforming the daunting task of title selection into an exciting leap into your creative endeavor.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Essay Title Generator

Navigating the Essay Title Generator is a seamless and intuitive process, designed to make your journey from a blank page to an inspiring title as effortless as possible. Here’s a straightforward guide on how to use this innovative tool, along with some tips to extract the best possible titles for your essays.

Step 1: Access the Tool

Begin by visiting our website and locating the Essay Title Generator tool. It’s prominently featured on our homepage for easy access.

Step 2: Enter Your Keywords or Topic

In the provided input field, type in the keywords or the main topic of your essay. These words should capture the essence of your essay and are crucial in generating a relevant title. For example, if you’re writing about the impact of climate change on marine life, your keywords could be ‘climate change,’ ‘marine life,’ ‘impact.’

Step 3: Generate Titles

Once you’ve entered your keywords, click the ‘Generate Title’ button. The tool will process your input and use its NLP algorithms to produce a list of potential titles.

Step 4: Select Your Title

Review the suggested titles. The tool will provide a variety of options, from which you can select the one that best fits your essay’s content and tone.

Step 5: Customize if Necessary

If needed, you can tweak the chosen title to better suit your essay. The tool aims to inspire, and a bit of personal touch can make the title perfect for your work.

Tips for Best Results

• Be Specific with Keywords: The more specific your keywords, the more tailored the title suggestions will be.
• General terms may yield too broad a range of titles.
• Use Key Themes: Think about the central themes or arguments of your essay and include them as keywords.
• Keep it Short: Limit your keyword entry to a few words or a short phrase to avoid overwhelming the tool.

Example Scenario

Case Study: A student writing an essay on ‘Renewable Energy Sources in the 21st Century’ uses keywords like ‘renewable energy,’ ‘21st century,’ ‘sustainable sources.’ The generator then comes up with titles like “Navigating Renewable Energy: Sustainable Sources for the 21st Century” and “The Future of Energy: Embracing Renewables in the 21st Century.”

Using the Essay Title Generator is about merging technology with your creative process. It’s an aid designed to enhance your writing journey, providing a starting point that resonates with your content and sparks your imagination. With each use, you’ll find navigating the tool becomes a natural part of your essay-writing ritual.

Importance of a Good Essay Title

The journey of writing an essay is punctuated with various crucial steps, but perhaps none is as underestimated yet vital as crafting the perfect title. A title is more than just a heading; it’s the first impression, a decisive moment where readers decide whether to continue reading or move on. The significance of a good essay title cannot be overstressed, as it plays a pivotal role in the success and reception of your essay.

First Impressions Count

A title is the initial point of contact between your essay and its potential reader. Just as one dresses appropriately for an interview to make a good first impression, an essay must have a title that immediately captures attention. A compelling title acts like a window, offering a glimpse into the soul of your essay. It sets the tone and expectation, priming the reader for what lies ahead. A mundane or uninspiring title might lead to your essay being overlooked, regardless of the quality of its content.

Engagement and Curiosity

Engagement begins with curiosity, and a well-crafted title is a tool to pique the interest of the reader. It acts as a hook, intriguing the audience and sparking their curiosity. A title like “The Unseen Consequences of Climate Change” invites the reader to explore a possibly unconsidered aspect of a well-known issue. The title should entice the reader, promising them new insights and perspectives.

Reflecting the Content

A good title is a summary of your essay in a nutshell. It should be a distillation of the essence of your work. This doesn’t mean it has to be plain or direct; rather, it should encapsulate the central theme or argument in an engaging way. Titles that mislead or don’t align with the content can disappoint or confuse readers, detracting from the trustworthiness and credibility of the essay.

Keywords and Discoverability

In the digital age, where many essays are accessed online, titles play a crucial role in discoverability. Titles that incorporate relevant keywords improve the essay’s visibility on search engines and academic databases. This aspect is particularly important for students and researchers who want their work to be easily found and accessed.

Memorability

An effective title is memorable. It sticks in the reader’s mind, prompting them to think about the essay long after they’ve read it. Memorable titles often use literary devices such as alliteration, metaphors, or puns. For example, “Fahrenheit 451: The Temperature at Which Books Burn” by Ray Bradbury is not only descriptive but also intriguing and memorable.

Connection with Success

There is a direct correlation between a good title and the success of an essay. Academic essays with striking titles tend to be cited more often, as they catch the attention of other scholars and researchers. In more informal settings, a compelling title can be the difference between an essay that is widely read and shared and one that languishes in obscurity.

Tips for Essay Writing

Writing an essay can be a challenging yet rewarding process. Whether you are a student, a budding writer, or someone who needs to craft an essay for professional purposes, understanding the nuances of essay writing is essential. This comprehensive guide offers valuable tips, discusses different types of essays, and provides insights into structuring your essay effectively.

Understanding Different Types of Essays

• Narrative Essays: These essays tell a story, usually from the writer’s perspective. The key is to engage the reader with a compelling narrative. Title Suggestion: “A Journey Unveiled: [Your Story Topic]”
• Descriptive Essays: These focus on painting a picture with words, describing a person, place, thing, or event in vivid detail. Title Suggestion: “The Colors of [Your Description Topic]”
• Expository Essays: These essays aim to inform or explain a topic clearly and logically. They are fact-based and devoid of personal feelings. Title Suggestion: “Unraveling the Facts: [Your Subject]”
• Persuasive Essays: The goal here is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. Title Suggestion: “The Case for [Your Argument]”
• Argumentative Essays: Similar to persuasive essays but with a more balanced view, presenting both sides of an argument. Title Suggestion: “Navigating the Debate: [Your Topic]”
• Compare and Contrast Essays: These essays examine the similarities and differences between two subjects. Title Suggestion: “Contrasting Worlds: [Subject 1] vs. [Subject 2]”

Essay Writing Tips

• Start with Research: Before you begin writing, thoroughly research your topic. Gather all the necessary information and data to ensure your essay is well-informed and factually accurate.
• Create an Outline: An outline helps organize your thoughts and structure your essay logically. It serves as a roadmap, guiding you through the writing process.
• Craft a Strong Thesis Statement: Your thesis statement should clearly state your essay’s main idea or argument. It sets the direction and tone of your essay.
• Engaging Introduction: Your introduction should capture the reader’s attention and provide a preview of what the essay will cover.
• Body Paragraphs with Clear Arguments: Each paragraph should focus on a single idea or argument, supporting your thesis statement. Use evidence, examples, and explanations to substantiate your points.
• Use Transition Words: Transition words help the flow of your essay, guiding readers smoothly from one idea to the next.
• Conclude Effectively: Your conclusion should summarize the main points and restate the thesis in light of the evidence presented. It’s your final opportunity to leave a lasting impression.
• Revise and Edit: Review your essay for any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. Ensure that your essay flows logically and that your arguments are well-presented.
• Avoid Plagiarism: Always credit your sources properly. Use citations and references to acknowledge the work of others.
• Seek Feedback: If possible, have someone else read your essay and provide feedback. Fresh eyes can catch errors and provide a new perspective.

Structuring Your Essay

• Introduction: Set the stage for your essay. Begin with a hook, provide background information, and end with your thesis statement.
• Body Paragraphs: Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that relates to your thesis. Follow this with supporting sentences and concrete evidence.

How to Brainstorm Essay Titles

Brainstorming an essay title is a crucial step in the essay writing process. A title acts as the gateway to your content, setting the tone and expectation for the reader. Here are techniques and insights into how creativity, research, and the strategic use of keywords can lead to the creation of compelling essay titles.

Techniques for Brainstorming Essay Titles

• Mind Mapping: Start by jotting down words or phrases related to your essay topic. This can include main themes, arguments, or any words that resonate with your subject. Mind maps help in visually organizing your thoughts and finding connections between ideas.
• Use Writing Prompts: Writing prompts can stimulate creative thinking. For instance, if your essay is about climate change, prompts like “What if we fail to act?” or “The future of renewable energy” can lead to intriguing title ideas.
• Play with Words: Experiment with alliterations, metaphors, and puns to make your title catchy and memorable. For example, a title like “Solar Saviors: Harnessing the Sun’s Power” uses alliteration effectively.
• Ask Questions: Titles framed as questions can be very effective in engaging readers. They provoke thought and curiosity. For instance, “Is Artificial Intelligence the End of Human Creativity?” immediately piques interest.

The Role of Creativity and Research

• Creativity in Titling: Creativity in titles involves thinking outside the box and experimenting with language. It’s about crafting a title that not only summarizes your essay but also captures the reader’s imagination.
• Research for Relevance: Research ensures that your title is relevant and accurate. Look at existing literature on your topic, especially the titles of academic papers, books, and articles. Notice patterns, commonly used terms, and how titles are structured in your field.

Integrating Keywords Effectively in Titles

• SEO-Friendly Titles: In the digital age, where many essays are accessed online, using keywords effectively in your title can boost the visibility of your work. Identify keywords that are most relevant to your topic and integrate them into your title in a way that feels natural.
• Balancing Keywords with Creativity: While keywords help in SEO, it’s important not to sacrifice creativity. Your title should be a blend of SEO-friendly terms and creative expression. For example, “Green Revolution: The Future of Sustainable Energy” combines keywords with a creative element.
• Keyword Positioning: Place important keywords toward the beginning of your title if possible. Titles are often truncated in search engine results, so placing keywords at the start ensures they are visible.

Example Scenarios

• For an Argumentative Essay on Social Media: Start with keywords like ‘social media,’ ‘impact,’ ‘society.’ Brainstorm around these words to come up with titles like “Social Media: Society’s New Catalyst or Culprit?”
• For a Descriptive Essay on a Personal Experience: Creativity takes the front seat. If your essay is about overcoming a challenge, a title like “Beyond the Abyss: My Journey of Resilience” can be compelling.
• For an Expository Essay on Technology: Incorporate both technical terms and a layman-friendly approach. A title such as “The Digital Dawn: Explaining Blockchain Technology” strikes a balance between being informative and accessible.

FAQs about Essay Writing and Title Generation

Essay writing and title generation are essential skills for students, academics, and writers. Here, we address some common questions, incorporating NLP-friendly keywords to assist in understanding and improving these skills.

1. How Do I Choose the Right Topic for My Essay? Answer: Choosing the right topic involves considering your interests, the essay’s purpose, and the audience. Start by brainstorming ideas related to your interests or course material. For academic essays, ensure the topic is researchable and relevant to your field. For personal essays, choose a topic that resonates with your experiences or viewpoints.

2. What Makes a Good Essay Title? Answer: A good essay title is catchy, concise, and reflective of the essay’s content. It should capture the essence of your essay and engage the reader’s curiosity. Using relevant keywords can also make your title more searchable and accessible, especially for online content.

3. How Can I Improve My Essay Writing Skills? Answer: Improving essay writing skills involves regular practice, reading extensively, and seeking feedback. Focus on structuring your essays clearly, developing a strong thesis, and supporting your arguments with evidence. Also, pay attention to grammar, style, and clarity. Writing workshops and online resources can be beneficial for skill enhancement.

4. Can You Explain the Structure of a Typical Essay? Answer: A typical essay structure includes an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs with supporting arguments and evidence, and a conclusion that summarizes the main points and restates the thesis. Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence and provide clear and coherent arguments.

5. How Important Are Keywords in an Essay Title? Answer: Keywords in an essay title are crucial, especially for digital content. They help in search engine optimization (SEO), making your essay more discoverable online. Include keywords that are central to your essay’s topic and align with what your potential readers might search for.

6. What Is the Best Way to Start an Essay? Answer: The best way to start an essay is with a hook that grabs the reader’s attention. This could be a provocative question, a surprising fact, a quotation, or a brief anecdote relevant to your topic. An engaging start sets the tone for your essay and encourages readers to continue.

7. How Can NLP Tools Help in Title Generation? Answer: NLP (Natural Language Processing) tools can assist in title generation by analyzing patterns in language and suggesting titles based on the content and context of your essay. They use algorithms to generate creative, relevant, and unique titles that can enhance the appeal of your essay.

8. What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid in Essay Writing? Answer: Common mistakes include unclear thesis statements, lack of structure, poor grammar, and insufficient evidence to support arguments. Avoid plagiarism by properly citing sources. Ensure that your essay addresses the prompt and stays on topic throughout.

9. How Do I Conclude My Essay Effectively? Answer: Conclude your essay by summarizing the main points and restating the thesis in the context of the information provided. Avoid introducing new arguments in the conclusion. Instead, leave the reader with a final thought or call to action that reflects the essay’s key message.

10. How Can I Make My Essay More Engaging? Answer: Make your essay more engaging by writing in a clear, concise, and lively style. Use examples, anecdotes, and rhetorical questions to connect with the reader. Vary your sentence structure and use active voice. Ensure that your essay flows logically and maintains the reader’s interest throughout.

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295 personal narrative ideas: diverse topics for your essay.

January 6, 2022

Personal narrative writing involves writing about a real-life experience. It’s like non-fiction. You’re writing a story about yourself because it happened to you. At some point, your stories are the perfect personal narrative writing ideas because they are yours.

This way, you get to connect with people. As a student in high school, college, middle school, or university, you can impress your teachers or professors with good personal narrative topics. By choosing the perfect topic, you can create a stellar essay to earn high grades.

Characteristics of a Good Personal Narrative Piece

As a kind of writing which relies on individual experience, your story must:

Have a Clear Purpose This could be a narration of why the story is important to you. The purpose of the story must be clearly expressed without making direct statements about it. Organized Facts and Events The fact you are writing a story about your life doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be organized. You should write sequentially as much as possible to make it organized and lucid. Sensory Description You must also describe your feeling in a way the audience can connect with it. If you need to describe how the cold touch of rain sliced through your skin on a winter dawn, do it. Let your audience feel it as much as you felt it. Involve Readers Your readers must feel important while reading your story. To achieve this, your story must carry them along. If there’s something you need to explain, explain it to make everything clear to them. Include Conflict A story is incomplete without conflicts. This is why you must create enthralling conflicts for your characters. The higher the stake, the better the feelings when the protagonist scales through it.

All these, in addition to a thesis statement are all important features that must be seen in any personal narrative writing.

The Structure of a Personal Narrative Essay

After knowing what your personal essay must have as its features, you must also structure your essay properly. To do this, you should follow this organizational structure:

• Introduction

This is where you grab your readers’ attention. You should set the scene where major characters of the story are also introduced. After this, discuss the role of the argument and introduce the characters. Your introduction must be captivating. Note that you’re writing a story, not a paper.

This is where everything about the story is shared. You must add all the details you know to your story. For instance, the hiking experience must be profoundly discussed, and so do the events that changed you. If you also want to talk about people, describe them. Doing this lets you show your readers, not tell them the story. When you need to change the course of the story, you can write in a new paragraph.

Our list will be extremely helpful to start your essay, but we can assist you even more along the whole process if you want to pay for essay online and save your time for something more entertaining.

Personal Narrative Writing Prompts

As students, one of the most important essays you may ever write is a personal narrative one. This is one of the ways to reveal yourself to strangers and friends. It’s a way to knows more about yourself and other people. You can consider these ideas for a personal narrative piece:

• Identify your most threatening challenges
• What would you say are your survival strategies?
• How do you cope when you fail?
• Would you say that you can’t succeed unless you fail?
• Discuss what you do to achieve your goals
• Do you think “leave your comfort zone” is a sham?
• What do you think about yourself when you’re scared?
• Would you say you don’t mind loneliness?
• What does crying mean to you?
• What are your fears?
• Do you harbor superstitions, what are they?
• Do you feel no one is seeing you as they should
• Write about your rules for life
• Write about your response to bullies
• Write about how you give yourself peace
• How do you relax within the limited time you have to yourself?
• What do you do for fun?
• How do you integrate feedback to improve?
• Would you say becoming an adult is difficult?
• What is the responsibility that scares you the most and why?
• When was your saddest day and why was it?
• How does stress not make anything easy for you?
• Do you act anyhow when you’re provoked?
• How do you perform under pressure?
• Can you discuss what makes you happy?
• Discuss what criticism means and how you take them in
• Discuss what your decision-making process is like
• Explain what motivates you the most
• Do you think you have self-control
• Are you presently easy or hard on yourself to reach your goals?
• Can you work under any circumstances?
• Do you think you’re a creative person?
• What are the conditions that helped you maximize your potentials
• Would you say you’re emotionally intelligent?
• Would you say you can perform the most when you collaborate
• Are you ready for the competitive workplace?
• Would you say you’re a great speaker?
• Would you say you’re a better listener?
• Do you think you’re an agreeable person?
• Discuss what you think about peer pressure.

Personal Narrative Essay Ideas

For your personal essays, how do you discover great essay ideas? You can consider custom personal narrative prompts which are unique to specific events. Some of the topics which are target-oriented are:

• Discuss a time you took more risks than others
• What makes you a daredevil?
• What has made you brave?
• Would you say you’re impulsive?
• Discuss your strategies against boredom
• What are the pranks you’ve ever fallen for
• How do you apologize when you’re wrong?
• Do you think you’re a cynical person?
• Discuss three things that annoy you
• Would you say you’re materialistic?
• Do you consider yourself a minimalist?
• How do you say goodbye?
• Are you on the right or the left?
• What do you think people think about you?
• Why do you think what others think should matter?
• Write about your role model
• Would you say you’re weird?
• Would you say you’re a nonconformist?
• Do you believe in magic?
• Why should you be inspired by people?
• Do you think your role models are heroes?
• Would you think role models must be famous
• Outside your family, are you a different person?
• Within your family, do you want to be someone else?
• Which live show do you love the most?
• Discuss how someone has made a difference in your life
• What are the kinds of music you like?
• Discuss what you’d put in a thank you note
• Write what you’d do if you’re to invite your enemies to dinner
• Recall a time to speak to a large audience of people and write how it felt
• Do you think family is everything?
• Do you think you can’t be anything without family?
• Would you say you want to change your role in the family?
• What are the programs that keep you closer?
• If your life would be a movie, which of the autobiographies would it be?
• Choose a profession of your choice and discuss why
• What do you think about sacrifice?
• Discuss a family treasure
• Would you say you have hobbies someone has adopted
• Why are you called your name?

Personal Narrative Ideas High School

As high school students, you also need to develop personal narrative essays. These could be essays about your parents, neighbors, or your home. Choose from these personal narrative ideas for high school students:

• Describe your relationship with your parents?
• Would you say your parents permit you?
• Discuss the freedom your parents give you
• Do you think your curfew hours make it difficult to live?
• Would you say you enjoy your parents, why?
• Would you prefer to be a parent too?
• What do your parents do with your bad report card?
• Would you say parenting is difficult?
• Do your parents like online learning?
• Are your parents hard on you to do things?
• Do you think parenting could be something to be embarrassed by?
• How did your parents influence the school you attended?
• Do your parents let you create things on your own?
• Do you think you have great teachers and patients?
• What will your neighbors say about you?
• Which characters perfectly describe your neighbors and why?
• What is a common slogan in your environment?
• What are the TV shows you can’t stop watching?
• What do you think about supporting community sport?
• Write about the mayor of your city
• Where is your favorite place?
• Write about your favorite joint
• Write about a park you love
• Discuss how you spend time with nature
• Would you say you see bad things every day?
• Do you love your home?
• What is your favorite ad slogan and why?
• What does chatting with the police feel like?
• Have you ever been assaulted?
• Do you think you’re easily annoyed?

Personal Narrative Topic Ideas

If you’d love to discuss anything at all, there are tons of custom ideas on narrative writing. Some personal narrative ideas are also based on religion, sexuality, race, and many other issues of the world today. Consider:

• Would you say you have no religion?
• Do you think the older generations are too religious?
• Write about how you know about other religions
• Write about what you know about other religions
• Discuss the difference between male and female
• Do you acknowledge the rights of trans people?
• Do you think the LGTBQ is complicated?
• Will you share parental responsibilities?
• What do you know about sex?
• What do you know about gender issues?
• What is your experience of love?
• How does being a ‘real man’ feel?
• Do you think you can be biased?
• Is there a difference in the ways sons and daughters are treated in the home?
• Should there a more pressure on daughters than men
• Discuss your racial identity and why it’s important to talk about it
• Would you say you’re a feminist?
• Discuss your encounter with sexual harassment
• Discuss what you think about catcalling
• What do you think about social hierarchies?
• Discuss the last time you interacted with someone of another race
• Do you think you have racial biases too?
• Would you say you experienced racism before, as black
• Which one is more important to you: money or love
• Are you happy with yourself?
• Would you say money can’t buy happiness too?
• What do you pay attention to the most in the world?
• Do you think it’s okay to be addicted to phones
• How do you teach people about money?
• What are the most important things in your life?

Personal Narrative Writing Ideas

As an attempt to discuss something that deals with people’s daily affairs, good ideas for personal narrative may be hard to come by. Rather than go through the trouble of finding how to think of ideas for a personal narrative, these are custom ideas for you:

• What are the things that matter most for you?
• Narrate what you hope to have in your dream home
• Narrate your experience as if you’d lived in the woods
• Narrate your most fun childhood memory
• Discuss what your passion was as a child
• Explain what you loved most as a child
• Write about your favorite childhood shows and books
• Discuss your favorite childhood picture book
• Write about your childhood influences
• Discuss your childhood most loved places
• Discuss the little things your parents did they made you happy
• Write about the first time you went out with your parents
• Narrate your experience of a swing
• What was your favorite song as a child? Write a response to it
• Which food do you wish you’d eaten as a child
• Narrate what made a gift the best you ever had
• Write about what your most memorable letter
• Write about the divorce of a family friend or neighbor
• Discuss the consequence of separation from a state
• Write about how migrated from a place to another
• Write about how angry your father or mother could be at themselves
• Write about your favorite memories of sleepovers
• How did it feel when you found something you thought you’d lost?
• What are your most prized lessons of teenage years?
• Would you do something else differently not as an adult when you were 13?
• Narrate the achievements that made you proud
• Discuss the rites you engaged in
• Write about your message to the older generation
• Write a message to the younger generation
• Describe yourself as if you’re a 13-year-old right now
• Share a story of your ethical dilemma
• Discuss your sex experience; whether you had it not
• Write about something you cared about that you shouldn’t have
• Write about something you didn’t care about but you should have
• Discuss the last time you collected money from a stranger
• Write about the last time a stranger kissed you
• Discuss your memorable lying experience
• Narrate your experience with drugs
• Explain your experience with gossiping
• Have you ever cheated in exams?

Personal Narrative Ideas College

As a college student, you can also develop incredible personal narrative pieces. Through these pieces, you can connect with your colleagues and share your ideas. Consider these personal narrative prompts:

• Why did you choose the screen time you chose?
• What would you do without a smartphone?
• Narrate your gaming experiences and the thrill you feel
• Write about the apps that do nothing but reduce you
• Would you say tech takes a huge responsibility for change in your life?
• Would you say you are interested in technology?
• What is your experience of religion?
• What is your experience of God?
• Narrate if you’ve had an encounter with God or religion before
• Explain what you’d do if you have control over others
• Narrate what you would control if you can
• Narrate what you can do without thinking otherwise
• What would you say are your best features of YouTube
• Narrate your experience of a date over the internet
• Narrate your experience of seeking to advice online
• Discuss your favorite online sports
• Write about your online sad story
• Write about a terrible experience of bullying online
• Discuss how you fact check what you read online
• Write about how you express yourself online
• Would you say you trust Wikipedia?
• Would you say you enjoy online reviews?
• What is your comment on porn?
• Would you give your passwords out?
• If you have a partner, will you share everything?
• What would you do if you just made a fraudulent purchase?
• Do you chat with anonymous people?
• How do you keep your passwords safe?
• Are there things your parents won’t believe that is on the internet?
• Write about why you trust social media
• What is your favorite Facebook experience?
• What is your favorite Twitter experience?
• What is your experience of wrong grammar structure online?
• Did you ever go through Instagram feeds with envy?
• Did you ever download a stranger’s picture because you like them?

Personal Narrative Ideas for Middle School

At this stage, you have also had plausible experiences of life. What can you say about your life, or your experiences? You can write from these interesting personal narrative ideas:

• What do you know about poo divas and who’s your favorite?
• Write about your first karaoke performance
• Write about the artists you’d like lined up
• Narrate your earliest connection with music
• Narrate your earliest experience of music
• Write about the most loving but sad thing that ever happened to you
• Why do you avoid people?
• Narrate your experience of being stalked
• Discuss how you think social media has been abused
• Tell a story about your most favorite songs
• Tell a story about the music which has inspired you the most
• Which television show would you bring back?
• Which of your childhood commercials is your favorite?
• Why do you prefer cartoons?
• Discuss how television helped your family stay together
• Narrate the work nature of your parents
• Discuss your experience of being cheated
• Which music star do you love?
• Which music tells you about life?
• Which artist tells stories the most?
• How does the music you listen to Influence you?
• Narrate what you think are the best period of your life yet
• Narrate your favorite movies
• Narrate a public performance experience
• Discuss the bad things about horror movies
• Write about your favorite comedians
• Narrate your experience of gaming
• Would you play violent games?
• Do you think zombies are real?
• Do you feel guilty or excited that you kill zombies?

Good Ideas for a Personal Narrative Essay

If you need to discuss cool events and languages, there are good personal narrative topics for you. Some of these topics are:

• Narrate your experience at the museum
• What is your favorite visual artist?
• Discuss your most fascinating work of art
• Write about the importance of education
• Would you say you can’t live without art
• Which words do you like using?
• Which words don’t you like using?
• What are the slangs you used to love?
• What has changed since you started using some words
• Would you call someone a shag? Why?
• Which word do you think people use too much?
• Narrate what you consider a great conversation
• Discuss your time with a lover
• Narrate your experience discussing with your mum
• Narrate your experience discussing with your dad
• Narrate your experience teaching your grandparents about something on a smartphone
• Write about a time you felt you talked too much
• Write about a time you used satires
• Write about a time you attacked people but didn’t feel bad
• What would you say are the most terrible things you’ve done?
• If you had to learn a language, which would it be?
• How do you use your body language and why do you use it?
• If you can influence someone’s memory, what would it be and why would you do it?
• Write about what stresses you the most about school without using F words or castigating anyone
• Discuss what you once looked forward to but no longer look forward to
• Would you rather take private classes, online classes, or physical classes with other students and why would you choose your choice?
• Discuss your experience with bullying and what you could have done when you were bullied or when someone you know was bullied
• Write about the kind of school you wish you had attended and the experience you wish you had had
• Write about the things you hate the most about going to your religious places and the things you wish they had
• Discuss what it would mean to not be educated at all.

Interesting Personal Narrative Ideas

There are also interesting personal narrative essay ideas across all classes. You can choose these essay ideas for your college, high school, middle school, or university assignments. Options to consider are:

• What have you had to do which you didn’t like?
• Discuss how best you once participated in class
• Write about a memorable experience of school you wish were yours
• Write about a memorable experience of a relationship you wish you could have
• Discuss your first encounter with a difficult subject and write when you realize you may fail the course
• Tell a story about what you thought is fascinating about relationships that are no longer fascinating?
• Tell a story about what you think about digital skills and why it is important in the future
• Would you say that programming and computer coding offers more opportunities than any other skills?
• Narrate a terrible experience of yours after you failed an exam and what your parents did
• Narrate the saddest day in class for you
• You were invited to speak to your class about how you spent your weekend or holiday, what were the things that ran through your mind and did you speak?
• Like your friends, you had many terrible and shameful experiences while studying simply because you’re a shy person, narrate some of the most important and terrible moments of your school life
• Write a story about a teacher you would like to appreciate detailing the important things the teacher had done to you without isolating the bad things he or she had also done
• Discuss the textbook you ever felt disgusted with and why you did
• Do you think your teachers are as vast with technology as they ought to be, and would you feel bad if you had insulted them at one time or the other when you were young?
• Narrate the most arousing party you went to focusing on the sensory details which made it different from other parties and proms
• If you will deliver a speech about the horribleness of physical bullying or cyberbullying, focusing on experiences that could make people cry, how would you write the speech and how would you perform it?
• Would you flog students you considered rebellious in your class if you were a teacher, even if the student is truly stubborn and should have probably been in a juvenile center?
• What are the mental health issues you wish people had talked about the most when you were in high school?
• If you could talk to the authorities about the things you think were important for students which weren’t done, what would they be, and how would you do it?

Get Narrative Essay Help

With these exciting topics, you can create a professional personal narrative essay based on your adult or childhood experiences. However, if you need someone to write your essay or assignment, you can hire top-notch writers online.

We are one of the best professional writing services with years of experience writing for college, high school, and university students. We have professors and teachers in our team who create essays to help students score high grades. If you’d like to make the best submission, you can hire these writers.

Like other essays and papers we’ve written, we deliver custom essays at a fast pace at affordable rates. With a token, you’ll get the best essay and get high grades in class.

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Personal Essay Titles

Here are a few personal essay titles that I gave to my Junior Certs today. I’m really just posting them here so I’ll have them for again! Most of them are taken from a random selection of previous exam papers. Some of the titles that usually come up lean in particular directions – towards descriptive short stories or dialogue heavy ‘scenes’; others towards journalistic opinion pieces – so I’ve avoided them deliberately because I want today to be about the art of personal writing. What these titles have in common is that they ask you to insert yourself into the essay, to reveal who you are as a person – your thoughts, beliefs, experiences, hopes, dreams, personality and sense of humour.

• The things about myself I’d most like to change
• In 30 years time…
• Childhood memories
• Life’s little luxuries
• A significant event that changed my life
• It’s a weird and wonderful world

p.s. Another title I made up recently that produced some interesting responses from Leaving Certs was “Write a personal essay about some of the funniest/most embarrassing moments of your life so far”.

2 responses to “ Personal Essay Titles ”

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Shiny Essays Blog

Creative titles for essays: examples & advice.

A title is indeed the “Why” of your essay. It is a phrase that determines whether a reader will pass by or get interested in the story. These words set a tone of your piece and establish borders for the narrative.

Our writing agency Shinyessays.com specializes in all types of texts for high schools and colleges. We have seen thousands of essays, reports, case studies, etc. They all had headlines: catchy or boring, bold or standard, awesome or so-so. Thus, our authors know firsthand what a good title for an academic article or any other paper is.

We are willing to share our experience on this blog post. And we would be even more glad to come up with a title for your text. Send it to our support agents and get the best name for your opus.

Creativity is what you need most when it deals with headlines. One needs to compose a unique expression reflecting the overriding message of the whole project. Our professionals have enough experience and talent to make it captivating and informative.

A title tells a lot about the author, revealing his/her imagination, analytical abilities, a level of intelligence, etc. We want you to show the best version of your skills to professors, so our services are at your disposal.

How to come up with a good title? Ultimate guide

A title for the essay is the first phrase that is noticed by a reader. Yet, it is not the first wording that an author comes up with.

Experienced authors of Shinyessays.com often create a headline after they have finished the whole paper. Why so? It is mainly because they need to tie this heading to the text of the essay. Meantime, one of the following goals must be achieved.

Types of titles according to purposes:

• intriguing and promising,
• eye-catching,
• informative.

Your headline can contain one or even more aspects. However, the key thing is to make people read the text below the title. It is obviously worth your time and attention.

Things that work good for your titles:

• relevance to the topic of the argumentative essay,
• symbols: figures and abbreviations.

Do essays always have titles?

We suppose that every essay should have a unique headline. It is like a name for a book. People need this phrase to associate your piece with it.

Cool titles for essays are the first step to your successful essay.

Obviously, a headline must be composed correctly. You might have found numerous methods to do it, yet beware of the dubious ones.

Misconceptions concerning interesting titles for essays

• It is enough to copy the title from a given assignment

In doing so, you simply show a lack of creativeness. If you want to demonstrate a writing talent, you’d better come up with your variant.

• One is free to rewrite a title from another essay

Do not forget about the plagiarism check. In addition, your professors have already read hundreds of catchy title names for essays, and they definitely do not expect to stumble upon a duplicate.

• Why not use a creative paper title generator ?

Seriously, have you ever tried to do it? It is our understanding that such online tools can be used for inspiration only.

Professional help is the most reliable way to get a brilliant title for the text. Still, we have prepared guideline in case you want to try your hand at this stuff.

Practical tips

• Learn the requirements of your educational institution. There might be rigorous standards on its length and content.
• Study the titles of similar essays. You can look through academic papers on your subject. Thus, you will feel the style and the manner of composing headers. Trust your feelings. Try to evaluate what title is catchy and which one is boring. The best title is the one that grabs attention and “invites” to read the whole text.
• Do not write a title until the whole text is ready. It could double your efforts. Yes, you could have particular thoughts before writing a report. It is not the reason to rush to invent a heading. The thing is that a written text can be different from your intentions and images.

Short cheatsheet

• Finish your essay and revise it with fresh eyes.
• Determine the core message of your opus.
• Think about people who made you write this piece. It is not always a muse who inspires authors to create essays. Many literary works are born under the impression of some real personalities. You might devote the text to someone or address an important message to a particular audience.
• Try to compose several titles. A good heading is a matter of degree.
• Put yourself in the shoes of the readers. Would you read this text if you were a teacher?

Hints for those who are bold enough to go against rules

If your professors do not mind, use the following elements:

• provocative questions,
• brave suggestions, etc.

A secret of an intriguing title

Add a moment of surprise to your headline. Use words and phrases that highlight it:

• “unexpected,”
• “you didn’t know,”
• “dispelled myths,” etc.

The title of your essay: what should it be?

A well-considered title is half the battle. It is not only about a beautiful phrase. The thing is your headline reveals the essence of the whole research paper. It can be called “an idea” of your project, while other parts of the text are “implementation”.

Honestly, we could barely find any lessons or articles on how to write good titles for gender inequality essays. They don’t teach this stuff in detail at colleges and universities. That is why our authors have gathered materials on the Internet and from personal notes. We hope this post will be informative and helpful for you.

There exist different views on titles for essays. We consider, above all, a title as a hook for attention.

How to title an essay? 4 ways from our experts

Here is a classification based on the experience and individual feelings of our writers. It is a helpful instrument to come up with a headline fast.

1) Direct (traditional) title

We would rather call it “boring.” However, such headlines can be justified in terms of educational or academic standards.

There is nothing special in this phrase. It is concise and informative enough. That’s it. If you have strict requirements concerning academic writing, do not overdo with creativeness. No questions, games of words, citations, etc. A clear, direct title is precisely what you need in this situation. This neutral approach highlights seriousness and allegiance to rules.

Good examples:

• Documents (Charles D’Ambrosio)
• Death of the Moth (Virginia Woolf)
• Thoughts for the Times on War and Death (Sigmund Freud)
• How To Do What You Love (Paul Graham)
• Self-Reliance (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Do not be afraid to seem banal using such wordings. Brevity is evidence for good analytical skills.

2) Titles with exaggerations

An exaggeration makes your title bright. The only thing is to stay honest while using it. One can add words: “secrets,” “dire predictions,” “terrifying mystery,” “unbelievable,” etc. Such titles will definitely make your essay stand out among others.

3) Bold titles presenting fresh views

It is a good idea to show your original insight right in the title.

• Is Pedantry the Mother of the Essay? (Ken Chen)
• The Hottest Water in Chicago: On Family, Race, Time and American Culture (Gayle Pemberton)
• Time Is the Thing a Body Moves Through (T. Fleischmann)

4) Manipulations with common phrases, a game of words and  paradoxes

Take a famous expression and change some words in it.

• The Mother Of All Questions (Rebecca Solnit,2016)

You could use something like:

• Knowledge and nothing else matters...
• Intellectual progress must go on...
• Keep calm and develop the mind...

Apparently, an academic sphere has strict rules and requirements on composing clever argumentative persuasive essay titles. Yet, if you are lucky to have some freedom, use creativeness. In case of a writer’s block, go to our live chat and order professional services from our authors .

So, a perfect title for an essay...

What is a secret formula for it? Actually, we cannot give you one right universal answer. The thing is that one should consider various factors.

• sphere (essay for blogs, for education, for science magazine),
• style of writing,
• a discipline,
• a level of seriousness,
• a target audience (reader).

We cannot judge whether a title is good or bad until we know the text below and its purpose. The rules are relative. What is good for an academic essay may be dull for a college essay on a free topic. Thus, do not forget to attach detailed instructions when ordering our writing services https://shinyessays.com/blog/online-essay-writing-at-shinyessayscom .

Creative ideas for essay titles

It happens that you have enough knowledge on how to compose a headline. You have read our tips, learned the rules that a professor gave you, and still feel a writer’s block. Indeed, it is not easy to say everything you want in one phrase.

Here are some hints to develop your imagination.

Read headlines from blogs

Some of them can inspire you to create an essay for a college paper. Check out our captivating articles , for instance.

Take this one, for example.

This title is intriguing since it tells about an outlook on students in the nearest future. Sounds curious, does it? In addition, it is rather compelling due to mentioning “experts.”

Social advertisement

As a rule, such projects are aimed to cause feelings. They are awesome sources of inspiration if  you need an emotional title. Striving to convey the main idea fully, its creators come up with “spot-on” slogans.

• This one is from the anti-anorexia advertisement:

( Source is here )

• For the homeless, every day is a struggle

(Source: https://www.treedom.net/en/blog/post/the-campaign-of-clemenger-bbdo-every-day-is-a-struggle-for-the-homeless-339 )

What do professional essayists write?

Famous authors are definitely good at titles for their literary works. Here are some popular essays:

• Why I Write (George Orwell,1946)
• A Modest Proposal (Jonathan Swift, 1729)
• Courage (JM Barrie,1922)
• Advice To Youth (Mark Twain, 1882)
• Eichmann and the Private Conscience (Martha Gellhorn, 1962)

Modern writers also often choose an essay as a preferred manner of writing. Interestingly, you can read most of their pieces online. For instance, The New Yorker has a column for essays. It can spark a thought too.

Here are the latest titles for essays from this portal:

• Love and Anger (Keith Gessen, December 23, 2019)
• Darryl Pinckney’s Intimate Study of Black History (Zadie Smith, November 26, 2019)
• Fred Moten’s Radical Critique of the Present (By David Wallace, April 30, 2018)
• What Makes an Essay American (Vinson Cunningham, May 13, 2016)
• Vivian Gornick Is Rereading Everyone, Including Herself (Alexandra Schwartz, February 3, 2020)

Helpful tip: You know, it is not even compulsory to read all these stories. You can simply review their titles and come up with a new idea.

Titles from celebrities

Do you have an idol or a hero among stars? Maybe, he/she is a good essayist too.

• The Meanings of the Selfie (James Franco)
• Matt Damon’s Marathon (Matt Damon)
• Confessions of a Juggler (Tina Fey)
• The Death of My Father (Steve Martin)
• My Medical Choice (Angelina Jolie)

​ Statuses from social media

Social media is often criticized for low-quality content and too much advertisement. This statement is quite dubious. We strongly believe that it is a matter of an individual choice. For example, their headlines and statuses can inspire you to formulate a title for a college essay.

• #Not all classrooms have 4 walls
• #Retain female talent in science

Essay title generator online or human talents?

This age of fantastic technological opportunities offers numerous online tools. A free creative scholarship essay titles generator is among them. What does it actually do? As a rule, its algorithm chooses words and phrases relevant to the topic. Probably, it has a database of catchy phrases and, thus, it combines them with your keyword.

We, on our part, believe that a manual way is still better than the automatic one. The thing is that artificial intelligence still cannot fully understand the sense of your essay, feel the mood, and reflect the tone in one phrase. Therefore, do not rely on such programs too much.

Read at your leisure:

• Best Ideas for Research Paper Topics in 2019: 100+ variants
• College Essay Writing Workshop
• Professional Essay Writing

Striving to find the best headline

The most suitable title for an essay implies one main phrase. It must focus attention on the sense of your paper, as well as engage people to keep reading the further text. In fact, it will be found somewhere at the intersection of college standards and your imagination. Enthusiastic writers of Shinyessays.com are willing to pick the best words for your headline. We can provide several options so that you could choose the finest one. Send us your draft, and we will find a superb title, or order writing services and get a ready-made paper. Give it a go today.

You might also like:

• How to Write a Great Motivation Essay Paper
• Why are Veterans Important Essay Example
• Do Video Games Cause Violence" Essay

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50 Eye-Catching Autobiography Titles (+ How to Write Your Own)

POSTED ON Oct 12, 2023

Written by Shannon Clark

You’ve written your life story. 

You’ve laid your heart bare before the world

So, what’s the best title for your one-of-a-kind masterpiece?

“____________: An Autobiography”?

Seriously, unless you’re a household name, using “autobiography” as part of your title might not work in your favor, but not to worry. You don’t have to be famous to write an autobiography , but you do need a title that will grab a buyer's attention, so they know your book is worth a second look.

Don't like it?

The purpose of this article is to break down what makes a standout autobiography title and the process for creating your own. 

Need autobiography titles? Let's dive in!

The secret sauce for writing an amazing book title.

The process of creating an autobiography book title that gets noticed starts with a marketer's mindset.

Yes, it all boils down to strategic book positioning in the marketplace. Creativity is a big part of it, but that’s a small part of the bigger picture. After all, if your book doesn't get in front of the people who would be most likely to read it, you can't change lives with the content inside!

Unlike fiction books or other types of nonfiction books (e.g. business books or textbooks) where there’s a specific category or genre expectation, autobiographies play by their own set of rules—the more creative the better. 

How to think like a marketer when creating your title

If you are self-publishing your book, then you’re probably already aware that marketing is a key component of your book’s success, but what is marketing exactly? 

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as

Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. 

When marketing your book, knowing how to write a good book title matters, because, along with your cover, it’s the first thing a potential buyer sees (reads) before making a buying decision. A casual search for “autobiography” on Amazon pulled up over 700,000 results. This doesn’t mean that every book belongs in the category, but it’s still a lot of books.

You might be asking how you get your book to rise to the top of search results.

Start with a great title. 

Here are some best practices:

• Make your title relevant – You can never go wrong with a title that reflects the theme of your book . This will clue buyers into what to expect. You can also go with a significant statement or quote drawn directly from your story. Clever titles also work, but try to stay away from the cheesy ones that confuse buyers.
• Appeal to your ideal audience’s needs – Every book is not for everyone. Target a specific reader type when creating your title. For example, meteorologist and television personality Ginger Zee titled her book Natural Disasters. This title works well for her because her book’s content is about the unpredictable “storms” of life she has faced and she also covers storms in her reporting. 
• Stay away from clickbait – Or anything that leads readers to believe your book is about one thing but it’s something else. This only frustrates readers and could potentially lead to bad reviews. 
• Use a primary keyword in your title if it fits – First Gen by Alejandra Campoverdi and Cooked by Jeff Henderson include keyword(s) that are relevant to buyer searches. 
• Invite the reader into your story – This can be done by asking a question like the autobiography title What Are You Doing Here? by Baroness Floella Benjamin. Or, create an image in their mind like The Ugly Cry by Danielle Henderson or The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish. 

Hint: Keep it short. According to Amazon, “Customers are more likely to skim past long titles (over 60 characters). There are exceptions to the rules. You’ll see some in the list that follows.

Don’t forget about writing a subtitle for your book . They are optional but a great way to add a splash of flavor. 

50 eye-catching autobiography titles that inspire

After an exhaustive search in the autobiography categories of the top online book retailers, I selected 50 incredible autobiography titles as a starting point for creating an amazing title for your autobiography. Note: Memoir titles listed under the autobiography category are included in the list.

Autobiography titles about celebrities

• What Are You Doing Here? – Baronness Floella Benjamin
• Tis Herself – Maureen O’Hara
• F inding Me by Viola Davis
• Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots By Reba McEntire
• Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories by Kelly Ripa
• Thicker than Water by Kerry Washington
• We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu
• Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today by Valerie Bertinelli
• Just as I am by Cicely Tyson
• A Promised Land by Barack Obama
• Making It So by Patrick Stewart
• Inside Out by Demi Moore
• In Pieces by Sally Field
• The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
• Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder by William Shatner
• Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini
• Look Out for the Little Guy! By Scott Lang
• I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart, Neil Strauss
• No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox
• Scenes from My Life by Michael K. Williams
• The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe
• I Came as a Shadow – John Thompson

Autobiography titles about authors

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings  by Maya Angelou
• Lit by Mary Karr

Autobiography titles about family

• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• Mott Street by Ava Chin
• The Girl in the Middle by Anais Granofsky
• All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
• The Ugly Cry by Danielle Henderson

Autobiography titles about immigration, culture, and race

• Good Morning, Hope: A True Story of Refugee Twin Sisters and Their Triumph over War, Poverty, and Heartbreak by Argita Zalli, and Detina Zalli 
• Negroland by Margo Jefferson
• First Gen by Alejandra Campoverdi
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
• Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story – Mazie K. Hirono
• The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clementine Wamariya, Elizabeth Weil

Autobiography titles about beating the odds

• Cooked by Jeff Henderson
• The Pale-Faced Lie by David Crow
• Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Mann, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust by Michael Hingson and Susy Flory
• When the Tears Dry by Meredith Hawkins
• Reaching for the Moon by Katherine Johnson
• 80 Percent Luck, 20 Percent Skill: My Life as a WWII Navy Ferry Pilot by Ralph T. Alshouse

Autobiography titles about faith

• Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache by Granger Smith
• The Barn by David Hill
• All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore

Autobiography titles about journalists, reporters, and media

• Natural Disaster: I Cover Them. I am One by Ginger Zee
• Going There by Katie Couric
• Rough Draft by Kati Tur
• The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day

Use a free tool to generate your own autobiography title

You obviously can't use these published autobiography titles for your own book – but you can use our free book title generator to come up with suggestions that you could use.

It's really easy to use, and instantly gives you an unlimited amount of working titles – or even final titles – to use for your book!

1. Select nonfiction for the book’s genre in the drop-down menu

2. Fill in the details

For the next question, if you have a book description, type “yes” and add your description in the text box.

If you don’t have a description yet, answer “no” and fill out the questions. Eventually, you will need to write a book description , but this is often something our authors do after they complete their manuscript .

3. Click “generate”

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Your autobiography title can be the difference between someone scrolling past your book on Amazon or stopping to read a sample. Whatever title you choose, remember that it’s just as much about you as your reader. Make them want to read your story by giving them something unique that piques their interest. 

You can also look for inspiration in other genres. For example, some memoir book titles could also lend well to an autobiography – like What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo. Intriguing, isn't it? Don't limit yourself!

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Myself Essay

Writing an essay about “Myself” is no easy task as you have to reflect on who you really are and what others say about you, and not just who you think you are. Most universities, colleges and other institutions ask students to write “myself” essays so as to have a better understanding of their diverse personalities. This can come in different forms including “Essay about my life” , “Composition about myself”, “Self-description with  essayservices “ “Speech about myself” , “What I like about myself”, “Describing myself essay”, and other “essays about me”.

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Introduction On Myself Essay(100 words):

During an interview you may be asked to describe yourself or introduce yourself, you may also need to write autobiographies about yourself, cover letters, or other forms of personal essays which may be difficult if you don’t know the “How-to” of writing essays. So, in order to help the students seeking out numerous “Myself essays” online standout, Creative Savants provides diverse essays to suit individual needs. We also provide examples, tips, and basic guidelines on “how to write an essay about myself”. We have also written some other great essays on different topics you can check  “ Essays “.

Do Checkout “ My Room Essay “

Essay No 1 on “Composition about myself” (100 words):

My name is (insert your first name and surname here). I grew up as an only child. I am thirteen years old. My parents died while I was quite little, so I live with my grandparents.

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Accustomed to living with older adults, I always act more mature than my age. I am in (mention your class and the name of your school). I have had a lot of people invest in me academically, so I have excelled in most of my classes. My hobbies include music, reading and traveling. Although I don’t get to travel much, I relish every moment I get to. I am generally pleased with my life.

Check out Other Essays “ My Hobby Essay “

Essay No 2 on “All about me essays” (100 words):

I am (insert your first name followed by your last name here) by name. I am a girl and I am light in complexion. I come from a family of five and I occupy the third position. My father is a banker, while my mother is a teacher. We are very close in my family and I can tell my parents just about anything.

I twelve years old and I am in class four. I love going to school because the atmosphere is conducive for learning and I have really nice friends. My hobbies include, reading, watching movies and taking music lessons. I don’t like sports and I don’t go out of my way to exercise. I am an easy going person and I love my life.

Check out Other Essays “ Essay On Dancing “

Essay No 3 on “Describing Myself” (200 words):

My name is (insert your first name followed by your last name here). I am a junior in my high school. I am also the youngest child in my family. I have two older brothers and two older sisters. My mum is a full time housewife and my dad is a doctor.

It is a common knowledge that I am a good student and I love to study a lot. My favorite subjects are mathematics, chemistry and biology. I’m what a lot of people call a geek. I have every intention of applying to a reputable university and obtaining a degree in one of these fields. I am responsible and hardworking, so I study hard to obtain good grades.

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I have always been treated like a baby, by my parents, siblings, teachers and basically everyone who is not in my age group. Sometimes even my friends talk to me like I am a child, which is why I basically love school and reading books. Books don’t talk back at you and they make me feel important in this gigantic universe.

This is not to say that I don’t love all the care and attention. I do, it’s just that sometimes it can get stifling. However, I am quite content with my life.

Also see:  My School Essay

Essay No 4 on “What I Like About Myself” (200 words):

Who am I? Answering a question like this has often been difficult even for those with high intelligence quotient. I may not know who I fully am, but I know who I am not. I am not a vindictive person, I am not irresponsible, I am not slack with my studies, I am not dishonest and I will never deliberately set out to hurt anyone. I am not petty and I am not a bully.

My name is (insert your name here). I am fourteen years old and I am a boy. I was born into the family of Mr and Mrs (mention your last name here). I am an only child. I live a sheltered life. I live with my parents and my grandparents. Ours is an extended family setting. Even my mother’s relatives often come to crash at our house during the weekends.

My parents are outgoing people and they are quite down to earth. I get lots of attention from both of my parents, my grandparents, their friends and basically everyone around me. This probably explains why I crave attention wherever I go and I only associate with people who show me care and attention.

I love meeting people and I love making friends with people who are social. I am who I am, and I make no excuses for how I have turned out.

Also see:  My Favourite Game Essay

Essay No 5 on “Myself Essay” (300 words):

Humans are the most superior creatures amid all the creatures in the entire universe. Being a part of this universe makes me feel small and minuscule in a world where there millions of humans like myself. Although everyone is quite unique in their own way. I try my best to be humble, kind and respectful of everybody I meet regardless of their age, gender, family background, nationality or race. It is not an easy task to write about one’s self because one may tend to either over exaggerate or fail to give succinct descriptions and commendations where necessary.  It is with this background that I introduce myself.

I am (insert your first name followed by your last name here). I am a (insert your country here). I live in (insert your city here). I am fourteen years old. I am the second of three children. Ours is a close knit family. I have an older brother and a younger brother as well. I am the only girl in the family, which makes rather like the sheltered daughter. I love my siblings and my parents dearly and they love too. Although, my brothers monitor my every move which can be quite annoying sometimes. However, I know they have my back whenever I am in trouble.

I am currently in class 8. I am a focus driven and hardworking which reflects in my grades. My professional aspiration is to obtain a bachelor’s degree in any health related course at the university, which would promote my career goal of being a medical doctor. The reason why I want to pursue a degree in the medical line is to someday be able to provide a subsidized medical facility to a magnitude of people in (mention your country). Hence, I study hard because without a degree I cannot attain these goals.

Aside my love for everything medical related, I love to travel and meet new people. I am an outgoing person and I love to have fun. My live centers on improving humanity and I love where I am at right now.

Also see:  My Hobby Essay Drawing

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Essay No 6 on ” Essay about my life” (400 words):

Life is full of ups and downs. I know this is a cliché, but this phrase summarizes my whole existence. Sometimes my life is fun, happy and almost enviable and at other times my life is boring, sad, uninspiring and sometimes downright disgusting. I know I am not perfect, I have never tried to be, but one thing is true – I AM WHO I AM.

Looking back at my childhood, I remember the fun times, the laughter we all shared the lavish parties my parents threw, my wonderful friends and my fancy dresses. I was the envy of my friends and I erroneously thought my life would follow this pattern forever. Was I ever wrong!

I was a good child. I never acted out like I do now. I was always obedient and I had good grades, even if they were not excellent grades. I had a positive outlook towards life. I made a promise to myself never to smoke, do drugs or land myself in the prison for any illegal act. I cared an awful lot about people and I thought nothing would ever change this attitude that I had.

I was brought up by the crème de la crème, my parents were rich and influential in my town. I couldn’t imagine my life without the affluence and the excesses. My parents weren’t always around but at least they were together. I thought they were happy together and we were financially stable to withstand anything. Until my brother was involved in an accident that claimed his life and made my mother cripple.

Ever since joseph died, life had never been the same at the (insert your last name) mansion. Mum became bitter (who could blame her), she and joseph were quite close. I was the daddy’s pet. Eventually, they both got a divorce and I have been conveying myself from my mum’s house to my dad’s.

My grades have suffered quite a hit. I have never been a straight ‘A’ student, I barely even have an ‘A’ on my report sheet, but now my grades are quite laughable. We don’t have money like we used to. I don’t know the details but dad got jilted and there is hardly anything left to spend. I have to work on my grades now because if I don’t secure a scholarship, I am basically on my own.

Dad has gotten married to another woman and now they have a child. I am not eighteen so I can’t refuse to visit them. I know my little step-brother has committed no offence, but each time I look at how happy my father has become with his existence I get very jealous. Now you understand why I opened my introduction with the phrase I used. One thing I know is that change is the only constant and nothing lasts forever. My life is not perfect, but then again whose is?

Do checkout “ How To Write A Process Analysis Essay? “

Essay No 7 on “Speech About Myself” (500 words):

Millions of people have walked the earth and many will still do. However, no two people have the same characteristics even among identical twins. Personalities, regardless of how dissimilar, make the world full of varieties. This is why I know I am uniquely me and the best version of myself there is. Perfection is a mirage, however the best individuals are those give it their all in order to attain perfection while knowing that it is impossible to be perfect. I believe people should strive to improve their life and be the best they can ever be regardless of how impossible the task may be.

My name is (insert your first name and last name). I live in (insert your city here). I am a (insert your country here). I am the first born of my parent. We are four in number and I have always felt responsible for my family. I love my parents and siblings dearly and the feeling is mutual.

My father is basically a business man and my mother is a fashion designer. I have a stable family and we are quite grounded in our beliefs and notions. My parents are not wealthy but we get by. My parents are attentive to my needs and my siblings. They can be strict when they have to be, but they have never raised their hands to strike us. They may not be financially rich, but they have big hearts.

I am in class 8 at (mention the name of your school). I have a stable grade and although I cannot rank high among the brilliant people in my class, I get by quite well. My favorite subjects are art, literature and music. I love to draw, paint and read books. This is how I often clear my head or distress myself. I desire to go to the university and obtain a degree in any art related course. This will help me to become a successful person and also impact the lives of others while I am at it.

I cannot claim that I love school and I don’t hate school either, I guess I’m just indifferent. Although, I love my art classes and literature lessons too. People are nice to me in school, I don’t get bullied and I rarely ever get punished by my teachers nor have I been asked to report to the principal’s office.

I am an outgoing person with a good sense of humor and I make friends easily. My friends say that I am funny and fun to be with. I sometimes go out of my way to be nice to people and help them out. I guess this is rooted in my sense of responsibility which was honed into me by my parents considering that I am the first born of my family. Friendship and family mean a lot to me. I can go all out for my friends and my family and they know it. I think this is why I have had the same set of friends for years. We have transitioned from friends to family.

I’m always looking for ways to develop my skills and learn new things not just in school but outside the school environment. I share ideas with my friends, we learn interesting things about one another, and most of the people I associate with I met with while on the lookout for ways to advance my skills.

I have every intention to make the world a better place. I know I’m no superman and I have no concrete plans right now, but I am on a road to discovery. I feel happy and enthusiastic when people commend my art works and the poems I love to doodle every now and them. I pride myself as a motivational person, so I write poems for people to inspire them when they are down or don’t know what else to do. I know I’m on the right track and soon enough I’ll be close to where I want to be.

Also see:  5 Tips to Avoid Plagiarism

Essay No 8 on “ Myself Essay” (500 words):

I cannot say exactly how I have survived school even till now, but I did and I have come out somewhat stronger. Bullying has been an awful experience that characterized the most part of my school life. I have endured bullying for so long that it has shaped who I have turned out to be. I know for a certain that we can reduce bullying (I doubt it can be totally stopped), by paying attention to people who have been bullied, the bullies themselves, analyzing how it happened, what led to it, the impact it has on both parties, and how best it can be dealt with.

My name is (insert your first name followed by your last name here), and I have been a victim of constant victimization. I am sixteen years old and I am a senior in my school. I attend (insert the name of your school here). Each time I have been asked who I was, this has always been the only explanation I give. When I act in a mean way to others, it is not a personal decision I made, it is often a reflex action born out of years of constant bullying.

Initially, I was a very quiet and calm girl. I never spoke back to my elders and I was very kind and accommodating of others. Now I can’t stand tardiness and I am always on the defensive. So I react before thinking of the consequences.

I am the last of seven children and I have endured bullying at home. Although, I wouldn’t exactly compare what I go through at home with what I endure in school. My six siblings are all boys and it is their nature to make my life miserable. I sometimes find it endearing because that is the only way they relate with me. I’m not athletic in any way, I am lanky and awfully small for my age. I get teased by my brothers for this, so when others bully me in school for being a size too small for my class, I take it all in stride.

I have never told my brothers or my parents about the bullying I constantly endure at school. Why should I? Mum works extra hard to support my dad and my dad already works two jobs as it is. I have a scholarship that covers my tuition fee, which was why I didn’t attend the same school as my brothers in the neighborhood. I was constantly reminded by the rich students why I don’t belong to their world and if not for the scholarship I wouldn’t even be breathing the same air they breathe.

This is true though, and as much as I wanted to flunk school, I couldn’t because attending a prestigious school was going to help my college application. So also would maintaining an outstanding college grade. I used to find trash in my bags, lockers and basically everything I brought to school.

Like all things that had a beginning this came to an end. I don’t know how it did but it did and I’m forever grateful that it did. I know I should analyze the root cause for the abrupt end, but I’m only human. Life is not a bed of rose, this I learned while still a student at (mention the name of the school).

Also see:  My Aim In Life Essay

Essay No 9 on “Essay about Myself” (600 words):

Three major things characterize my whole existence; my intellect, my spiritual doctrines, and my social life. The intellectual aspect of my life consist of my creativity, my studies and basically my life pursuits that involve my intellectual capabilities. My social life is quite vibrant. I am an outgoing person and I make it a habit to meet people. My spiritual doctrines and my faith inform the decisions I make and consequently guide who I have become today.

My name is (insert your first name and your last name her). I am a (mention your nationality). I am seventeen years old. I am in (mention your class) and I attend (mention the name of your school here). I live with my parents and my siblings. I am the second child in my family. We are all five in number and we are not a close family. My parents are busy people, they have always been. My dad is a doctor and he owns his own hospital. My mother is a career woman and she travels all the time. So both my parents have never been present all through my life.

My parents have missed most of the big events in my life. They’ve missed most of my graduations in school, they’ve missed most of my birthdays and every important even that marked my existence. I don’t hate my parents. I don’t know them.

My siblings have never been around either. My birth was considered a mistake. I don’t know all the details but I know mum was not supposed to get pregnant when she did. The bottom line is I was an inconvenience and I have always been made painfully aware of just how inconvenient my birth is. Most of my siblings are married, some are away at college and the ones who aren’t think I am a child so they hardly relate with me.

I am not perfect and I have never claimed to be. However, I know what I want out of life and I pursue it doggedly. I am a focused person and it has often been said of me that I am quite focused-driven and that I have a one-track mind. I don’t know if I should consider that as a compliment or not.

My career aspiration is to go to the university and study law. I spend most of my time at the libraries or at my best friend’s house (mention the name of your close friend(s)). I am an intelligent person and I always top my class. I guess my need to always top my class stem from my need to get the attention of my parents or from the need an escapist sentiments.

I am not a blusterous person, neither do I seek to impress anyone. I figured if cant so much as compel my parents to care enough to be there for me when I need them, then there is no way I can ever impress others. I do not have lots of friend but my small circle of friends I cherish a lot. I am an observer. I try to learn a lot about the people I associate with, so I study their characters before I react. By studying others, I have learnt an awful lot which I have incorporated into my belief systems and general behaviour.

I mentioned earlier that I am quite religious. I was brought up into a Christian family. I have always gone to church every Sunday. My parents may never be around, but they always ensure that we all go to church on Sunday. I am generally good and I try to always do the right things to everyone. I live by the word and never on the edge. In fact, my life is quite plain and I never ever rebel. Not once in my whole life. I always take things in stride.

Also see:  7 Common Mistakes To Avoid In Essays

Bonus: Tutorial: How to write essay about myself

Regardless of the purpose of the essay, there basic rules you must obey in order for your essay to be accepted. Try as much as possible to express yourself in detail. No one can tell your story better than yourself. However, there are essential steps that will guide you on this part.

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Creative Titles for Compare and Contrast Essays

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As we are all aware, essay writing is a significant component of a student’s life. Each student must produce a minimum of a few essays throughout their journey.

As a result, they might be required for one or more extracurricular activities or included in the academic curriculum. In conclusion, essay writing is crucial to earning good grades in academic courses. An excellent title is necessary for writing a good essay. That’s why we’ll look at some creative titles for compare and contrast essays in today’s post!

 Similar to other essays, compare and contrast essays are crucial for a person’s cognitive development. Students’ ability to list the advantages and disadvantages of any given topic makes compare and contrast essays crucial. When students can comprehend both sides of an issue, their learning becomes more thorough and robust.

Definition of Compare and Contrast Essays

As the name implies, essays on comparison and contrast emphasize these concepts. Essays on comparison and contrast typically cover two or more subjects as part of an academic assignment.

In light of this, the goal is to examine, identify, and produce differences and similarities in the relevant topics.

Let’s think of a hypothetical scenario. You have to write a compare and contrast essay on growing up in a wealthy family versus growing up in a low-income family. The essay should touch on how either of these scenarios affects a child’s education, health, and the opportunities they’ll meet in life.

The differences should also be discussed, including social and emotional ties like family ties.

If you need to construct a compare and contrast essay, you should dissect the phrase into its component words. Finding the similarities between the two very different subjects you have chosen is what ” compare ” means in this context.

The similarities can vary in nature, scope, degree, and magnitude. The only guiding principle is that there must be some points of convergence.

As a result, comparisons are based on their similarities. Another section contrasts the two.

Contrast focuses on the distinctions between the subjects at hand, as the name would imply. There are many differences between these two distinct topics that you can discuss in detail.

Because of this, compare and contrast essays are all about recognizing and emphasizing the similarities and differences between two topics.

• Online vs. In-Person Classes in Schools
• Using GDP or HDI as a Economic Development Metric
• Primary Ideas vs. Final Results of a Project
• Going to College vs. Going to Trade School
• Having or Not Having a College Degree for Applying Jobs
• Taking Notes on Paper vs. Taking Notes on a Computer
• Home Schooling vs. College Education
• Writers or Painters — Who Gets More Work In The American Market
• Being in College With and Without Financial Help From Parents
• Professional Or Amateur Environments
• Reading Books or Traveling More?
• Doing Research or Experiencing It?
• Giving Economy More Time Or Government Intervention?
• Public Versus Private Railroad Operators — Real Life Examples
• Exposing Yourself to More People Or Quarantine For Virus Resistance
• Gasoline, Diesel or Electric — Which Type of Engine for Maximum Efficiency?
• High Taxes Versus Low Taxes for Economic Growth?
• English Versus German — A Comparative Analysis
• Free Versus Paid Parking — Which Creates Better Solutions In Cities?
• Literature vs. Technology
• Impact of Reading Versus Writing For High School Students
• Alexander The Great Versus Peter The Great — Who Was Actually Great?
• Ideas or Actions — A Paper On The Importance of Both
• Writing Papers or Reading More Essays — Which Produces Better Ideas
• Comparing and Contrasting Between Capitalist and Communist Economies
• Writing in English or Native Language on the Quality of Research
• Compare and Contrast Between Authoritarian and Liberal Economies
• Easy or Hard Money? Paper on The Effects of the Economy
• Compare and Contrast Between Carbon Emissions of New Electric Car or Gasoline Car
• Writing Versus Analyzing on Higher Education — A Paper Comparing and Contrasting Both Approaches
• Following Trends Or Trying To Create One — Comparing and Contrasting Both Ways To Invest
• Using Ideas or Actions For Writing Papers — A Professional Essay
• Best Way to Start Writing an Essay — Compare and Contrast Different Ways

More Creative Titles for Compare and Contrast Essays

• Comparing and Contrast Between Writing Essays and Classroom Discussions
• Impact of Writing on Comparing and Contrasting Ideas
• Writing Essays on Different Topics Versus Writing Papers on Similar Topics
• Using Current Topics or Writing In Abstract Topics for Improved Papers
• Comparing and Contrasting Physical and Abstract Topics in Writing
• The Impact of Asking or Not Asking For Help
• Compare and Contrast Time Spent Online and Time Spend Writing Papers
• The Effect of Conventional or Unorthodox Topics in Improving the Compare and Contrast Skills of the Writer
• Compare and Contrast Home and Work Life In a Easy Way
• Choosing Between Essay Topics for Work and School
• How Origin Country of the Student Effects Choosing Essays Topcs for School Papers

While there are many possible titles for a compare and contrast essay, there are some that stand out more than others. This article provided a list of great compare and contrast essay titles in a variety of different categories. If you liked this article, share it with your friends.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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