PERSONALLY

Many of the articles I've sold were personal essays. What is a personal essay? It is an article that expresses your viewpoint about a subject you have experienced. Many of mine have been stories of my childhood, events experienced, or lessons learned, in a bygone time.

Often writers such as the late Erma Bombeck, used humorous ancedotes--even exaggerations--to create her personal essays which were often collected into books. On "Sixty Minutes," Andy Rooney's commentaries are short personal essays. These writers entertain us with their personal opinions, and I might add, earned a fine living doing so.

Your personal essay writing can be triggered by an old photograph, the passing of a favorite aunt, or a note in the news. A teenager has been convicted of a horrendous crime, for example. Can you tie this into a time when you committed some infraction of the law (stole a lipstick, or spray-painted the coache's office door)? Did fear you'd be found out and arrested by Sheriff Bud weigh heavily? Or worse, placed in the custody of your Dad who would deal out the harshest punishment--grounded for life--or until you turned eighteen and joined the Army, or became a num.

Kids playing video and/or computer games brought out a personal essay from my past. I wrote about the games we played, the lack of fancy toys, and the active imaginations we used to create our own fun. Another personal essay I recently sold was one about Daddy reading the Sunday funnies--no cartoons on television for me.

Make these personal essays a part of your "writing for dollars." Or write and collect them as a memoir to sell as a book, such as my "Growing up Barefoot in the South."

If nothing else, these personal essays you create make a wonderful gift to friends and family.