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Crafting the Personal Essay

A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Non-Fiction

By Dinty W. Moore

The personal essay, of course, stems from the 'personal' thoughts and experiences of the writer, but ultimately the essay (like all literary writing) must transcend the merely private to become universal. How is this done? Step one is finding a measure of distance from your experience; learning to stand back, narrow your eyes, and scrutinise your own life with a dose of healthy skepticism. Step two is learning to separate what is powerful only to you from what might be fresh, surprising, instructive, or just plain fascinating to a reader. "Crafting the Personal Essay" shows readers how to write nine different types of personal essays, including: The Memoir Essay; The Nature Essay; The Travel Essay; The Spiritual Essay; and, The Humor Essay. In addition, the book features examples from various essay types, instructional exercises, techniques for revising, and information on where and how to publish finished essays.

About the Author

Dinty W. Moore was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania. He earned a BA in writing from the University of Pittsburgh, worked briefly as a journalist, and also served short stints as a documentary filmmaker, modern dance performer, zookeeper, and Greenwich Village waiter. It was only after failing at each of these professions that he went on to earn an MFA in fiction writing from Louisiana State University.

I have an excuse not to go to Gym today the road is closed due to flooding as the  Goulburn River at Shepparton exceeded the Minor Flood Levelm(9.5 metres)
around midnight Friday. The river is currently steady at around 10 metres. Forecast rainfall may lead to additional stream rises up to around 10.2 metres over the next several days. The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Victoria rates this area as being Moderate Flood Warning  Issued at 10:35 pm EDT on Saturday 3 March 2012

The sun is trying to get through the grey clouds today and northern Victoria has only had light rainfall overnight so until the flow down from the north eastern water catchment mountains arrives we have been spared more overnight road closures or further home flooding.

This morning I woke to see our road clear of water, gutters draining well however the farm paddock beside us is waterlogged and covered with puddles, it cannot take any more water without flooding. That would be the state of most of the land that has not actually flooded to the north of Shepparton.

Hundreds of volunteers have worked through the night trying to protect communities in the flood-stricken north-east where they did get heavy overnight rain.of up to 80 millimetres. Mount Buffalo Chalet recorded 130 millimetres.

The SES is watching the water levels closely around Numurkah, Nathalia and Katamatite, but is also concerned for areas around Wangaratta, Myrtleford, Bright, Yarrawonga and Mount Beauty.

Several towns are isolated, including Katamatite and Bundalong.

As the runoff makes its way downstream, flooding is possible in some parts of the Ovens, King, Upper Murray and Kiewa River systems.

lol, within our area in the Goulburn River - BrokenRiver and Seven Creeks flooded we have giant frogs trying to jump in the doggie door. You can't say they are not smart.  I keep sending Reg into the loo before me in-case there is some strange wildlife hiding from the floods on the loo.

They are not the cute green ones either they are huge brown ones and they are throwing their weight against the well sprung doggie door that has to be pushed hard to open.

What is Indigo the dog doing to keep uninvited frogs out of the place?  Why she is curled up at my feet on the sofa, high and dry.

Current weather warnings for Shepparton.

The Man from Snowy River Bush Festival is held annually in Corryong, Victoria in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains halfway between Melbourne and Sydney.

The Man from Snowy River Bush Festival bushfestival.com.au


THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER:

A story about Jim Craig and 18 year old who has recently lost his father in trying to capture 'the colt from Old Regret' has to win the respect from the men of the high country to run his fathers farm located near Mt. Kosciusko. After his father's death he is forced to work on the low lands for Harrison whose brother is good friends of Jims. While working on the farm Jim falls in love with Harrison's daughter Jessica. After Harrisons prize colt has disappeared a roundup of the brumbies in the highlands is going to be conducted with Clancy of the Overflow in the lead.

THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER II: THE ORIGINAL FILM BASED ON ANDREW 'BANJO' PATTERSON'S EPIC POEM, THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, HAS BECOME A TIMELESS CLASSIC OF AUSTRALIAN CINEMA, LOVED BY AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE.

Such was the immense reaction to this definitive masterpiece, that producer Geoff Burrowes revisited the high country to complete the story of the man who became a legend. Tom Burlinson returns as Jim Craig, "the stripling on a small and weedy beast" who has been away droving the isolated plains to gather a huge mob of wild horses for breeding. Now he journeys back to his home in the rugged Snowy Mountains, ready to claim his heritage and take the hand of the only woman he has ever loved - Jessica (Sigrid Thornton). But fate will put many obstacles in his path to fulfilment. Brought to life with a state-of-the-art digital restoration, The Man From Snowy River II can now be experienced like never before for this inaugural release on DVD. And for the first time ever, this breath-taking sequel has the ending always intended by the Director but changed at the last minute on request of the film's US theatrical distributor. EXPERIENCE THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER II AS IT WAS MEANT TO BE SEEN...AND RIDE WITH THE LEGEND ONE MORE TIME!

SynopsisThe Man From Snowy River.

Kirk Douglas delivers an outstanding performance in this legendary western adventure set in the great Australian outback. An ambitious rancher (Douglas) sets his sights on the hills of the awesome Snowy River country. Buried somewhere in that pristine wilderness, protected by treacherous terrain and bands of wild, stampeding horses, is a fortune in unmined gold. Before the rancher can stake his claim, however, his world is turned upside down when a cowboy steals his daughters heart and uncovers a secret in those hills more precious than any treasure.

The Man From Snowy River 2: In this sequel to The Man From Snowy River, a frontiersman returns to the Australian highlands after a three-year absence to claim the girl he left behind. He soon discovers he has made an enemy in her father and a rival in an arrogant banker's son. After spending some time away from his hometown, Jim Craig, the original man from Snowy River, returns to find his lady love forced into an unwanted engagement by her overbearing father. Once again, Jim has to prove his mettle to win the girl.

ABC News Europe may soon allow kava to be imported from the Pacific again. Should Australia follow suit?

Forum to discuss lifting European export bans on Kava www.radioaustralia.net.au

More than one hundred government and agency representatives will meet in Vanuatu next month to discuss the the current trade bans on exporting kava to Europe.

I do not endorse Kava.

Books » Science » Medicine » Pharmacy
The Pacific Drug Kava - Definitive Guide to Its History, Chemistry and Ethnobotany

By Vincent Lebot, etc., Mark Merlin, Lamont Lindstrom



I know it is contributing to the ill health of may Australians mostly though dehydration and resulting kidney disease. This book is for interest sake only I am not endorsing the content nor claiming it to be balanced. Kava had medicinal qualities and should its use needs to be regulated.

The most comprehensive book ever written on nature's most effective stress-relieving plant. - First paperback edition of the classic comprehensive text originally published by Yale University Press. This complete guide to kava summarizes the literature and research on a plant that is now considered comparable or superior to anti-stress prescription drugs, and describes its use in the religious, political, and economic life of the Pacific islands for centuries. Beyond its soporific qualities kava is also used throughout the the Pacific as an analgesic, a diuretic, and an anesthetic. There is even evidence suggesting it is effective in the treatment of asthma, tuberculosis, and venereal disease. Exhaustively researched, Kava: The Pacific Elixir offers an extensive survey of this amazing plant from the perspective of the horticulturist, the ethnobotanist, and the pharmacologist.

ABC News ‎

"Solar hot water companies have scaled up for an expected spike in demand. Instead, all of that's stopped, and all of those jobs are now at risk." - John Grimes, chief executive of the Australia Solar Energy Society

Fury as solar subsidy scheme cut short www.abc.net.au

The Government is under attack from the Greens and the solar industry after unexpectedly pulling the plug on its solar hot water rebate scheme yesterday.

 Books » Home & Garden » Homes » Renovation
Solar Hot Water Choosing, Fitting and Using a System

By Lee Rose

solar hot water: choosing, fitting and using a system provides detailed information about solar-heated water systems and is particularly applicable to domestic dwellings in the UK, although many of the principles described are widely adopted throughout the developed world. Lee Rose has 10 years of experience and involvement in consulting, training and installation work, field trials, technical research, and developmental thinking in the solar thermal industry in the UK and around the world. He combines this with a passionate personal commitment to making the best use of solar energy - the earth's most abundant energy resource. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to every aspect of solar hot water, including all relevant equipment, components, system design and installation and even how to build your own solar panels.

“There are, it seems, two muses: the Muse of Inspiration, who gives us inarticulate visions and desires, and the Muse of Realization, who returns again and again to say "It is yet more difficult than you thought." This is the muse of form. It may be then that form serves us best when it works as an obstruction, to baffle us and deflect our intended course. It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.” ― Wendell Berry

Books » Fiction & Literature » Literary Collections » Essays
What are People For? By Wendell Berry

Whether suggesting standards for technical innovation or pointing to the ruinous effects of what has become everyday practice, Berry speaks bravely against thoughtlessness, measuring every word as he leads the way toward balancing our currently out-of-kilter society.

Books » Health & Wellbeing » Self Help » Personal Growth
The Power of Positive Thinking By Norman Vincent Peale


This condensed version of the most famous self-help book ever written is a pocket-size volume of inspiration that's as relevant today as it was when first published in 1952. It contains the wisdom of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's best-selling original and Peale's sage advice about developing the mental acumen to surmount obstacles and maintain a positive outlook.

Change is inevitable, growth is optional.

I don't profess to understand the nature of spirituality and do not think anyone can be definite in their understanding of the concept. I'll accept that people may have theories as to what the nature of spirit is, but I'll not accept dogmatic definite conclusions that leave no room for other's interpretation of what 'spirit' is.  I have a faith but not a religion.

I am reading "Prime Time" today and jotting down a few thoughts as I go.

Average Life Expectancy in the 18th century was 35 years. - I know they taught me that in school but that's still mind boggling to re-read again.
Today average life expectancy is 80. That is mind blowing and leads us beyond thinking purely of body survival. We have the luxury of considering the growth of the human spirit.

I found it interesting that Jane Fonda puts forward the idea that addiction comes from not understanding and having spirituality. 
I have addictions in that I tend to over eat and  am totally addicted to loving my family and my creative work and my need to be close to nature - where I believe I absorb some of the inner spirit I have. I call this eco-therapy.  

I do not understand spirituality - I am content to accept I do not understand it. I do not  need to understand it nor explain it.  I am not lost. I am perfectly at peace without a definition attached to everything.

What is spirit?

To walk to the lake, hand in hand with someone you love or to think pleasant thoughts of others as you walk.  To stand beside the water - look out a window - and appreciate the beauty of nature, that to me is spirituality.  I need no other explanation than being able to see the beauty in things and change what you can that is ugly ad learn to live harmoniously with what isn't and cannot be changes - to help others find that peace.  This is all the spirit understanding I need.

If you can explain spirit any better than this. I would love to hear your version though the comments :-)

"Prime Time" by Jane Fonda, is an interesting read. I like the concept of stair-casing instead of the decline of the arch - not an original concept mind you.  Little i have read in this book so far is 'original material.' It seems to me that the early chapter is a re writing of anther's book under a celebrities name to assist the sale of the previous book which never reached the sales it deserved. 
I am looking forward to reading the remainder of the book - it's been worth reading so far.  I'll be interested in seeing what is within the pages once I get past this spirituality chapter that I am starting to tire of - I would prefer my spirituality dose from nature not a book.

I just bought: 'Prime Time' by Jane Fonda.

As I was writing about it this book I had found that i wanted to read, I saw that they are down to the last few copies so I rushed in a and secured myself one.

Jane Fonda, no. 1 bestselling author, actress and fitness pioneer, is an icon for generations of women. Now you can learn her secrets to living life to the full with this intimate insight into her world. Combining stories from her own life and from the lives of others with new research, Jane Fonda explores how the critical years from 45 onward are important and can be the best in our life.

I was drawn to look up her latest book because I saw a great TV interview with her about 'stair-casing.' I believe it may be available as an on line download. It was worth watching for the positive attitude to aging.