 Essay-Writing
Instructions from This
I Believe
We invite you to contribute to this project
by writing and submitting your own statement of personal
belief. We understand how challenging this is—it
requires such intimacy that no one else can do it for
you. To guide you through this process, we offer these
suggestions:
Tell a story: Be specific.
Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the
events of your life. Consider moments when belief was
formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience,
work, and family, and tell of the things you know that
no one else does. Your story need not be heart-warming
or gut-wrenching—it can even be funny—but
it should be real. Make sure your story ties to the
essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping
of your beliefs.
Be brief: Your statement
should be between 350 and 500 words. That's about three
minutes when read aloud at your natural pace.
Name your belief: If
you can't name it in a sentence or two, your essay might
not be about belief. Also, rather than writing a list,
consider focusing on one core belief, because three
minutes is a very short time.
Be positive: Please avoid
preaching or editorializing. Tell us what you do believe,
not what you don't believe. Avoid speaking in the editorial
"we." Make your essay about you; speak in
the first person.
Be personal: Write in
words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak.
We recommend you read your essay aloud to yourself several
times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you
find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your
belief and the way you speak.
For this project, we are also guided by
the original This I Believe series and the
producers' invitation to those who wrote essays in the
1950s. Their advice holds up well and we are abiding
by it. Please consider it carefully in writing your
piece.
In introducing the original series, host
Edward R. Murrow said, "Never has the need for
personal philosophies of this kind been so urgent."
We would argue that the need is as great now as it was
50 years ago. We are eager for your contribution.
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