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.(Daniell, 1998, p.38)When you become part of your story as Daniell does, your readers become closer to you because they find they can identify with you.You gain detail in your writing from closeup observation.This type of personalized feature article can be as simple as spending a shift at work with someone—getting involved personally.Personal writing is a broadbased approach to your craft.Your own point of view makes a difference in any story, but on these types of assignments, you can let it become part of the story itself.Approaches to Personal Experience ArticlesGenerally, there are only two approaches to personal experience articles:Page 3571.Personal experiences of others about which you write.These articles describe in detail the unusual and appealing experiences of individuals in a highly personal approach but are not written in first person.These are your descriptions as a writer who uses the experiences of another person for the basis of the article.2.Personal experiences of your own.These are commonly called firstperson articles.These articles draw on your own experiences for primary material for the article.These articles are often stories of medical problems, trips, crime incidents, life or death accident situations, human relationships, family experiences, and countless other similar events.You are the reporter, storyteller, and the central sourceor one of the major sourcesin the article.These can be everyday occurrences, but the articles that receive the most attention are unusual, adventurous, frustrating, or dramatic.Ladies' Home Journal editor Shana Aborn (1995) asks four questions about possible personal experience stories before she decides they are marketable.First, she wants to know if the experience is dramatic.Second, she asks if it is timely.Third, she checks to see how involved the author is in the action.And fourth, she checks to see if these was an ending or resolution to the experience.She also strongly advises new personal experience writers to stick to the facts, do interviews with experts and witnesses, begin the story with impact, and organize it well so the chronology is clear.Furthermore, Aborn recommends using direct quotations in the storytelling, develop the people involved as you would do characters, avoid too much detail and personal emotion, and keep an eye on the tone of the piece.Fort Worth StarTelegram columnist Bob Ray Sanders—who writes his column 3 days a week—took a narrative firstperson approach to tell readers about his recent visit to a large local corporation whose employees were collecting canned foods to help families that are in need during the holiday season.Here's what he wrote:Arriving at Northrop Grumman's massive plant in Dallas on Tuesday, I really didn't know what to expect.Waiting for me at the gate was a smiling woman wearing a Cowboys jersey, No.22, who was my chauffeur for the day.She was driving one of those extended, trucklike golf carts.Page 358I could hear music and cheers coming from somewhere, and I could smell food cooking—hundreds of pounds of smoked turkey legs, corny dogs, barbecue and grilled chicken, as it turned out.As the cart turned the corner behind a large building, I witnessed this incredible sight.It looked like a combination of the State Fair of Texas, the Rose Bowl Parade, the Ringling Bros.and Barnum & Bailey Circus, opening day at the Texas Motor Speedway, American Bandstand and Hee Haw all wrapped up into one spectacular.There were people in all kinds of costumes with floats, balloons, dancers and a crowd of employees cheering them on.I'm sure it was a woman I met who was impersonating Hank Williams, and coming to the stage (strutting to the beat of the famous American Bandstand theme) was someone introduced as Dick Clark.An informed source told me that it was really the company's general manager, Ralph Crosby, who 24 hours earlier had spent part of the day being dunked in a tank by his employees.As I looked over the crowd, witnessing the hoopla, the utter craziness and overall frenzy, I said over the microphone, in a very puzzled tone: "You folks really make airplanes and stuff?"Hearing their laughter I knew they understood I was joking, just as I knew that they indeed made up the esteemed commercial aircraft division of their company, and that these employees made a lot more than parts to build airplanes.They were helping to make people comfortable and happy, not just during this holiday season, but for months to come.They were doing what good neighbors are supposed to do—help.This was the company's official "pep rally" for its annual canned food drive, and Tuesday marked the halfway point.As you might imagine from the above description, this is not just any canned food drive.This is an annual happening, driven by the rankandfile employees and supported 100 percent by management.That's why it is the largest single corporate food drive in the country.The company was celebrating its 15th year of collecting food for the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas (its original recipient) and the Food Bank of Greater Tarrant County, which distribute foodPage 359to almost 400 agencies throughout North Texas.A representative of the Wilkinson Center, an emergency AIDS center in Dallas and a beneficiary, was on hand to thank the employees personally for their generosity.In their first year, the employees contributed 11,000 cans of food.Last year, with a goal of 777,000 cans, the company was able to provide more than 874,600 cans of food.This year, not only were they trying to top a goal of buying more than 900,000 cannedgood items, they were determined to reach the 10 million mark overall.Keep in mind that these employees do more than dunk their general manager in a tank.They have money deducted from their payroll checks, participate in piethrowing contests, have chili cookoffs, bake sales and much more.Oh, I was there in the official capacity of judging the "Squirt the Can" contest, and that's another whole (and wet) story.When I left Tuesday, it was announced that the company had reached the halfway point in its goal, and that the final total would be announced at a rally yesterday.(Because of the weather forecast, they were all warned to wear warm clothing.)My usual reliable source informed me yesterday that they exceeded their goal, collecting more than 955,000 cans of food.My hat is off to these workers and their management.I don't know that I've ever seen a company with a greater corporate spirit.Sure, there are many great individuals and corporations who do some great things in our communities, especially during this time of the year.But Northrop Grumman's spirit is the kind I've often hoped would be infectious.(Sanders, 1997, p.1)Veteran writer Fred Stetterberg, author of an awardwinning book and numerous magazine articles, feels personal experience features can be successful if beginners follow a rather simple formula
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