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The Difference Between a Short Story and a Personal Essay
Many writers often get the two confused.
As a single woman with a busy schedule smackdab in the middle of a pandemic, I’ve spent a lot of time on Tinder and other online dating apps. Don’t worry, and I will spare you all the details of why Tinder is literally the worst.
All dating sites require two things, a profile picture and a bio where you talk about yourself. Some people post funny jokes; some people talk about what they are looking for in their next partner. Almost everyone puts what they do for a living.
My profile tells all my perspective matches that I am a VERY busy single mom of two, looking for friends, and that I’m a full-time writer. The question I get most often when a match is trying to strike up a casual conversation is, ‘What do you write?’
If you use this line, you get zero points for creativity, and creativity is important to a writer.
My response is the same for everyone who asks me this question. I’m a blogger, and I write personal essays.
What is the most common response, you ask.
‘Personal essays…Like short stories?’
No, short stories and personal essays are not the same.
While I don’t expect Mike the rancher from Tinder to exactly be well versed in the difference between a personal essay and a short story, I do expect most writers to know the difference. But honestly, a lot don’t.
While working with new writers, I find that many think they are writing a short story where they are the main character, but they are actually writing a personal essay. I often have to point out how the two are similar but also how they are vastly different.
It is easy to get the two confused, but a few key differences separate one from the other.
What is a personal essay?
A personal essay, sometimes called a personal narrative essay, is a short work of autobiographical nonfiction. It varies in length, depending on the requirements of the piece and where it will be published.
