A few thoughts about personal journalism 
One of the most difficult and challenging forms for the non-fiction writer has to be the personal essay. Personal journalism lays the writer open to the world, and for many writers (myself included) exposing themselves like that is difficult and daunting.
At its best, personal journalism illuminates and enlightens. It takes you into the experiences and life of the writer. You learn something about how someone else thinks, how they live, and how they perceive the world. In some cases, a good personal essay is like a good short story: a snapshot of a moment in time.
At its worst, personal journalism is maudlin, self indulgent, pretentious, and dishonest. The emotion is false or contrived, and the insights that should go beyond the sphere of the writer never materialize. Unfortunately, most personal journalism falls into this category.
The finest piece of personal journalism that I’ve read in a long time was penned by Canadian writer Ian Brown. In a three-part series in The Globe and Mail, Brown wrote about his son Walker who was born with an extremely rare genetic disorder. The writing hit both head and heart.
Brown doesn’t spin a tale of “woe is me”. Through his writing, we learn about his son’s condition, what that condition has taught Brown, and just how much he loves a boy who will never be the son that he expected. A short recap doesn’t do the series justice. You can read it here. And you can learn a lot about the craft of personal journalism by reading Brown’s articles.
What are your thoughts on personal journalism? Have you had any success with it? Leave a comment.
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It is my first encounter with the phrase personal journalism. Did you coin it? I guess by blog then is a compilation of those personal stories. It’s a travel adventure blog spanning the last 20 years of my life or so I guess. Come take a peak.
http://benhurjun.i.ph/