APA style and citations for dummies - Joe Giampalmi 2021

Engage with anecdotes
Ten strategies for creative source engagement
The parts of ten

One of the largest sources of support and engagement for writing is anecdotes, or personal experiences. Any living person has experiences that can inspire their writing. The engagement focus isn’t on the writing of the anecdote, but on applying the anecdote to a broader message.

Conversation with the anecdote can be extended to other anecdotes. Here’s an example:

Jason, an eighth-grade student who comes from a home that values helping others, organized a food drive for unemployed neighbors. With his teenage friends, he organized a plan to collect food for his neighbors. His plan received attention on Twitter, and he soon received donations to sustain his food pantry. Jason credited his mother with inspiring him to help others.

This anecdote about Jason supports a theme of helping others. The conversation could be extended if additional anecdotes were added, describing the experiences of other teenagers who were motivated by Jason to initiate community service projects of their own. Additional engagement could include an anecdote describing a local business leader sharing expertise with Jason and his friends on creating nonprofits.