People are fond of saying, “It’s all in the details.” Although this is true for nearly all types of writing, it’s especially true for reflective essays. Without details, even the best essay can fall flat. You might get a laugh out of the following story, for example, but few people will find it truly satisfying:

Once upon a time, they all lived happily ever after.

To collect details for a reflective essay, use the following strategies.

Describe your subject. If you can, use observation to collect details about your subject. If you have firsthand experience with the subject, freewrite or brainstorm about it to refresh your memory: write down what you saw and heard, what you felt, even what you smelled. Provide as much detail as possible.

Compare your subject with something else. Many subjects are best understood in relation to others. Darkness, for example, is difficult to understand without comparing it to light. Success is best understood in the context of its alternatives. And for those who live in colder climates, spring is all the more welcome because it follows winter. To find useful points of comparison, create a two-column log: place your subject at the top of one column and a contrasting subject at the top of the other, and then record your reflections on the similarities and differences between the two subjects in each column. Use the results to provide details for your essay.

Discuss your ideas. If you talk about your subject with other people, you might be able to use their comments to add detail to your essay. You might want to set up a formal interview with someone who is an expert on the subject or with someone who has been affected by it (see Chapter 6), but you can also simply bring up your subject in casual conversations to learn what others think. If they tell a story about their experiences with your subject, ask whether you might add their anecdote to your reflection. Similarly, if you hear an interesting turn of phrase or a startling statement related to your subject, consider quoting it. (See Chapter 19 to learn more about integrating quotations into an essay.)

Learn more about your subject. As you gain a better idea of how you’ll focus your essay, look for opportunities to add to your understanding of the subject. Browse newspapers and magazines in your library’s periodical room to pick up bits of information that will add depth to your essay, or see what’s been written recently about your subject on news sites and in blogs (see Chapter 12). As you read about your subject, take note of interesting details that might grab your readers’ attention.