An essay for a school or work assignment is written in the third person. For example, an essay would conjecture, "One might question whether Captain Hook was a villain after all," or "He might question ... " A conversational essay makes liberal use of the pronoun "I' and is a first-person account or interpretation. The sentence construction in a conversational essay is, "I might question..." The viewpoint is unquestionably the author's in a conversational essay.
Conversational essays draw parallels between a protagonist's dilemma and how it stacked up with the author's own challenges. It elevates the author to a greater place of importance in the piece. Rather than taking a behind-the-scenes role, the author interacts with the subjects as if the subjects were friends or foes.The author's biases are not hidden. The writer's likes and dislikes are clearly evident. This allows the reader of a conversational essay to empathize and follow the thought process of the writer.
A conversational essay follows the same format as a traditional essay: shorter introductions and conclusions and longer, more exploratory bodies. Proper grammar and sentence construction rules are followed. It is organized coherently, meaning that the transitions between paragraphs make sense. It expands upon a thesis statement in the introduction. A conversational essay often makes more use of the vernacular, and to some extent slang, if it adds authenticity to the author's voice.
Conversational essays are particularly useful as part of college entrance requirements because in order to win acceptance from admission officers, you have to reveal information about yourself. Originality and creativity are the hallmarks of a well-written conversational essay. It would be acceptable for a conversational essay to ask an open-ended question of the reader. The writer can be humorous or opinionated, which makes the essay stand out and be remembered.