Because reflective essays should be directly from the author’s point of view, it is entirely acceptable to use personal pronouns — a pronoun type verboten in some written forms —within them. When writing your essay, the thoughts and feelings you are sharing belong to you. Take ownership of them by using personal pronouns such as “I” and “me” in the essay, showing that you are recounting your feelings.
Often reflective essays are written about a specific event. If you are recounting your feelings about an occurrence, using sequence words can help the reader better understand the order of events and add to the fluidity of your writing. Use these words, including “first,” “next,” “afterward” and “later” within your piece to indicate where each of the events on which you are reflecting occurred in relation to others.
To make your feelings about the thing on which you are reflecting clear, you will likely need to use adjectives and adverbs. By using these word types freely in your reflective essay, you can help readers better understand where your feelings are coming from. For example, if you say in your reflection that a work of art was breathtaking, using adjectives to describe the work of art so readers can see what about it was so stunning helps them understand your reflection and determine whether or not they see that reflection as valid.
To make your reflective essay engaging, it is wise to integrate sensory language. Through the use of sensory language, you can allow readers to immerse themselves in your writing and fully understand the events or objects on which you are reflecting. Appeal to as many senses as possible in your writing, using words that relate to taste, smell, touching, hearing and sight often to allow your readers to connect with your prose.