A reflective essay is one that collects your thoughts on a subject 8212; writing the essay is just a way of thinking back on what you learned. Write another sentence or two continuing the thoughts you presented in the opening statement. You could present important facts that you picked up from the assignment you completed or talk about overarching themes. Continuing with the example of “The Catcher in the Rye,” you could now write a sentence or two containing statistics of how many libraries have banned the book over the years or name useful website the groups and organizations that condemn the novel. Now that you know what parts to include in your paper, here is a reflection paper example outline: Undeniably, depending on the audience, the format of a reflection/reflective essay always changes. Mainly, a reflection essay means choosing a definite topic, which concentrates on the writer.