Help with Getting Started
We've all been there, staring at a blank screen and feeling stuck. Sometimes grunting out those first few sentences takes out all your strength. And what if you truly have no clue what you are going to write about?
The good new is that if you have read the tips on "have your college essay stand out" you'll have realized by now that colleges don't need an extraordinary story about you. Turn off the self-criticism and recognize you may not have one (and be grateful for that!) Colleges would rather have a more day to day ordinary snapshot of who you are anyway. Everyone has a good story to tell. Sometimes you just need a nudge to wake that memory up from hibernation.
The good new is that if you have read the tips on "have your college essay stand out" you'll have realized by now that colleges don't need an extraordinary story about you. Turn off the self-criticism and recognize you may not have one (and be grateful for that!) Colleges would rather have a more day to day ordinary snapshot of who you are anyway. Everyone has a good story to tell. Sometimes you just need a nudge to wake that memory up from hibernation.
Struggling to find a topic? Take a look at the attachments to the right. The first is
from SJ's Mr. Saltzman. There are several nifty writing exercises to wake up your brain. The second is from Harry Bauld and his book On Writing the College Application Essay. Turn off the self-criticism: recognize it will not be a masterpiece right away. Don't sit there, write a few sentences, smack your head because it sounds bad, then delete it all. Just write, and write fast. Don't worry about coherence, don't worry about the intro, don't worry about grammar. Just let it flow. Start anywhere. Write no matter how bad. Worry about cuts, additions, and fixing it up later. Recognize that for this to be good you are going to have several drafts and revision stages. Take a break -- maybe as long as several days, and keep coming back to it. |
Pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, all have some good tips on getting your brain thinking.
Particularly helpful is page 50, the start of "The Obsession List".
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I also love to help students get started on their essays. Feel free to make an appointment with me to help brainstorm.