“I have no idea how to start this essay about myself!”, Exams of Storytelling

Download “I have no idea how to start this essay about myself!” and more Exams Storytelling in PDF only on Docsity! Consider CONSIDER telling a story that shows the Lead Examples: reader something about you through your writing. Writing an essay can be intimidat- ing. “What do I write about?”, “What do they want to hear?”, “How can I tell them all about me in one essay?”, are questions that come to mind. Storytelling comes naturally and is more real than writing directly about your qualities, abilities and accomplishments. The person reading your essay probably reads hundreds of essays in a short time; stories are easier to read and have more of an impact on the reader than a standard, all-inclusive essay where you tell about yourself and your accomplishments. WRITE the lead. This is the most important part of your essay; it is the place to “grab” the reader’s attention, to make them want to read more. Writing the lead implies that you have an idea of where you will be going with the essay. You will need to start with an incident, anecdote, event, or perhaps a person, quote or scene. This will be the vehicle which will carry the reader to discover the qualities about your- self you may have identified in the previous steps. The lead need not reveal anything about you right away. Examples Lead Examples: 1. The frigid Pasco wind burned my face, chilled my bones. I wanted to be back in my living room, curling up in a quilt next to the big brick fireplace with a steamy mug of hot chocolate. 2. She is four feet six inches tall. Her wrinkled body stands wrapped in a hand-knit sweater, like a figure from classic painting. On her feet are heavy, black leather shoes with thick soles, like the ones on my white-haired grandfather in the old yellowing photographs. 3. During my first week of high school I thought I had a sign on my back that said “new kid, look at me!” At least it seemed that way from the glances that came my way. I knew no one, and at the moment had no desire to open my mouth and introduce myself. WRITE the essay. Sometimes the lead will natu- rally begin the flow of the essay and sometimes the essay is sketched out and then the lead re- veals itself. The first draft should be one of many rewrites. Don’t get locked into “getting this thing finished”. Write when you feel it coming to you then reread, edit, rewrite until you are satisfied, THEN have it read by an adult who knows you and knows something about admissions essays. It isn’t necessary to have three or four people read it; you’ll probably get opposing suggestions. You don’t want the flavor and style of your writing to be stifled by too many suggestions. Do proofread, spell check, grammar check, usage check and any other check that will avoid a “stupid mistake”. It is important to follow all the directions in the prompt, including length, topic, format and content. “I have no idea how to start this essay about myself!” A guide to writing college entrance essays Prepared by Klahowya Secondary School Couseling Office