Major Essay Melton

ViTong4
Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:08:10 +0000

Do you have a passion?
Someone that has changed the direction of your life?
What about a small thing you find comfort in?
Can you imagine your room and point out one thing that says something about you?
Your life can’t be that uninteresting. Imagine a public transportation bus. You could write an entire novel on each seat, each handlebar.

High expectations are frighteningly difficult to meet. Just remember that even the best writers in the world heavily revise their works before they are even mildly satisfied with each sentence. Flaubert spent ten years on Madame Bovary!

You always have chances to revise, rewrite, and edit… so take a deep breath and begin telling your story.

I found it helpful to take bits of my life and write them down in sticky notes. If the general subject could not fit in a note, it was too big, too unfocused. Once I had one general idea, I would say, “what does this say about me? what else can I connect this to? What would make this a desirable trait or personality a college would want?”

Once I finish a good enough draft, I show it to someone who knows me well and ask “Does this sound like me? Did you learn something new about me?”

If the answer is yes to both, you’ve done your job :D