A new client recently greeted me with the lament, “I’m 17, I’ve been in school my whole life--Nothing has ever happened to me. What am I supposed to write about?” I thought she perfectly captured the feelings of every high school senior approaching his or her college application essays. I also knew she was mistaken.
Everything happens to you by the time you’re 17. Most 50 year olds are still talking about high school. Past glories, painful traumas, risky adventures, inspiring (or appalling) teachers, the obsessive rush of finding that thing you love to do, the horrible realization that your parents are at least as fallible as you… the problem is not that you haven't lived. It’s unearthing the gems that are already buried in your brain.
Well, have no fear—the coach has a shovel! ...In the form of 7 tips:
1) Know your audience. The admissions officers reading your essays aren’t cold hard judges, waiting, arms folded, lips pursed in a superior sneer, to catch you in a mistake. They’re friendly people who just want to meet you. It’s their job to find students who will succeed and be happy at their schools. They can’t possibly interview every applicant, so they assign these essays as a way to get to know you. To see who you are, and how you present yourself. The only question your essay really needs to answer is, “So, who is this kid?”
2) Brainstorm. Well… obviously. But not everybody knows how to do it. You don’t sit down at your computer and desperately rack your brains for something to write about, grasping onto the first thin reed of an idea and then closing your mind to everything else. The object is to open your mind up. Let your thoughts and feelings bluster and rage without logic or purpose and jot down every idea you have, good or bad. Don’t decide what to write, don’t concentrate on words—DON’T THINK! You’re not trying to figure something out. You’re trying to find something.
3) Think of yourself as a character in a book. It’s hard to recognize the patterns of our own lives while we’re living them, but if we step back and look at our lives as a story, and ourselves as the main character, the important moments become clear. Ask yourself “Who is this character and how did they get that way? What are they into? What sparked that interest? What were the big events in his or her life and how did those events change them?” Sometimes the best way to get closer is to distance yourself.
4) Get away from your desk. A change of scenery can often give your brain the kick in the pants it needs.
5) Read the essay prompts before bed and see if your brain works anything out while you sleep. Seriously. This works more often than you’d think.
6) Do something physical: run, skateboard, hike… I bike ride whenever I’m stuck on a story. Physical exertion really gets the ideas flowing. Be sure to bring a note pad or cell phone so that you can record your ideas as they come.
7) Take longer showers. I know it’s environmentally suspect, but man, it works. It probably has something to do with being half-asleep.
Those are thousands of ways to get the juices flowing; these are just some that have worked for me. The idea is to fool your brain into relaxing. To get it to stop judging and have fun. To play. Because brains at play are really the only ones who ever think of anything new.
How do you get your brain to play? What are YOUR favorite techniques for getting the juices flowing? Click on “comment” and let us know!
Everything happens to you by the time you’re 17. Most 50 year olds are still talking about high school. Past glories, painful traumas, risky adventures, inspiring (or appalling) teachers, the obsessive rush of finding that thing you love to do, the horrible realization that your parents are at least as fallible as you… the problem is not that you haven't lived. It’s unearthing the gems that are already buried in your brain.
Well, have no fear—the coach has a shovel! ...In the form of 7 tips:
1) Know your audience. The admissions officers reading your essays aren’t cold hard judges, waiting, arms folded, lips pursed in a superior sneer, to catch you in a mistake. They’re friendly people who just want to meet you. It’s their job to find students who will succeed and be happy at their schools. They can’t possibly interview every applicant, so they assign these essays as a way to get to know you. To see who you are, and how you present yourself. The only question your essay really needs to answer is, “So, who is this kid?”
2) Brainstorm. Well… obviously. But not everybody knows how to do it. You don’t sit down at your computer and desperately rack your brains for something to write about, grasping onto the first thin reed of an idea and then closing your mind to everything else. The object is to open your mind up. Let your thoughts and feelings bluster and rage without logic or purpose and jot down every idea you have, good or bad. Don’t decide what to write, don’t concentrate on words—DON’T THINK! You’re not trying to figure something out. You’re trying to find something.
3) Think of yourself as a character in a book. It’s hard to recognize the patterns of our own lives while we’re living them, but if we step back and look at our lives as a story, and ourselves as the main character, the important moments become clear. Ask yourself “Who is this character and how did they get that way? What are they into? What sparked that interest? What were the big events in his or her life and how did those events change them?” Sometimes the best way to get closer is to distance yourself.
4) Get away from your desk. A change of scenery can often give your brain the kick in the pants it needs.
5) Read the essay prompts before bed and see if your brain works anything out while you sleep. Seriously. This works more often than you’d think.
6) Do something physical: run, skateboard, hike… I bike ride whenever I’m stuck on a story. Physical exertion really gets the ideas flowing. Be sure to bring a note pad or cell phone so that you can record your ideas as they come.
7) Take longer showers. I know it’s environmentally suspect, but man, it works. It probably has something to do with being half-asleep.
Those are thousands of ways to get the juices flowing; these are just some that have worked for me. The idea is to fool your brain into relaxing. To get it to stop judging and have fun. To play. Because brains at play are really the only ones who ever think of anything new.
How do you get your brain to play? What are YOUR favorite techniques for getting the juices flowing? Click on “comment” and let us know!
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