The Tuesday Q&A: Getting Over Writerˆs Block
QUESTION:
I finally decided on the list of schools Iˆll be applying to in Round 2 this
year and now itˆs time to start my essays. I just… donˆt really know where
to start. Or how. Got any tips for getting over writerˆs block and getting
words on paper?
ANSWER:
Hey there, happy to answer this question. We get it often–itˆs ¨an oldie
but goodie〃 around these parts. Letˆs get into it.
If you are stuck in front of a complicated-looking batch of questions, the
first thing to do is… ignore them. All of em. Ignore the questions.
Instead, focus on the stories youˆve gotta tell. List ¯em, write ¯em
down. What are your greatest hits?
The key is for you to tell YOUR stories. So, no matter WHAT the questions
are, you need to make sure that you talk about the best, coolest, most
impressive things that you have done. Back when I was younger (and Iˆm not
thaaat old) we used to buy CDs. And nobody really knew anything about Bob
Marley, but everyone had the Legend album. So why am I talking about this?
Because THAT album is Bobˆs legacy. What are YOUR greatest hits? Donˆt
pick the essay question that is easiest to write. Forget the essay questions
all together! Think about what your GREATEST HITS are, what your best
stories are. Then figure out how to fit your stories into THOSE questions.
Now, there is a risk here. The risk is that you ignore the essay questions,
and somehow find a way to write essays that have NOTHING to do with the
question asked. Hmmm. That would be bad. Donˆt do that. What you should do
is find a way to make YOUR stories ACTUALLY answer the question. So, how
will you do that? Thatˆs what youˆve gotta figure out. But Iˆve gotta
tell ya, the same story can be tweaked a zillion ways to answer…ANY question.
When I applied to bschool, my best story was the time I built my very first
building as a real estate developer. And if need be, I could tell that as my
greatest success (building the thing), my greatest failure (it didnˆt get
done til after I left the company), a great leadership exercise (I had a team
working for me), a great teamwork exercise (I worked with a team)…you get
the idea. But no matter WHAT they asked me in the app, one thing was for
certain: I was gonna tell that story in every single app.
And it worked. For every school I applied to…
So for those of you dealing with writerˆs block, step away from the
computer, channel your inner Bob Marley and think about what would be on your
Legend album. Then get writing.
Good luck,
– Jon Frank
Founder Precision Essay
weibo:http://weibo.com/n/jonfrank
http://www.precisionessay.com
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