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: stay close to your personal story and avoid making
grand pronouncements based on a minor episode.
An Example
To put the above suggestions in more concrete terms, we will analyze one actual essay from a
critical perspective. First, this applicant tells an anecdote that's relatively recent, but still serves
to illustrate the origin of her interest in creative writing. Note that the anecdote is largely
concerned with the past, and even in her reminiscences, she uses vivid, concrete details. For
example, she invokes the past she shared with her peers, "fellow veterans of plaid uniforms
and daily masses." To demonstrate her inexperience, she reflects, "The only readings I'd done
before a crowd were Paul's letters to the Ephesians and the occasional Responsorial
Psalm--and that wasn't my writing on the line."
Sample Essay
This applicant recounts a particular incident that gives the reader real insight into what makes
her "tick." Notice, by the way, that the discussion of religion is handled in a way that is not likely
to offend any reader.
Two years ago, when I was a junior in college, I wrote a story entitled "It Came from Catholic
School." My friends, fellow veterans of plaid uniforms and daily masses, liked it and
encouraged me to submit it when the English department magazine made its annual call for
stories. They published the story and asked me to read from it at a reading primarily devoted to
student poetry. Well, I was pretty nervous about this. The only readings I'd done before a
crowd were Paul's letters to the Ephesians and the occasional Responsorial Psalm-and that
wasn't my writing on the line. I grew more nervous as I sat there that night, listening to poem
after poem on angst and ennui. I couldn't imagine how the students and faculty around me,
who were all listening intently with properly contorted faces, would respond to my grotesque
little girl. But I stood up and read a passage, a little shaky at first. Then I heard laughs, where
I'd hoped I would, and also in places that surprised me. After the reading, people wanted to
shake my hand. One woman thanked me for injecting a little levity into the proceedings. I felt
satisfaction in my work as never before.
At that reading, I realized I could write things that made people laugh-not just friends who felt
obligated, but complete strangers. I really liked that feeling, and it's the promise of that laughter
that motivates me to continue writing. I also realized that my work wasn't frivolous, that I could
influence a reader, that my characters seemed real. For the first time, I felt that I could do what
I really wanted to do-write.
I look forward to progressing through a series of intimate workshops en route to an MFA
degree at your school. The interdisciplinary nature of the program appeals to me. Although I
want to concentrate on Fiction, I would like to take screenwriting electives as well. I think my
humor translates well to teleplays, and I would like to explore that avenue through the comedy
writing courses your school offers. I aim to develop my natural strengths- humor, voice, and
dialogue, while experimenting with the genres.
Because I'm generally at the mercy of my characters, I can't outline a specific writing goal. I do
envision myself producing a collection of short stories featuring female protagonists. Women's
issues are implicit in my writing,本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。