Make time to read these! I love when sites I respect go ahead and compile their best-of essays! Why? Because writers need to read. And there is so much good stuff out there, it's easy to miss. Check out the links in this post to bump up your personal essay range, and to see what 2017 dished up that's good to read. And if you're applying to one of these schools whose application deadlines are still looming, maybe one of the essays will inspire a new approach to your supplement. Maybe. Mostly, it's just important to read your face off. Because the work is so good. And so, naturally, you can write your head off. If an idea or thought stream comes to you while reading-- put that essay down and write, write, write. Some Go-To Essays to read for 2017 The "most moving" (does anyone not want to be moved?) essays of 2017 according to Bustle can be found here. Longreads, a great place to learn. Each essay tells you (approximately) how long you'll need to spend reading, and you won't be sad-- can be found here. This one, "Mothering Class" is from Salon's best, which can be found here. Collections you might want to pick up, especially if you're not even sure you like to read essays-- can be found here. (But be awesome and order from local bookseller!) Enjoy, and remember, if holiday season plans aren't leaving you enough time to read, no one can stop you from locking yourself in the bathroom, can they? We'll be reading right with you. Engage! If you have something to say about one of these essays, why not throw your comments on our FB page? Because the point of good writing is to stir us, move us, make us think, feel-- and connect. Want a prompt customized for you from one of these essays? Request that right here. Use the code IREADITNOWHAT in the body of your message to have a free Essay Intensive prompt sent to you-- but be sure to specify which essay you read! And, of course, pass on links to your favorite essays to everyone Continue Reading …
writing prompts
Free-writing prompts to find your college essay topic
Non-stop exploratory free-writing for your best college essay material You know something good is happening in a college admissions essay-writing workshop when 29 teenage boys have their hands tight to the paper, free-writing with a fervor usually reserved for Mortal Kombat. (They may not know writing actually is a form of Mortal Kombat!) This is exactly what went down last weekend at JP Morgan Chase The Fellowship Initiative, where I was lucky enough to share free-writing exercises for my newest cohort of students. These fellows are selected for the Fellowship based on the strength of their dreams and the qualities of their character to help change the professional landscape for young men of color. What better way to amplify this mission, this visibility, than with their words? We started like I always start: with the freedom and exploration of free-writing. I'm sharing the free-writing prompts to help you dig for your college essay material. If you haven't done this before, first read the rules below, then respond to the writing prompts that follow. What you write just might lead you to a rich, authentic topic for your application essay. Note! These are just two of the prompts we used at the workshop. We have many, many, many more upon request. Parents and teachers-- you can try these exercises too. Rules for free-writing: Write automatically and non-stop for a set period of time. Set a timer. Follow wherever your mind goes without censoring or policing and write it all down, even if it seems unrelated, random or unexpected. Do like you would on the ball court and don’t stop moving (your hand on the page). Only reread or make changes once you are done (when the timer goes off!). Free-writing Prompt 1 (3-4 min) "I am an invisible man...I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." ---Ralph Continue Reading …
Your college essay and more in 10 minutes
Is this yet another "improve my life in 10-minutes" BS pitch? No. We don't play with your minutes here. But we want you to get the most out of your time. So-- do you have 10 minutes to spare? (If you're reading this, you probably have 10 minutes. Admit it. Stop checking your Facebook Feed.) (Everyone has 10 minutes.) But the problem is: what's the most important thing to do-- right now? How should you spend those precious minutes? Here's our recommendations. Determine what you need, first. Need to open up and calm down? Check out this guided meditation from Tara Brach. (It's 10 minutes-ish. Thanks for your generous meditations, Tara Brach!) Need to work out on the sly? Check out this "Quiet Workout." (It's 10 minutes-ish. Modify as needed. Thanks for these original quickies, pop sugar!) Need to say something about something? We recommend-- assess your energy level, consider options 1 and 2 above, hydrate, and then... Freewrite Get your writing instrument/implement of choice: Sit your butt down or stand your butt up. (Don't have a standing desk? DIY with a crate placed on top of a table, or by working on a kitchen counter). Set a timer for 10 minutes. (See? We're precise!) And write about what makes you mad. Without stopping. (Thank you, writing guru Don Murray). Or try this writing prompt, from Ted Ed: A genie grants you three tiny wishes. What are they? (Thank you, TED. You are so full of useful randomness. Want more prompts?) Help, I really don't have 10-minutes! The multi-taskers version. Even though multi-tasking has been proven as neurological BS (You're uni-tasking, in quick succession, and with crappy outcomes), sometimes we need to layer up. Especially if we really only have 10 minutes. In that case we suggest: Do the Tara Brach meditation while you are on the toilet or taking a shower. Do the workout while returning a phone call to someone who will understand if you are out of Continue Reading …