Hello, again!
Today, I wanted to take a step back from my normal writing subject and look at something else, something I have had to deal with a great bit these past few months. If any of you have followed my blog for any amount of time, you know that I’m a senior in high school, which can be incredibly stressful. I realize that the amount of work and the level of intensity only goes up from here, but right now, I’m just getting my first taste of the real world and how it works, and I’ll be frank, it’s daunting.
Back to the subject at hand: I have had to write an incredible amount of essays, resumes, and cover letters recently. While I’ve always enjoyed writing, no matter the topic, I was terrified that my somewhat unprofessional style might come off wrong. I mean, I love writing fantasy stories about dragons and spaceships (definitely the right genre :)) and this blog is about as casual as it gets (if you hadn’t noticed, I haven’t updated in months, oops!). Writing essays that might potentially get me into college or land me the job I want is on a whole different level.
But what I’m starting to realize is that it’s not that scary, it just takes some getting used to. That love of words that might carry me through an 80,000 word novel also gives my essays and cover letters spunk and personality (and tends to make me ramble). Sure, I need to edit more thoroughly and I need a more structured plan (plus the fact that my writing is still too casual for a scientific paper or anything like that), but at the heart of it all is the same basic formula: write what you know how to write. Be genuine, be natural, and let yourself show through.
The plan I’ve used for everything so far is the same:
1) Tackle what needs to be written. Is it an essay about something you like, an experience you had, a job you had to do? What’s the topic?
2)What do you need to get across to the reader? What are they looking for? Do you want them to know you have a certain skill set or that you’re perfect for whatever opening they have?
3) Who is your reader? Is it a future employer, a college dean, or perhaps a teacher?
4) Don’t ramble. Just don’t. Have a plan in mind. That’s what editing is for, to look for those spots that run on and on.
That’s not much but it helps me calm down about what I’m about to write. It’s a completely different mind set from my favorite genre, fantasy, but it’s very applicable in life. If you’re writing one of the formats mentioned above, my suggestion is to go find a blog or article (not this one) and read it. Study it. That’s what I’ve been doing and it really seems to help. Also, get someone to read through what you’ve written. I edit my writing up until the point I hit send and generally by that point, I’ve had one or two people read over and comment (except for this blog).
I’m sorry for the late post and that it’s not on writing books. I’ve been incredibly busy with school and getting ready for college and looking for a job. I always try to post on schedule but right now, that’s not really possible. My writing is kind of on hold at the moment and I only get to it in my very rare spare time.
I hope I’ll be back soon and thanks for not leaving me! See you next post.
Alaska Heights, over and out
alaskaheights 