stcstoryup:

In 11th century Japan, one of the Empress’s court ladies, Sei Shonagon, kept a notebook of her thoughts and observations. It is now known as The Pillow Book. Shonagon’s writing is so identifiable because of her affinity (do you know what affinity means? If not, look it up!) for writing lists….

Paint something, draw something, turn your friends into a sculpture, do a dance in the park.

In one way or another, create something. Sure, people might look at you like you’re a little bit loony (especially if you do the park dance), but it will be fun. We promise.

This year, in the dark abyss that is February in Massachusetts, I organized a flash mob for a friend’s birthday. It was fun, got my mind off of college decisions, and got those creative juices flowing (Uh oh! Cliché senses tingling!).

If you’ve missed a few of the 21 Days, click this link  http://21daysofsummer.tumblr.com/post/28632934221/confused-about-where-to-start-here-are-links-to-days to view the prompts from the beginning! 

Also, don’t forget to submit to our contest (http://21daysofsummer.tumblr.com/post/28414158355/contest-i-scream-you-scream-we-all-scream-for-ice)—you have until midnight tonight! 

Have you ever felt like you were losing your readers’ attention with long, confusing sentences, endless conjunctions, and infinite commas, but you weren’t sure how to make your writing more streamline, efficient, and to the point? No. Well if not, you are in the minority. If you do encounter this problem, try graphing your sentence length.

There is no right or wrong answer. The point of this exercise is to notice what is happening in your writing.

Many lengthy sentences can sometimes make your writing become confusing to the reader. Experiment. Make it shorter. See how it sounds. Read it out loud and see which iteration works better to accomplish your goals.

Many small sentences can sometimes make your writing seem choppy and disjointed. Try combining sentences. Add details. Insert dialogue. Focus on description. Experiment. Sometimes a longer sentence can juxtapose two ideas better than two shorter sentences. Again, read it out loud and see which iteration works better.

Often, a good balance of sentence lengths works best. However, all that really matters is that your writing is purposeful. You might use a lot of short sentences to create a staccato rhythm in your writing. You might use a longer sentence to draw the reader into the sensory details of a moment. Whatever you choose, do it for a reason!

Check out how my own writing looks on a graph.

This week’s tip was written by Jack Scotti, Story To College’s Director of Strategic Partnerships! You can contact him with any more writing questions at jack.scotti@storytocollege.com. 

Career coaches like Chandlee Bryan (@Chandlee) say that your happiest work will be at the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, and what the market will pay for. Start thinking about your sweet spot.

First, do what we’ve had you do a whole bunch of times: make a list. Make a list of five things you’re good at, five things you love, and five things you can do that other people will pay you for.

Guess what? You just made a list of possible majors and career choices. Woohoo!

Let’s play a game. Read the following conversation and then count as many clichés* and crutch words** as you can find:

Mom: “Hey, sweetheart, how was your day?” 

Tommy: “Pretty good.” 

Mom: “What did you do?”

Tommy: “Hung out with my friends. Had fun. The usual.”

Mom: “That sounds interesting.”

Tommy: “Totally. Bye, mom.” 

How many did you get? We got 6: “pretty good,” “hung out with my friends, “had fun,” “the usual,” “interesting,” and “totally.” As you can see, it’s not just a kid’s problem. Little Tommy’s mom is just as guilty of using clichés and crutch words as little Tommy. On top of being overused, those 6 phrases are so boring. Every person has his or her own unique cliché phrases that they use, and you bet they sneak into your writing.

It’s time for some summer cleaning. Get rid of clichés and crutch words!

Today is a cliché-free day. Every time you hear yourself say a word or phrase that is cliché or overused, stop talking and find a new, fresh way to say the same thing. Instead of saying, “I went to the museum and saw this interesting exhibit. It was tons of fun,” you can say, “I went to the museum, and they had this exhibit about killer whales. And guess what? They had a real killer whale! We took so many pictures. I want to go back tomorrow.” Now do you see how, like, so totally annoying clichés are?

Wondering how this helps with college? The way you talk and the way you write are connected. When you start speaking without clichés, your brain will train you to write without them. It is also very important to learn how to speak without clichés in college interviews. I remember one college interview: it was early in the morning, and my mom and I had already visited a school the day before. The interviewer asked me about a summer trip I had taken. “It was a great learning experience,” I said quickly. Seriously, college applicant me?!? What does that even mean?

*According to Urban Dictionary, a cliché is “almost every line in the Twilight series.”     

For the purposes of the 21 Days of Summer, a cliché is “a phrase or expression used so often that it becomes stale.” (At least according to Merriam-Webster).

**Crutch words are words or phrases that do not add to the meaning of a sentence. People use them repeatedly, often without realizing. Common crutch words include “like,” “really,” “totally,” etc. Our favorite at Story To College is “literally.” Want to know why?

Andy: “Dude, I literally just ate like a billion peanuts.”

Rick: “Really? I literally died laughing at that, man.”

If Rick and Andy aren’t using literally as a crutch word, they are in serious trouble…

Fred Hargadon, former Princeton Dean of Admissions, always told high school audiences that they should “continue to walk on in high school and in college.” Oh, Fred, didn’t you read Story To College’s warnings about clichéd phrases? Guess not. Well, cliché or not, Fred’s idea is a big one: keep trying new things. Don’t just stick to the things you’re good at. Stretch yourself in new directions. This could be a new sport, a new instrument, a new course, even a new hairdo.

In the theater world, we call this taking risks. Be willing to fail. Trust me, it won’t be this bad:

As Samuel Beckett said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.” Colleges like to hear about your failures just as much as your successes (as long as you learn from them). So try something new even if you fall flat on your face; maybe you’ll get some epic battle scars.

Walk on, walk strong.

Now that you know what you need, go ahead and figure out what the schools need. This one is pretty straightforward. Take some time to get organized.

Make a list of your top schools and then go through each one and figure out the important information. This includes application deadlines (early and regular), supplement requirements, interview requirements, financial aid information, and testing requirements. This information can be found on each school’s website.

These websites can help you get it all together for application organization:

CollegeData.com

MyCollegeCalendar.org

Collegeboard.org

CollegeConfidential.com

But whether it be a calendar on your wall, an Excel spreadsheet, or an Oompa Loompa with a photographic memory, find a way to organize all of your college information. There were a few times when I freaked out about missing a deadline or sending a school the wrong test scores. Learn from my mistakes: the more organized you are, the less anxious you will feel!

Once you’re done give yourself a high-five because you deserve it!

Get your mind out of the gutter.

We mean write a resume, silly.

Your resume is one of the only other places, besides your essays, where you get the chance to shine on paper. This is where you list your work experience, summer activities, and other accomplishments. I am a big theater geek, so I made a theater resume to submit in the “Additional Information” section of the CommonApp. You can put most of your activities in the “Activities” section (duh!), but if you have a special talent or hook, a resume is the perfect place to elaborate and brag about your experience.

Also, if you’re an artist or have another special talent, check specific requirements of schools. Some will have supplements that require additional resumes.

Online resume help:

• E-How’s College Application Resume Homepage 
• How to Write a Resume for a College Application 
• Top 12 Tips to Perfect Your College Application Resume

Want to connect on Tumblr with the colleges you’re interested in? Below are a few of our favorite college tumblrs! They are chock full of info on their programs, student experiences, campus photos, updates, and more. 

Hopefully more colleges jump on this trend soon!

University of Chicago Admissions

Bennington College’s “Tapped In”

University of Texas-San Antonio’s College of Engineering

Morehouse College Admissions

SUNY Purchase

What colleges do you follow on Tumblr?