Still Stuck? Here’s a Quick Brainstorm Guide

College Admissions Essays A Step-By-Step Guide to Telling Your Story   Step 1: Write down 3-5 “defining qualities” about yourself. Think of how one of your parents would sum you up to a stranger. My Julie, why, she’s creative, ambitious, caring...

See the difference: 5-paragraph vs “show and tell”

In my last post, I talked about how to ditch the 5-paragraph essay by switching to the “show and tell” approach. For you visual learners, I put together a simple outline of each so you can see the difference. Read more about how to Show and Tell to write a...

How to Show and Tell your Story

One of the best ways to write about yourself is to start with a little story, also known as an anecdote. Not only are these mini-stories compelling and natural “grabbers,” they are an excellent way to “show” the reader about yourself instead of...

More on “Show, Don’t Tell”

I remember wanting to improve my writing in high school, and feeling frustrated by all the “tips” in the popular how-to-write books: “Be concise,” “Use action verbs,” and the all-popular, “Show, don’t tell.” OK,...