Let Us Now Praise…
…William Zinsser, who died this past Tuesday in Manhattan at the age of 92. Zinsser was the author of the classic writing tome, On Writing Well, which sold over a million copies and which certainly had an influence on me. As the New York Times obituary said, “His advice was straightforward: Write clearly. Guard the message with your life. Avoid jargon and big words. Use active verbs. Make the reader think you enjoyed writing the piece.” I particularly like this nugget: “Ultimately, the product any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he is or she is.”
That last bit feels particularly germane to the college admissions essay. Many students feel that they have to find, “THE story.” I tell them that there are many stories that can be told, but mostly this assignment is about finding your authentic voice and making your readers feel that you are someone that they want to know (and that, hopefully, they want to invite into their college community). Authenticity means sincerity, self-reflection, humor, modesty…all those good things. Leave the boasting and home and tell your story, as Mr. Zinsser suggested, as if you actually enjoyed writing the piece. And guess what? Many of my student writers wind up enjoying this assignment a great deal. Why? Because they have engaged in some deep exploration about themselves, which can be exciting, and because they have come away from the experience learning some very valuable lessons, which is also very exciting.
