I wasn’t always a strong writer. I was pretty good with grammar and spelling and, like many students, wrote essays the night before they were due.
So, what happened? How did I become a strong writer?
I can pinpoint 3 things that exponentially improved my writing:
- Writing a sports blog
- Having a few kickass writers take me under their wing my first year after law school
- Being my own biggest critic
I’m going to save the details of each story for another time and instead I’ll focus here on why each of the three were key.
Turning Point #1: The sports blog gave me a chance to write in my own voice (how I converse) and loosen up a bit. Great writing is born when you relax and just let your thoughts flow. When you sit down to write your personal statement, don’t worry about it being perfect at first or that it even make sense. Just write, write, write, and get your thoughts on paper. You’ll have plenty of time later to trim the fat and bring sense to your words.
Turning Point #2: Kickass writing mentors helped me understand the keys to great writing—both from a general standpoint and within my writing itself. Sometimes less is more, even when you think you need to over-explain something. You might think you’re clarifying things for the reader, but you’re actually boring them and creating confusion. Having mentors who consistently provided me with feedback enabled me to better see when I should trim excess explanation and cut out fluff.
Turning Point #3: Critiquing my own writing, over and over, evolved my abilities and still does. I’ll print out my work, red-line it, and then insert my changes on my laptop. And repeat. I’m basically my own writing mentor and I am now the excess trimmer and fluff cutter. It’s obviously difficult to critique your own writing, but if you review it from an outsider’s perspective, and do so consistently, it will get a lot easier.
Try this exercise: take your PS or DS, review it, and then cut out 10% of the words.
Now go back and compare the trimmed version to the original. Which is better?
