Hi guys.
I’ve been trying to write my common app essay about something that is unique to myself but I don’t know who I am.
I don’t really have a sense of identity. I decided to try this pathway after struggling with cliche/bad essays and after reading some tips on this board. I remember a poster saying that you should be able to write about the topic fairly easily. I couldn’t do that for my original essay idea-Model UN, so I’ve been stuck in essay limbo for two weeks. I try to think of an essay topic but I can’t. I end up not finding any ideas and staring at a blank word document for a couple of hours.
How can I find my sense of identity/who I am? I don’t know what makes me different from other people.
Help!
Forgive me for repeating this advice over and over.
Set the kitchen timer for 5 minutes. For each prompt, brainstorm anything you could possibly use, no matter how off the wall. Write it down. No limits, no demands for practicality, anything goes. Then grab a drink of water and go on to the next prompt.
Tonight, or tomorrow, look at what you’ve written and eliminate the totally unworkable. Then, for what you have left, bullet what you would write. No formal outline, no particular order, just anything you would possibly include.
Then, in a day or two, start to write a very rough draft for what’s left. See what you have that looks good, and write the essay from there.
The key to this process is time-- time to let the ideas germinate.