Three essay revision tips from a novelist and Stanford alum

Stanford alum Diana (‘18) weighs in.

I’ve taught a lot of writing in my day, and I totally get it. Putting words to a page that can alter the path you take in life seems like some genius new torture idea. Right up there with tickling little kids who don’t want to be tickled and pantsing someone in front of their crush. Both of which, by the way, have never happened to me.

Take a breath. You got this. A million - actually a million plus a million - people have gotten through this. You can too.

Before we get started, though, figure out what type of writer you are.

If you love writing, great. If you are meh about writing, great. If you hate writing, great. Each of you will start in the same place: word vomit.

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Each of you will start in the same place: word vomit.

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Word vomit whatever you’re thinking about writing.

If you’re the type of person who hates writing so much you won’t even word vomit on the page, then take out your phone and record the literal words that come out of your mouth.

Then take that word recording and transcribe it into word vomit on the page.

If you’re super stuck, ask 5 of your friends what they think about you. I guarantee you’ll get word vomit.

Your goal is to take that word vomit and then edit until it resembles word garbage. Then edit until you get word compostable waste. Then word salad. Then word food. Then word sentences. Then word essay. Then essay. Then Common App essay. Then compelling Common App essay.

You think I’m joking. I’m not joking.

As someone who makes writing her job, I always start my novels with word vomit.

Here are my three tips for how to revise your word vomit so that it becomes a compelling application essay.

1. Write what you NEED to write.

This is literally the best advice I can give you. Write what you need to write. Only you know what that is. There’s a story in you that you keep close to your heart.

It could be about how you grew up loving to go to Costco on weekends. It could be about how no one quite gets your perspective on climate change. It could be how everyone knows the perspective on being kind, but they haven’t lived it like you have. It could be about joining the band at your school. It could be about failing a speech and debate tournament.

Write what you need to write. Share that story close to your heart. Then tell us why it matters to you.

I grew up loving to go to Costco on the weekends because it was the only time my very busy doctor parents had time to spend with me.

What do you need to write about, and why?

2. Understand the essay prompt and answer it.

This sounds like a no-brainer, but boy do I see people miss this one. Failing to understand the essay prompt means that you’ll never be able to answer it.

Let me repeat that. Failing to understand the essay prompt means you’ll never be able to answer it.

Just like how when your friends ask you if you want pizza or ice cream because that’s what the hot lunch is for school today, and you say, I want clam chowder and nothing but clam chowder, well, guess what, you ain’t eating lunch today.

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…you say, I want clam chowder and nothing but clam chowder, well, guess what, you ain’t eating lunch today.

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Colleges care that you’re able to answer the essay prompt because actually understanding the question and formulating a response to the question is actually a transferable, valuable life skill.

For example, if a school asks you about your intellectual curiosity and drive to learn, and you think, “oh yes, my teacher told me taking that college-level AP class demonstrated intellectual curiosity, so I’ll write about how hard my AP class was,” you have already failed to write a meaningful essay!

Why? Because the question “What drives you to learn?” is not answered by the response “I took a really hard college-level AP class.”

Saying, “I’m driven to learn because I have an insatiable cure for finding many answers to the same question” does answer the question.

See the distinction?

So be careful. Understand the essay prompt first.

Stuck? Don’t worry, chances are that other students are stuck too and they’ll answer the wrong question. Ask your friends, parents, and older and younger siblings what they think the essay prompt means to help you get unstuck.

Bonus: if you actually answer a prompt that’s confusing to other students, you’ll stand out as an applicant. Double win for you!

3. Ask yourself, did I actually answer the essay prompt?

While revising, it’s easy for us to get lost in the sauce of our storytelling. Oooo, we think to ourselves, let’s talk about the time when I organized a retreat for my community service group and everyone bonded even though we were from rival neighborhoods. Oooo, that means I brought the community together. Ooo, and that means I’m a warrior for social justice. Wait, what was I writing about again?

You were writing about intellectual curiosity.

Oooo…ooops.

This is actually my favorite piece of feedback for the revision process. I want you to apply this advice to each paragraph of your essay. Eventually you’ll be able to apply this advice to each sentence. You should apply this advice to each sentence.

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You should apply this advice to each sentence.

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When you ask yourself, “did I ACTUALLY answer the essay prompt?” you’ll start to realize how you can make every paragraph and every sentence count towards answering the prompt. You’ll start to evaluate how good your examples are. Do your examples really support your answer to the essay prompt? Do they really? What about each of your sentences? Are there any sentences you can change that would better serve you answering the essay prompt?

And before you know it, you’ll be on your way to a compelling essay.

Fun fact: I revised my essay draft 27 times before I submitted my Common App essay to Stanford. I started with word vomit, and revised. With each revision I had a little less vomit and a little more magic.

It was probably overkill.

Write, revise, revise, and revise away!