Writing the Narrative Beginning

The beginning of your narrative has a number of jobs:

• Catch the reader's attention.
• Introduce the main character (person of focus).
• Describe the setting (time and place).
• Create conflict.

1. Start in the middle of the action.

   Flush with determination, I stepped up to the podium. I had a strong speech. I had a strong message. I was ready to fight for equal rights. So how did I know it was all doomed?

2. Use interesting dialogue.

   "There goes Drama Jess again. Making something out of nothing." Girls with an opinion get that a lot in high school.

3. Pose a fascinating question.

   What does justice mean to you?

4. Set up the conflict.

   I’m a sports fanatic. I’m also a girl. I thought by now my gender wouldn't be an issue, but last school year showed it still is.

Prewriting to Select a Narrative Topic

You have several options for a narrative topic. You can choose an event that you yourself have exprienced, one involving someone you know personally, or the experience of someone you have never met but have learned about through your research. Consider people you encountered in the books, articles, videos, podcasts, and other sources you explored to create your argument essay.

Editing to Check Facts

The quickest way to get rejected is to misspell the name of the reader, or botch the person's title, or mangle the company name. If you need to write to Ms. Leslie Wilcox, Editor in Chief of the Burlington Standard Bugle, but you instead write to Mr. Leslie Willcox, Editor of the Burlington Daily Bugle, you probably won't even get a reply, let alone a chance to interview.

You must fact-check every name, title, business, department, street address, email address, telephone number, job title, and job-specific term in your résumé and cover letter. Look up each one on the Internet, preferably using the employer's own Web site. Check off any detail you have fact-checked, and correct any that were incorrect.

Revising for Key Details

Remember that your cover letter and résumé are really meant for the employer, not for you. You already know who you are. The employer needs to know, so these documents should provide the key details without distraction. You can check for details by reviewing item 3 on the prewriting activity "Take the Employer's Perspective."

What employer needs did you fail to address in your cover letter and résumé? For example, Joyce realized that she forgot to mention that she is a skilled photographer, so she can provide images for her articles. She added a line to the "Skills and Qualifications" section of her résumé.

Writing with Parallel Structure and Telegraphic Style

All similar elements in your résumé should use parallel structure, which means the same grammatical form. For example, each work experience item should list job title, employer, dates of employment, and duties—in that order, with the same punctuation and treatment for each element. By contrast, lists of skills and qualifications might all be adjectives:

Prewriting to Gather Details About Yourself

Before you write your résumé, you should think about your experiences and skills. At this point you don't need to worry about résumé sections or parallel structure or "telegraphic style." You just need to think about what you've learned, and what you have to offer employers. Answering questions can help.

Reading a Cover Letter and Résumé

The cover letter and résumé work hand in hand. The cover letter connects to a specific person at a specific company about a specific job. The résumé then provides detailed information showing how your experience, education, and skill line up with the job. You can review the following samples to get a sense of how these two documents work.

Reading a Cover Letter

Read the following cover letter, written by a student to apply for the position of pool manager where he had been working as a lifeguard. Note how the cover letter highlights details in the résumé that follows, which gives specifics. Click on the side notes to view the different parts of each document.

Sample Cover Letter

Heading Robert Schneider

714 N. Crenshaw St.

Griffith, IN 46319

rschneider315@ghs12.edu

Date 30 February 2018

Inside Address Mr. Carlson, Liaison

Methodist Campground Board

1250 Wesley Road

Des Plaines, IL 60018

Salutation Dear Mr. Carlson:

Opening I'm writing to express my strong interest in the position of Pool Manager for the Campground Pool for this summer's season. To prepare for this role, I have taken the latest Lifeguard Instructor course through the American Red Cross, as you will see on the enclosed résumé. You will also see that I graduate in May from high school and so can work the usual season from Memorial Day to Labor Day this year. Please review the résumé for my other qualifications.

Middle Of course, my greatest store of experience comes from my previous two summers as a lifeguard at the Campground Pool. I understand pool policies and procedures for guarding, locker-rooms, front-desk, chemistry, cleaning, and maintenance. I've worked closely with previous staff and board members, including yourself. You know my work ethic, punctuality, and ability to work well with others to solve problems. I very much appreciate the opportunities and trust you have given me in the past and hope to take on more responsibility at the pool this summer.

The Campground Pool has been a big part of my childhood and an even bigger part of my early work history. I would love the opportunity to lead the staff in making this a great place for families into the future.

Closing If you have any questions or would like to set up an interview, please contact me at rschneider315@ghs12.edu or call me at (219) 555-9242. I look forward to hearing from you!

Complimentary Closing Sincerely,

Signature Block Robert Schneider

Lifeguard Instructor

Enclosure Note Enclosure: Résumé

Warm-Up for Résumé Writing

In tribal societies, pretty much everybody has to do everything: hunting, gathering, making tools, building shelters, fetching water, hauling goods, fighting predators, bartering, teaching, learning, and so on. In modern societies, people specialize. Most people don't grow their own wheat or make their own circular saws or build their own houses. Instead, they pay experts who can do these tasks much more effectively and efficiently while meanwhile making money doing something they are experts in.

Your schooling is starting you on the road to becoming an expert in something. Your first few jobs will continue that journey. Just as you've learned a great deal in school, you will learn even more as you work and develop expertise. But how do you build a bridge from the classroom to the workplace? You start by writing an effective résumé.

What Is a Résumé?

© Thoughtful Learning 2018

A résumé is a document that helps potential employers understand who you are: your objectives, experience, skills, education, and awards. The word résumé comes from the French "resume," meaning to "take back, assume again, or regain." In other words, when you are writing a résumé, you are regaining all of the experiences you've had that can prepare you to succeed in a new opportunity. Some people also use the term c.v. or curriculum vitae, which means "course of one's life."

Thinking About the Course of Your Life

You began life as a single cell. You now have a trillion of them. That's a lot of change to go through. You can reflect over the long course of your life by completing a time line. For each period, list key experiences, educational influences, and who you became. Here's the course of one student's life.

Editing to Fix Sentence Shifts

For the most part, you should stick to a specific tense (past or present) and a specific person (first or third) in your essay. Unnecessary shifts can be distracting or even confusing:

Revising to Target the Prompt

First, you need to make sure you have answered the prompt. A brilliant essay that talks about rock climbing will not score well when the prompt asked for a definition of leadership. You can use your PAST analysis of the prompt to check your response. Turn each answer into a question, and use them to analyze your response.

• Purpose: Why am I writing? (Do I introduce myself and tell how I will enrich life on campus?)
• Audience: Who will read my writing? (Do I address admissions officers, providing the information they need to know about me?)
• Subject: What am I writing about? (Do I focus on a particular life experience, talent, commitment, or interest I have?)
• Type: What form should my writing take? (Do I compose my answer as an essay?)