This week, I decided to post one of my other options for a writing sample. It’s always hard to write about relatives. I haven’t received any feedback on this piece. However, the prompt for it was simply “hearing.” The essay, another brevity (which means it only has 850 words or less), was a sample for class that I never handed on. Writing about my grandfather is difficult. As Dr. Graham instructed me last year, when we write about our relatives, it can come across as overly sappy or dramatic. It needs to be crisp, clear and reflective.
This piece clearly needs a lot more work than the Bella essay. I’ve refrained from working on that one just yet because I’m struggling removing and adding new material. This piece about my grandfather, who passed away in the fall of 2008 as I was starting college, feels like it could be a prominent piece alongside my reckoning essay. It’s also interesting how it’s four years later and could possibly be the start of another school year that he is distantly involved in.
Currently, it’s at about 800 words and needs serious work in terms of sharpening my images and creating a clear, poignant reflection without falling into the cliché, “Oh I miss my grandpa.”It’s difficult because as Dr. Graham taught me in class, we love our grandparents. We want to write warm, fuzzy things about them. But readers want the truth and honesty. They want to see both sides. Maybe grandpa went to jail or grandma stole flour from the supermarket. I’m making these up and they’re ridiculous, but I hope everyone got the point. This essay hasn’t touched upon the ugly sides. It’s a struggle, but I have a feeling if I can push aside that pedestal I’ve placed my grandpa on, I can get somewhere.
What’s to be remembered, we love people no matter their flaws. That’s what makes us human. In fact, I feel as though I loved him more because he magnified my own flaws for me to see. He was my grandpa. We shared some of the same personality quirks and flaws.
Also, have several options for writing samples. My longer reckoning may be tossed aside if I have a sudden burst of inspiration. Never stop writing. a little scribble on a napkin can become your next personal statement or narrative essay.
