{"id":32869,"date":"2016-04-25T10:40:19","date_gmt":"2016-04-25T17:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=32869"},"modified":"2016-07-27T15:37:52","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T22:37:52","slug":"5-elements-to-telling-an-attention-grabbing-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/5-elements-to-telling-an-attention-grabbing-story\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Elements to Telling an Attention-Grabbing Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"From<\/a>
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How do you tell a good story?<\/p>\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ready to write your personal statement? Then it's time to conjure your inner storyteller. The best way to distinguish yourself from other applicants is to tell the admissions board a good story, a tale of your greatest achievements, dreams, and\u00a0<\/span>challenges<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

How do you tell a good story? <\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about lifting plots from\u00a0<\/span>Harry Potter<\/span><\/i>\u00a0or hoping you suddenly gain magic storytelling powers. It\u2019s about tying together the following five key elements:<\/span><\/p>\n

Storytelling element #1: Creating a killer opening<\/strong><\/p>\n

To get the admissions reader to keep reading \u2013 and even better, to keep reading enthusiastically \u2013 start with something attention-grabbing<\/a>. Usually it\u2019s something in the middle of the action. If you started an essay with\u00a0<\/span>One day I decided to watch TV<\/span><\/i>, then your readers probably wouldn\u2019t really care what happened next. It may be that you were watching TV when you found a worrisome lump, but your bored readers likely won't get to that point because of the snooze-inducing opener. On the other hand, an opening like <\/span>The moment I found the lump, I suspected my life was about to change \u2013 in a big way<\/span><\/i> will do a much better job of drawing in your readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Storytelling element #2: Setting context<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was mid-May 2011. I was a busy consultant in McKinsey\u2019s Chicago office, the proud father of a boy about to turn one, and a generally happy guy in his mid-20s.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This part immediately places the killer opening in\u00a0<\/span>context<\/span><\/i>. Context (person, place, time) is important because readers want to understand the story\u2019s circumstances; it helps them relate to the story, even if they\u2019ve never been in that situation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Storytelling element #3: Introducing the stakes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The above line also shows the reader what's at stake. Stakes further help the reader relate to a story \u2013 if there\u2019s little for the main character to lose, then the reader won't care much about what happens next. Luke Skywalker had to destroy the Death Star to prevent Darth Vader from taking over the universe, which would have meant a lot of suffering for everyone. If Dorothy couldn\u2019t navigate Oz\u2019s Yellow Brick Road past the Wicked Witch, she never would have gotten back home to Kansas. If you had never figured out the source of the lump and treated it (if needed), then you wouldn't have been able to continue your life as a busy consultant, proud father, and generally happy guy. You don't need gargantuan stakes for people to relate to your story; but effective stakes are something most of us would fight for, like health, a job, our community\u2019s welfare, and the like.<\/span><\/p>\n

Storytelling element #4 & #5: Outlining the obstacles & Demonstrating strength of character<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was tempting to wish the lump would just go away, and for a few days that was my strategy. I didn\u2019t even tell my wife. But soon I recognized that knowledge is power, and made an appointment with my doctor. Within a week I had a diagnosis: cancer.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This keeps the reader interested because it brings in two new elements: an\u00a0<\/span>obstacle<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(cancer) and\u00a0<\/span>character\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(your personality traits). <\/span><\/p>\n

By this point in the story, your readers will know that you are the main character \u2013 you're the consultant, father, etc. But the text above shows your reader\u00a0<\/span>what kind of<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>character<\/span><\/i> you are<\/span><\/i>: one who is human (tempted to wish something bad away) but also one who takes action in adverse circumstances (going to the doctor). <\/span><\/p>\n

Character isn\u2019t only about positive traits though. Many essay questions ask you to\u00a0<\/span>discuss a time you failed<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or made a mistake. For those, you need to highlight negative traits upfront (e.g., Luke Skywalker\u2019s lack of faith in himself and the Force), but in the context of how you gained insights and ultimately more positive attributes from dealing with their consequences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you need help writing your attention-grabbing story? Check out our 1-on-1 services<\/a>\u00a0for more information on how we can help you use story elements to write effective essays.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"From<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Accepted<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a03 Essential Components of a Personal Statement<\/a>
\n\u2022 4 Application Strategy Tips: Stand Out AND Fit In<\/a>
\n\u2022\u00a03 Tips for Showing Strengths in Your Application Essays<\/a><\/p>\n

This article<\/a> originally appeared on\u00a0<\/em>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/p>\n

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ready to write your personal statement? Then it’s time to conjure your inner storyteller. The best way to distinguish yourself from other applicants is to tell the admissions board a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,243],"tags":[87],"class_list":["post-32869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","tag-personal-statement","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32869"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32874,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32869\/revisions\/32874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}