{"id":46383,"date":"2019-07-16T06:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=46383"},"modified":"2019-07-14T13:24:15","modified_gmt":"2019-07-14T20:24:15","slug":"the-miraculous-15-minute-rough-rough-draft-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/the-miraculous-15-minute-rough-rough-draft-4\/","title":{"rendered":"The Miraculous 15-Minute ROUGH, ROUGH Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Having trouble getting those first few words and sentences of your application essay<\/a> up on your computer screen? Don\u2019t fret \u2013 even the most accomplished novelists or famous journalists have a tough time getting started. Tempted to get up and do something \u2013 anything! \u2013 rather than stare at that blank screen for another second?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One piece of advice: DON\u2019T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STAY WHERE YOU ARE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AND SET A TIMER FOR 15 MINUTES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AND MOST IMPORTANT\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WRITE, WRITE, AND WRITE SOME MORE UNTIL THAT TIMER GOES OFF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you start to write a few words on the page \u2013 even words like \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say\u201d \u2013 something miraculous happens. Suddenly, there are WORDS on the page, not just blank space. And these words will inspire you to continue writing. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is your warm-up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think of this 15\u2013minute exercise as a warm-up. It\u2019s not a marathon, but it\u2019s a quick jog that will remind your body that it DOES INDEED know how to run. Maybe all you\u2019ve done is written about how you have nothing to write, but the actual act of writing will trigger your writer\u2019s reflex and motivate you to keep up the momentum and write something more and \u2013 hopefully \u2013 something of substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words beget words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your babbling string of \u201cI\u2019m writing but I really don\u2019t have anything to say\u201d will likely transform into, \u201cwell, maybe I have a thing or two worth mentioning.\u201d You\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn off your devices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I guarantee that all of this advice will work with one big BUT: You must turn off your devices. 15 minutes of writing isn\u2019t a real 15 minutes if halfway through you check Instagram and send a Snap. It just won\u2019t work. So hard as it is to do\u2026just turn off your phone and resist the temptation to open a new tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reward yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re more likely to make it through your 15-minute writing workout if you know you\u2019ve got a reward waiting for you. Whether it\u2019s a social media break, a coffee with a friend, or an ice cream sundae \u2013 just knowing that it\u2019s there and waiting will help motivate you to keep on going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get ready, get set\u2026go!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time to start! UNPLUG and set an alarm for 15 minutes. Then ask yourself: What do I care about? What do I enjoy doing? What\u2019s important to me? And write. Your only commitment is to keep going until you hear that beep. When the timer goes off, STOP. Hit \u201cSave.\u201d And then go get yourself a double scoop of sweet, cold, decadent ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need help getting started?\u00a0Talk to our experts<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 we\u2019re here to answer your questions, motivate you, and help you get accepted!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Check<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Accepted\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to top undergraduate and graduate programs. Our expert team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, PhDs, and professional writers who have advised clients to acceptance at top programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern.Want an admissions expert\u00a0to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\u2022\u00a05 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Application<\/a>, a free guide
\u2022\u00a0First Drafts of Personal Statements: Let Yourself Go<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Writing a Lead That Pops<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article<\/a>\u00a0originally appeared on\u00a0blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\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 to apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Having trouble getting those first few words and sentences of your application essay up on your computer screen? Don\u2019t fret \u2013 even the most accomplished novelists or famous journalists have a tough…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,939,775,113,243],"tags":[942,377,1283],"class_list":["post-46383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-mba-essay-editing","tag-writing-techniques","tag-writing-the-mba-application-essay","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46383","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=46383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46385,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46383\/revisions\/46385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}