So I decided to check in with my high school counselor to see just how many words I could get away with on my college essay. I already had a feeling that 800 words was far over the limit of what any reasonable admissions rep would read, but I was hoping that I could go above the 500 word limit to say, 600 words.
Nope, not going to cut it.
And thus, my night was then fulled of me going back to my paper with a cleaver and flat out chopping it into pieces. Made me quite sad actually - most of those funny little phrases I used (I really loved "inquiries of limitation") are now gone to the wayside, never to be heard from again.
Yet, there is one thing that I'll take solace in - the fact that the full, unabridged version of it is here on this blog for all to see. And, that we're not yet done. I've yet to come up with a truly final edit, though I believe I'm on the final stretch (hopefully!). I'll post it up here in just a comment.
didn't i TELL you that you can't go over 500 words? the people who will be reading your essay have to go through hundreds, if not thousands, so you need to kick a lot of ass in a little bit of time. look, as a writer, i love to express my thoughts thoroughly, but sometimes you have to be succinct.
ReplyDeletewell, in the post before I shorten it to around 514 words. Does that work?
ReplyDelete"...we are somehow prisoners of language, and...if we’re prisoners of language, then the key which will set us loose, is somehow also made of language, what else could fit the lock?"
ReplyDeleteMcKenna, Terence. “Surfing On Finnegan's Wake," Fusion Anomaly. http://fusionanomaly.net/surfingonfinneganswake.html (Accessed 24 Dec. 2008).
I like that quote - nicely sums up the problem.
ReplyDeleteI visited the site you linked to and look through some of the stuff. And wow, I'm going to have to sit down and read the whole thing - a lot of interesting ideas. Tell me, how did you come across it?
(and welcome to the blog. hope you like it here.)