THE PROAIRETIC METHOD

WHAT SHOULD I
WRITE ABOUT?
TOPIC IDEAS AND COMMON PITFALLS

HOW TO TELL THE BEST STORY FOR YOU

1. Something important to you! This could be:

a. an important goal or problem you've encountered (Hero's Journey)
b. how you became interested in a hobby, passion, major, or job (Origin Story)
c. a defining moment in your life (Bildungsroman)
d. an event that led to a key realization (Epiphany)
e. overcoming a mistake (Redemption Arc)

2. Think of yourself as the main character in a story.

a. You should be the focus!
b. We want to know what you're thinking/feeling and why you do the things you do.
c. We want to see you interact with other people!
d. Write directly about actions and events, not just your thoughts about them.
i. "Write a story, don't write about a story."

3. It's really, really hard to say positive things about yourself and not come across as
arrogant. This may seem obvious, but I would recommend that you avoid:
a. being judgmental of or frustrated with others' flaws.
b. implying that you are better than others.
c. describing your public service/charity/altruism in a way that turns the recipients of
those services into goals or problems.
d. saying negative things about yourself that you do not later overcome or learn
from.

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 THE PROAIRETIC METHOD

THE BEGINNING
SET THE STAGE FOR SUCCESS

Goals
1. Introduce the main idea, theme, topic, etc.
2. Introduce the main goal, problem, or premise
3. OPTIONAL: introduce any key words

Options for starting

1. Directly introduce the main goal/problem.
a. I only had two weeks to come up with the funds to get our team to the state
finals.
b. Breaking my leg so badly that I could see the bone sticking out wasn't exactly
how I planned on figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.

2. Start in the middle of an exciting event (in media res):

a. Just one piece left to go. My hands shook as I pulled, slowly, gently, carefully,
trying not to think about the five hundred dollars on the line—just for a game
of Jenga.

3. Introduce the "before" state of a before/after.

a. It was so frustrating to not be able to break a ten minute mile.
b. I used to be the kind of person who would spend the whole weekend eating
Bugles and watching basketball highlights on YouTube.

4. Introduce a logical premise (usually containing always or never) that will later be
reversed.
a. For the first fifteen years of my life, my mom never once laughed at my jokes.
That's a tough crowd for a comedian in training.
b. I always figured I'd be the kind of person who'd end up following her parents
(and two sisters) into medicine.

5. Introduce a key word.

a. When Mr. Stevens told me my essay, "Lincoln: Two Unicorns? The Hat Finally
Explained" was "ridiculous," I'll admit it did put me off of writing for a bit. But
I've come to understand that "ridiculous" doesn't have to be a bad thing: with
enough creativity, it can be a way of life.
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 THE PROAIRETIC METHOD

THE MIDDLE
MAKE YOUR STORY MOVE FORWARD

Goals
1. Give any necessary info that was omitted from the beginning
2. Lead to the climax by progressing the main goal or problem
3. Provide characterization (for YOU) by showing your choices, how you interact with
others, and your perspective

How does a story move forward?

As readers, we are very sensitive to changes, especially in terms of this key question: how
good or bad are things for the main character right now? (Especially in terms of their main
goal or problem.)

Here are two ways that you can use change to move forward:
dEscalation
Things get continually better or worse in every scene. This can be challenging because you
have to make sure that things get obviously better or worse so that the reader can
understand what to expect. This creates excitement as you lead to a climax.

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Alternating

Going back and forth between positive and negative states may seem complicated, but it's
actually a much more common strategy. It's much easier to see change if we specifically go
back and forth between good and bad events, because those are opposites.

Example outline with alternating states:

• I always wanted to be a superhero like Super Man. (a little +)

• I started taking martial arts classes, but the teachers were scarily strict and it was a lot
of hard work. (a little -)
• However, I realized that I was slowly becoming not just stronger but also more
confident. (more +)
• The problem was, I was getting too confident. A guy insulted my new haircut and I
got into a fight at school—which got me suspended. (more -)
• I was expecting my martial arts teachers to be furious, but they were actually very
kind. They told me to use it as an opportunity. (unexpected +)
• They told me to apologize to the guy I'd fought. Considering everything that had
happened, that seemed like just about the worst thing in the world. (very -, leading to
climax)
• I was nervous about it all day at school, but finally at lunch I summoned up the
courage to go up to him and apologize. (climax)
• The guy laughed and said his mom was forcing him to apologize too, or he'd be
grounded. We shook hands, agreeing to forgive each other—even if just to get each
ourselves out of trouble. (unexpected +)

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 THE PROAIRETIC METHOD

How do I transition from one paragraph to the next?

Stories do NOT move forward by time. Think about the last movie you saw. Did each scene
start with "Monday…" "Tuesday…" "Wednesday…"?
Most readers don't care about time in a story: they care about one thing leading to
another (cause and effect). Do not start a paragraph with something like:

• "Several years later,"

• "Next week,"

Instead, focus on cause and effect. Compare these transitions with the previous ones!

• "Since I was late,"

• "What he told me made me realize something important:"
• "The result of this was…"

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 THE PROAIRETIC METHOD

THE CLIMAX
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF ALL THAT EFFORT
This has to be either the highest or lowest point on the graph of good vs. bad. It should also
be a key moment regarding the goal or problem.

However, the goal or problem does NOT have to be solved or accomplished.

All that matters it that we see a specific, concrete change in the character. You can't just say "I
learned the importance of teamwork." We need to understand what specific things you will
do differently from now on. (Listen when people give criticism? Communicate your plans
more effectively? Consider other people's feelings when delegating tasks?)

Here are some options for the climax. No option is "better" or "worse."

1. A significant (expected) event occurs in a significant way.

a. We won the state championship game! Ever since then, I've always remembered
that joyful feeling of satisfaction whenever I feel insecure or afraid to work toward
my dreams.

2. A significant event does NOT occur, but in a significant way.

a. We didn't make it to the finals, but the friendships and sense of community we
built along the way was way more important than a trophy ever could be.

3. A significant event occurs in an insignificant way.

a. I'd sacrificed so much to win the championship game, but I felt as hollow as the
trophy now sitting on my shelf. I realized that winning wasn't nearly as important
as the community I'd come to be a part of.

There are many more options (I can think of at least eight), but these are probably the most
common.

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 THE PROAIRETIC METHOD

THE REFLECTION
HOW TO STICK THE LANDING AND LEAVE THE READER WANTING MORE
This is arguably the most difficult part. It is common for students to overexert themselves
here trying to create emotional impact.

When writing, you can:

1. Say exactly as much as you mean.

a. Winning the championship was really important to me. I learned an important
lesson about friendship, and I know I'll treasure the memory of this experience.

2. Say more than you mean.

a. Winning this championship was the most important thing that I'll ever do. For
the rest of my life, I'll always have the confidence to pursue my dreams
because I learned from this life-changing experience that I can do anything I
put my mind to.

3. Say less than you mean.

a. I looked at the trophy in my hand, the thing we'd worked so hard to get for so
many months, and then handed it to John. He stared at it intensely, as if
searching for a secret code hidden in the gold lacquer, and then seemed to
understand. He handed it back to me and I put it on the shelf. "Want to get
some In-n-Out?" he asked. "Yeah," I said, smiling. "That sounds good."

1 is common. There is nothing wrong with it, but it lacks impact. The reader knows exactly
what to think about the story, and therefore can put it down without having to think any
more about it.

2 is by far the worst of the three. The reader knows intuitively that this is more than what
actually happened, which greatly weakens the emotional impact.

3 is the most difficult to pull off, but also the most memorable and emotionally impactful (in
the context of the overall story.) By making the reader fill in the details, the story gets to live
on in the reader's mind even after the last word on the page. The reader also must supply
their own emotions, which makes the emotional impact easier to feel.

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