The Hero’s Journey, or, Why I Do What I Do

Who doesn’t love a good hero’s journey?

Young heroes seek castles. Entering the dark woods, they are only a bit afraid. Some are on horseback, others on foot. Some bring a map, and proceed quickly. Some become lost in the woods on the way. But eventually, most reach the castle’s outer walls—only to find a dragon there blocking their way. Many have never battled a dragon before, and certainly not one this powerful. They have no armor, no sword or spell. The castle starts to look impossibly far off.

The college application essay stands like a dragon between the young heroes and their ivory-towered castles—but it doesn’t have to. I like to tell my students that writing your college application essay is a Prompt 5 experience—it’s an “accomplishment, event, or realization that sparks a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.” Like battling a dragon, writing the college essay is asking more of you than you might have previously been accustomed to giving. It is asking you to learn, not only to write in a new genre, but to see your life in a new light.

The personal essay is often ignored in a high-school English curriculum focused on literary criticism. Students are not always taught to find their own ideas or organize in any way other than the utilitarian five-paragraph structure. They are not systematically taught to edit their own work—to recognize what is working and what isn’t. Grammar is too often treated like an antiquated and unnecessary list of rules, rather than a set of conventions that help a writer be understood. Voice—which has next to no place in academic writing—is never developed.

But don’t despair! It is at this point in the hero’s story when a wise hermit or white-bearded wizard enters. It is now when the hero must actually learn how to face a dragon and win. These tools can be developed, and with the right guide, they can be developed in the context of creating a college essay you can be proud of. A good editor will show you how good a writer you can be.

I love to meet students at the edge of the woods, give them their armor and teach them about the dragon—that is, the personal essay—to help them understand its power and how to harness it. As a mentor, I get to be part of the hero’s journey again and again, celebrating with them as they find their stories, slay (or simply charm) their dragons, and gain entrance to their castles. Each of my students is the hero of their own story. They simply need someone to show them how to tell it.

If you’re looking for that wizened wizard to point the way, let’s have a 15-minute consultation and see how I could help.

(Photos by Rachel Davis and Zan on Unsplash)