Nina Said:

should I follow the general norm and rule or be creative about writing personal essay for college application?

We Answered:

I think creativity is important - as it shows your ability to think outside the box. However, be careful not to stray too far from the norm as sometimes creativity can be risky. Be sure to read the application materials very, very, very carefully and that you answer what is asked of you. Competition is high in most universities (even small public universities) - so you want to be able to stick out but at the same time show that you know how to read and follow directions. Good luck!

Gordon Said:

Stanford ; Creative Writing?

We Answered:

Berkely and UC davis has very good departments in CW in California. The thing about getting books published is letting them be read. Though no one is going to read anything unless you write it with very good grammar and sentence structure. They do not want to read your story for the first time and have to proofread it. Good Luck

Brad Said:

Should I use a prompt or be creative with a Stanford essay?

We Answered:

I would definitely suggest being creative. Stanford is know for its love of eclectic and highly individualistic students (they love original people). The worst thing you can do would be to write something "trite" and "boring." Don't ask me what you SHOULD write, think outside the box

For the second part... if YOU think it would be trite and boring, then it probably is.

Good luck

Calvin Said:

how to help my 13 years old to publish her first book?

We Answered:

Keep in mind that publishing is a tough business, much like music or acting. Very few people who try actually make it. Thirteen is very young, especially for the writing industry. On top of that, editors can be merciless. Before your daughter starts down this path, you should be sure it's what she wants, that she's serious and can handle the pressure and criticism.

Keeping all of that in mind, she might be better off starting with short stories and magazines. There are many magazines aimed at teenagers, and she could look into submitting one or more stories to some of them. If she is published this will help her to learn her craft and also give her more experience with how the industry works. It should also help her to build her confidence and reputation. As for a novel, that will be tougher. There are several books available on the publishing industry as well as more specific ones for genre writers. In general, you should be able to try the Writer's Market, a book that is published annually that has information on various publishers and what they're looking for and how to submit works to them (see http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582972… There are offshoots of the Writer's Market for genre writers - some cater to the romance field, others to the SF or horror field or children's books etc. You might want to start with the more generic one and then look at specific ones depending upon what she's writing. The Writer's Market also tends to have articles on how the industry works and how to submit manuscripts for consideration. You could also look into getting her a subscription to a trade rag like Writer's Magazine (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005N… or something similar (or check it out of the library is it's available). They have lots of articles on how to get published and how to write.

One important thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure your daughter is mature enough to handle this. If she wants to write, she'll have to learn to deal with rejection. Most of what she submits will probably be rejected, which can be very depressing and discouraging. It doesn't mean she's a bad writer, just that there are only so many stories/novels/articles that are needed and others are better than her. Starting out with the short story market, particularly the market aimed at teenagers will give her a better shot at success and allow her to build her confidence and skills. Also remember that writing is a business. She'll have to learn the business end of things as well as the creative end in order to market herself successfully and cope with her publisher(s).

Good luck.

Sean Said:

What are my chances at getting into a good college?

We Answered:

I would say that with your GPA and SAT scores, combined with all the extracurricular things you have been involved in, you have a strong chance of getting in. I would almost guarantee it, but sometimes, colleges and universities can be really picky and reject an applicant for no apparent reason. If I were you, I would have applied to some "safe" universities, just to be on the safe side. Good luck! I know you'll do well.

Viola Said:

Can you rank these colleges' writing programs?

We Answered:

MIT
minnesota
indiana
carnegie
stanford
wisconsin
cornell