Stay Clear of the No-Write Zone

By Quetzal Mama • November 6, 2014

Stay Clear of the No-Write Zone!

It’s late. You’re still staring at your laptop. You ask yourself, “What am I supposed to write about? I can’t even get started.” You’re not alone – you are in the no-write zone! This is a perpetual zone of paralyses where many students get stuck. It’s easy to get stuck in the no-write zone because starting your essay is the most difficult part of writing process.

Help me escape the no-write zone! The reason we get stuck in the no-write zone is because we spend way too much time worrying about whether our essay will appear clever, insightful, sophisticated, and intellectual. Stop! This is not where we need to be right now. We need to follow the wisdom of Confucius:

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
― Confucius

Yep, your way out of the no-write zone is simplicity. You do this with a simple technique called, Los Huesos or “The Bones.” The Bones are simply that – the most basic and fundamental structural components of your essay.

Read the prompt and identify the question(s) they are asking.

Pay attention to the “Indirect Question” (see Chapter 4 of “Nailed It!”)

Write a simple, concise answer to the question(s)

That’s it! Now you have Los Huesos, or the bones of your essay. That wasn’t difficult, right? When we simplify we jump straight to the answer. To see an example of Los Huesos using the University of California prompts go here.

But, we’re not done. Now that you have your bones, you’ll need to begin crafting the essay. You’ll want to begin by expanding upon your basic points by using the technique, “The Essay is Like a Taco de Carne Asada” (Chapter 6). Finally, you’ll check yourself by using the rubric, “TIN CASA” (Chapter 7).

For excellent tips to write your Personal Statement, get your copy of "Nailed It! Quetzal Mama's Toolkit for Extraordinary College Essays"

Get out of the no-write zone so you can nail it!

Good luck! Quetzal Mama