706: On Becoming: The Art and Craft of Personal Storytelling (Ep 6: Raspberry Sky) with Wendy Zheutlin

Hi, friends, and welcome back to our series, “On Becoming: The Art and Craft of Personal Storytelling” where we take a close look at personal essays written by real students, talking about why we love them, what makes them work, and how they came to be. 

In this episode, I had the honor of sitting down with Wendy Zheutlin, who is not only one of my essay coaches but has been a volunteer for the past four years with our Matchlighters Scholars Program. This is the program where we pair high-achieving, low-income students with amazing counselors for 10 hours of free one-on-one support. And if that sounds interesting to you, whether you are a student or a counselor, we'll link in the show notes where you can find out more.

This episode is a rare opportunity. Whereas normally we break down essays written by students, this was actually a personal statement written by Wendy herself as part of a course that I led for counselors. So this is her own personal statement, not written for applying to college, and it's one of my favorite essays.

We talk about what it was like for Wendy, who doesn’t identify as a writer, to write this story, a few techniques she uses to communicate a lot in just a few words, and that ineffable moment when you figure out what a story is about. 

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys seeing how things get made, whether it’s a great meal, a film scene, or a piece of writing, I have a feeling you might enjoy this one.

Wendy Zheutlin works independently and with CEG as a college essay coach.  After earning her BA in psychology from UCSC and her MA in film from Stanford, Wendy went on to work on social issue documentaries in film and TV. While raising her family, Wendy worked in both an elementary school and public library.  Open and honest, Wendy builds trust and provides a safe environment in which students can begin a joyful journey of self-reflection and discovery as they write college essays that capture their spirit, their values, their experiences that engage readers.  

Enjoy.

 

 

Play-by-Play:

• 2:04 – What is Wendy’s background, and what motivated her to experience the essay process from the “inside out”? 
• 4:27 – Wendy reads her personal statement, “Raspberry Sky.”  
• 11:45 – What was the writing process like for Wendy? 
•  15:14 – How can short, factual sentences create a more impactful story? 
• 18:11 – How did reading children’s picture books influence Wendy’s approach? 
•  19:17 – How does the plum blossom motif serve as a metaphor for new beginnings?
• 21:58 – How can contrast show the different sides of a hard experience?
• 26:13 – What did Wendy discover about her story through multiple revisions?
• 28:31 – Why is subtle humor a useful tool when sharing a difficult experience?
• 30:21 – How can a writer identify the “orienting moment” or core message of a story?
• 36:18 – How can parentheticals be used to pack a lot of detail into a short section?
• 39:48 – What advice does Wendy offer for writing about difficult experiences?
• 43:27 – How can the process of “meaning making” help both the author and reader discover something new?
• 44:54 – What does the essay’s conclusion reveal about growth?
• 48:48 – Closing thoughts 

 

Resources:

• “Raspberry Sky” Essay
• Matchlighters Scholars Program
• College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources
• College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub