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Is there PS that doesn't start with a dramatic episode?

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 5:04 am
by roranoa
Most of the PS's posted here and the one's I read on books with PS collections, all start with a dramatic scene that starts out from nowhere like a Hollywood movie and then has the next paragraph explaining the context of the previous paragraph and then moves on to the background of their history and concludes by returning to the story from the first paragraph.

Is there anyone who just wrote about one single episode of his/her life or wrote about their college experience chronologically? Maybe it's wrong to write like that?

Re: Is there PS that doesn't start with a dramatic episode?

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 10:09 am
by eyescream
The reason most people start with a dramatic episode is because it's a rather effective hook/lede/attention getter. You don't need one, and a good and effective personal statement can be drafted without one. Just write, go through some revisions, and see whether you want one or don't.

A hook is neither sufficient nor necessary for a good PS.