No writing samples long enough...?

[roguesenna]

so I took an MFA instead of an MA and most of my research based writing samples are around the 10p mark. I have my MFA thesis, but the paper section is largely contingent on the 112p movie script and is not particularly research heavy (there's some research, but I don't think it's a strong choice). My best paper is only about 8 pages long, probably about 10 after I finish revisions. Should I attempt to lengthen the good paper? Or maybe combine a couple shorter ones? What's the best approach (keeping in mind that I do not have time to write a new one)? 

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I'm sorry. Did you mean 112 pages or 12 pages? Anyway, I think it's better to be shorter than longer. In my opinion, it's easier to add a few filler paragraphs to something you wrote a long time ago than to delete a few. Others may disagree though.

Edited November 22, 2013 by JoeyBoy718

[roguesenna]

I meant 112. my MFA thesis was a feature length film script. In proper format 1 page = 1 minute, so my film would theoretically be a little under two hours. With all the added material, my thesis was about 130/135 pages. 

 

and I was actually wrong, my strongest paper is 11 pages not including works cited. I think I may be able to make that work. 

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I meant 112. my MFA thesis was a feature length film script. In proper format 1 page = 1 minute, so my film would theoretically be a little under two hours. With all the added material, my thesis was about 130/135 pages. 

 

and I was actually wrong, my strongest paper is 11 pages not including works cited. I think I may be able to make that work.

I'm sorry but I'm a little confused. How are you gonna make 11 pages work for 112 pages?

[fuzzylogician]

my strongest paper is 11 pages not including works cited. I think I may be able to make that work. 

 

What are the page limits for the schools you're applying to? If they are asking for 20-25 pages and you're submitting 11, that's a bit odd. I'd see about submitting two shortish papers in that case. If they are asking for 15, then it's much more reasonable and I'd maybe think about revising and adding another 1-2 pages to your current paper.

[Loric]

I'm anti-fluff in papers, which is what a page or two of filler will be. It wont be your best work.

 

Email them, usually paper lengths are somewhat negotiable. They'll probably be more interested in seeing the best parts of your script than in seeing a few mediocre papers.

[roguesenna]

I only brought up the 112 page thesis to illustrate that I can't use it for this.

 

The 11 page paper needs revision anyway and the revision will include extra pages, the professor who graded it wanted me to further explain a few points and further introduce some of the plays I discussed.

 

 Also most of the programs are asking for min 15p, so I'm thinking between 15-20 is appropriate.

[Loric]

I still think 15 pages from the larger pieces would prove more interesting and valuable then a paper your professor said needed revision.

[fuzzylogician]

I still think 15 pages from the larger pieces would prove more interesting and valuable then a paper your professor said needed revision.

 

I don't think "requires revisions" == "bad." I don't know if you're already in grad school Loric but my experience is that everything you give anyone to read will come back with revision suggestions, and that includes journal submissions that you've already had 5 other people comment on. There's always more you can do. I am also not at all convinced that a 15 page excerpt from a paper that requires another 100 pages as context and which the OP says doesn't contain a lot of research is necessarily a good choice compared to a stand-alone 15-page paper. It depends on the content of the two papers, and the OP seems to think that the stand-alone paper is better. 

[Loric]

But the OP also wants to go into theater.. where being interesting is vastly more important than being well cited and gramatically correct.

[Loric]

Think of it this way..

 

You're on the adcomm and you're a theater person. An applicant lists their thesis which is essentially a script for a 2 hour movie.

 

They give you a research paper to read as the writing sample.

 

You sit there baffled as to why you're not seeing any part of this script...

[fuzzylogician]

But the OP also wants to go into theater.. where being interesting is vastly more important than being well cited and gramatically correct.

 

Being well-cited does not (only) imply that you are grammatically correct but also that you are interesting. I don't understand why the dichotomy. My point is that longer != better. As I said, it depends on the content of the two papers we are comparing, and neither one of us knows that -- but I just don't think the correlation is necessarily there.

 

As for choice of appropriate content, it probably depends on the type of program the OP is applying for. PhD means research, not creative writing, doesn't it? 

Edited November 22, 2013 by fuzzylogician

[Loric]

Being well-cited does not (only) imply that you are grammatically correct but also that you are interesting. I don't understand why the dichotomy. My point is that longer != better. As I said, it depends on the content of the two papers we are comparing, and neither one of us knows that -- but I just don't think the correlation is necessarily there.

 

If anything, she has to explain that script so that they're not sitting there wondering why it's not something they can look at.

 

I wrote a book, it gets face time in my app. No, not all 260-something pages of my book. A short portion that sums up the essence of what it is and the spirit of what it is.

[Loric]

Being well-cited does not (only) imply that you are grammatically correct but also that you are interesting. I don't understand why the dichotomy. My point is that longer != better. As I said, it depends on the content of the two papers we are comparing, and neither one of us knows that -- but I just don't think the correlation is necessarily there.

 

As for choice of appropriate content, it probably depends on the type of program the OP is applying for. PhD means research, not creative writing, doesn't it? 

 

The analytical side of theater is nothing without the performance/creative aspect of it. Without performance theater does not exist. You tell me you wrote a full script and even submitted it at the thesis level, I want to see something of it. Some part of it.

 

Not presenting it begs many questions, none of them good for an applicant.

[roguesenna]

uh. I didn't realize this thread had gone on, but FTR: I revised the stand-alone script and it came out around 16 or 17 pages. Submitted that, got into the MA program at NYU.

 

Never ever would have submitted any part of my script. This is a research program and the idea is to demonstrate that I can do research. I brought up the thesis because there is a paper part of it that contains some research. Further, the script was a film script and I was applying for theatre programs. It's not even a little bit relevant. Like I said, only reason I mentioned it was to illustrate that I couldn't use it.

[fuzzylogician]

Thank you for coming back to update us, and congrats on your admissions!