This, along with my writing sample ("Lunatics") and letters of recommendation, got me accepted into graduate school and offered a graduate instructor position at Utah State University in 2020. With those other things in the equation I didn't stress too much about getting this part exactly right.
Graduate School Statement of Intent
I've enjoyed consuming and creating stories since before I knew how to read or write. Before I could read, I had television and daydreams. Before I could write, I drew pictures. Of course reading and writing opened up the possibilities exponentially. It didn't take long to fall in love with them, and my teachers from third grade on up commented on my skill. My eighth grade English teacher wrote on one paper, “If you do not pursue writing as your life's passion, I will hunt you down and haunt you forever.” (emphasis in original)
Stories provided a form of escapism during my formative years when I had few friends, but as I grew older, the broader appeal of writing in particular was how it liberated me to express myself. I felt that my brain often struggled with verbal communication and that I didn't come across to most people as particularly articulate or intelligent. It was very frustrating. With writing, however, I could craft virtually strings of words and tweak them just so, in a process equal parts art and science, to say exactly what I wanted. My mind was freed from the prison of my mouth. I enjoy all kinds of creative writing but gravitate most toward fiction, especially science fiction, for the freedom to envision things and places that nobody has ever seen.
Yet for a time I ignored my teacher's warning. I started my undergraduate degree in Wildlife Science because that was “safer”. I reasoned that I could get a “respectable” job, write in my spare time and maybe have some success. After a few difficult years I realized I was miserable, decided that playing it safe wasn't worth the tedium, and made the switch to English with a Creative Writing emphasis. The difference could not have been more profound. School was still school, but I had a purpose and cared about what I was learning and that made the overall experience (and consequently my life) much better – though I don't consider those first years entirely wasted, as I'm happy to know a lot more about biology than the average person.
Even so, my undergraduate process ended up taking so long that although I gave it some consideration, I wasn't really keen on adding another degree. The catalyst for my change of heart was the encouragement of Charles Waugh. He asked me to consider it, saying something to the effect of “You have a lot of potential, and I just want to make sure it goes somewhere.” Over the course of a few weeks I came around to the idea, but because of crises going on in my personal life that compounded the stress of my final semester, I missed the deadline and then decided I needed a break from school anyway. A year later my feelings have shifted from reluctant, to accepting, to enthusiastic. I can now unequivocally say this is something I want to do.
My writing classes, especially but by no means limited to Charles', helped me grow more than I could have imagined. While still recognizing and being proud of my skill, I learned to better hone in on areas where I could improve, and I did improve in several of them. I enjoyed most of these classes but my least favorite, Advanced Non-fiction Writing (which that semester focused solely on flash pieces) probably pushed me the hardest and helped me with some of my biggest shortcomings (e.g. paring down interesting but unnecessary details, constructing layers of meaning that are subtle but not too opaque). I believe an additional degree will help me improve still further, and beyond that, give me the perspective to continue addressing strengths and weaknesses on my own when professors and classmates are no longer available.
Other aspects of the English degree, such as literature, folklore and history from various cultures and time periods, also informed my writing. It was instructive to see what had been done before, decades or centuries ago, and see what themes or techniques can be extrapolated to modern writing despite the evolution of language in the meantime. I can also glean inspiration from real-life events for entirely fictional ones that in turn may convey the same lessons we should learn from history. For example, in Keri Holt's class on early American literature, one anecdote of indigenous people tired of mistreatment at the hands of gold-hungry explorers pouring melted gold down their oppressors' throats while taunting “Here's your gold, Christians!” resonated with me enough to begin contemplating a novel about one alien race colonizing and exploiting another. I believe it's very important to learn from many different fields and genres, not just the ones I focus on in my own work. Even my previous experience in a science major helps drive me to make my fictional creations as scientifically plausible as I can.
Another aspect of Charles' suggestion was teaching, and he explained how graduate instructors work and thought I should try to become one. At first I worried that I would be inadequate. Yet speaking comes much easier if I'm passionate and knowledgeable about the subject, and I've grown more excited about the prospect of trying to pass along that passion and knowledge, and to pay forward the kindness of past teachers and professors who helped me along by doing the same for future students. Workshopping my own and others' writing in various classes has honed my ability to make objective critiques, and sometimes I even catch myself doing it while reading a published novelist.
On that note, becoming a published novelist has also been one of my major aspirations for some time. I think I have the potential to be very successful in that area if I can learn the right skills and make the right choices. The biggest obstacle is my perfectionism. I don't know how to decide when something is good enough, and I'm afraid of getting it published and then thinking of ways I could have made it better and hating myself. (I asked a visiting author and university alumnus about this once, and was disappointed but not surprised when he said there really isn't any particular strategy; you just have to let it go at some point.) For now, though, I figure that trying to get a bit more education first is still a legitimate reason to wait.
Charles would be my first choice for an adviser for a couple reasons: because his encouragement is largely responsible for me seeking this path, because his teaching style and the class I took from him twice were probably my favorites out of my entire undergraduate career, and of course because he specializes in fiction writing. I know a little bit about his work studying in Vietnam and translating Vietnamese works of fiction into English. I don't know if I would end up helping with that in any capacity, but I'm certainly interested in the possibility. I agree on the importance of broadening exposure to literary and artistic contributions from other cultures with differing worldviews and techniques. Being exposed to many perspectives, trying to overcome our own preconceived notions and blind spots, is just good life advice in general.
Utah State University is by far my first choice for graduate school. My time here has had its ups and downs, but I've grown to deeply love this campus and this town and (please forgive the cliché) the friends I made along the way. I can barely imagine going anywhere else. Thank you for considering me.
– Christopher Nicholson
Read more of my essays here.
Stories provided a form of escapism during my formative years when I had few friends, but as I grew older, the broader appeal of writing in particular was how it liberated me to express myself. I felt that my brain often struggled with verbal communication and that I didn't come across to most people as particularly articulate or intelligent. It was very frustrating. With writing, however, I could craft virtually strings of words and tweak them just so, in a process equal parts art and science, to say exactly what I wanted. My mind was freed from the prison of my mouth. I enjoy all kinds of creative writing but gravitate most toward fiction, especially science fiction, for the freedom to envision things and places that nobody has ever seen.
Yet for a time I ignored my teacher's warning. I started my undergraduate degree in Wildlife Science because that was “safer”. I reasoned that I could get a “respectable” job, write in my spare time and maybe have some success. After a few difficult years I realized I was miserable, decided that playing it safe wasn't worth the tedium, and made the switch to English with a Creative Writing emphasis. The difference could not have been more profound. School was still school, but I had a purpose and cared about what I was learning and that made the overall experience (and consequently my life) much better – though I don't consider those first years entirely wasted, as I'm happy to know a lot more about biology than the average person.
Even so, my undergraduate process ended up taking so long that although I gave it some consideration, I wasn't really keen on adding another degree. The catalyst for my change of heart was the encouragement of Charles Waugh. He asked me to consider it, saying something to the effect of “You have a lot of potential, and I just want to make sure it goes somewhere.” Over the course of a few weeks I came around to the idea, but because of crises going on in my personal life that compounded the stress of my final semester, I missed the deadline and then decided I needed a break from school anyway. A year later my feelings have shifted from reluctant, to accepting, to enthusiastic. I can now unequivocally say this is something I want to do.
My writing classes, especially but by no means limited to Charles', helped me grow more than I could have imagined. While still recognizing and being proud of my skill, I learned to better hone in on areas where I could improve, and I did improve in several of them. I enjoyed most of these classes but my least favorite, Advanced Non-fiction Writing (which that semester focused solely on flash pieces) probably pushed me the hardest and helped me with some of my biggest shortcomings (e.g. paring down interesting but unnecessary details, constructing layers of meaning that are subtle but not too opaque). I believe an additional degree will help me improve still further, and beyond that, give me the perspective to continue addressing strengths and weaknesses on my own when professors and classmates are no longer available.
Other aspects of the English degree, such as literature, folklore and history from various cultures and time periods, also informed my writing. It was instructive to see what had been done before, decades or centuries ago, and see what themes or techniques can be extrapolated to modern writing despite the evolution of language in the meantime. I can also glean inspiration from real-life events for entirely fictional ones that in turn may convey the same lessons we should learn from history. For example, in Keri Holt's class on early American literature, one anecdote of indigenous people tired of mistreatment at the hands of gold-hungry explorers pouring melted gold down their oppressors' throats while taunting “Here's your gold, Christians!” resonated with me enough to begin contemplating a novel about one alien race colonizing and exploiting another. I believe it's very important to learn from many different fields and genres, not just the ones I focus on in my own work. Even my previous experience in a science major helps drive me to make my fictional creations as scientifically plausible as I can.
Another aspect of Charles' suggestion was teaching, and he explained how graduate instructors work and thought I should try to become one. At first I worried that I would be inadequate. Yet speaking comes much easier if I'm passionate and knowledgeable about the subject, and I've grown more excited about the prospect of trying to pass along that passion and knowledge, and to pay forward the kindness of past teachers and professors who helped me along by doing the same for future students. Workshopping my own and others' writing in various classes has honed my ability to make objective critiques, and sometimes I even catch myself doing it while reading a published novelist.
On that note, becoming a published novelist has also been one of my major aspirations for some time. I think I have the potential to be very successful in that area if I can learn the right skills and make the right choices. The biggest obstacle is my perfectionism. I don't know how to decide when something is good enough, and I'm afraid of getting it published and then thinking of ways I could have made it better and hating myself. (I asked a visiting author and university alumnus about this once, and was disappointed but not surprised when he said there really isn't any particular strategy; you just have to let it go at some point.) For now, though, I figure that trying to get a bit more education first is still a legitimate reason to wait.
Charles would be my first choice for an adviser for a couple reasons: because his encouragement is largely responsible for me seeking this path, because his teaching style and the class I took from him twice were probably my favorites out of my entire undergraduate career, and of course because he specializes in fiction writing. I know a little bit about his work studying in Vietnam and translating Vietnamese works of fiction into English. I don't know if I would end up helping with that in any capacity, but I'm certainly interested in the possibility. I agree on the importance of broadening exposure to literary and artistic contributions from other cultures with differing worldviews and techniques. Being exposed to many perspectives, trying to overcome our own preconceived notions and blind spots, is just good life advice in general.
Utah State University is by far my first choice for graduate school. My time here has had its ups and downs, but I've grown to deeply love this campus and this town and (please forgive the cliché) the friends I made along the way. I can barely imagine going anywhere else. Thank you for considering me.
– Christopher Nicholson
Read more of my essays here.
