(Photo credit: J. Henning Buchholz, freeimages.com)
Tired of obscure writing prompts and other far-out literary exercises?
I have an alternative for you.
Write yourself a letter of recommendation. Scratch that. Ghost-write yourself a letter of recommendation.
What does that prove?
It proves that you’re ready for anything. Don’t be surprised if a professor, co-worker or good friend replies to your letter request with, “I don’t know what to say about you.”
That’s when you supply the letter. E-mail the reference the whole creation. Say, “I enjoyed imagining what a letter from you might look like. So I drafted this, adding pertinent points about how my experiences show that I’m a perfect candidate for this job. Of course, you could do better. I just thought that might give you an idea of what I’m dreaming of.”
Then, don’t be surprised when a letter from your top reference comes with much (if not all) of YOUR words. Watch the supporter dazzle you with cut-and-paste wizardry.
Such a game plan has worked for me. I’d hope it would do the same for you.
Tom Owens, Writer 