Get the popcorn and tissues ready. Tonight marks the finale of the current season of ABC’s The Bachelor, with Ben Higgins choosing between Lauren and JoJo. I get a little Bachelor-obsessed; the show is one of my guilty pleasures, and from where I stand, guilty pleasures are allowed in life, especially as a break from intensive scholarly activities.
So, I was watching The
Bachelor last week, sitting in my recliner and texting my friend (also a
Writing Center staffer and also obsessed), and I was hit with a powerful
realization. Folks, the show is not just about romance and roses and fantasy
suites (and insecurities, shaming, and infighting). It is about WRITING. Let’s look at some writing lessons from the show.
Be There for the Right Reasons
Every season, the contestants gossip about other
contestants’ intentions. Are they fame-seeking media hounds or genuine people
looking to find love? I’m definitely here
for the right reasons, they say. No,
she’s not here for the right reasons. As
writers, we need to consider this idea of purpose as well. The first step in
any writing project is to determine your reason for it in the first place. I’m
not talking about the surface reasons: to get a good grade, to complete the
assignment, to earn a degree. I’m talking about the reason you have selected
this topic out of all possible topics. For instance, if your paper is about companies
in crisis, your reason might be that you experienced a business crisis in the
past and are particularly sensitive about it. You want to see change. Only when
you tap into that passion and drive can you be an authentic voice on the page.
Stand Out on a Group Date
The Bachelor is structured
so that each week contains a set number of dates. Some of these are single
dates and some are group dates, where the bachelor himself goes out with five
or six women at the same time. The trouble here is, of course, that it’s hard
for the contestants to distinguish themselves. Now, a piece of scholarly
writing is essentially a group date. The other daters are the scholars whose
research you are citing. Though such research is necessary in making an
academic argument, you still want to establish your own place in the
conversation, your own unique points. Through analysis
and synthesis,
you as the author stand out among all others.
Get the First Impression Rose
The
first rose handed out is a promise. It says, I am intrigued. I want to learn more about you and explore our
connection. You could be the one. In Bachelor
and Bachelorette history, contestants
have made their entrances and tried to secure the first impression rose through
outlandish methods, such as bringing grandma along, wearing a unicorn head,
helicoptering in, or carrying a cadaver heart. These methods fail because they
are too dramatic, too worthy of an eye roll. You, too, should think about your
first impression on a reader—which happens in your introduction.
How can you intrigue the reader? This doesn’t mean anything extravagant like a
series of questions, a scene, or even an inspirational quote; in scholarly
writing, it means selecting a piece of information that illuminates the problem
or issue to be addressed. For example, if I read that 20% of veterans have PTSD
and that the number is only increasing as treatments prove ineffective, I want
to learn more. I want to be on board with a solution. Determining the “right
reasons” behind your writing project will help you show the problem and convey
urgency.
Plan Your Exit Thoughtfully
At the end of
every Bachelor episode, one or more
women do not move on in the competition. Their fairy tale ends, and they ride
off in a beautiful, shiny automobile. Some women leave gracefully, while others
get hopeless or angry or verbally abusive to the cameramen. As a writer, you
need to think about your exit too. Because the conclusion
is the final thing that readers experience in your work, it creates a lasting
imprint that can ultimately inspire. Focus less on repeating the paper’s points
and more on future or wider implications. How does what you’ve said impact the
world? Before starting on the conclusion, revisit your “right reasons” for exploring
the topic. Every paper must end, but the ideas within it don’t have to. They
can live on, just like exiting contestants live on in The Bachelorette, Bachelor in
Paradise, and the whole big “Bachelor
family.”
See? There’s a lot writers can learn from this reality show,
and I didn’t even have to get into the clever editing. For all you Bachelor fans out there, what are your favorite lessons you've learned from the 20 seasons thus far? And if you have a prediction about tonight's Rose Ceremony, let us know!
Hillary Wentworth is a writing instructor at the Walden Writing Center and Coordinator of WCSS Faculty Development at the Walden Academic Skills Center.
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