Kyle Kerr

You’re going to receive a lot of letters from applicants who loudly proclaim that their destiny as a writer began when they were seven years old; they can’t remember a time when they didn’t have a pen in their hand and a story on the page.  For me, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  What’s more, there was actually a time when I gave up reading for pleasure altogether.  It’s a thought that sends shudders through my body now, but it happened nonetheless.

In fact, I always thought I was destined for a life as a high-powered executive.  I started working odd jobs under the table by the age of ten and opened my first business three years later.  In high school, I was vice-president of our local chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America, Bill Gates was my idol, and I was a huge fan of The Donald.  And there was no hesitation when I filled out my application for an undergraduate degree in Business Administration.  All of this aided in my eventual plan of becoming a millionaire by the time I was twenty-five.

Yet the more I imagined my life, the more those dreams of boardroom domination started to depict me scribbling away in my steno notepad instead of listening to the latest income statement reports.  Characters and plot started to invade my consciousness during classes, making it even more difficult to focus on learning about product cannibalization and sales forecasting.  My blue ballpoint pen slowly evolved into a feather quill and inkwell, and, with only a few short months until I graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in business, I can think of nothing but finishing my book.

The change actually started to take root when I was in eighth grade.  My English teacher had us keep a little journal with even littler stories in it.  Those tiny paragraph- and page-sized stories grew to be several pages long, to ten thousand word novelettes, and eventually to a 100,000 word novel, of which I am currently writing the second draft. 

My vision of future life now consists entirely of writing.  I have become one of those above mentioned applicants, and I can’t imagine a future without a pen in my hand and a story on the page.

At the moment, the most important thing is to finish my novel.  After attending the 2007 Maui Writers Conference and Retreat, I have an even greater understanding of where the story needs to go, and it has even garnered the attention of an agent.  The first inklings of the novel actually began when I was fifteen and, several hundred thousand words later, it has evolved into its current form.

Once the novel is completed—which, God willing, will be in the next couple months—I plan on starting work on a screenplay.  Movies have always been a big part of my life.  Even when books momentarily fell off the radar, my love of film never faltered.  It is another dream of mine to be able to write major motion pictures, to be a part of the movie making process, and eventually see my work on the big screen.

Even though I have never had any formal training in writing—aside from basic English courses—I have learned my craft through reading other works and the act of writing itself.  However, I have reached the crossroads in my life and wish to pursue writing as a career; I feel a more in-depth knowledge of the language and the craft is necessary.  I love everything to do with the written word, and everything so far has been based on instinct.  Though my instinct has served me well thus far, writing is an ever evolving craft, and I would never be so naïve to say I have nothing left to learn.  This is why I’m pursuing an education in one of the greatest Creative Writing programs in the country.

Not only will I gain from an Emerson education, but there is a lot I can contribute in return.  For the last three years, I have been a member of a student writers group here at Northeastern University, and have been on the executive board the last two.  Through this group, and through my experiences at the Maui Writers Retreat, I have learned to work closely with other writers and have mastered the form of constructive criticism.  I am fully prepared to help my fellow students in any way I can, as I try to do in all aspects of my life.