I have edited dozens of college essays and see students fall for the same mistakes, such as making frequent redirections.
Redirection is a word I coined to refer to a shift in your readers’ attention (often through the introduction of new information).
It often comes in the form of side stories, unrelated monologues, cheeky comments, or descriptions of unimportant characters to name a few.
The main issue with improper redirections is that they challenge your role as the narrator of YOUR own story by taking away your reader’s focus from your main point to something else.
Put another way, they take away your control of the narrative.
What you need to know
Embed from Getty ImagesRedirections are NOT inherently bad if used appropriately and in moderation.
Keep in mind that the goal isn’t to eliminate them because all high-quality essays will need them to add context and depth to your story.
The difference is you must be purposeful and strategic when doing this.
Analogy
Embed from Getty ImagesTo better understand what a redirection looks like it may be helpful to analogize your readers’ attention to a film camera and your essay to a movie.
Every time you “pan the camera” by introducing something new, you shift your readers’ attention from your main point to that new thing (regardless of its relevance).
And the overall quality of your “movie” will depend on how well you direct your readers’ attention.
Just think of your favorite movies or shows. They are interesting precisely because of their masterful presentation and you only see what they want you to see.
As you might have realized, the act of shifting a reader’s attention is not the problem, per se, but the frequency in which it is done (you need to find the perfect balance).
Here’s an example
Embed from Getty Images“The years of arguments and abuse between my parents eventually devolved into a messy divorce. It was an extremely difficult transition for my siblings and I so we were placed under my aunt’s guardianship by Child Protective Services (CPS). I didn’t really like my aunt because she was strict and made us sleep by nine o’clock in the evening. Her house was also old and creaky and had an odd smell.”
This essay was supposed to be about the writer’s tumultuous childhood and how this experience inspired them to pursue a degree in psychology.
However, the redirection about not liking the aunt or her home was completely irrelevant and unnecessary to the story.
A better approach would have been to focus the readers’ attention to details about the situation and their feelings and thought processes regarding it.
What you can do
Embed from Getty ImagesYou are the director of your story so you must strike a balance between redirecting too much (overwhelming) versus not enough (boring).
Just like your favorite movies and shows, the goal is to present your essay in a way that is strategic yet entertaining so your audience understands your story while being engaged enough to finish reading it.
In essence, your readers should only see what you want them to see – the important and relevant stuff.
This will be a delicate process so I recommend you use your “zoom skills” to determine when and which information to focus on.
Tip: Use your “zoom” skills to stay on topic (“zoom in” on important information and “zoom out” on secondary information).
And remember, your job is to minimize redirections, not eliminate them.