I. What is a cover letter?

      A cover letter is your personal introduction to the body of work that you have chosen to include in your English 120 portfolio. It is your opportunity to tell the reader of your work something about yourself and about the essays you have selected. This letter will help the reader to understand a little more about you and what you have written. It might even influence the reader in your favor. Most importantly, it is your time for self-evaluation, and to let the reader know what you believe are the most persuasive elements in your work and the most valuable benefits of your experience with the writing process.

II. What goes in a cover letter?

      The content of your letter will depend on the content of your portfolio. You will probably want to say something about each piece of writing in your portfolio, but you may approach your work in a variety of ways. Here are a few suggestions that might help you to identify important information in your essays and your writing process that you can use in your cover letter.

A) Discovery. What was it that you appreciated the most about your work and about the writing process itself? Did you discover and/or learn from the experience? How do you relate to what you have written? Does it inspire you to learn and write more? What does it say about you?

B) Thematic variety. How do your essays differ from each other? Do they express different points of view on similar subjects or varied subjects? Is there a theme or a particular sentiment that runs through all of your essays? (This is something you might be able to recognize after you have completed all of your essays and spent some time reading them over.) Does your point of view on different subjects say something about the way in which you see the world? Is there an implicit philosophical statement in your work that says something about humankind which you would like to discuss?

C) Culture/Background. Has your cultural background affected the way you think and the way you write? This is a unique part of an individual and a good starting point for an introduction to your experience with writing. However, remember to integrate these personal points as they relate to your body of work, or they will become superfluous.

D) Revision. How did the revising and editing process help you? Revision (editing and rewriting) is an integral part of the writing process. Often what you start out with is not what you will end up with. Did your essays, or maybe just one or two in particular, change because of your revision? You might want to discuss this process in your cover letter, particularly if it played an important role in your final product.

III. How does one prepare to write a cover letter?

A) After reading your essays to yourself, read them aloud to a friend or colleague. This may help you to listen to your own voice and to learn something different about what you have written.

B) Write a cover letter for each finished essay. This will provide you with practice and possibly make it easier for you to write the final cover letter for all your essays.

C) When you are writing the cover letter, pretend that you are writing to a friend. This might help you to "loosen up" a bit and fill in the blank face of an anonymous reader.

D) Write an outline for your cover letter by making a list of important points about the process of writing each of your essays.

IV. What form should a cover letter take?

      There is no strict standardized form; a regular letter format will do fine. There is no specific length requirement either, but to allow you to represent yourself in the most advantageous way you will probably need several paragraphs. A very short cover letter will not give your reader enough information to understand your writing and choice-making processes, while a very long letter may make your reader impatient to get on to the essays that are being introduced.

NOTE: there are many suggestions in this handout, and that is just what they are--suggestions. If, as you work on your cover letter, you find that other ideas or methods occur to you, by all means, use them. As with any kind of writing, writing a cover letter is a process of discovering what you have to say and finding your own way to express that effectively.