What the hell is a portfolio
What does a writing portfolio entail really? I've been working on a longer project + maybe some shorter excerpts from stories I've written, I realize there's no right combination really but what makes a portfolio tick aka what mix of completed/excerpted work, does it help at all to be consistent stylistically? This matters less to me since most of my work has a pretty uniform throughline but still interested in hearing other perspectives.
Also, do prior publications matter as far as the overall strength of your application (I realize the process can be quite arbitrary but I'm looking for some thoughts from people who have gotten into selective or not-so-selective writing programs). I'm based outside the US to clarify, don't have much experience with the US admissions pipeline. Any thoughts appreciated.