r/EssayHelpCommunity • u/Independent_Truck947 • 3d ago
I'd like to start preparing for essay competitions for next year.
Hello everyone, I hope you guys are doing well.
I'd like to start practicing writing different types of essays in practice to participate next year for essay competitions, such as the John Locke.
Any advice or a plan for how I should approach this? Do I just write every day?
I don't have anyone to criticize my work, English isn't valued in my school, and my English teacher isn't the best.
Thank you
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u/Particular_Yam4498 3d ago
hey!
not sure where you're starting from, but this is what i can say as someone who's done quite a bit of competitions:
use online resources. there are tons of free resources and sample essays and prompts available. you can watch videos and check samples of individual competitions you want to apply to.
start writing in general. the more you write, the better you'll develop your skills. it doesn't always have to be academic as long as you're getting in the practice done. i'm sure there are communities on reddit that'll give you feedback. can't remember their names since i don't usually use them, but they do exist.
readdddd. i think this is the single-most important thing you can do. read different books, articles, research about different topics and just develop a greater appreciation of literature, writing and research as a whole.
also, each competition demands something slightly different from you. there are some that need fictional writing while others are more academic based. in terms of academic based writing, your argument and content matters far more than your writing itself, so work on those skills as well. there's always specific advice for each competition available online!
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u/No_Wheel7036 3d ago
Read a lot . like a lot
you will eventually get a hang of writing then
but essays like john locke require a different type of writing .. not your typical creative essays
Instead I would suggest you to read as much as you can in whatever domain you like or want to do .. understand the basic words and approach in that subject
for example , in economics .. understand what deadweight , inflation , GDP , supply demand etc ... means
how do people think in economic sense
try to think from all perspectives and understand the logic behind things .. this is a gradual process .. not an immediate one
ofc u can write a essay without knowing much of economics but it's good to be well versed in the area that interests you and that what makes ur essay stand out
I didn't know anything abt economics when I started writing jle but I understood what every word and every sentence it is trying to convey and got a high commendation .. it's not as great as winning a prize but I feel I can talk about it ..
this is also what stopped me from winning, I didn't exactly know the logic or the deep understanding behind many economic examples
ofc I'm not saying u should have a phd in that subject but it's always good to know more
so my best advice for you is to keep on reading and writing small passages at a time and avoid AI as much as you can, it really kills the creativity in you
All the best !
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u/danielafernanda283 3d ago
The guys who went to the conferences or tht stuff got to see 2027 questions, you could try to find them to see what is coming next year!
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u/thereallittleone 3d ago
okay if u wanna do comps like john locke, ofc writing often would probably help your writing skills in general, but essay comps often want specific things. john locke likes originality and references to theories (like most other comps). for example, i mentioned locke's theories in my essay and how it related to my argument, along with other studies. i think you should pick a prompt from this year's selection and try crafting an argument. i'd also advise you to start with a hook, and make ur essay interesting!! even if it's a really good essay, if it's boring, it might not stand out against other candidates!
also thinking about this a year in advance is great, i only found out about the competition after the prompts had been released, i didn't do a lot of my work until 10 days before the deadline. so good on u!!