Is it really possible to write an essay that will garner you millions? It is, and here’s the perfect recipe for doing so.
When the time comes for you to write your winning manuscript, it won’t be long before your fingers are itching to start typing. The question is, what will you type? The answer is a beautiful letter offering you a lucrative prize, of course!
Now’s the time to peak inside your heads and see what gems you’ve got hidden. Did you ever think about entering a contest for some monetary prize?
Many of us have, and many of us have entered numerous writing contests with nary a single win to show for it. This, my friend, is because we weren’t writing for the right reasons. You see, not all contest entrants will be successful, and here’s the key difference between the successful ones and the others. They wrote for the love of writing, while we wrote because we thought we’d get a win and be able to pay our rent.
This is a mistake, my friends. You see, the moment you set out to write a winning essay for a contest, the universe conspires to help you craft an outstanding masterpiece. If you’ll only open up to the universe and believe in its power, you’ll be able to write the essay of your dreams.
The first step to taking your writing career in a new direction is identifying the type of essays you enjoy writing the most. Are you more of a political science or philosophy type? A business report or a biography may be more your style. It’s always nice to have a couple options, so you can write what you love without feeling as though you have to tailor your work to suit someone else’s preferred medium.
Once you’ve got your preferred genre in mind, you can take a step back and reinterpret some of the themes you associate with winning essays. What do you love most about Benjamin Franklin? The successful applicants will have reinterpreted his life’s work in ways that speak to a modern audience. Did you know that Franklin went to France and saw the Statue of Liberty and had one of the first, if not the first, recorded conversations with Thomas Jefferson? Or that he dined with the King of England and made friends with members of the British Parliament? These are all exciting details that can be woven into your essay.
The next step is to craft an outline for your essay. The following outline will help you decide what details you need to include in your essay and in what order you need to present them. Start by brainstorming the following topics:
- How did Franklin become an optimist?
- What did he do to make America a superpower?
- What were his philosophies on life?
- How did he shape the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States?
- What are some of his best quotes?
- Why should young people study Franklin’s work?
- What do you think is his greatest achievement?
- What would you add to this list?
Now that you’ve got your topics planned, you can start building an outline. It’s always a good idea to start with a brief history of your chosen subject. What is the modern-day relevance of Benjamin Franklin’s life and work? What were the historical events that shaped the 20th century? You’ll often hear me say that relevance is the keystone of a successful essay. You want your audience to care about what you’ve written and to feel as though it applies to their everyday lives.
After you’ve covered the basic history of your subject, it’s time to delve into the reasons for your admiration. Why is Franklin’s work important? Why should you study his life and work? The most effective way to answer these questions is by relating your findings to daily life. What are some of the challenges young people in the 21st century face? What are some of the problems that Franklin’s contemporaries faced?
You want your essay to read like a love letter to your audience. If you’ve got an outstanding piece of music that speaks to you, you can use it as a writing tool to pull the listener into your piece.
There’s no wrong way to write an essay so long as you put your heart and soul into it. You want to write an exceptional essay that will land you that sweet, sweet money. So go ahead and start typing, my friend, and may the forces be with you!