I've been asked about writing for essay competitions, so I've included some rough thoughts below. Although these are specific to competitions, I think some general lessons hold for other kinds of essays, particularly those for business school applications.
- As a very crude framework, use the three P's of writing and presenting. Be precise, be professional, be profound. With precision, you say exactly what you mean to say. If you don't know what you're trying to convey, your audience won't be able to somehow figure it out, so write with clarity. Professionalism pertains to the tone and style you use, which requires you to know your audience. Don't write beneath their level, and don't go over their heads. Write to be understood, using humor, references and the language register that resonates with your reader. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, be profound. Your essays should not tell people something they already know, something they won't care about, or something they will instantly forget.
- Mean what you say. Have a point of view, and share it. If you lack conviction, your audience won't be convinced. Be passionate and informed. Without the former, your essay is boring; without the latter, it's merely a rant.
- Good writing raises questions and encourages further exploration of the topics you've raised. Unless you're writing a lengthy monograph, you won't exhaust all of the possibilities of your subject in a single essay. The reader should be sufficiently intrigued by the possibilities your essay raises.
- Competition writing requires tightly structured essays. Remember that your reviewers may be going through dozens, even hundreds of essays each. They probably won't have the time or inclination to slog through a meandering, unstructured essay. Have a rock-solid structure to build on.
- At the outset, it's okay to iterate a few times on the main theme of your essay. You may find it changing as you develop your arguments. Just make sure that by the time you're finished your theme has crystallized.
- Don't raise too many points. Depending on the essay format and audience, 3-5 discrete themes or points should suffice. Fewer than that and it may not be substantial enough; too many and it may be hard to follow.
- Remember that all of you paragraphs should ultimately support your overarching argument. Try to articulate the purpose of your essay in one sentence. This sentence doesn't necessarily have to be in the essay itself, but write it down and use it to remind yourself of the point of your essay. Filter your words against this theme (which may evolve at the outset; see earlier point). This will help ensure that extraneous elements are cut out.
- In general, write an essay that's longer than what's required and then trim it to fit, rather than writing one too short and then padding it. You'll have a tighter, more effective result.
- Make it personal. To distinguish yourself, call on the various threads of your own experiences, viewpoints and observations. These are the things that can make an essay uniquely yours, and help it to stand out.
