The 2025 R. Joel Senter Sr. Memorial Essay Contest
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On-line versions of the stories can be found at:
https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=The_62_Sherlock_Holmes_stories_written_by_Arthur_Conan_Doyle
Many more resources concerning each of the Sherlock Holmes stories can be found at:
A Comprehensive Look at the Stories of Sherlock Holmes
Thinking About Your Essay
Feel free to be creative. Read the essay questions for your age category and select one that you find interesting, challenging, and worth writing about. Use a pre-writing strategy (web, bulleted list, graphic organizer) that you are comfortable with to gather and organize ideas for your answer, as well as details from the story that suggest your interpretations are strong.
Before you start writing, ask yourself what you know about the role you adopt and the audience you are writing for. Think about the approach you will use to support your opinion. What sort of detail from the story would grab your audience’s attention?
The Traditional Structural Rules
Cite the text or use details, examples, quotations, and paraphrases to support your views.
The essay should include an introductory paragraph, main body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.
The introduction should set up the general discussion of your subject. It should lead to a very specific statement of your main point. The introductory paragraph should summarize the main point that will be developed in the main body paragraphs of your essay.
Each body paragraph should discuss a single idea, reason, or example that supports your main point. Each paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence Use details, references, examples, and citations from the story to make your points clear and your arguments convincing. All of the ideas raised in your body paragraph should support your main point.
You should begin your conclusion paragraph with a restatement of your main point. Discuss why you think that your main point is important to the understanding of the story. Since this is the last piece of the essay that the reader will read, think about the idea or feeling that you want to leave your reader with. The conclusion should be specific.
Willis Frick, a good Sherlockian, offers some helpful rules if you want to write a Sherlockian term paper.
https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=The_62_Sherlock_Holmes_stories_written_by_Arthur_Conan_Doyle
Many more resources concerning each of the Sherlock Holmes stories can be found at:
A Comprehensive Look at the Stories of Sherlock Holmes
Thinking About Your Essay
Feel free to be creative. Read the essay questions for your age category and select one that you find interesting, challenging, and worth writing about. Use a pre-writing strategy (web, bulleted list, graphic organizer) that you are comfortable with to gather and organize ideas for your answer, as well as details from the story that suggest your interpretations are strong.
Before you start writing, ask yourself what you know about the role you adopt and the audience you are writing for. Think about the approach you will use to support your opinion. What sort of detail from the story would grab your audience’s attention?
The Traditional Structural Rules
Cite the text or use details, examples, quotations, and paraphrases to support your views.
The essay should include an introductory paragraph, main body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.
The introduction should set up the general discussion of your subject. It should lead to a very specific statement of your main point. The introductory paragraph should summarize the main point that will be developed in the main body paragraphs of your essay.
Each body paragraph should discuss a single idea, reason, or example that supports your main point. Each paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence Use details, references, examples, and citations from the story to make your points clear and your arguments convincing. All of the ideas raised in your body paragraph should support your main point.
You should begin your conclusion paragraph with a restatement of your main point. Discuss why you think that your main point is important to the understanding of the story. Since this is the last piece of the essay that the reader will read, think about the idea or feeling that you want to leave your reader with. The conclusion should be specific.
Willis Frick, a good Sherlockian, offers some helpful rules if you want to write a Sherlockian term paper.