Writing an essay is like having a kidney removed A certain story goes like this: There was a person that woke up in a bathtub of water full of ice. Shocked by the cold, he tried to get up, but couldn't. Though he felt groggy, he had the presence of mind to check himself, and found there was a tube sticking out the back where his kidney was. To his right, there is a telephone with a note:"Call this number". He did, and an operator on the other end asked where the caller was. He said he is in a bathtub full of ice. The operator said, don't move- you have just had your kidney removed, so stay where you are. We are coming to get you. Variations of this urban myth persist. Some details have changed, depending on where you heard it. One thing is certain- no matter where you go, the main characters and the general flow of the story does not change. I bought up this tale as an example what a good essay should do. There is mystery, there is intrigue, it is so simple, it hurts. There are a lot of tips on how to write an essay. Most will advocate a clear start and a strong conclusion. There are a lot of techniques out there, many already covered by various authors. I just want you to have a strong image in your mind as a start- whatever you write, this image will be the anchor which everything revolves around. A strong image does many things, and its job is to hit the reader where it hurts, so the English saying goes. Many essays here are short in nature. No one has the time to read through a wordy essay, before it gets buried by the next one. So having a clear image in mind, and weaving what you know into a singular narrative is an important technique to master. More than 50 years ago, mankind landed on the moon. The speech that galvanised the entire nation is a relatively wordy one, but it has one clear message: "Before the end of the decade, a nation will put a man on the moon and return him to Earth." Had this singular vision been buried under a pile of statistics, tedious whys and hows, or somehow muddied along the way, then the meaning will be lost. Have a clear image in your mind's eye. Organise your thoughts and prepare your essay around that singular image. Break up your sentences so they are short and simple. And remember to hit the reader where it hurts. Next week, I will write a little about the Hollywood Formula. If you are ever stuck in a rut, having a writer's block, or just plain lazy, this technique will give you a good start on essay writing. See you guys next week.