I finally worked on rewriting my essay a little today per suggestions from writer friends, but quickly realized that I'm probably going to have to outline or something to get my thoughts in better order so I can make my points clearly. It seems I just don't have the expertise--or perhaps the native intelligence--to nail an essay without a lot of work.

It doesn't bother me if it's simply that I'm not smart enough to dash off a ravishingly intellectual essay at odd moments, because I always figure a little bit of a knack and a lot of will power can make up for not being the sharpest tool in the shed.

So I worked on that a little, then set it aside and picked up my former GN, and got a page or two done--short but satisfying; still got that clean, crisp, simple feeling about it. Long may this continue.