No one is born a writer—but that appears to be the assumption of most professors when they hand out essay writing assignments in online classes. The instructions are long, but mostly lay down rules of formatting. Nothing much is said about how to actually write an essay. This leaves most students scratching their heads staring at a blank page, and days later scrambling frantically so they can make a submission on the due date. What I offer below is a simple guide on writing essays based on a process driven 10-step template. If you write an essay following this template, completing every step as you go, at the very least you will have something that will read nicely. Caveat: This guide is certainly not the only way of tackling this sometimes insurmountable task, but it will definitely help you get through the any writer’s block AND help you see the point of writing an essay. First things first: What exactly is an essay? The dictionary definition of an essay is “a short piece of writing on a particular topic.” It also means to attempt or to try, as in the phrase “essay a smile” (look it up). It makes perfect sense that to write an essay is to attempt writing about a topic being explored, or as in the case of academic assignments, to answer a question or a set of questions. So why do you need to write an essay? Most times, it is only to satisfy an online class requirement. If you’re following the humanities track, that means a ton of essay assignments for you (lucky you!). But even mathematics courses require an essay or two for degree completion in todays online classes most students take. Most students have thereby associated essay writing as some sort of academic muscle flexing: so they can demonstrate their understanding of course materials to professors. Although this serves a practical purpose, this is a simplistic, albeit dangerous, way of looking at an activity that is more than an obligatory undertaking. The real reason behind writing essays is so the writer can untangle the chaos in his (or her) brain, and organize his (or her) trains of thought by making them tangible on paper or digital medium. Essay writing allows the writer to formulate an informed, coherent, if not sophisticated, set of ideas about a topic that matters (most importantly to you). At the very least, writing clarifies your thinking, extends your memory, and allows for a systematic exploration of topics. When words are put into writing, it is far easier to edit them, pick out the good ones and remove substandard thoughts, rather than culling them of the top of your head. This is essentially separating the wheat from the chaff. You can also write down ideas faster and far easier than you would remember them. This extends your capacity to consider a bunch of ideas without getting lost in your own trains of thought. Once those ideas are on paper, you can further manipulate them: move them around, change their structure, combine similar ideas together, do whatever pleases your writing brain. Writing gives you more leeway in terms of cognitive calisthenics. Most students reduce endeavors such as writing as nothing more than the product of capriciousness in the academia. But again (and this is a big BUT), this is an ignorant and dangerous presumption. Consider the practicality of writing: The person who is able to communicate their ideas better typically come out a winner. If you are applying for work, you have to make a good case for yourself. If you are seeking a raise in salary, you are most likely to convince your boss if you are able to justify your request. If you can make someone believe in the validity of your ideas, you have to do more than plainly say your piece. You have to argue logically, coherently and with the sophistication of a being with a functional brain. This is particularly important if you are competing with people who may have given their ideas considerable thought. If, as a consequence of writing, you are better able to think and communicate your thoughts, then you are a better person for it. As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword. Ideas can change your life. Ideas change history. Ideas change the world. The Romans built edifices and they, along with their mighty buildings, are both gone. Well crafted words outlast stone edifices, the right ideas can outlast empires, however great they were. Speaking of survival, having the ability to both write and edit can enable you to tell the difference between good and bad ideas and the degree of intelligence that went into presenting them, AND bad ideas presented in murky, but rather convincing manner (think of fake news). You are better able to discern and be influenced by solid and profound ideas, instead of getting swayed to and fro by foolish whims and idiotic ideologies, which can be trivial or mortally dangerous. Those who are armed with good thinking and communication skills are more powerful than those who are not. They occupy higher places in the society (think of investors such as Warren Buffet, doctors, inventors, politicians, economists, and so and so forth) and influence the trajectory of their lives and other people’s lives. Every now and then, a few especially gifted ones get to change the trajectory of their field, of history, of humanity. As for us mere mortals, at the very least, we get to make our lives better. If you develop your thinking through writing, then you will develop an organized and efficient mind. You will align yourself with more informed choices. And you can rid your mind of toxic, unclear, trivial, and ignorant thoughts. This cuts down unnecessary energy expenditure on things that don’t add value to your life. And gives you more time and energy to spend on things that do. Never underestimate the power of words. Without them, we would still be huddling in caves. So the next time you sit down to write an essay, remember that it is more than a trivial academic exercise. You are doing yourself a favor by improving your life (and your ability to improve the world) one word at a time.