The word essay comes from the French essayer — to try. The essay is, at its root, an attempt. Not a verdict. Not a treatise. A try at thinking about something publicly, with the understanding that the trying is what counts.
Modern blog culture has mostly forgotten this. Posts are pitched as conclusions, not attempts. The result is a flatter, more confident, less interesting body of writing.
Bring the try back. Write the essay that you do not yet know the answer to. The reader will follow you into the question.
