<p>I've toiled for hours on an essay that seems to be going nowhere. I am having incredibly difficulty fitting what I want to say into 500 words. It sounds superficial and blank is just outright not what I want it to be. But I am having a hard time making it what I want to be.</p>
<p>So I ask, overall, how are good essays structure? Do they contain just one story? Three stories? What type of story or stories? Stories of growth? Change? Random stories that may not feature growth of character but may just be insightful? Should they be paraphrased? Or should they contain direct quotes? </p>
<p>In short, what is a good way to display how your "slice of life" illuminates character?</p>