Columnists > Judgment Calls  On writing  Know the rules, and how
to break them the right way  Issue: "Heresy trials," Aug. 18,
2001   I read a whole book on potty training once, which is a
bit much, don't you think? A yellow highlighter boiled the
essentials down to about an ounce of meat sandwiched between
lots of airy bread. What follows is my ounce of meat.  How to
write an essay: You're drifting off and a thought pops in; and
it sounds like a lead sentence so you jot it on the pad you keep
under the bed. You look for sleep, but it tugs at your ear, till
you finally give in and brainstorm the idea for all it's worth-
the gems and the junk alike. Come daylight, you mentally solve
syntactical problems-while folding laundry, molding meatballs,
conversing with your neighbor.    Then you sit in front of a
white page, terrified. You phone your mother crying, "This is
ridiculous! I can't write! Who am I kidding!"-which is all well
and good, but eventually you have to face the paper again. You
take a deep breath an