Attention personal essayists . . .

Stupid, eh?  Yeah, I'm Stupid. Stupid like a fox!

Consider minimizing:

1. Everybody's-stupid-except-me rants (unless they are unusually perceptive or funny); 

2. shallow wisdom (a. k.a . pre-fabricated sermonettes);

3. generic identifiers (e.g.:  "the car").

Consider maximizing:

1. Everybody's-stupid-and-so-am-I rants;

2. reflections that convey meaning (but not always clarity) without being tied up with a moral-of-the-story bow; 

3. specific descriptors (e.g.:  "an unwashed '97 blue Taurus with a peeling "I'm a User" bumper sticker in the back window on the driver's side").