Attempt; piece of writing (5)
I believe the answer is:
essay
I believe this is a double definition.
'attempt' is the first definition.
(essay can mean to try or attempt something)
'piece of writing' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
(Other definitions for essay that I've seen before include "Old experiment" , "example of Hazlitt's work" , "Short literary piece: attempt" , "Thesis" , "Endeavour" .)