My old blogger-friend. Bill Boggs (westtexastransplant.blogspot.com), has stirred me from my lethargy and inspired me to return, if only briefly, to the blogger world after reading his latest effort of 6/18/13 on Reading.
He mentioned the influence of William Zinsser's "On Writing Well". Zinsser for many years taught at Yale and this precious book is a writer's necessity. I mentioned in a comment to my friend's blog on Reading that I keep next to my computer this book by Zinsser as well as E.B. White's "Elements of Style". These two books are the bread and butter of improving your writing skills with their emphasis on clarity and directness. They cover everything from grammar to usage to style, all the ingredients which comprise the magic recipe for good writing.
Take, for example, this gem from E.B. White, one of the mainstay staff members of The New Yorker and author, of "Charlotte's Web", the children's classic:
"Writing is, for most, laborious and slow. The mind travels faster than the pen; consequently, writing becomes a question of learning to make occasional wing shots, bringing down the bird of thought as it passes by."
Or:
"The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place."
White studied at Cornell and had a marvelous Professor of English, William Strunk, Jr., who inspired his love of and appreciation of good writing. White took Strunk"s book, "Elements of Style", updated it and added his own section on style in writing. It became a classic.
Zinsser's book is full of the tools for good writing:
"First, then, learn to hammer in the nails and, if what you built is sturdy and serviceable, take satisfaction in its plain strength."
"What you write is yours and nobody else's. Take your talent as far as you can and guard it with your life."
I recall some years ago when I was in business and received a memo from an associate proposing a certain course of action. The memo was flowery and unfocused, a sad attempt at being "literary" and impressive, to the extent that the proposed action was unclear. I called the associate into my office and said, "I've got a lot on my plate today. I see your long memo. Would you in your own words summarize it?" The guy, bing, bang, boom, in a succinct logical sequence outlined what he wanted. I said, "Why didn't you write like that in your memo? Remember, writing is like geometry: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line."
So, I recommend: when in doubt, go to Zinsser and White for the elements of writing. They were wise preceptors and can only make what you want to say clear and better. We all can use that kind of help.
