On Writing Well Ch1-2

I can already tell that On Writing Well by William Zinsser is going to be one of my favorite “textbooks.” Reading chapters one and two was not just a simple and enjoyable task- it was also exceptionally informative. I loved how in chapter one he describes writing as “a craft, not an art.” To me this is very interesting because I would have expected answers like Dr. Brock’s about being a professional writer. I never thought of it as a craft or a job, something you have to work at every day. That thought tied into English class for me because when he mentioned a set aside time for writing every day, it is similar to us freewriting five days out of the week for ten minutes. In chapter one he also talks about how writing is a very personal work, there is no right way to do it and I can see a relation between that and English class, where we are encouraged to be our own selves and write about what we want by writing how we want to (within certain parameters).

The goal to not sell the reader on the topic, but on the writer is something that spared an ‘aha’ moment in me. It explains how I can pick up a book or an article on something that isn’t a topic that interests me yet it draws me in. It works both ways though, it is also one reason why I might be too bored or cannot finish an article on a topic that is really interesting to me. Zinsser explains it as the “aliveness” that keeps the reader reading. I think that’s a perfect description. I am very interested to see how humanity and warmth are two qualities so strongly expressed in this book, which he stated in the end of chapter one. I don’t really see how they go with professional writing, but I figure I will learn soon.

I related so strongly to chapter two because clutter is my biggest problem writing. I say unnecessary things, repeat myself, or circle around a thought instead of saying it, and has been a problem in my entire academic writing career. I learned that he thought the secret to good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. My English teacher in 10^th grade had us do a revision exercise that put every sentence by itself so we could see our paper sentence by sentence. It was one of the most helpful exercises I’ve done with writing and what Zinsser said reminded me of it and made me realize the importance of each sentence. I know one of the reasons I have so much clutter in my writing is because I do not have a clear head, and Zinsser said that clear thinking leads to clear writing. I just have so many thoughts that pass through my head and I try to write as many down as I can, but in the end I end up doing all the negative things I stated earlier- especially repeating myself.

When Zinsser gave the example that Thoreau, one of the greatest writers ever, simply wrote what was on his mind it really made the chapter come together for me. I understood everything about writing simplistically, but having the example really sent it into my memory.

Having the revisions at the end of chapter two was such a good idea. It was amazing to see them and they really made sense. I looked through them and they are just little things that I really struggle with thinking of on my own, like when he changed “two or three different” into “several.” It’s such a simple fix but I know I struggle with coming up with things like that on my own. I really look forward to reading this book and all the learning that will come with it.