Words on a page

A couple of weeks ago, I was at one of my favourite used bookstores and I stumbled upon a copy of the 30 ^th anniversary edition of On Writing Well by William Zinsser. While I was struck by the realization that it's been about 20 years since I first read the book, I decided to pick it up.

On Writing Well is one of the few writing books that I return to every couple of years. Whether I read it from introduction to end, or just thumb through it, I always find something new or something that I've forgotten.

This time around, a couple of passages from the introduction really struck me. In the first, Zinsser describes a photo he has in his office of E.B. White, and how that photo draws visitors:

What gets their attention is the simplicity of the process. White has everything he needs: a writing implement, a piece of paper, and a receptacle for all the sentences that didn't come out the way he wanted them to.

The second passage has a more modern tinge to it. Zinsser discusses how word processors, email, blogging, and the like have given more people the power and tools with which to write. And to write quickly, with immediacy:

But, as always, there's a catch. Nobody told all the new computer writers that the essence of writing is rewriting. Just because they're writing fluently doesn't mean they're writing well.

Those passages, to me, say it all about writing. It's deceptively simple, yet requires a lot more work than most people realize.