Reflecting on Chapter 1 and 2 of "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser

William Zinsser, as a career writer, believes writing to be hard. Personally, writing has never been my best talent. When I was little it was a fun way to kill time, but now writing is just endless hours of pain and torture. In the first chapter, we are introduced to Zinsser, a career writer, and Dr. Brock, a surgeon who writes on the side. After being asked a series of questions, it is noted that each answer is the opposite form of the other answer. Zinsser believed writing to be hard, and Dr. Brock couldn't imagine writing not being easy. I agree with both Zinsser and Dr. Brock. I agree with Zinsser that it is imperative to revise your work, but I also agree with Dr. Brock that a depressed mood will affect your writing. Depending on how I feel that day, my writing could either be light or dark. In chapter 2, Zinsser explains how complicated the English language is and how simplicity is key in communication. I do believe that people use many useless words in order to sound smarter than they actually are, when they could just leave out those words and get their point across. Zinsser goes on to say that "Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one cannot exist without the other." I completely agree because if I am thinking of many things at one time, it reflects on my writing, and my writing becomes cluttered.