Writing improves in direct ratio to the things we can keep out of it that shouldn't be there.
Interpretation
Writing becomes better when we eliminate unnecessary elements.
This quote emphasizes the importance of clarity and conciseness in writing. William Zinsser suggests that the quality of our writing improves significantly when we learn to discern what information is essential and what can be omitted, leading to more impactful communication.
In practice
A writer might use this quote during a workshop on effective writing techniques.
Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things that people do
Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or a craft. Bach and Picasso didn't spring full-blown as Bach or Picasso; they needed models. This is especially true of writing.
Good writing is lean and confident.
My four articles of faith: clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.
I have no interest in teaching writers how to sell. I want to teach them how to write. If the process is sound, the product will take care of itself, and sales are likely to follow.
Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident. . . . Every little qualifier whittles away some fraction of the reader's trust. Readers want a writer who believes in himself and in what he is saying. Don't diminish that belief. Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.
He that will enjoy the brightness of sunshine, must quit the coolness of the shade.
Actions are but lifeless forms whose soul is the secret of sincerity in them
And how can you achieve such concentration? By recognizing that everything you do is important to God, and is one vital piece of the larger picture of your life.
Deciding to be honest was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, and also the most important.
It is amazing how many hints and guides and intuitions for living come to the sensitive person who has ears to hear what his body is saying.
Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius.
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