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Introduction
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in On Writing Well, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Human Element
Simplicity vs. Clutter
Process and Organization
The Gift of Writing
Summary
Analysis
A local school invites Zinsser to present to students about the writing profession. It also invites the professional surgeon and budding amateur writer Dr. Brock, who disagrees with Zinsser on everything. Brock says that writing is fun and easy, while Zinsser says that writing is hard, frustrating, and lonely. Brock doesn’t believe in rewriting, while Zinsser argues that “rewriting is the essence of writing.” Brock rejects routine, loves hanging out with other writers, and intentionally puts symbols in his work, while Zinsser embraces routine, never meets with other writers, and doesn’t believe in symbolism.
Readers might assume that Zinsser mentions Dr. Brock in order to show that amateurs don’t understand what it takes to be a professional writer. But actually, Zinsser isn’t saying that there’s anything wrong with Dr. Brock’s routine (with the possible exception of his failure to rewrite). Instead, Zinsser and Brock simply represent all the ways that writers disagree about how to approach their craft. But this is actually liberating for writers, because it means that good writing has nothing to do with what time they get up, how much coffee they drink, or where they write their first draft. Zinsser isn’t interested in telling writers how to live their lives, or even what style to use—instead, this book focuses on the writing challenges that truly are universal, like how to be clear and how to connect with the reader.
Themes
Brock and Zinsser both find their disagreements fascinating. Their conversation proves that there’s no “right” way to write: each writer follows the method that works for them. But all writing processes involve vulnerability and tension. People become writers because they want to communicate something deep within them, so all writing is based on a fundamental “personal transaction.” Effective writers show “humanity and warmth” through lively, clear prose. While teaching these techniques is hard, it’s possible to learn them.
All writers face the same basic problem: how to set up the “personal transaction”—or how to say something meaningful and connect with the reader. This is fundamentally a human problem, not a technical one. Therefore, Zinsser won’t be giving his readers a set of hard-and-fast rules. Instead, he wants to help other writers think critically about their purpose, craft, and identity, so that they can do the work that is most meaningful to them.
Themes
