Soon, students will return to school and sit down at a small desk. Once seated, boys and girls will find themselves staring at a series of math word problems or long pages of difficult-to-read science or history text, as well as the dreaded weekly English essays.
To these anxious students, I say, “Take on those essays. Don’t be intimidated. Let your light shine. Present your opinions, your ideas, your humor. Put aside your fear of being ridiculed by your peers. Show your intelligence. The better writers are the better thinkers.”
You can become a better writer by thinking more and writing more. One writing expert recommends writing two or three five-paragraph essays and presenting your work every day.
Years ago, computer scientist and writer Paul Graham wrote an essay called “The Age of the Essay.” He began by writing, “The most obvious difference between real essays and the stuff you have to write in school is that real essays are not just about English literature.”
In other words, says Graham, write about a topic other than a commentary on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
An ambitious student seeking good writing skills can choose from a mountain of books, each designed to improve the student’s essays.
The first books I would take from this mountain are William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” and “Writing to Learn.” Zinsser was a long-time columnist in New York City and a lecturer in nonfiction writing at Yale University. He guides young and old authors step by step.
Zinsser “claims that writing about a field of knowledge is the best way to delve into it and learn it.” He demands “accuracy, brevity, and clarity.” He says, “Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone who thinks clearly should be able to write clearly on any subject.”
“Clear writing is the logical arrangement of thoughts. A scientist who thinks clearly can write as well as the best writer.”
I would also recommend Stephen King’s book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Of all of King’s books, On Writing is the most unique. He takes a break from writing horror novels long enough to describe his early years growing up in Maine and learning how and what to write.
Isaac Asimov’s short biography “It’s Been a Good Life” is similar to King’s book. In it, he describes his working habits: seven days a week, from early in the morning until ten in the evening. Always writing. The result: Over the course of his life, Isaac Asimov published around 500 books.
The most comprehensive work in this mountain of books on writing is The Elements of Style by William Strunk and EB White. Thousands of copies of this slim volume fill the shelves of second-hand bookstores.
Students may glance at Elements of Style once or twice during class, but most put it aside after class, convinced they will never write again.
Bill Benson of Sterling is a dedicated historian.
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