Apology for Noise

I owe my blog readers an apology. I recently completed two books by William Zinsser: “On Writing Well” and “Writing to Learn.” In both books Zissner goads his students to be organized and write without noise. Clear writing is clear thinking. What good is a passage if it does not deliver a sound conclusion? The key to success is editing. I have written some playful articles and put little effort into editing them. I’m sorry.

I write to learn. I clean concepts and test my logic through writing. Unfortunately, I often truncate or confuse the subject with incomplete authorship. A recent personality test said I’m a puzzle builder. And I refrain from completing the puzzle for others because I expect them to enjoy the process of organizing the disparate pieces. I should say it plainly. My metaphors, humor and whimsy have —at times— been a distraction. Again, I’m sorry.

I cloaked my thoughts in fanciful dress to hide the unkept parts. I have abdicated the organizing and reasoning to my reader. It was selfish and ignorant of me. Again, I’m sorry. 

Zinsser recommends “Art of Thinking” by Vincent Ruggiero and “Reasoning” by Michael Scriven. I immediately read both. The four-way combination of these books delivers a wallop. The big point? Organize your premise, inferences and conclusions in a manner that communicates well the insight you aim to share. Then say it plainly.

Point of this post? I should edit more.