Even a poor translator couldn't kill a style that moves with such narrative clarity.

Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it's where the game is won or lost. The idea is hard to accept. We all have emotional equity in our first draft; we can't believe that it wasn't born perfect. But the odds are close to 100 percent that it wasn't.

If the nails are weak, your house will collapse. If your verbs are weak and your syntax is rickety, your sentences will fall apart.

People read with their ears, whether they know it or not.

Much of my writing has taken the form of a pilgrimage: to sacred places that represent the best of America, to musicians and other artists who represent the best of their art.

Clutter is the official language used by corporations to hide their mistakes.

If writing seems hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things people do.