Good writing may seem magical, but it's not magic.
Ch. 10 America's Best Newspaper Writing
Many people think that good writers are simply blessed with some magical gift that allows them to pour out page after page of inspiring, thought provoking, beautiful language on the spot. Boy, are they wrong. As the authors of America's Best Newspaper Writing state, good writing results from thinking about writing, talking about writing, actually writing, rewriting, talking about writing some more, then rewriting some more, and so on. You get the point, good writing is not always easy. In fact, it can be very painful. According to the authors of America's Best Newspaper Writing, "Writing is not just accomplished with a pencil or at the keyboard. It is done in the head, with the eyes and the ears, and with the legs. So scratch out that image you have of a newspaper writer sitting in seclusion typing away on his computer furiously as he comes up with some brilliant, riveting story. No, this doesn't happen. First this reporter has to go out and search for such a story to write about. He has to use his legs to propel him forward on his search, while his eyes observe and his ears listen. And finally, when he finds his story, he most probably will not have time to go back and cozy up at home in seclusion for days to write it, he may even be so rushed that he types the story out on his laptop on the bus ride back to his office.