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When a writer gets good at her craft, she can make it seem easy—almost effortless—to write elegant and well-thought-out prose. But writing is never as easy as it seems when you read a polished piece of work. Beneath the surface is a hidden history of struggle, false starts and dead ends, inarticulate and uncertain ideas laboriously worked into clear, lucid, sometimes lovely prose.

　　Good writing, like any craft, is the product of training, practice, and persistence. That can be discouraging, but it should also encourage you: if you persist, if you work, if you try, you will become a better writer, a good writer, able to express your thoughts with elegance and clarity.

Nuts and Bolts in a nutshell

Why it matters