Hear Ye, Hear Ye! E.B. White on How To Write – Jennie Fitzkee

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Sue Vincent

Reblogged from A Teacher’s Reflections:

I love writing.  This summer I read the best book on how to write, the advice of E.B. White, author of Charlotte’s Web and other classics. Oh, I have read a host of posts and articles on writing, many from fellow bloggers.  They are all filled with terrific advice, but none compare to the simple, direct  advice of E.B. White.

It all started with reading the new book, Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet. I wanted to learn more about White. After all, Charlotte’s Web is my first chapter reading book of the year in my classroom.

The book is far more than E.B. White’s story. I am going to call him Andy in this blog post, as that was the nickname given to him by his Cornell University classmates.  His English professor at Cornell was William Strunk, who taught English from the book he wrote, The Elements of Style.  Andy greatly respected his professor, and as what often happens with good books, this book came into play much later in Andy’s life.

Children’s books were not even on the radar for Andy.  While he spent summers in Maine with a great love for the outdoors, his writing was not for children.  Well, not yet.  Andy’s first job after graduation was with the Seattle Times.  His writing was excellent, yet wordy.  Finally his boss said:

“Just say the words.”  That stuck with Andy the rest of his life.

Continue reading at A Teacher’s Reflections

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About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent was a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and a Director of The Silent Eye. She was immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintained a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lived in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She had a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. Sue  passed into spirit at the end of March 2021.
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19 Responses to Hear Ye, Hear Ye! E.B. White on How To Write – Jennie Fitzkee

  1. Darlene's avatar Darlene says:
    February 23, 2018 at 17:18

    Excellent post! We can learn so much from other writers.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  4. Patrick Dykie's avatar Patrick Dykie says:
    February 23, 2018 at 20:40

    Thank you for reblogging this.

    Like

    Reply
  5. reocochran's avatar reocochran says:
    February 23, 2018 at 20:51

    I have always admired E.B. White and enjoy this book immensely! I have another book about writing but I always draw a blank while at the library. It is “On Writing Well” or something like this by William Zinsser. It has always been my “go to” resource on developing my own voice, Sue. ❤
    Thanks for sharing Jennie with us! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. mrmilitantnegro's avatar The Militant Negro says:
    February 23, 2018 at 22:15

    Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Jennie's avatar Jennie says:
    February 24, 2018 at 02:22

    Thank you for sharing this story, Sue. Always an honor and a pleasure.

    Like

    Reply
  8. dgkaye's avatar dgkaye says:
    February 26, 2018 at 02:45

    Loved this again. ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  9. Jennie's avatar Jennie says:
    February 26, 2018 at 14:04

    Reblogged this on A Teacher's Reflections and commented:
    For all you E.B. White lovers, Sue Vincent has shared my post over on her Daily Echo blog, about writing and the advice of E.B. White. After all, “Charlotte’s Web” is my favorite. Thank you, Sue!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. L. Marie's avatar L. Marie says:
    February 28, 2018 at 22:14

    I need to read this book! I love E. B. White!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

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