Miguel Luna

Professor John Straus

English Composition 102

August 8, 2017

Essay 3

How to Become a Better Writer with Ted Hershorn

Tad Hershorn visited our English class for an interview. He is the writer of some of the

texts that we read during class. Some of his works are: “One column can bear the weight of your

thesis” and “The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice”. My classmates and I asked questions related

to how to become a better writer. Tad, with all his experience as a professional writer, responded

our questions and gave several suggestions to us to improve our writing.

One of the many questions that Hershorn addressed was “What do you do about writer’s

block?” Writer’s block is an issue that I have suffered through my high school years and even

right now for writing this essay. He responded by saying “bull your way through, make coffee

for the muse, and motivate yourself to write about the topic.” In other words, do not let writer’s

block stop you. However, it is easier to say it than put into practice. While I write a few

sentences, I get easily distracted by other thoughts in my mind. Then, I usually follow those

thoughts and get lost in my mind or in the internet rambling. Then, the frustration knocks me

because writing lacks the excitement that other branches give me such as physics, math or

chemistry. To be honest, the twenty-pages monograph about aerodynamics in parachutes was

more exciting than this essay. It had my own research, observations, calculations and
experiment. How can I start a work without the motivation? I ask that question to myself every

time that I wrote an essay. Why I should be forced to write about topics that I am not interested?

Even right now, between each sentence that I write, there is at least five minutes gap of just

thinking and starting to feel dizzy. However, as Hershorn I have to “bull [my] way through” and

“sit down until [I] have [a] clue”. What I am doing right now is the “fail proof solution”

suggested by Jeff Groins in his article “How to Overcome Writer’s Block”, “Start somewhere,

anywhere. Write a few lines. Say anything. And see what happens. Don’t think about it too much

or make any fancy announcements. Just write. It doesn’t need to be eloquent or presentable; it

just needs to be written.” So, I am writing what my internal voice is saying for keep the ideas

flowing and focus in the topic. This is my way to “bull [my] way through” and get the inspiration

that I need for writing.

Other topic that Hershorn referred in this interview is to avoid fancy words. From my

high school years, I have been taught that the use of complex words can represent the

comprehension of the topic. Overt time, I realized that there is a difference between using fancy

words and key words related to the topic. However, I was still sure that the use of these words

would make the paper seem more elaborated. The SAT just reaffirmed that mentality. But,

Hershorn changed my point of view when he stated, “to pick the words that are precise that [I]

want to say”. In other words, fancy words are not necessary for writing well elaborated essays.

William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White state a similar opinion in their book The Elements of Style,

“Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute. Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar

word when there is a ten-center handy, ready and able”. Here, they state using simple and

straightforward words are more effective to argue and more understandable to the reader. The
excessive use of fancy words would limit the reader’s comprehension and would weaken the

argumentative force.

Hershorn also addressed the question,” how do you write about topics you’re unsure

off?” He responded with “try to do research before starting as much as possible”. Before starting

an essay, the writer should be totally familiarized with the topic. With the knowledge of the

topic, the writer can easily develop the arguments and present the evidence for supporting those

ideas. The research process in not complete until the writer is “confident that [he or she] can

finish the paper before even starting”, as Hershorn described during the interview. In other

words, it lets the writing be more fluid, when the writer is prepared. The arguments can be

effectively supported and insightful. Having well-structured and developed arguments is the true

sign that the writer has been researching about the topic.

During the interview, Hershorn mentioned the importance of details. According to him,

“details help you make your point.” The accumulation of details let something in particular,

stand out, and appeals to the reader’s senses. Take for example, Pico Iyer’s essay The Joy of

Quiet. Iyer explains the necessity of moving away from technology and enjoy the quietness. For

that reason, Iyer describes the setting. He uses phrases such as “great blue expanse of the Pacific

on one side of us, the high, brown hills of the Central Coast on the other”, so that the reader can

visualize the nature that Iyer sees and, most importantly, how he feels. The details of the setting,

such as the colors of the ocean or the hills, let the reader recognize the quietness and tranquility.

In other words, the detail is an important feature that let the reader understand the point of view

of the writer and be persuaded. It also let the image come to life and appeal to the senses of the

reader.
 Tad Hershorn was very kind to share his knowledge and experience gathered during his

years as a writer with us. His techniques and suggestions will help me become a better writer.

However, the knowledge is not enough. The practice will be an essential element in the track to

become better writer.

 Works Cited

Goins, Jeff. Goins, Writer. s.f. 7 August 7, 2017.

Hershorn, Tad. «Tad's Class Visit.» 2017.

Strunk Jr., William y E.B. White. The Elements of Style. Fourth Edition. Pearson. 2000.

Iyer, Pico. «The Joy of Quiet.» The New York Times December 19, 2011.