In the first chapter, by analyzing two different attitudes towards writing between Dr. Brock and himself , William Zinsser states that there isn't a fixed way to write, and the core of good non-fiction writing is the personal transaction.
The second chapter indicates that the problem of American writing is clutter, which is opposite from the standard of good writing: stripping to the simplest version. Then he verifies his idea by using Rosevelt's and Thoreau's words. The method to avoid stripping is to think clearly. In the writing process, the writer should go over the sentences again and again, making it most condensed and straightforward to satisfy readers' demands.
