4.2 ThE SCriBE gUiDE TO WriTiNg EffECTivE NONfiCTiON “When you’re forced to be simple, you’re forced to face the real problem. When you can’t deliver ornament, you have to deliver substance.” —paul grahaM Remember writing essays in school with a minimum word count? If you were like me, you’re guilty of turning “they said” into “they then proceeded to vocally exclaim…” I can’t think of a worse way to learn to write. I didn’t have five pages of thoughts about Paul Revere’s ride, but being forced to write that much forced me to write convoluted sen- tences packed with unnecessary words to pad my essay and hit the space requirement. What I didn’t learn in school is how to write something people want to read. That is the key to nonfiction, and it’s never covered in school. ThE SCriBE gUiDE TO WriTiNg EffECTivE NONfiCTiON · 133