Zinsser says that writing about places — “beautiful, historically significant places that tourists spend time and money to visit” — is “very hard.” He says that written descriptions of such places are often “just plain terrible” because they rely on syrupy, subjective language and “groaning platitudes.” The descriptions are terrible because they are trite.
If it’s hard not to be trite writing about places that are not trite (but beautiful and historical), is it harder still to write about trite places like strip malls and gasoline stations? I think it’s probably as hard, and the technique is probably the same. You strive for accuracy, and if you get it right and the commonplace information you have captured is relevant, you will succeed.
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