A good book on writing

 When experienced writers talk to students, one topic almost always comes up: supplies.

I don’t know why that surprises me — I’m particular about my own supplies — but it does. 

Natalie Goldberg, who appeared in yesterday’s note, writes in spiral notebooks. She usually goes through one a month and is always making and revising rules for using her notebook.

John R. Trimble, who taught at the University of Texas, advised writing on 5-by-8 slips of paper, about half the size of a standard sheet. They are less intimidating when you’re starting and they’re easier to flip through when you’re done, he said.

Trimble, who was teaching students how to write essays, recommended that you begin by writing questions that interest you at the top of each sheet and then use the rest of the sheet to jot down whatever ideas occur to you. If you know your material and ask good questions, you’ll probably find a good place to start just by flipping through those slips.

Writers who write books about writing try to do different things. Some get into the details of usage. Others talk of plots in novels. Still others talk of dialog in screenplays. But for a general introduction to what people used to call composition, Trimble’s little book is hard to beat.

• John R. Trimble, Writing with Style; Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1975.