“Fear of writing gets planted in most Americans at any early age, usually at school, and it never entirely goes away. The blank piece of paper or the blank computer screen , waiting to be filled with our wonderful words, can freeze us into not writing any words at all, or writing words that are less than wonderful. I’m often dismayed by the sludge I see appearing on my screen if I approach writing as a task — the day’s work — and not with some enjoyment. My only consolation is that I’ll get another shot at those dismal sentences tomorrow and the next day and the day after.”

— from the chapter “Enjoyment, Fear and Confidence” in William Zinsser’s On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction