Tripping lightly through Chapter 11

My highlighter came to rest on just two passages in Chapter 11, "Nonfiction as Literature:"

"The preponderance of what writers now write and sell, what book and magazine publishers publish and what readers demand is nonfiction."

I find that encouraging, and I've never worried much about whether non-fiction is considered literary or not. I've been inspired by words and thoughts that have been embedded in novels, short stories, poems, all forms of non-fiction and, yes, journalism. It especially did my heart good to read this from Zinsser: "I have no patience with the snobbery that says nonfiction is only journalism by another name and that journalism by any name is a dirty word."

I may have stayed too long in journalism, as Larry said Tuesday night, but I'd have to say that "a good time was had by all," as the old society stories used to end.