This morning Seth Godin wrote a blog entry about advertising and writing that reminded me of a line from A River Runs Through It. In A River Runs Through It Norman Maclean is taught by his father that “the art of writing lies in thrift.” In his blog entry Mr. Godin tells readers (his target audience is advertising agents/ executives) to start by writing a simple classified ad. Start with the bare essentials, what are you offering and how can consumers get it. The same lesson applies to teaching informative writing skills to students.