On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sold, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers. How do you learn to write, really, other than by writing. But now and then, it's good to pause and think about the art of good writing, the craft. This famous little book can be the reflective pause that will help you be care-full, love-full, with your work.
The book is not just more of the same old stuff you've always heard. The advice given by the author is creative and his examples of good writing are informative and insightful. And because good writing is always connected to the inner life and moral depth of the author, much of what he says applies to the ultimate source of the written word: the writer's attitude, her attention and integrity. Don't let the 'nonfiction' in the title deter you from reading this if you write fiction. The chapter on 'travel writing' is an on-the-button presentation on the creation of 'place' which is essential in fiction. Read slowly, let the humor and common sense of the author seep into your writing blood so that it may flow out spontaneously in your words. But maybe the best gift this book will give you is the sense that you, the writer, are but a humble, ordinary worker using skill, intelligence and heart to create something beautiful and true.
It’s always intimidating setting out to write a review of a book on writing. One feels naked, exposed—now you have to prove that you’ve learned something. Lucky for me, I am a creature with little shame, so I’ll let my prose all hang out. After reading Pragmatism by the American philosopher William James, I’ve realized that some American qualities cut deep.
We are a people who love action and despise abstract argument. We like to see efficiency and real-world results. We set ourselves a goal and go straight for it. Perhaps this American temper is part of the “Protestant Ethic,' made so famous by Max Weber. Whatever it is, it’s on full display here. What Zinsser is doing in this book is applying a capitalist sensibility to prose.
Keep it simple. Cut out the fat.
Go straight for the point. Zinsser’s approach to writing is that of a factory owner seeking to improve his business model. This leads him to a straightforward adoption of the axioms of The Elements of Style. In fact, this book is hardly more than a commentary, expansion, and application of Strunk and White’s ideas. I grow tired of this.
The more I read, the more I realize that what constitutes good style cannot be put into a formula. It varies from person to person, from subject to subject, from country to country, and from age to age. Zinsser’s writing-style is nice enough. But I’m sure his conversational tone would sound coarse and inelegant to many readers. Where’s the poetry? Where’s the lofty argument and philosophical reflection? Of course, you can’t please everybody.
What bothers me is that Zinsser doesn’t seem realize how provincial are his ideas. What you will learn in this book is how to do a specific type of writing: journalistic nonfiction. It’s writing well-suited to its purpose—to provide entertainment and light education for casual readers. This is a great skill, and Zinsser has some great advice.
If you have aspirations to work for a newspaper or a magazine—or even write a popular non-fiction book—I would highly recommend this book. I have no problem with this kind of writing-style—my mother is a journalist.
But it hardly runs the whole gamut of nonfiction. And for pretentious me, Zinsser comes across as a bit vulgar. His conception of language is narrow. He wishes only to hook the reader, crack a few jokes on the way, maybe include some light food for thought, and make a quick exit.
It’s like an ad on TV. But often non-fiction writers have—dare I say it?—higher aspirations.
And a quick-shooting, hard-hitting, punchy prose style just won’t do the trick. I should temper my criticisms.
I’ve read too much illegible academic scrawling to be insensitive to the value of concreteness and simplicity. As general rules, they’re safe to abide. And if you are writing as a craft—a professional email for example—then you would do well to follow Zinsser’s advice. Where this book falls short is Zinsser’s insensitivity to the artistic potential of the written word. He admits this himself I have an unbroken record of missing the deeper meaning in any story, play or movie, and as for dance and mime, I have never had any idea of what is being conveyed. I commend Zinsser for his honesty.
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But for several genres of writing, an overly-literal mindset is a death-sentence. And in any genre, a great metaphor is worth fifteen spiffy sentences and peppy paragraphs. At its best, non-fiction writing is more than chuckles and trivia—it can be just as profound as the best novel or poem. (Read The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire if you don’t believe me.) Zinsser does have a chapter entitled “Nonfiction as Literature,” but it quickly becomes clear that he regards even Nabokov’s memoir as a kind of journalism.
So if you wish to read a snappy book on snappy writing, On Writing Well satisfies. But be warned: this is simply an elegant articulation of one philosophy of style. And there are as many different philosophies of style as there are great writers.
And Zinsser is a good writer, not a great one. I always thought of the ability to write well as a gift more than a skill-kind of like hand-eye coordination, or rhythm.
You either have it or you don't. It's not until I began working in the editorial world that I realized the writing which seems effortless is that which requires the most effort.
Part of my training at this job required reading a quintessential work on nonfiction writing, William Zinsser's 'On Writing Well' (30th Anniversary edition). I was warned that it's a slow burn-perhaps the opposite of the other book I've read on the writing process, Anne Lamott's 'Bird by Bird.' Zinsser's isn't littered with quirky anecdotes about his son's parasailing adventures or Buddhist friends or dreadlocks (only said with fondness, Annie). What Zinsser's book offered instead was practical and precise guidance on how to make the English language sing in your nonfiction writing. Zinsser concentrates equally on the importance of technical mastery and original, honest ideas.
On one hand, one must be able to convey information to his or her succinctly and clearly. This requires a breadth of knowledge on the ins-and-outs of English prose; grammar nerdiness doesn't hurt. (If you find yourself elated when you find someone else who uses the subjunctive tense, this book is for you.) Zinsser covers the variety of writing styles featured in most newspapers (i.e. Sports writing vs. Travel writing, common interest vs. International stories, etc.). But he also lays out suggestions on how to start the writing process as a writer-to-be.
I especially enjoyed the section on how to make your personal story compelling as a memoir. I know everyone walks away from this book aspiring to become the next Tolstoy, but is this really such a silly aspiration? A straightforward guide to writing solid nonfiction. I want games to download. William Zinsser offers sound advice, including how to eliminate clutter and ways to target your audience. He spans several genres within nonfiction, ranging from sports writing to travel articles to memoir. He incorporates several example passages from his favorite writers and from his own work.
On Writing Well provided tangible, quality writing tips. It did not excite me, though. Zinsser has a somewhat eurocentric perspective and his writing selections often come from white men. His tone itself bored me as well - it did not irritate me, it just failed to provoke any emotion. Still, I give this book four stars based on its content, even if its voice did not stand out. Overall, recommended to those searching for a pragmatic, more technical book about writing nonfiction.
On Writing Well may primarily focus on non-fiction, but parts of it should be required reading for novelists, as well. Though, at first, Zinsser’s advice may seem anal–retentive and persnickety, it is great for keeping your work focused and making your sentences sharper. The best part of On Writing Well focuses on“trimming the fat in the sentences you write. Zinsser provides a hand-edited page of his own On Writing Well manuscript as an example of how to cut down on useless words, and it is truly amazing to see how much even an expert writer like him can remove from his work without its losing any meaning or artistic merit. Not only should you eliminate useless words, but, according to Zinsser, you should also avoid using large words when smaller ones will suffice. I think this is especially good advice for fiction because, the easier a novel is to read, the more easily readers can lose themselves in it. I admit to being a fan of Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur (which Zinsser despises for its verbosity), but I can certainly see his main point, which can be summed up as, “Easy reading is damn hard writing'—to quote Hawthorne.
Some writers (i.e. Faulkner, Joyce, etc.) can get away with breaking the rules because, as Zinsser states, they were geniuses. But, for the rest of us, getting the point across succinctly is the best way to satisfy our readers, should we be lucky enough to have any. Using active sentences as often as possible further helps make our writing more interesting, both in fiction and non-, and, of course, in fiction, you also need to provide readers with a “hook” in order to ensnare them in your narrative. Knowing the exact meanings of words causes readers to put faith in you, and it’s important not to misuse or confuse them. Zinsser recommends keeping a dictionary handy at all times, which is an idea I am trying to take to heart.
Zinsser’s view of writing is that it is hard, arduous work—something the fiction writer should keep in mind because people tend to get the wrong impression that writing fiction amounts to little more than daydreaming at a desk all day. Nothing could be further from the truth: Great writers must be extremely meticulous and precise in their art, both in regard to story and the proper use of the English language. Reading Zinsser’s book is pretty discouraging in that it focuses mostly on the aspects of writing that people find most boring, however important they may be. Serious writers will, however, find it indispensible. Zinsser's first few chapters talk solely about eliminating clutter and simplifying your work.
Yet his book is more than 300 pages of repetitive, hypocritical and lengthy sentences. This book could have been easily shortened to 50-100 pages. I was not a fan of his many examples (quite frankly, I skipped over most of them).
Most of all, I wish Zinsser followed his own advice - simplify, and trust your material (don't feel the need to explain almost every single principle; we get it). The book, however, offered sound advice which I was lucky to dig out from the rest of the nonsense: 'Be yourself.' 'Forget the competition and go at your own pace.' 'Your only contest is with yourself.' 'Never let anything go out into the world that you don’t understand.' 'Never forget where you left your reader in the previous paragraph and what they want to know next.' 'Your best credential is yourself.'
'Decide what you want to do. Then decide to do it.
Author: William Zinsser Category: Non-fiction Language: English Page: 336 ISBN: ISBN13: 541 Description: On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sold, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.
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On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sold, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers. How do you learn to write, really, other than by writing. But now and then, it's good to pause and think about the art of good writing, the craft. This famous little book can be the reflective pause that will help you be care-full, love-full, with your work.
The book is not just more of the same old stuff you've always heard. The advice given by the author is creative and his examples of good writing are informative and insightful. And because good writing is always connected to the inner life and moral depth of the author, much of what he says applies to the ultimate source of the written word: the writer's attitude, her attention and integrity. Don't let the 'nonfiction' in the title deter you from reading this if you write fiction. The chapter on 'travel writing' is an on-the-button presentation on the creation of 'place' which is essential in fiction. Read slowly, let the humor and common sense of the author seep into your writing blood so that it may flow out spontaneously in your words. But maybe the best gift this book will give you is the sense that you, the writer, are but a humble, ordinary worker using skill, intelligence and heart to create something beautiful and true.
It’s always intimidating setting out to write a review of a book on writing. One feels naked, exposed—now you have to prove that you’ve learned something. Lucky for me, I am a creature with little shame, so I’ll let my prose all hang out. After reading Pragmatism by the American philosopher William James, I’ve realized that some American qualities cut deep. We are a people who love action and despise abstract argument. We like to see efficiency and real-world results.
We set ourselves a goal and go straight for it. Perhaps this American temper is part of the “Protestant Ethic,' made so famous by Max Weber. Whatever it is, it’s on full display here.
What Zinsser is doing in this book is applying a capitalist sensibility to prose. Keep it simple. Cut out the fat. Go straight for the point.
Zinsser’s approach to writing is that of a factory owner seeking to improve his business model. This leads him to a straightforward adoption of the axioms of The Elements of Style. In fact, this book is hardly more than a commentary, expansion, and application of Strunk and White’s ideas. I grow tired of this. The more I read, the more I realize that what constitutes good style cannot be put into a formula. It varies from person to person, from subject to subject, from country to country, and from age to age.
Zinsser’s writing-style is nice enough. But I’m sure his conversational tone would sound coarse and inelegant to many readers. Where’s the poetry? Where’s the lofty argument and philosophical reflection? Of course, you can’t please everybody. Open programs monitor 2. What bothers me is that Zinsser doesn’t seem realize how provincial are his ideas.
What you will learn in this book is how to do a specific type of writing: journalistic nonfiction. It’s writing well-suited to its purpose—to provide entertainment and light education for casual readers. This is a great skill, and Zinsser has some great advice.
If you have aspirations to work for a newspaper or a magazine—or even write a popular non-fiction book—I would highly recommend this book. I have no problem with this kind of writing-style—my mother is a journalist.
But it hardly runs the whole gamut of nonfiction. And for pretentious me, Zinsser comes across as a bit vulgar. His conception of language is narrow. He wishes only to hook the reader, crack a few jokes on the way, maybe include some light food for thought, and make a quick exit. It’s like an ad on TV. But often non-fiction writers have—dare I say it?—higher aspirations.
And a quick-shooting, hard-hitting, punchy prose style just won’t do the trick. I should temper my criticisms. I’ve read too much illegible academic scrawling to be insensitive to the value of concreteness and simplicity. As general rules, they’re safe to abide. And if you are writing as a craft—a professional email for example—then you would do well to follow Zinsser’s advice. Where this book falls short is Zinsser’s insensitivity to the artistic potential of the written word.
He admits this himself I have an unbroken record of missing the deeper meaning in any story, play or movie, and as for dance and mime, I have never had any idea of what is being conveyed. I commend Zinsser for his honesty.
But for several genres of writing, an overly-literal mindset is a death-sentence. And in any genre, a great metaphor is worth fifteen spiffy sentences and peppy paragraphs. At its best, non-fiction writing is more than chuckles and trivia—it can be just as profound as the best novel or poem. (Read The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire if you don’t believe me.) Zinsser does have a chapter entitled “Nonfiction as Literature,” but it quickly becomes clear that he regards even Nabokov’s memoir as a kind of journalism. So if you wish to read a snappy book on snappy writing, On Writing Well satisfies.
But be warned: this is simply an elegant articulation of one philosophy of style. And there are as many different philosophies of style as there are great writers.
And Zinsser is a good writer, not a great one. I always thought of the ability to write well as a gift more than a skill-kind of like hand-eye coordination, or rhythm.
You either have it or you don't. It's not until I began working in the editorial world that I realized the writing which seems effortless is that which requires the most effort. Part of my training at this job required reading a quintessential work on nonfiction writing, William Zinsser's 'On Writing Well' (30th Anniversary edition). I was warned that it's a slow burn-perhaps the opposite of the other book I've read on the writing process, Anne Lamott's 'Bird by Bird.' Zinsser's isn't littered with quirky anecdotes about his son's parasailing adventures or Buddhist friends or dreadlocks (only said with fondness, Annie).
What Zinsser's book offered instead was practical and precise guidance on how to make the English language sing in your nonfiction writing. Zinsser concentrates equally on the importance of technical mastery and original, honest ideas. On one hand, one must be able to convey information to his or her succinctly and clearly. This requires a breadth of knowledge on the ins-and-outs of English prose; grammar nerdiness doesn't hurt. (If you find yourself elated when you find someone else who uses the subjunctive tense, this book is for you.) Zinsser covers the variety of writing styles featured in most newspapers (i.e. Sports writing vs.
Travel writing, common interest vs. International stories, etc.). But he also lays out suggestions on how to start the writing process as a writer-to-be.
I especially enjoyed the section on how to make your personal story compelling as a memoir. I know everyone walks away from this book aspiring to become the next Tolstoy, but is this really such a silly aspiration? A straightforward guide to writing solid nonfiction.
William Zinsser offers sound advice, including how to eliminate clutter and ways to target your audience. He spans several genres within nonfiction, ranging from sports writing to travel articles to memoir.
He incorporates several example passages from his favorite writers and from his own work. On Writing Well provided tangible, quality writing tips. It did not excite me, though. Zinsser has a somewhat eurocentric perspective and his writing selections often come from white men.
His tone itself bored me as well - it did not irritate me, it just failed to provoke any emotion. Still, I give this book four stars based on its content, even if its voice did not stand out. Overall, recommended to those searching for a pragmatic, more technical book about writing nonfiction. On Writing Well may primarily focus on non-fiction, but parts of it should be required reading for novelists, as well. Though, at first, Zinsser’s advice may seem anal–retentive and persnickety, it is great for keeping your work focused and making your sentences sharper.
The best part of On Writing Well focuses on“trimming the fat in the sentences you write. Zinsser provides a hand-edited page of his own On Writing Well manuscript as an example of how to cut down on useless words, and it is truly amazing to see how much even an expert writer like him can remove from his work without its losing any meaning or artistic merit. Not only should you eliminate useless words, but, according to Zinsser, you should also avoid using large words when smaller ones will suffice.
I think this is especially good advice for fiction because, the easier a novel is to read, the more easily readers can lose themselves in it. I admit to being a fan of Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur (which Zinsser despises for its verbosity), but I can certainly see his main point, which can be summed up as, “Easy reading is damn hard writing'—to quote Hawthorne. Some writers (i.e. Faulkner, Joyce, etc.) can get away with breaking the rules because, as Zinsser states, they were geniuses. But, for the rest of us, getting the point across succinctly is the best way to satisfy our readers, should we be lucky enough to have any.
Using active sentences as often as possible further helps make our writing more interesting, both in fiction and non-, and, of course, in fiction, you also need to provide readers with a “hook” in order to ensnare them in your narrative. Knowing the exact meanings of words causes readers to put faith in you, and it’s important not to misuse or confuse them.
Zinsser recommends keeping a dictionary handy at all times, which is an idea I am trying to take to heart. Zinsser’s view of writing is that it is hard, arduous work—something the fiction writer should keep in mind because people tend to get the wrong impression that writing fiction amounts to little more than daydreaming at a desk all day. Nothing could be further from the truth: Great writers must be extremely meticulous and precise in their art, both in regard to story and the proper use of the English language.
Reading Zinsser’s book is pretty discouraging in that it focuses mostly on the aspects of writing that people find most boring, however important they may be. Serious writers will, however, find it indispensible. Zinsser's first few chapters talk solely about eliminating clutter and simplifying your work. Yet his book is more than 300 pages of repetitive, hypocritical and lengthy sentences. This book could have been easily shortened to 50-100 pages. I was not a fan of his many examples (quite frankly, I skipped over most of them). Most of all, I wish Zinsser followed his own advice - simplify, and trust your material (don't feel the need to explain almost every single principle; we get it).
The book, however, offered sound advice which I was lucky to dig out from the rest of the nonsense: 'Be yourself.' 'Forget the competition and go at your own pace.' 'Your only contest is with yourself.' 'Never let anything go out into the world that you don’t understand.' 'Never forget where you left your reader in the previous paragraph and what they want to know next.'
'Your best credential is yourself.' 'Decide what you want to do. Then decide to do it.