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 sole, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
William Zinsser is a writer, editor and teacher. He began his career with the New York Herald Tribune and has been a longtime contributor to leading magazines. His 17 books include Writing to Learn; Mitchell & Ruff; Spring Training; American Places; Easy to Remember: The Great American Songwriters and Their Songs; and most recently Writing About Your Life. During the 1970s he taught writing at Yale, where he was master of Branford College. He now teaches at the New School, in New York, his hometown, and at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
William Zinsser's on writing well has a history of being used in writing courses. He advocates a writing style is direct, clear and crisp. He divides the book into four sections: The Principles, Methods, Forms and Attitudes. Probably the best parts are the first two. The Principles covers keeping your writing simple, removing clutter, writing for the audience, word choice and usage. The Methods covers things such as unity within the writing, the lead and ending and various other aspects of writing methods. The section on Forms covers various specific writing techniques and styles for different forms of writing. Specifically it covers areas such as the Interview, Travel Articles, the Memoir, Business Writing and Technical Writing. If you have a specific need for one of these forms then the section has some very good advice. Finally the section on Attitude covers the required Attitude of the writer.
Throughout the book you learn that writing is indeed a craft that can be learned. Zinsser points out the most important patterns and techniques of successful writers so that you can follow their lead. This book is still one of the most recommended texts for people just beginning to learn to write and with good reason, it should be on the bookshelf of anyone serious about writing.
50 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Zinsser asserts that writing well can be learned. This is good news. I thought I wrote well until I compared my reviews to those of some of the consistent top reviewers on Amazon. How do they do that?
According to Zinsser (and affirmed by Tom Clancy on a TV interview), good writers follow rules, editing each sentence and paragraph multiple times. They write against deadlines whether or not they're feeling inspired. When done properly, the finished product can look deceptively simple to write. Following is my liberally abridged summary of Zinsser's rules:
1. Do - prune out every word that does not perform a necessary function. Strip each sentence to its cleanest components. A clear sentence is no accident.
2. Do - use the thesaurus liberally. Learn the small gradations between words that seem to be synonyms.
3. Do - try to improve the rhythm by reversing the order of a sentence, substituting a word that has freshness or oddity, and by varying the lengths of sentences.
4. Do - make your first sentence the best one - your lead must capture the reader.
5. Do - make each sentence lead into the next. Readers think linearly.
6. Do - Take special care with the last sentence in your paragraph - its the springboard to the next paragraph.
7. Do - make your paragraphs short. Readers think in segments.
8. Do - pay special attention to the last sentence. The perfect ending should take your reader slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right.
9. Do - Read it aloud to see how it sounds and re-edit - then do it again. Clear writing is the result of lots of tinkering.
On the other hand:
1. Don't - use passive verbs unless there is no comfortable way to use an active verb.
2. Don't - use adverbs that convey the same meaning as your strong active verb - prune it out.
3. Don't - use adjectives when the concept is already in your carefully chosen noun - prune it out.
4. Don't - use small words that qualify how you feel: "a bit," "a little," "sort of," and dozens more. Good writing is lean and confident.
5. Don't - use concept nouns:
Instead of - "The common reaction is incredulous laughter."
Write - "Most people just laugh with disbelief."
6. Don't - use the exclamation point unless you must, do use the period more frequently, don't forget the versatile dash, and cut down on the use of semi-colons and colons. If you don't know how to punctuate, get a grammar book.
The next book I read was the New York Times bestseller, "Shadow Divers," by Robert Kurson. I read slowly with Zinsser's rules in mind, analyzing individual words, sentences and paragraphs. I looked for clutter, excess wordage, grandiose exaggerations, qualifiers, bad punctuation - and other common errors Zinsser considered awful. I couldn't find any. What I consistently found were techniques listed in the "do" list and just good creative writing. No wonder this author was successful. Within two chapters I was hooked, dropped my analysis, and finished the book very late that night.
Clancy said, "I hate writing - it's too much work. I put off starting as long as possible, and when I do start, it takes a year for me to write a book." Maybe not a recommended method for plugging a book, but Clancy's statement reveals the sweat equity he puts into each phrase.
Zinsser's book says we can learn to write better using proven techniques, and offers plenty of advice in this story-book type narrative. I plan on keeping it close by, next to my new thesaurus.
According to Zinsser (and affirmed by Tom Clancy on a TV interview), good writers follow rules, editing each sentence and paragraph multiple times. They write against deadlines whether or not they're feeling inspired. When done properly, the finished product can look deceptively simple to write. Following is my liberally abridged summary of Zinsser's rules:
1. Do - prune out every word that does not perform a necessary function. Strip each sentence to its cleanest components. A clear sentence is no accident.
2. Do - use the thesaurus liberally. Learn the small gradations between words that seem to be synonyms.
3. Do - try to improve the rhythm by reversing the order of a sentence, substituting a word that has freshness or oddity, and by varying the lengths of sentences.
4. Do - make your first sentence the best one - your lead must capture the reader.
5. Do - make each sentence lead into the next. Readers think linearly.
6. Do - Take special care with the last sentence in your paragraph - its the springboard to the next paragraph.
7. Do - make your paragraphs short. Readers think in segments.
8. Do - pay special attention to the last sentence. The perfect ending should take your reader slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right.
9. Do - Read it aloud to see how it sounds and re-edit - then do it again. Clear writing is the result of lots of tinkering.
On the other hand:
1. Don't - use passive verbs unless there is no comfortable way to use an active verb.
2. Don't - use adverbs that convey the same meaning as your strong active verb - prune it out.
3. Don't - use adjectives when the concept is already in your carefully chosen noun - prune it out.
4. Don't - use small words that qualify how you feel: "a bit," "a little," "sort of," and dozens more. Good writing is lean and confident.
5. Don't - use concept nouns:
Instead of - "The common reaction is incredulous laughter."
Write - "Most people just laugh with disbelief."
6. Don't - use the exclamation point unless you must, do use the period more frequently, don't forget the versatile dash, and cut down on the use of semi-colons and colons. If you don't know how to punctuate, get a grammar book.
The next book I read was the New York Times bestseller, "Shadow Divers," by Robert Kurson. I read slowly with Zinsser's rules in mind, analyzing individual words, sentences and paragraphs. I looked for clutter, excess wordage, grandiose exaggerations, qualifiers, bad punctuation - and other common errors Zinsser considered awful. I couldn't find any. What I consistently found were techniques listed in the "do" list and just good creative writing. No wonder this author was successful. Within two chapters I was hooked, dropped my analysis, and finished the book very late that night.
Clancy said, "I hate writing - it's too much work. I put off starting as long as possible, and when I do start, it takes a year for me to write a book." Maybe not a recommended method for plugging a book, but Clancy's statement reveals the sweat equity he puts into each phrase.
Zinsser's book says we can learn to write better using proven techniques, and offers plenty of advice in this story-book type narrative. I plan on keeping it close by, next to my new thesaurus.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By James Arvo
Format:Paperback
If writing non-fiction is an important part of your personal or professional life, reading this classic will be a sound investment. I read this book many years ago, when it was in its first edition, and its wisdom has had a profound impact on me. I can think of few experiences that have had such a demonstrably positive influence on my career (I am currently a professor of computer science). I have found Zinsser's sage advice to be applicable to writing technical papers, letters to the PTA, and virtually every other form of non-fiction.
Zinsser patiently instructs his readers on how to write about travel or science, how to conduct an interview, how to craft an effective lead and ending, and even how to get started. Along the way, Zinsser entreats us to omit clutter and cliché, strike out useless adverbs, adjectives, and qualifiers, incorporate active verbs, and strive for correct usage as well as unity of pronoun, tense, and mood. But the overriding messages are clarity, simplicity, and directness. Keep it crisp. Oh, and just like driving a car, always signal your intentions (keep that "but" at the beginning of the sentence).
Two specific pages in Zinsser's book have remained etched in my mind from the moment I took them in almost two decades ago. They comprise the most genuine and revealing demonstration I have ever seen in a book on writing. On those two pages (pages 10 and 11 in the first edition), Zinsser provides a glimpse at the penultimate draft of the very book you are reading, juxtaposed with the corresponding pages in final form; in so doing, Zinsser invites you to critically examine his own writing, while revealing something of his process. This was brilliant. Those few pages (penultimate draft plus final draft) are alone worth the price of the book.
The lessons in this comparison are profound: First, Zinsser himself practices what he professes, but more importantly, even he is prone to inflate sentences with useless verbiage. What Zinsser has beautifully illustrated is how his writing came to be so tight. It did not spring from his mind to paper in the form we see; rather, it was gradually shaped through repeated editing, much of it with the aim of removing unnecessary words. (One could say that he is more like Beethoven, who endlessly rewrote, rather than Mozart, who composed finished works in one stroke.) I immediately adopted this practice and to this day I devote several final editing passes to the removal of useless words. I can think of no other lesson that I have learned in my 22 years of formal education that has been so enduring and consistently useful.
In the past decade I have recommended this book to each of my graduate students, and nearly all of my colleagues; at times I have simply purchased a copy and presented it to them. Of course, such a gesture can be taken the wrong way. It needn't imply that one's writing is in desperate need of repair, but rather that the content is worthy of concise expression. It was in the latter spirit that I shared Zinsser's book with my students and colleagues, and I believe all have gained from it.
Do yourself a life-long favor and read this wonderful book. It won't take long, yet its lessons might forever change the way you write. Your readers will benefit, and you will benefit.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential for becoming a better writer.
Extremely well written and easy to follow. This book covers every aspect of writing that you probably didn't even think of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Samantha
5.0 out of 5 stars
Zinsser is a Knight in the Realm of Writing
Turning the last page of On Writing Well, by William Zinsser, I compulsively kissed the cover--an act of grateful reverence bestowed on few books in the Spotts library, effectively... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Michael B. Spotts
5.0 out of 5 stars
In response to the criticism that Zinsser "generalizes egregiously...
The most damaging (but fair) criticism I've heard of this book came from reviewer D. Fineman who said, "He generalizes egregiously about topics that are enormous. ... Read more
Published 13 months ago by J.L.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!!!
When I ordered this I had my concerns, but it came fast, and it looked perfect! I was very happy with my purchase!
Published 16 months ago by Charles
3.0 out of 5 stars
Simple and useful
A well written book (could it be different?) that you can pleasantly read despite of the "tedious" topic
Published on January 7, 2010 by S. Cesare
1.0 out of 5 stars
Amusing Potboiler
Learn to eliminate excess verbiage, and continue learning the English language and other topics also.
There, I have saved you the price of this book. Read more
There, I have saved you the price of this book. Read more
Published on November 20, 2009 by Russell Newsom
4.0 out of 5 stars
A useful read
Writing well, according to William Zinsser, is a matter of simplicity & unity. Simple writing is easy to follow and is not wasteful. Read more
Published on December 25, 2008 by STEPHEN J STRETTON
5.0 out of 5 stars
the definitive writing text
Whether you are an amateur or professional writer, this book is a must. If you buy only one book on writing, make it On Writing Well. It is a treasure trove. Read more
Published on June 9, 2008 by jess
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Must-Have Writer's Tool
If you're a writer and you don't own this book, you're not doing your craft any justice. In fact, everyone should own this book. Read more
Published on June 3, 2008 by Lori D Widmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book at a great price
I teach writing and have used this book for almost a decade. It is clear, straightforward, and to the point. The author teaches by example. You won't be sorry...
Published on August 26, 2007 by Laurence Jarvik
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