On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction Paperback – May 9, 2006

In response to the criticism that Zinsser "generalizes egregiously about topics that are enormous"

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A fellow with a keyboard

April 22, 2012

Format: Paperback

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. ... He feels free to judge -- for instance scientists -- outside his field."

I agree that Zinsser does these things, but I disagree that it is a problem. In fact, if I have one criticism of the book it is exactly the opposite: that the lessons are even more generalizable and broadly applicable than Zinsser gives them credit for. For instance, if you skip the travel writing chapter, or if you read it thinking that it only applies to travel writing, then you will miss two golden and persuasive arguments that ought to apply to *any* writer:

1) The things that come to the writer easiest -- cliché, excessive detail, syrupy and vague language -- are the things that keep the reader bored/detached/passive.

2) Your main task as a writer is to distill the essence of whatever you're writing about--to find its central idea, to describe its distinctive qualities using precise images. In other words, your main task is to work excruciatingly hard.

The goal of any writer (yes, any) ought to be to transform the reader from a passive observer into an ally. It's excruciatingly hard to do, but once you realize that that's the goal, and once you realize that the parts that come easiest are what's getting in the way of that goal, then you can start writing well.

Zinsser knows these things, and he articulates them beautifully. It is one of the most persuasive books I have read, on any subject. But I hate that the lessons are hidden within topic-specific chapters. Please read with that in mind.

657 people found this helpful

My Strategy professor was disappointed to say the least in the writing skills of ...

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Philip Hughes

January 14, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I read "On Writing Well" almost ten years ago while getting my MBA. My Strategy professor was disappointed to say the least in the writing skills of our class of "professionals." He bought us all a copy of Zinsser's book...and things improved dramatically from there. I wish a teacher had given me that book when I was in High School. So...I just bought 5 copies, one each for my nephews and nieces. I'm sending "On Writing Well" along with a copy of newcomer Lucas Miller's "Beyond Brilliance: The Blueprint for Learning Anything." Basically it's a two-pack must read for my family's youngest scholars. I wish I had read both of these books when I was their age.

18 people found this helpful

A Must-Read For Individuals Working On Their Writing Skills

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ZyPhReX

May 30, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

“Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, they inform and shape life.”
– E.B. White

“Writing is the geometry of the soul.”
– Plato

In On Writing Well – The Classic Guide To Nonfiction, William Zinsser writes an easy-to-follow no-nonsense approach into the core essentials of writing.

Providing a smattering of meticulous examples, On Writing Well does a lucid job of clearing up some of the confusion writers might have about style, methods, leads, endings, et al., while setting the foundation for a stronger individual repertoire.

In fact, regarding this, Zinsser speaks about the importance of everyone to have good writing skills given today’s newfound environment where a lot of communication takes place through the emails, the internet and so on. This is crucial since most of us employ the tool of writing in a daily fashion. Zinsser urges individuals to seek to sharpen their skill set in order to become better communicators simply by employing tenets in this book.

As hinted to before, Zinsser also make incisive use of many salient examples throughout the book by breaking them down and suggesting some writing tips in cogent fashion. Within these examples the author covers people, places, science and technology, writing within a job, writing about sports, and more.

Broken down into four parts, the book covers [1] Principles, where notions such as clutter and style are covered, [2] Methods, where leads and endings are covered, [3] Forms, where various forms of nonfiction are explored at length and [4] Attitudes within writing, which is self explanatory. All parts offer ample insights, many of which would be useful to nigh all individuals nowadays, especially if you have to write anything on a daily basis, whether it is emails, memos, etc. and are new to writing.

To accomplish sound things in life, one needs an ironclad scaffolding upon which to set oneself in. Writing well is no different. The insights provided by this book will help those that employ them. Couple the tenets in this book with those of those within The Elements of Style, and one has the recipe for success. Both have helped me quite a bit, as I hope they help you.

5 people found this helpful

Overall, it will probably take you week or two to finish the book. Then it will take you weeks or months to actually use the strategies inside the book.

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good

Published 13 days ago

J. Okada

Great Advice

This is written well with great advice for anyone looking to improve their writing! Easy to read and devour his words with perfect amounts of time to self reflect.

Published 27 days ago

Lan Nguyen

Good start for beginner in writing

Good start for beginner in writing. I am thinking about buy all the other book of this author :)

It’ll make you a better writer!

Chris Mitchell

Read it! Great At building a foundational knowledge of writing in the English language. A must for any modern worker.

It's helped me a lot. Great book.

Mrs C

it teached me to right reelly gud.

Amazon Customer

This book teached me to right reelly good.

Kidding. Zinsser is a classic.What else need be said.

Why this book was right for me

Edward

Do you know how to write? I asked myself this before buying the book. I didn’t know the answer. My writing experience through college was that the professors assumed that I knew...Read more