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

by William Zinsser (Author)

757 customer reviews

in Business Encyclopedias

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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.

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Zinsser is a writer, editor and teacher. He began his career on the New York Herald Tribune and has since written regularly for leading magazines. During the 1970s he was master of Branford College at Yale. His 17 books, ranging from baseball to music to American travel, include the influential Writing to Learn and Writing About Your Life. He teaches at the New School in New York.

Series: On Writing Well
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial; 30 Anv Rep edition (April 5, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780060891541
ISBN-13: 978-0060891541
ASIN: 0060891548
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 757 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Business
- #2 in Books > Business & Money > Skills > Business Writing
- #4 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Publishing & Books > Authorship

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

ByA fellow with a keyboardon 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.

99 comments 602 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

I became a better writer because of this book.

ByJeff WignallVINE VOICEon January 3, 2015

Format: Paperback

This book is one of the finest books ever written on the subject of nonfiction writing. I've written about 30 books that have sold more than five million copies and I can tell you that those books would never have been written, or written as well, had I not stumbled upon this book some 20 years ago.

From this book I learned the value of brevity. I learned the value of simplicity. And more than anything else, I learned to trust myself and the concept that, in the end, people don't love a book because they are in love with the subject, they love a book (and stick with it regardless of topic) because they like the author. I also learned, very importantly, that your teachers were all wrong when they told you not to write in the first person: Mr. Zinsser convinced me that writing in the first person is the best--often the only--way to write.

If you don't trust yourself and don't trust your ideas, why on Earth are you writing anything?

I also learned from this book that humor and surprise are necessary elements of most nonfiction writing.

Be yourself, talk directly to the reader, be funny, be human, be a tiny bit clever--and you may even surprise yourself with what a good writer you are. Trust yourself, and trust simplicity.

0Comment 117 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

good for scientific writing too

ByKun Hon December 22, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is such a great book -- I guess there's no need for me to repeat that given all the other reviews, but I'm going to offer my own perspective as a science/engineering grad student.

I'd say that this book is very helpful for scientific writing, and it certainly did help me. Writing research papers, after all, is just another form of nonfiction writing, but it might be the form that needs clarity the most. I've seen too many examples of research papers getting rejected because of poor writing, or published papers/books getting negative reviews because no one can figure out what's going on, but reading this book made me start to realize what went wrong for those papers/books and how they could be rescued. A lot of the principles talked about in this book are just upright common sense, but the author did a great job explaining why those often matter much more than an average writer would expect. IMHO, many of the principles basically boil down to "think and care for the reader" when writing, but that's exactly the challenge, especially in scientific/research writing where the reader usually has no idea at all what's going to be introduced since it's "novel". With his rich experience, the author was able to make really convincing arguments for the principles he advocated, and his strong enthusiasm made this book a truly enjoyable read.

0Comment 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Just buy this book. Do it.

ByAlexon January 26, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I am a graduate student and a pretty good writer before reading this book. After reading this book, I feel much more confident with my writing style. Additionally, this book is crammed with helpful hints and tips that I wish I had known in my early undergraduate career. Zinsser's advice is useful for writers of any genre and essential for writers of nonfiction.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Stands the test of time. Essential for every writer.

Bysqwirkon March 23, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have so many sticky flags in so many places in this book. I can't believe it took me so long to purchase it! I should have read this years ago! Great advice and to-the-point dictation of how to write well. It sounds as though Zinsser is speaking directly to you. Some of the sections (such as sports writing) didn't apply to me, but I read them anyway. There are some nuggets of helpful information in each section even if that section isn't the kind of writing you find yourself doing. Nonfiction is nonfiction, you can apply rules to other areas. This is essential for every writer, from the casual blogger to the journalist to the biographer.

0Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Truly A Classic

ByMike Donovanon March 15, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This writing classic is the single best book I have ever read on writing well...(see what I did there?)...William Zinsser was a master of the craft and I cannot recommend this book enough. If you are interested in writing memoir, I would suggest this book along with another of Zinsser's - Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past. You just can't go wrong with William Zinsser.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most recent customer reviews

Do away with words that are unnecessary of which its purpose is solely for flaunting and ...

To those who want to learn the basic principles and methods of various forms of writings then this is the book for you.Read more

Published 3 days ago by Amazon Customer

Wonderful book!

Excellent book!

Published 10 days ago by V. Aileen Hall

Five Stars

good

Published 13 days ago by Zhao Ye

Lucky to Discover This Book

I've taken classes on writing but had not been introduced to William Zinsser or this excellent book. Entertaining and educational for anyone. Now I plan to read more of his works.Read more

Published 16 days ago by Bassman 17

Five Stars

Better than expected!

Published 17 days ago by bcat

Great book. Written with lots of examples from different ...

Great book. Written with lots of examples from different writers in different styles. This makes the book read like a collection of stories with the author reflecting on the...Read more

Published 19 days ago by Mk

Five Stars

Works for me.

Published 20 days ago by Joseph Hall

Keep on writing well.

Such a great book with concise advise on writing well. A great reference book.

Published 24 days ago by chromer

Five Stars

Inspiring!

Published 25 days ago by JohnAksel

Writing better already...

Easy read, well written, and informative. I am not a writer but wanted to write better. This book is just what I wanted.

Published 1 month ago by Lladnar

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