Product 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 sole, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2503 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-01
• Released on: 2006-05-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.com Review
Whether you write an occasional professional letter or a daily newspaper column, William Zinsser's On Writing Well should be required reading. Simplicity is Zinsser's mantra: he preaches a stripped-down writing style, strong and clear. He has no patience for excess (most use of adjectives and adverbs, he writes, just adds clutter) or tired phraseology (for instance, he'd like to outlaw all leads involving those "future archaeologists" most often found "stumbl[ing] upon the remains of our civilization"). He recommends that all writers of nonfiction read their work aloud (don't commit something to paper that you wouldn't actually say) and write under the assumption that "the reader knows nothing" (not to be confused with assuming the reader's an idiot). In addition to the chapters on the expected--usage, audience, interviews, leads--Zinsser also focuses on such trouble spots as science and technical writing, business writing, sports, and humor.

Review
"On Writing Well belongs on any shelf of serious reference works for writers." -- --New York Times

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.

Customer Reviews

You Owe It To Yourself to Read This Book and to Write
Everyone can write, and everyone has to write. There is something magical about putting that abstract dream onto the concreteness of writing. The printing press and the internet revolutionized the world because it democratized information. Everyone had a chance to share their voice and to learn from others. You owe it to yourself to be the best writer you can be.

A Stanford English professor recommended this book to me. She was the first authority who told me I had a gift for writing, and said I would be a best-selling author. I have this book, and her, to thank for my abilities.

"Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is."
"Writing and learning and thinking are the same process."

"Four basic premises of writing: clarity, brevity, simplicity, and humanity."

"Writing is thinking on paper."

"Mencken was never timid or evasive; he didn't kowtow to the reader or curry anyone's favor. It takes courage to be such a writer, but it is out of such courage that revered and influential journalists are born."

Excellent content, engaging presentation
I've read several books on writing recently, and this one is the most engaging of them all. I couldn't help but smile as a read--a sure sign the author is doing a great job. Buy this book if you want to become a better writer.

More than back to basics
This book done taught me to write more better. :-) Seriously, I love this book. I have not looked at it since graduating more than a decade ago, and I purchased it expecting to brush up on the basics. It offers much more and is an engaging read. It has replaced novels on my bedside table for my evening unwind reading. It's a must-have.