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: #994 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-01
• Released on: 2006-05-09
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.com
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.

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

The New York Times
"Belongs on any shelf of serious reference works for writers, along with The Elements of Style."

Customer Reviews

Zinsser has Style!
Wow! On Writing Well The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction is a book that should be in every writers/authors library.

The book is easy to read and there is no clutter. As a reader, I want to get to know the author. William Zinsser definitely has a style I will not soon forget!Diabetes Can Be Sweet . . . Once You Bury It

One of a hundred must
When I bought this book I had already read it. When it arrived, I read it again. As in the first round, I thought the same could be said in much less. It is paradoxical, because the book argues against clutter. This could sound as criticism, but it is not. It is just the price you have to pay in order to get a book published. No one would print a book of thirty pages.

This being said, I add that the ideas written in this book are the ones which any scientific or technical writer must bear in mind. They should be the standard in anybody's mind. Diverging from them is possible and sometimes successful, but risky unless the writer is especially trained or gifted for language. In summary: buy this book. It's worth its price.

In case you don't want to, I sum it up for you: straight words, short number of them, short sentences with as few subordinates as possible and revision and rewriting above all... and some justifications and variations on this philosophy. If you need to be convinced or are curious about why, or simply want examples of all kinds, buy the book.

Very insightful.
This book is a good read and offers some solid advice. It doesn't teach writing, but rather offers tips to keep in mind while writing. I feel that some parts of the book are hypocritical, especially when Zinsser uses some tougher vocabulary, but you cannot expect a teacher, writer, and editor to write a book in "see spot run" style, which is what I'm discovering to be the basis of the negative reviews. I don't feel the book offers enough methods to improve writing, especially when it comes to how to reduce clutter. In order to follow the tips and advices Zinsser offers, you have to think and word hard. For $14.95 or less, this book is definitely worth it. This book is easy to understand (even if you're a high school student), with an overall simple, yet unique language and style. The insight it offers is priceless regardless of what profession you are in. Read it, enjoy it, remember it! =]