On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

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Find your best time of the day for writing and write. Don’t let anything else interfere. Afterwards it won’t matter to you that the kitchen is a mess.” — Esther Freud Indeed, learning to write may be part of learning to read. For all I know, writing comes out of a superior devotion to reading.” — Eudora Welty As any writer knows, there are no actual “rules” in this craft. That said, these writing quotes reveal some famous principles in writing that won’t let you down. Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.” — Henry David Thoreau You can unlearn all of this and discover the joy of writing though. Start by remembering that you need to be inspired by life to be inspired as you write. Be adventurous, ask questions, and keep an open mind.

When Published: 1976 (1st ed.); 1980 (2nd ed.); 1985 (3rd ed.); 1990 (4th ed.); 1994 (5th ed.); 1998 (6th ed.); 2001 (25th Anniversary ed.); 2006 (30th Anniversary ed.) I’m a productivity coach ready to help another 10.000 men and women across the world work less, achieve more, and live fulfilling, abundant lives without distractions, fear, or procrastination getting in the way. Don’t worry about whether the reader will “get it” if you indulge a sudden impulse for humor. If it amuses you in the act of writing, put it in. Finally, in the “Attitudes” section of his book, Zinsser gives aspiring writers more general advice on how to approach the craft. The best way to develop a distinctive voice is by studying and imitating other writers. The most successful writers are enthusiastic about their work because they write about what interests them. Don’t get discouraged if you get this far and you’re thinking that your first draft is rather poor. These writing quotes are reminders that it’s just part of the process.Try making the first sentence something that makes people stop and think. Some of my favorite writers like to use statements that contradict widely-held beliefs. Alternatively, you can craft a persuasive story, personal or otherwise, to hook readers. You should always collect more material than you will use. Every article is strong in proportion to the surplus of details from which you can choose the few that will serve you best.

You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.” — John Wooden The number one piece of advice that most authors have for other authors is to read, read, read. Here’s why. Another approach is to just tell a story. Narrative is the oldest and most compelling method of holding someone’s attention; everybody wants to be told a story. I do not over-intellectualise the production process. I try to keep it simple: Tell the damned story.” — Tom ClancyIf my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.” — Isaac Asimov Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good." — William Faulkner In writing about oneself, Zinsser encourages people to write only for themselves—not for publication, or for money, or to impress people; one tends to generate the best material when they are honest with their thoughts. You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” — Madeleine L'Engle Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” — Orson Scott

William Zinsser has been a mentor for countless people who want to write with clarity and confidence. His eighteen books include the classic On Writing Well, which has sold almost 1.5 million copies. He now teaches at the New School and at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things we can keep out of it that shouldn’t be there. I've found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living shit out of it.” ― Don Roff Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of job: It’s always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.” — Neil GaimanLook for the clutter in your writing and prune it ruthlessly. Reexamine each sentence you put on paper. Is every word doing new work? Can any thought be expressed with more economy? Is anything pompous or pretentious or faddish? Are you hanging on to something useless just because you think it’s beautiful? Simplify, simplify. Style Editors and readers don’t know what they want to read until they read it. Besides, they’re always looking for something new.” 7. Dictionaries and thesauruses are your friends.

If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don’t listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.” — Lillian Hellman

Now it often happens that you’ll make these prior decisions and then discover that they weren’t the right ones. Don’t fight such a current if it feels right. Adjust your style accordingly and proceed to whatever destination you reach. The Lead and the Ending