I came across William Zinnser’s book ‘On Writing Well’ when I was looking for inspiration to improve my writing. This book didn’t disappoint.
The ideas, written more than 45 years ago, are still relevant and, if followed, can improve your writing immediately. No wonder this book is considered one of the best books for nonfiction writing.
I have compiled a list of my highlights and quotes from the book that are practical and actionable. I didn’t want to add my words (clutter) to it, as I can’t write anything better than the man himself.
On Writing Process
“The essence of writing is rewriting”
“The professional writer must establish a daily schedule and stick to it.”
“You learn to write by writing.”
On Clear Writing
“The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.”
“Examine every word you put on paper. You’ll find a surprising number that don’t serve any purpose.”
“Beware, then, of the long word that’s no better than the short word: “assistance” (help), “numerous” (many), “facilitate” (ease), “individual” (man or woman), “remainder” (rest), “initial” (first), “implement” (do), “sufficient” (enough), “attempt” (try), “referred to as” (called) and hundreds more.”
“Prune out the small words that qualify how you feel and how you think and what you saw: “a bit,” “a little,” “sort of,” “kind of,” “rather,” “quite,” “very,” “too,” “pretty much,” “in a sense” and dozens more. They dilute your style and your persuasiveness. Don’t say you were a bit confused and sort of tired and a little depressed and somewhat annoyed. Be confused. Be tired. Be depressed.”
“Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other. It’s impossible for a muddy thinker to write good English. He may get away with it for a paragraph or two, but soon the reader will be lost, and there’s no sin so grave, for the reader will not easily be lured back.”
On Sentence Formation
“Use active verbs unless there is no comfortable way to get around using a passive verb.”
“Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum. Active verbs push hard; passive verbs tug fitfully.”
“Most adverbs are unnecessary.”
“Most adjectives are also unnecessary.”
“The quickest way out is to break the long sentence into two short sentences, or even three.”
On Audience
“Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience — every reader is a different person.”
On The Beginning
“The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead.”
On The End
“The positive reason for ending well is that a good last sentence — or last paragraph — is a joy in itself. It gives the reader a lift, and it lingers when the article is over.”
Let me know which one of his advices is your favorite. My favorite is the one about stripping every sentence to its cleanest components.
Thank you for reading!
I hope you liked the article, and if you did, feel free to leave a comment. You can also give a clap for motivation (yes, you can clap multiple times).
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