false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170422156m/53343.jpg 53343 21 Whether you write an occasional professional letter or a daily newspaper column, William Zinsser's <i>On Writing Well</i> 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. 1139032 1976 On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (On Writing Well) total:980|5:388|4:382|3:169|2:34|1:7| 980 4050 1607 168 5 2 false false Tue Mar 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 25 00:55:41 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 27 00:59:19 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri May 18 20:43:06 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 27 20:35:51 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Sep 05 17:20:46 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 05 17:26:33 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri May 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 06:58:25 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 08:35:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Apr 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 04 08:31:05 -0700 2009 Mon May 04 08:42:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Sep 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 20:49:46 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 20:49:46 -0700 2009 On Writing Well by writing for the APA only. Zinsser was successful because he wrote for the average reader by writing for himself. He conveyed his identity in his work by writing from his perspective. The uniqueness of Zinsser's voice and i...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 01 13:18:05 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 01 13:18:05 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 16:42:29 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 07:41:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jun 13 11:09:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 20:34:42 -0700 2009 He preaches simplicity, the importance of word choice, and the necessity of rewrites.
Every chapter is filled with excerpts from some of the...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 12:06:52 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 11:39:30 -0700 2009
It's good to know that Zinsser thinks that a s...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 18:11:37 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 16:23:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Dec 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 09 19:33:19 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 19:33:35 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Feb 21 15:52:27 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 26 11:19:56 -0700 2009
I am not a professionally trained writer, but thinking critically about wri...more...]]> 3 0 false true Sat Jun 27 18:46:02 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 06:42:30 -0700 2009 These are just part of the notes I have to take for school
1. Simplicity - What does it mean to have simplicity in your writing? What are some steps to attaining it?
2. Clutter - What does it look like not to have clutter in your writing? Give some examples.
3. Style - According to Zi...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 14 14:01:34 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 21 10:27:07 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 true false Sat Jan 31 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 08:12:37 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 08:16:57 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Oct 13 16:04:12 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 13:28:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 05:59:50 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 06:05:35 -0700 2009
I loved it this time around. It's very comforting to a writer. So many of the problems I encounter, Zinsser says are okay. All writers face them and here's how t...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Feb 16 07:06:54 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 29 18:12:42 -0800 2008
I wish I had this when I wrote research papers, even though the writing process would have been even more intimidating for me. Zinsser's book is full of useful advice on writing style. Here are some of my favorite tips:
- "Simplify, simplify."
- "...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jan 09 12:27:46 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 12:29:22 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=53343