On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

by William Zinsser

Never say anything in writing that you wouldn’t comfortably say in conversation.

every successful piece of nonfiction should leave the reader with one provocative thought that he or she didn’t have before. Not two thoughts, or five—just one.

One moral of this story is that you should always collect more material than you will use.

Keep your paragraphs short. Writing is visual—it catches the eye before it has a chance to catch the brain.

believe in themselves as writers and not to relinquish control.

Writers responsibilty is to the facts and the reader and not in indulging any other vanity.