On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
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- Create Date：2021-10-23 06:55:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：William Zinsser
- ISBN：0060891548
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Summary
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 sold， this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers。
Reviews
Abigail
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fill in for yes sirs
Douglass Gaking
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A book on writing well should be written well， and On Writing Well is written well。 William Zinsser models how to do it right。 He also provides examples from some of the best writers in the American tradition of short non-fiction。 Zinsser starts out with the techniques of good writing， mostly be demonstrating them。 Then， as the book progresses， he expands into how to write in different genres and situations。 While these chapters may not be specific to every writers goals， they effectively take t A book on writing well should be written well， and On Writing Well is written well。 William Zinsser models how to do it right。 He also provides examples from some of the best writers in the American tradition of short non-fiction。 Zinsser starts out with the techniques of good writing， mostly be demonstrating them。 Then， as the book progresses， he expands into how to write in different genres and situations。 While these chapters may not be specific to every writers goals， they effectively take the reader into the mind of the writer。 In a way， half the book is about how to write well， and half of it is about how to think like a writer。 。。。more
Linde
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Zinsser writes a book about how to write well。 Beyond the pretentiousness of this very quest， Zinsser thinks himself more of a professional writer than he actually is。 Half of the time， he doesn’t even follow his own advice。 The first three chapters are the only ones with any useful tips。 In these 50 pages， I wasn’t sure if Zinsser’s humourless and arrogant attitude was real and would be the overall tone of the book。 Turns out that was the case。 At some point in the book （I don’t remember which Zinsser writes a book about how to write well。 Beyond the pretentiousness of this very quest， Zinsser thinks himself more of a professional writer than he actually is。 Half of the time， he doesn’t even follow his own advice。 The first three chapters are the only ones with any useful tips。 In these 50 pages， I wasn’t sure if Zinsser’s humourless and arrogant attitude was real and would be the overall tone of the book。 Turns out that was the case。 At some point in the book （I don’t remember which chapter） Zinsser writes about the use of pronouns and gender inclusivity。 Think about word choices like “he” or “she” in examples etc。 Zinsser does an attempt at apologising for his non-inclusivity in the past and advises the reader vagueness only。 He basically says that we can’t include everyone all the time， so we don’t need to try and do the best at trying it。 Obviously this is a dumb excuse and Zinsser then proceeds to ignore his own advice and uses male pronouns for every single example in the rest of his book。 Call it misogyny， call it male superiority， I don’t care， I don’t like Zinsser。 I read approximately 7 of the 10 assigned chapters of this book for my university degree （History， second year bachelor）。 Most of it was horrible and obviously I skipped a lot of the paragraph-long examples that contributed absolutely nothing。 My uni should definitely get rid of this really really bad book which is not suitable for any teaching， especially not university level。 I’m not sure why you’d want to read a self-help book to learn how to write anyway， but if you really need one， please don’t read this unimaginative book。 。。。more
Karla Osorno
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Rating 5 stars。I found this to be entertaining and educational。 Since I finished it， I have returned to it several times and know I will again and again as I work on writing projects。 Some of my favorite principles include…- Permission to be yourself- Be interesting in words that are natural - Show respect for words- Earn people’s time and attention- People have deep yearning for human contact- Jump start yourself at the moment of performance These may seem obvious but it is easy to get off trac Rating 5 stars。I found this to be entertaining and educational。 Since I finished it， I have returned to it several times and know I will again and again as I work on writing projects。 Some of my favorite principles include…- Permission to be yourself- Be interesting in words that are natural - Show respect for words- Earn people’s time and attention- People have deep yearning for human contact- Jump start yourself at the moment of performance These may seem obvious but it is easy to get off track and overthink writing。 There are specifics and examples throughout the book。 Mostly my understanding of what it takes grew as did my confidence that when I put in the effort my writing skill will grow。 I am happy I read this book and have actionable items to practice。 William Zinsser’s example of his own article at the end of the book illustrates principles and writing decisions。 Very helpful。 。。。more
Dante
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An essential manual on an essential craft。Note: This book is explicitly for non-fiction writers， and does not cover the full range of writing mechanics。 However， even fiction writers and poets can learn a lot from Zinsser's methods。This book is not just for writers。 Anyone who puts ideas into written words， whether for work or play， can benefit from the wisdom of this book。 Zinsser is a model for clean， clear prose， and this book displays his craft at its best。 I was pleased to see Zinsser use t An essential manual on an essential craft。Note: This book is explicitly for non-fiction writers， and does not cover the full range of writing mechanics。 However， even fiction writers and poets can learn a lot from Zinsser's methods。This book is not just for writers。 Anyone who puts ideas into written words， whether for work or play， can benefit from the wisdom of this book。 Zinsser is a model for clean， clear prose， and this book displays his craft at its best。 I was pleased to see Zinsser use the tools he advocates all throughout the book。 His joy for writing well gives this book life。The book covers a wealth of topics， including various topics on the mechanics and craft of non-fiction writing， special advice for various non-fiction genres， and a collection of teachings on the more emotional， human side of the writing life。 Each of these topics is covered well， and Zinsser never overstates his case。Most writing on the art of writing is either useful or enjoyable to read。 Zinsser had succeeded at both， and we are all the beneficiaries of his success。 。。。more
Rohan Rinaldo Felix
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A must-read book filled with truly unique gems of advice for the non-fiction writer。 I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes to look at the craft of writing with new eyes。
Erica Clou
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Good classic advice on how to write nonfiction well。 Half the book deals with memoir writing specifically。 I was worried about needing to reread this book so that I can read all the memoirs Zinsser references， but he includes a helpful list at the end。
Melaniedk
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This book is equivalent to a writing course at Yale！ （Zinsser taught at Yale。） It takes the reader on a thoughtful examination of “writing”。 Definitely a book to re-read again and again。 Highly recommend！Liked his emphasis on the process （of writing rather than the results; to get in the right mindset）， to recognize a writer’s role as an entertainer， to trust one’s voice， and not following the rules of grammar （should that stifle/interfere with the story/message）。 As he explains issues， he provi This book is equivalent to a writing course at Yale！ （Zinsser taught at Yale。） It takes the reader on a thoughtful examination of “writing”。 Definitely a book to re-read again and again。 Highly recommend！Liked his emphasis on the process （of writing rather than the results; to get in the right mindset）， to recognize a writer’s role as an entertainer， to trust one’s voice， and not following the rules of grammar （should that stifle/interfere with the story/message）。 As he explains issues， he provides examples both as excerpts and within the text to illustrate points。 。。。more
Emma
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On Writing Well’s key message is to be economical in your writing。 Find the most efficient way to express your ideas。 Skip the fancy prose， because your readers will see through its pretentiousness， and instead focus on expressing your ideas clearly。As a writer you might worry that by doing this， you will lose any chance standing out and having your own unique writing style。 But like carpentry， you have to start from the foundations。 And over time， your style will grow。The book reiterates some o On Writing Well’s key message is to be economical in your writing。 Find the most efficient way to express your ideas。 Skip the fancy prose， because your readers will see through its pretentiousness， and instead focus on expressing your ideas clearly。As a writer you might worry that by doing this， you will lose any chance standing out and having your own unique writing style。 But like carpentry， you have to start from the foundations。 And over time， your style will grow。The book reiterates some of the advice laid out in the Elements of Style:* Use active verbs* Cut out most adverbs （e。g。 “blared loudly” and “blared” mean the same thing）* Skip little qualifiers like “a little” or “sort of” as it reduces your authoritativenessSome more general writing tips include:* Practice writing every day* Read your writing out loud to make sure it flows well* Write for yourself> "If you write for yourself， you'll reach the people want to write for。"There are chapters on writing about different genres of non-fiction writing。 On travel writing: skip the cliches。 Everyone already knows the Grand Canyon is majestic。 What’s more interesting to your readers is your own experiences。 The book covers other topics like business， sports and memoirs。 For me， these were the most boring since I had no interest in these genres。Something I have a bad habit of doing is using exclamation points， and Zinsser discourages use of this as well。 Your readers are smart enough to pick up on when something is exciting or unusual， without you having to point it out to them with a “！”。The only dated part of this book is the use of “he” as a default when talking about hypothetical situations。 As part of the 30th Anniversary Edition， the author says he has replaced 300+ usages of “he”， since many women brought it up to him after they had read the book。 However he didn’t replace them all， and disappointingly he says:> “But let’s face it: the English language is stuck with the generic masculine。 To turn every ‘he’ into a ‘he or she’ 。 。 。 would clog the language。”Otherwise， this book is still quite relevant today， and I would definitely recommend it for serious writers。 For a hobby writer like me， I would have preferred it to be a little bit shorter。 。。。more
Akhila Mohan CG
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An engaging book with simple tips on writing well。 A must-read for all aspiring writers。
Tom Garback
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⭐️ ⭐️ Critical Score: B-Personal Score: D-Reading Experience: 📘📘Doesn’t hold up。 Dated in gross， dreadful ways。 The advice is basic; sufficient for fundamental learning， but otherwise underwhelming。 Tedious and overdrawn。I just really don’t vibe with this league of tired old white dudes。 Is it valid if people love this book？ Sure， have fun。 But I found myself disagreeing with huge swathes of this （though agreeing with some）， and all the personal notes fell flat because I’m not Zinsser’s intended ⭐️ ⭐️ Critical Score: B-Personal Score: D-Reading Experience: 📘📘Doesn’t hold up。 Dated in gross， dreadful ways。 The advice is basic; sufficient for fundamental learning， but otherwise underwhelming。 Tedious and overdrawn。I just really don’t vibe with this league of tired old white dudes。 Is it valid if people love this book？ Sure， have fun。 But I found myself disagreeing with huge swathes of this （though agreeing with some）， and all the personal notes fell flat because I’m not Zinsser’s intended audience。Kind of depressed that this is so mainstream and perennial。 God， this market can do so much better。 。。。more
Noah Nguyen
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Even if you don't write nonfiction， this is a great resource for any writer to brush up on the essentials。 Even if you don't write nonfiction， this is a great resource for any writer to brush up on the essentials。 。。。more
Nirbhay Ojha
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A bible for writers。 It has timeless ideas and tips for writers that are so easy to implement yet amazingly effective。 So much to learn from this book。 Must read for writers。
George Kalantzis
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Classic for writers。 Can't go wrong with this book。 Classic for writers。 Can't go wrong with this book。 。。。more
Nandini Karky
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Thoroughly enjoyed this sensible guide on weaving real tales。 The economy， the thought and factors to be weighed in， were illustrated in the author's simple but elegant style。 Reading this book would subconsciously change one's writing the way it's meant to be。 I know this is a book I'll return to， again and again。 Thoroughly enjoyed this sensible guide on weaving real tales。 The economy， the thought and factors to be weighed in， were illustrated in the author's simple but elegant style。 Reading this book would subconsciously change one's writing the way it's meant to be。 I know this is a book I'll return to， again and again。 。。。more
PG
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Before reading this book， whenever I used long and complicated words in my essays， I thought I was getting better at writing。 According to William Zinsser， however， I am a hack。 And he would be right。 Hopefully， after reading this book， I start to sound less of a hack and more like myself。 Reading this book really came at an auspicious time in my life。 I only started reviewing books here on Goodreads about two months ago because I wanted to share my thoughts to a wider community。 I didn't start Before reading this book， whenever I used long and complicated words in my essays， I thought I was getting better at writing。 According to William Zinsser， however， I am a hack。 And he would be right。 Hopefully， after reading this book， I start to sound less of a hack and more like myself。 Reading this book really came at an auspicious time in my life。 I only started reviewing books here on Goodreads about two months ago because I wanted to share my thoughts to a wider community。 I didn't start because I wanted to improve my writing。 But as I continued writing more reviews， I realized that if I learned to write better I would be able to convey my point of view more clearly。 And who doesn't want to be better understood？I found the first half of this book to be the most informative and instructive part for me。 Every chapter teemed with useful lessons and practical examples of the basic foundation on good writing。 Not only does it educate on how to write but also on what not to write。 My biggest mistake before was thinking that more was better， that the longer the word the more elegant my writing would be。 But Zinsser elegantly teaches me that less is better。 Simplicity is strength。 I give this book four stars instead of five because the second half of the book was not as interesting to me。 I am not studying to be a sportswriter or a humorist so the chapters focused on those was not as riveting as the first half。 Nonetheless， I end the book feeling more confident that I can improve my writing。 And I hope it shows。 。。。more
Pawel Grzybek
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Some time ago， I discovered Seth’s Godin’s blog （thanks Basia for the recommendation）， and since then， I have read every single article by him。 There is something about his writing style that I admire a lot。 It is concise and keeps me reading even if the subject is not in the scope of my interests。 The Akimbo Podcast is another masterpiece produced by Seth that I can’t stop listening to。People like Seth inspired me to invest some time in my writing skills。 “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser is Some time ago， I discovered Seth’s Godin’s blog （thanks Basia for the recommendation）， and since then， I have read every single article by him。 There is something about his writing style that I admire a lot。 It is concise and keeps me reading even if the subject is not in the scope of my interests。 The Akimbo Podcast is another masterpiece produced by Seth that I can’t stop listening to。People like Seth inspired me to invest some time in my writing skills。 “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser is one of the positions that I can’t recommend enough to every content creator。This short book is about four core principles of good writing: clarity， simplicity， brevity and humanity。 It emphasizes the fact that writing is a skill that can be learned and improved。 It also changed how I think about writing and my audience — you should write for yourself， not for others。https://pawelgrzybek。com/book-review-。。。 。。。more
Cas
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If you want to write commercially and publish stuff that appeals to the lowest common denominator of target audiences， then I have great news because this is -the- book for you。Naturally， if you have no desire to be lectured on the obvious supremacy of conveyor belt-tier writing that doesn’t have the slightest tone of ambition then you had better give this one a miss。The author clearly values simplicity over everything， so I’ve gone through the trouble of simplifying his book for him， condensed If you want to write commercially and publish stuff that appeals to the lowest common denominator of target audiences， then I have great news because this is -the- book for you。Naturally， if you have no desire to be lectured on the obvious supremacy of conveyor belt-tier writing that doesn’t have the slightest tone of ambition then you had better give this one a miss。The author clearly values simplicity over everything， so I’ve gone through the trouble of simplifying his book for him， condensed right into a single sentence。“Look at me， be like me， please read my other work， look at me， aren’t I great？” 。。。more
Rafael Aracil
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We are exposed to more written word than ever。 The amount of content available has grown exponentially while the average quality has dropped。 I agree with the author: people are not aware of how bad they write。 These guides on writing well are always welcome。There is a little of what you shouldn't do and a little of what you should。 Understandably generalistic， it has many examples that most of the time help to make the point but sometimes feel too long。 They are great for the first read， but I We are exposed to more written word than ever。 The amount of content available has grown exponentially while the average quality has dropped。 I agree with the author: people are not aware of how bad they write。 These guides on writing well are always welcome。There is a little of what you shouldn't do and a little of what you should。 Understandably generalistic， it has many examples that most of the time help to make the point but sometimes feel too long。 They are great for the first read， but I would recommend extracting a summary of the main points and reading it periodically。 。。。more
Samuel Pedro
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On Writing Well is a book to help improve non-fiction writing。 It preaches simpleness in writing， and calls clutter “the disease of American writing。” Often， we use too many words and phrases that add nothing to our writing。The book believes all writing can be improved upon， even business， legal and scientific works。 A lot of these pompous writings are stripped of their humanity， which leaves them boring and dull。 The human element is why people read。Zinsser gives dozens of good and bad examples On Writing Well is a book to help improve non-fiction writing。 It preaches simpleness in writing， and calls clutter “the disease of American writing。” Often， we use too many words and phrases that add nothing to our writing。The book believes all writing can be improved upon， even business， legal and scientific works。 A lot of these pompous writings are stripped of their humanity， which leaves them boring and dull。 The human element is why people read。Zinsser gives dozens of good and bad examples to show his principles in action。 The examples unleash the power of Zinsser’s teaching and are the strongest part of the book。This is the best practical guide I’ve read about writing。 I loved the books On Writing by Stephen King and Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury。 But， now I see， I liked them because the authors were interesting。 They inspired me to write but they didn’t give me clear advice for writing well。 On Writing Well has given me methodical ways of thinking about and improving my writing。 。。。more
Nan
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Zinsser's mantra - clarity， simplicity， brevity， humanity - is a good one。 When he waxed poetic on word processors， I felt like I'd entered the Twilight Zone。 He has an excellent list of memoirs any writer should read。 Zinsser's mantra - clarity， simplicity， brevity， humanity - is a good one。 When he waxed poetic on word processors， I felt like I'd entered the Twilight Zone。 He has an excellent list of memoirs any writer should read。 。。。more
Jack Boyles
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Short and concise， this book goes through the fundamentals of good writing， albeit fiction or otherwise。 A must for writers， and works as a audiobook （unlike Elements of Style）， Zinsser uses great examples to prove his point。 If you want to be a writer， this is one of the greats。
Gabriel Pinkus
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“Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can't exist without the other。” - William Zinsser “Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can't exist without the other。” - William Zinsser 。。。more
Yasmeen Naseer
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For a book with a topic that sounds bland， this book was a page-turner。 Takes real skill to tackle a topic of this sort without losing the interest of the reader。 Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in honing their craft。
Alexander Malov
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Читал украинский перевод "Текст-пекс-шмекс。 Магія переконливих текстів"。 Замечательная книга！ Будет полезной всем， кто пишет。 Читал украинский перевод "Текст-пекс-шмекс。 Магія переконливих текстів"。 Замечательная книга！ Будет полезной всем， кто пишет。 。。。more
Dominic Venuso
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Classic， pleasant， and helpful read on some of the basics of writing。 There are some strange quirks I've not heard before。 One was a bias for anglo-saxon English words as opposed to Latin ones。 Things like that seem helpful with the artificial examples given， but of course these aren't actual rules。 Different kinds of words have their use in different ways （as Zinsser's own use of words with Latin origins！）。 Classic， pleasant， and helpful read on some of the basics of writing。 There are some strange quirks I've not heard before。 One was a bias for anglo-saxon English words as opposed to Latin ones。 Things like that seem helpful with the artificial examples given， but of course these aren't actual rules。 Different kinds of words have their use in different ways （as Zinsser's own use of words with Latin origins！）。 。。。more
Leanne
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I read this book on recommendation as part of a Copywriting forum that I'm a member of。 However I thought that it was mediocre and I struggled to get through it， which in a case defeats the purpose of the title。For me good writing is a flow that encourages you to keep reading because you want to find out more but I felt like I just wanted to get through the book to finish it， which is why it took so long for me to read the book。 I read this book on recommendation as part of a Copywriting forum that I'm a member of。 However I thought that it was mediocre and I struggled to get through it， which in a case defeats the purpose of the title。For me good writing is a flow that encourages you to keep reading because you want to find out more but I felt like I just wanted to get through the book to finish it， which is why it took so long for me to read the book。 。。。more
Andrew Jones
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I mean I wasn’t rushing to get back to it。 But it is written well （shockingly） and I picked up some good resources for this upcoming season of life。
Riversue
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