A Guide to Good Writing
Advice from William Zinsser
William Zinsser’s On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction has sold over 1.5 million copies. First published in 1976, it’s 7th revised and updated edition came out in 2006.
Zinsser, who died in 2015 at 92 years old after writing 17 books, argued for clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity. His book remains the classic “how to write” book. And it’s a delight to read. (By contrast, imagine sitting down in your comfy armchair to read The Chicago Manual of Style.)
Zinsser tells you how to write without being rule-bound, stuffy, and boring. And he tells stories along the way so you’re learning while being entertained. (More writers should follow this style!) He gives you basic principles and methods in addition to how to write in specific genres: interviews, travel articles, memoirs, science and technology, business writing, sports, the arts, and even humor.
Write what you know and what you’re passionate about, what you’re interested in even if you aren’t an expert. Never forget that writing has a beginning, a middle and an end. Reminds me of the saying: “Tell ’em what you’re gonna tell ’em. Tell ’em. Then tell ’em what you just told ’em.” Or as our teachers instructed: Introduction, body, conclusion. Use contractions: I’d versus I would, You’re versus you are.
