added by sari · updated 2y ago
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
- "The airline pilot who announces that he is presently anticipating experiencing considerable precipitation wouldn’t think of saying it may rain. The sentence is too simple— there must be something wrong with it. But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components."
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago
- "Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other."
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago
- "The reader is someone with an attention span of about 30 seconds— a person assailed by many forces competing for attention. At one time those forces were relatively few: newspapers, magazines, radio, spouse, children, pets. Today they also include a galaxy of electronic devices for receiving entertainment and information— television, VCRs, DVDs, C... See more
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago
- "I only suggest avoiding one form—“ I’d,” “he’d,” “we’d,” etc.— because “I’d” can mean both “I had” and “I would,” and readers can get well into a sentence before learning which meaning it is. Often it’s not the one they thought it was. Also, don’t invent contractions like “could’ve.” They cheapen your style. Stick with the ones you can find in the... See more
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago
- "Learn to alert the reader as soon as possible to any change in mood from the previous sentence. At least a dozen words will do this job for you: “but,” “yet,” “however,” “nevertheless,” “still,” “instead,” “thus,” “therefore,” “meanwhile,” “now,” “later,” “today,” “subsequently” and several more. I can’t overstate how much easier it is for readers... See more
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago
- "My favorite definition of a careful writer comes from Joe DiMaggio, though he didn’t know that’s what he was defining. DiMaggio was the greatest player I ever saw, and nobody looked more relaxed. He covered vast distances in the outfield, moving in graceful strides, always arriving ahead of the ball, making the hardest catch look routine, and even... See more
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago
- "The perfect ending should take your readers slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right."
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago
- "You learn to write by writing. It’s a truism, but what makes it a truism is that it’s true. The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis."
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago
- "Surprisingly often a difficult problem in a sentence can be solved by simply getting rid of it."
from On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
sari added 2y ago