On Writing Well by William Zinsser came to me as the result of someone else cleaning out their books. I don’t turn down free writing books. (Who am I kidding? I don’t turn down books…)
My inherited edition is hard-bound, with a cherry-tomato linen cover that peeks from the ripped dust jacket. A Goth cover design: stark, matte-black. Bold red serif fonts. The pale white suggestion of a subtitle. Very appropriate for a 1985 Third Edition.
It has been recommended to me several times by writers over the years, but I ignored it. I was writing fiction.
Finally, this June, at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference,Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr. had it as a top recommendation and I thought, I have a copy of that book at home. I should really read it.
The book is a funny, easy read.
The book encourages writers to edit ruthlessly, simplify language, and let their unique humanity shine.
The book provides a constant flow of examples.
The book issues challenges I have previously heard parrotted by instructors, podcasters, and critique group members, but until now, without sufficient context.
Here, at last, is context.
Here is the font of wisdom from the wellspring below the tree of knowledge in its undiluted form.
Here is the refreshing and uncomplicated, long cool gulp of clear water after the sweaty task of amateur wordsmithing.
And here are my summary notes, in case you want a William Goldman style “good parts version.” Readers of The Princess Bride know that they are really all the good parts. That’s no different with this book.
Read it all if you can.
Chapter 1: The Transaction
Who: “…ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not his subject, but who he is.”
What: “[From] the personal transaction that’s at the heart of good nonfiction writing…come two of the most important qualities:…humanity and warmth.”
How: “Good writing…[uses] the English language in a way that will achieve the greatest strength and the least clutter.”
Chapter 2: Simplicity
What: “Clutter is the disease of American writing.”
Why: “If the reader is lost, it is…because the writer has not been careful enough to keep him on the path.”
How: “Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident.”
Remember this as a consolation in moments of despair…If you find that writing is hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things that people do.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Chapter 3: Clutter
What: “Fighting clutter is like fighting weeds–the writer is always slightly behind.”
How: “…put brackets around any component in a piece of writing that [isn’t] doing useful work. “
Who: “…you decide: read the sentence without the bracketed material and see if it works.”
Why: “Be grateful for everything you can throw away.”
Ask Yourself: “Is every word doing new work? Can any thought be expressed with more economy? Is anything pompous or pretentious or faddish? Are you hanging on to something useless just because you think it’s beautiful?”
Chapter 4: Style
What: “The point is…to strip down your writing before you can build it back up.”
Why: “Style is organic to the person doing the writing…”
How: “…a fundamental rule is: be yourself. No rule, however, is harder to follow…It requires the writer to do two things…He must relax and he must have confidence.”
Who: “A writer is obviously at his most natural when he writes in the first person…If you aren’t allowed to use “I,” at least think “I” while you write, or write the first draft in the first person and then take the “I”s out. It will warm up your impersonal style.”
Commit: “Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it. Use its energy to keep yourself going.”
The average writer sets out to commit an act of literature.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Chapter 5: The Audience
Who: “‘Who am I writing for?’ It is a fundamental question and it has a fundamental answer: you are writing for yourself.”
What: “If it amuses you in the act of writing, put it in. (It can always be taken out later, but only you can put it in.)”
How: “First, work hard to master the tools. Simplify, prune, and strive for order. Think of this as a mechanical act…Think of the other process as a creative act–the expressing of who you are. Relax and say what you want to say.”
“Who am I writing for?” The question that begins this chapter has irked some readers; they want me to say “Whom am I writing for?” But I can’t bring myself to say it. It’s just not me.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Chapter 6: Words
What: “The English language is rich in strong and supple words. Take the time to root around and find the ones you want.”
How: “The only way to fight [cliche] is to care deeply about words.”
“The Thesaurus is to the writer what a rhyming dictionary is to the songwriter–a reminder of all the choices–and you should use it with gratitude.”
“Also bear in mind, when you are choosing words and stringing them together, how they sound…such matters as rhythm and alliteration are vital to every sentence.”
Commit: “I write entirely by ear and read everything aloud before letting it go out into the world.”
The race in writing is not to the swift but to the original.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Chapter 7: Usage
What: “Why is one word good and another word cheap? I can’t give you an answer because usage has no fixed boundaries or rules.”
“What is good usage? Perhaps one helpful way of looking at the question is to try to separate usage from jargon.”
How: “Luckily, a pattern did emerge, and it offers a guideline that is still useful. In general, [the Usage Panel put together by The American Heritage Dictionary] turned out to be liberal in accepting new words and phrases, but conservative in grammar.”
Warning: “The only trouble with accepting words that entered the language overnight is that they have a tendency to leave as abruptly as they came…The writer who cares about usage must always know the quick from the dead.”
Commit: “That’s where all careful writers ought to be, looking at every new piece of debris that washes up and asking ‘Do we need it?’”
Why: “To me, good usage consists of using good words if they already exist–as they usually do–to express myself clearly and simply to someone else. You might say it’s how I try to verbalize the interpersonal.”
Language is a fabric that changes from one week to another…
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Part II Coming Soon…
What do you think?