On writing well book review6/29/2023 The book is broken into four parts – Principles, Methods, Forms and Attitudes, but it’s Principles and Methods that give the book its value.įor example, the topic on Simplicity begins with: “Clutter is the Disease of American Writing.” Zinsser argues there’s no room for wordiness – and he shows you how to achieve clear and accurate text with a range of examples.Īlthough designed with non-fiction in mind, the book is for anyone who wants to write, and any fiction writer will benefit from reading it. The most valuable part about On Writing Well is that it strongly promotes simplicity and keeping things clear and concise. The book’s currently on its ’30th Anniversary Edition’, which suggests Zinsser’s doing something right. Yes, I’m almost embarrassed to say it was that long ago. Ahh, word processors, those new-fangled things on them fancy computers. It even had a helpful section called ‘Writing – and rewriting – with a Word Processor’. My first copy was the ‘Third Edition: Revised and Enlarged’ edition, and it’s somewhat dog-eared now from so many years of use and being leant out. I first came across this book just after I became interested in writing fiction, and it’s one of the best books on writing I’ve ever found.
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