On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

The numerous Zinsser fans I see represented among the Amazon reviewers lead me to suspect that perhaps this is not his most effective book. I found many of Zinnser's asides entertaining, particularly the narrative describing a trip to Timbuktu and the experience of Bedouin lifestyle; but as examples intended to help me better my own writing I rate them only fair. I did not find them overbearingly political as another reviewer has commented. The style advice in the first few chapters was marginally helpful, but my suspicion is that Zinsser tried to cover too much ground with too few pages.

Of course, as this very review shows, I'm no great shakes as a writer. However, for the starting writer who wants one or two good initial book purchases, I would recommend two other books that inspired me a bit more than this one did. First, Strunk & White's _The Elements of Style_ is the best style manual around (page for page.) As soon as I actually started reading it (after getting over the memories of having to buy this in college) its genius became apparent. Second, for sheer, irreverent essay writing inspiration, _Sin Boldly!_ by David R. Williams is a winner. Start with these two, and you'll be primed for more!


How To Improve Your Book Reviews on Amazon   August 27, 2005
 31 out of 34 found this review helpful

Zinsser asserts that writing well can be learned. This is good news. I thought I wrote well until I compared my reviews to those of some of the consistent top reviewers on Amazon. How do they do that?

According to Zinsser (and affirmed by Tom Clancy on a TV interview), good writers follow rules, editing each sentence and paragraph multiple times. They write against deadlines whether or not they're feeling inspired. When done properly, the finished product can look deceptively simple to write. Following is my liberally abridged summary of Zinsser's rules:

1. Do - prune out every word that does not perform a necessary function. Strip each sentence to its cleanest components. A clear sentence is no accident.

2. Do - use the thesaurus liberally. Learn the small gradations between words that seem to be synonyms.

3. Do - try to improve the rhythm by reversing the order of a sentence, substituting a word that has freshness or oddity, and by varying the lengths of sentences.

4. Do - make your first sentence the best one - your lead must capture the reader.

5. Do - make each sentence lead into the next. Readers think linearly.

6. Do - Take special care with the last sentence in your paragraph - its the springboard to the next paragraph.

7. Do - make your paragraphs short. Readers think in segments.

8. Do - pay special attention to the last sentence. The perfect ending should take your reader slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right.

9. Do - Read it aloud to see how it sounds and re-edit - then do it again. Clear writing is the result of lots of tinkering.


On the other hand:

1. Don't - use passive verbs unless there is no comfortable way to use an active verb.

2. Don't - use adverbs that convey the same meaning as your strong active verb - prune it out.

3. Don't - use adjectives when the concept is already in your carefully chosen noun - prune it out.

4. Don't - use small words that qualify how you feel: "a bit," "a little," "sort of," and dozens more. Good writing is lean and confident.

5. Don't - use concept nouns:
Instead of - "The common reaction is incredulous laughter."
Write - "Most people just laugh with disbelief."

6. Don't - use the exclamation point unless you must, do use the period more frequently, don't forget the versatile dash, and cut down on the use of semi-colons and colons. If you don't know how to punctuate, get a grammar book.


The next book I read was the New York Times bestseller, "Shadow Divers," by Robert Kurson. I read slowly with Zinsser's rules in mind, analyzing individual words, sentences and paragraphs. I looked for clutter, excess wordage, grandiose exaggerations, qualifiers, bad punctuation - and other common errors Zinsser considered awful. I couldn't find any. What I consistently found were techniques listed in the "do" list and just good creative writing. No wonder this author was successful. Within two chapters I was hooked, dropped my analysis, and finished the book very late that night.

Clancy said, "I hate writing - it's too much work. I put off starting as long as possible, and when I do start, it takes a year for me to write a book." Maybe not a recommended method for plugging a book, but Clancy's statement reveals the sweat equity he puts into each phrase.

Zinsser's book says we can learn to write better using proven techniques, and offers plenty of advice in this story-book type narrative. I plan on keeping it close by, next to my new thesaurus.


Worthless Book   February 25, 2004
 30 out of 87 found this review helpful

How Zinsser can call himself a writer is beyond me. This book is filled with hostility, arrogance, and hypocrisy. All of the points Zinsser makes about being an effective writer are contradicted at some point throughout the book, either directly via a comment, or through his own writing style.

'Part-time' writers are trivialized and all forms of writing except that which Zinsser purports to practice are criticized.

This book is nothing more than a blatant attempt at self-aggrandization.

If you're truly interested in being a writer, ignore all of the nonsensical garbage Zinsser writes. Trust me, I've been a newspaper editor for 25 years.


Excellent, concise and clear.   March 13, 2000
 21 out of 23 found this review helpful

This book was easy to read and full of useful information, with a comprehensive index. After I finished reading, I radically edited a piece I'd just written. The wordiness was cut out, the point was made clearer and it read more smoothly. The cover says the book is the classic guide to writing non-fiction; though I think the advice applies equally well to fiction.

On Writing Well is split into four parts. The first, Principles, deals with the mechanics of writing. Zinsser is insistent that you strip the clutter from your writing. Part two is Methods, advising consistency of tone and tense, and the importance of strong beginnings and endings. Part three looks in detail at types of writing (humour, memoir, science, business etc.). The final part looks at attitudes, how we approach our writing and our unique writing.

Zinsser says: "My commodity as a writer, whatever I'm writing, is me. And your commodity is you."

Probably the best advice from Zinsser was about rewriting until the piece is as good as you can get it. I wrote the first draft of this review by hand, to force at least one rewrite as I typed it up. What you're reading now is the fourth draft, and it's much better than the first was. This is an excellent book I think everyone can learn from.


Let's keep to writing, not politics.   November 30, 2001
 20 out of 36 found this review helpful

Zinsser was a professor at Yale during the sixties and sadly it shows. Throughout this book he constantly illustrates writing points he is trying to make by using political anecdotes, all of which presume the reader shares his liberal bias.

In a section on eloquence he writes, "The cadences of Jefferson, Lincoln, Curchill, Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson came rolling down to me. (The cadences of Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan did not.)" OK. I'll spot him Ike and Nixon. But Reagan? He earned the title "The Great Communicator" and was teamed with a truly eloquent and gifted speechwriter, Peggy Noonan.

In the following paragraph he cites Mario Cuomo and Jesse Jackson as two who have restored his faith in the nobility of language as a means of addressing the populace. Cuomo maybe, but Jackson?

This book is dated and tiresome. Save your money and time and instead read something truly useful such as "When Words Collide".