William Zinsser
William Zinsser
William Knowlton Zinsserwas an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, where he worked as a feature writer, drama editor, film critic and editorial writer. He was a longtime contributor to leading magazines...
believe writing want
Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident. . . . Every little qualifier whittles away some fraction of the reader's trust. Readers want a writer who believes in himself and in what he is saying. Don't diminish that belief. Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.
writing blueprints
Writing is no respecter of blueprints.
writing good-writing
Good writing is lean and confident.
writing ratios direct
Writing improves in direct ratio to the things we can keep out of it that shouldn't be there.
trying today routine
Today the outlandish becomes routine overnight. The humorist is trying to say that it's still outlandish.
interesting humanity ordinary
Probably every subject is interesting if an avenue into it can be found that has humanity and that an ordinary person can follow.
writing voice quality
Finding a voice that your readers will enjoy is largely a matter of taste. Saying that isn't much help-taste is a quality so intangible that it can't even be defined. But we know it when we meet it.
grateful writing cutting
Be grateful for every word you can cut.
teacher writing thinking
Writers who think THEY are being criticized when only that writing is being criticized are beyond a teacher's reach. Writing can only be learned when a writer coldly separates himself from what he has written and looks at it with the objectivity of a plumber examining a newly piped bathroom to see if he got all the joints tight.
numbers paper purpose
Examine every word you put on paper. You'll find a surprising number that don't serve any purpose.
trying different mass
Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person.
strong roots curiosity
You'll never make your mark as a writer unless you develop a respect for words and a curiosity about their shades of meaning that is almost obsessive. The English language is rich in strong and supple words. Take the time to root around and find the ones you want
want what-you-want
Decide what you want to do. Then decide to do it. Then do it.
writing stronger gone
Many of us were taught that no sentence should begin with "but." If that's what you learned, unlearn it - there's no stronger word at the start. It announces a total contrast with what has gone before, and the reader is thereby primed for the change.