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...
editors want strive
All writers should strive to deliver something fresh-something editors or readers won't know they want until they see it.
thinking fine-things ends
I think a sentence is a fine thing to put a preposition at the end of.
be-kind kind
Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.
country writing thinking
Don't try to guess what sort of thing editors want to publish or what you think the country is in a mood to read. Editors and readers don't know what they want to read until they read it. Besides, they're always looking for something new.
jobs old-job people
But nothing has replaced the writer. He or she is still stuck with the same old job of saying something that other people will want to read.
writing-well subjects sells
Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is.
writing
A writer will do anything to avoid the act of writing.
writing people hardest
If writing seems hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things people do.
hard-work writing simple
A simple [writing] style is the result of very hard work.
errors marketing vagueness
Noise is the typographical error and the poorly designed page...Ambiguity is noise. Redundancy is noise. Misuse of words is noise. Vagueness is noise. Jargon is noise.
inspirational art writing
Writing is a craft not an art.
writing alive written
To defend what you've written is a sign that you are alive.
writing voice musical
My commodity as a writer, whatever I'm writing about, is me. And your commodity is you. Don't alter your voice to fit the subject. Develop one voice that readers will recognize when they hear it on the page, a voice that's enjoyable not only in its musical line but in its avoidance of sounds that would cheapen its tone: breeziness and condescension and clichés.
writing clear sentences
A clear sentence is no accident.