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...
soon-enough enough periods
There's not much to be said about the period except that most writers don't reach it soon enough.
writing numbers way
The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis.
writing thinking clear
Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can't exist without the other.
writing people ego
I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.
writing jargon disease
Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills, and meaningless jargon.
reading writing white
Nobody ever stopped reading E. B. White or V. S. Pritchett because the writing was too good.
confused writing tired
Don’t say you were a bit confused and sort of tired and a little depressed and somewhat annoyed. Be tired. Be confused. Be depressed. Be annoyed. Don’t hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident.
reading writing easy
Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.
reading eye mind
Also bear in mind, when you're choosing your words and stringing them together, how they sound. This may seem absurd: readers read with their eyes. But in fact they hear what they are reading far more than you realize.
writing thinking soul
Writing is not a special language that belongs to a few sensitive souls who have a 'gift for words'. Writing is the logical arrangement of thought. Anyone who thinks clearly should be able to write clearly---about any subject at all.
writing simplicity humanity
Four basic premises of writing: clarity, brevity, simplicity, and humanity.
teacher stupid heart
There's no subject you don't have permission to write about. Students often avoid subjects close to their heart ... because they assume that their teachers will regard those topics as 'stupid.' No area of life is stupid to someone who takes it seriously. If you follow your affections you will write well and will engage your readers.
writing hard-work people
Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this 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
reading writing next
Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader reading from one paragraph to the next, and it's not a question of gimmicks to "personalize" the author.