About this title: An indispensable guide for writers, this phenomenal bestseller has been completely updated to include examples from today's best writers. William Zinsser teaches the principles of good writing in a variety of forms. "Belongs on any shelf of serious reference works for writers".--New York Times.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. J-clean and tight; dust jacket has additional clear cover over it; initial on first page. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. 187 p. Audience: General/trade; General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: 1976
ISBN-13:9780060147983ISBN:0060147989
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Highlighting/underlining. No rips or tears in book. SMOKEFREE. Some underlining and notations. 151 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Wear to edges of corners of soft cover. Light page tanning from age. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper and Row
Date Published: 1980
ISBN-13:9780060148041ISBN:0060148047
Description: Very Good. Slight jacket wear. Minor highlighting on pages. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harpercollins College Div
Date Published: 1985
ISBN-13:9780060473969ISBN:0060473967
Description: Good. Shelf wear with scuffing around the edges. May contain corner page creases. MINIMAL underlining/highlights and notes. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harpercollins College Div
Date Published: 1985
ISBN-13:9780060473969ISBN:0060473967
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Previous owners name inscribed inside front. -, Trade PaperBack, Very Good / read more
"This is a classic for all writers, no matter the genre. It reminds us to take time with out writing and create good writing, not just pound out the sentences to get the job done. Writing is a craft that takes time, patience, experience and imagination. After reading this, I went back over some of my own recent writing and noticed several places where it could be improved. I keep this on my bookshelf in the "do not give away" section!"
"William Zinsser did not sell more than a million copies of On Writing Well by writing for the APA only. Zinsser was successful because he wrote for the average reader by writing for himself. He conveyed his identity in his work by writing from his perspective. The uniqueness of Zinsser's voice and ideas are fresh to the reader, who wants to read anything but a 300-paged address about grammar's conventional rules. Zinsser also avoided condescension in his tone by writing for himself. Who would condescend himself? The average reader can recognize when he is belittled regardless of how plain he is. According to Zinsser, the reader wants to figure out the meaning of the text by himself. The clarity in Zinsser's writing, which has few words with more than syllables but many contractions, is clear enough. Zinsser's writing is clear because Zinsser must understand his own writing when he writes for himself. Clarity and brevity are among Zinsser's treasured virtues in writing because the reader is human and impatient.
Another piece of advice conveyed in this book is that writers should write about what they like. If one were to write about his interests, he would know his subjects and have the drive to write about them.
Although On Writing Well probably offends every one who strictly condemns the placement of "But" at the beginning of a sentence or the casual usage of contractions, it yet offers invaluable advice to those who wants to write but is confined by the fear of writing, which is everyone."
"Of all books I have read about writing, this one is the most accessible and useful. It's a practical guide on how to be clear and concise in nonfiction writing. William Zinsser's tone is conversational and his sense of humor made me chuckle.
It's good to know that Zinsser thinks that a sentence is a fine thing for a preposition to be put at the end of. And it's ok to begin a sentence with a conjunction. I don't agree with everything he says, but he makes good points about what works with nonfiction writing and what doesn't.
I would give the book 5 stars for the sections on technique. The rest of the book covers styles of nonfiction writing and gets 3 stars. I plan to buy a copy for my collection of reference books."
"These are just part of the notes I have to take for school 1. Simplicity - What does it mean to have simplicity in your writing? What are some steps to attaining it? 2. Clutter - What does it look like not to have clutter in your writing? Give some examples. 3. Style - According to Zinsser, where does style come from? 4. Audience - Who does Zinsser say is your most important audience? Which of his 3 example excerpts do you like best and why? 5. Words - What is a cliché? What are some that you've heard today? 6. Usage - What does Zinsser say about using the same verb tense throughout a piece? What should every successful piece of nonfiction leave the reader with? 7. The Lead and The Ending - What is the importance of a good lead? What does it mean to bring a story full circle? 8. Bits and Pieces Define these terms in your own words or Zinsser's. (Please DO NOT look them up in the dictionary:
Verbs: Exclamation Point: Adverbs: Dash: Adjectives: Semicolon: Little Qualifiers: Overstatement: Paragraphs: Rewriting: Sexism (as relates to pronouns):"
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