Genealogy Books - On Writing Well, 25th Anniversary : The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (On Writing Well)

Back to On Writing Well, 25th Anniversary : The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (On Writing Well)

Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: Talk about verbose
Comment: I am not a fan of this book. He begins by saying Do not use complicated words when a simple one will
do. Then he continues by using complicated words throughout the entire book. He proceeds by telling
the reader to do everything they were told not to do: use "I" and start sentences with "but." He is
the only person I have heard of that is pro "I" and I refuse to do poorly on future essays because
he likes it whereas no one else does. Much of his style is completely subjective--he doesn't explain
well why he likes some phrases and dislikes others. One thing I'm sure of, no matter what I'd write,
he'd hate it, including this review. In my opinion, the author can be described by words he uses
frequently in the book: pompous and utterly (he'd say that word is unecessary but oh, I think it is)
pretentious.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Pleasantly Surprised
Comment: I purchsed this book because I was looking to write better at work (I'm a management consultant).
As I began reading, I quickly realized that it was not the "don't put prepositions at the end of a
sentence" (although, he actually debunks that somewhat)...Point being, I learned so much more about
writing than I ever thought I would, and the benefits accrued immediately -- the following Monday, I
could see the results already (and so could my Boss). And the book is a pleasure to read -- it
makes you more conscious of how writer's write, making reading other author's less pleasurable now ,
or at least realizing their flaws more readily. I would highly recommend this book to those who
want to be better writers, no matter their ultimate goal, and even those who just love reading, and
want to better understand the craft of writing.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Zinsser knows his stuff
Comment: There is something in this book for everyone -- including all fields of nonfiction AND fiction. It
is just a good book on writing well. If you are a writer, I recommend spending $10 to read through
this. If there is nothing new -- this would surprise me -- then it is a great review of topics on
writing well. This is an excellent companion for those who have read Strunk and White. This is
especially true for college students who are going to have to start writing essays. You won't be
disappointed.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Great material and packaged well
Comment: I am now reading - "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser - and its delightful. I enjoyed every page
of the book - the conversational tone and liberal doses of humorous anecdotes. Initially I was
hesitant to buy the book after reading the "2 star" reviews in Amazon. Many of them took offence at
the authors tone and his rather forthright views on famous American politicians.

/>But I found the book enjoyable and every bit of it is relevant and fits together. It is written in
a way that behooves us to put the material into action immediately. Now is the tough part of finding
my own distinctive style of writing - and doing it well. I am looking forward to the practice and
also reading through the book again and digesting the material.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Important info for writers
Comment: This book contains all of the rules and mistakes that writers of any sort should know about. It is
not especially fun to read, but Zinsser keeps it interesting with concise information and great
examples. This is a resource I will refer back to forever.

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