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

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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: Extremely Helpful for All Forms of Writing
Comment: A couple years ago, when I started a writing course, I was given the book On Writing Well as one of
my many text books. Truthfully, I was kind of upset about this, considering what type of writing I
had chosen as my craft, which was genre fiction. This book was written for the nonfiction writer.
But, as instructed, I read all the required chapters, and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was
surprised so much by the amount of general writing advice offered in this book, and the way it was
offered, that I've since reread this book three times over as a kind of refresher. It's become a
reference book for me, with plenty of marked pages that I look over when I'm stuck in my
writing.

Firstly, William Zinsser writes only nonfiction, generally travel books but
some how-to books as well, so you'd think that no matter what, anything he offers is wasted on a
fiction writer. But most of his advice is of the practical sort, offering ways of making your
writing more concise while stressing the importance of self-editing. All of the sections and
chapters are written with a wit that makes it easy to read this book, as you don't feel as if you
are being badgered like other how-to write books sometimes do. In fact, this book is very much a
page-turned as you want to know what Zinsser will offer next and how he will offer it.
/>This book has since become one of those key writing books, beside Writer's Digest's Writer's
Market books, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, and The Elements of Style. The advice offered is
universal, whether you write as a profession or just on a general basis (say for Amazon.com
reviews). I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to write better, no matter what it is you're
writing, and if you are a writer, I'm not going to recommend this. You should already have it, and
if you don't, I'm ordering you to get it. You will not be disappointed.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better!
Comment: This is an excellent book in almost every respect, except for his occasional digressions to preach
political correctness with reference to gender issues. He doesnt like masculine pronouns because
females are equal yadda, yadda, yadda; and his female readers scolded him about his insensitivity to
their pain. You will want to break out in song when you come upon them: "Anything you can do, I can
do better! I can do anything better than you!" I suspect it has to do with what Mencken called being
"Chalky Pedagogues." Yo! Zinsser! Lighten up! Women remain, for most intents and purposes,
coat-holders & horse-holders in the grand scheme of things.

But other-wise the book is
terrific.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Attacks Richard Feynman's writing
Comment: Zinsser may know writing technique but his content is sometimes totally off-base.

His
attacks on Richard Feynman's books are totally ludicrous. Those books are suppose to be
tongue-in-cheek humorous books. If Zinsser had bother to read the addendum to those books, it would
show Feynman's serious side and show that the man could really write well.

I read
Zinsser's books once. But I never will read them again.

Customer Rating:

Summary: "A very important book to have for writing"
Comment: I'm still look over William Zinnser article "On Writing Well," and I believe we can learn a lot by
using his book on learning how to write well. For those who have the need to become better writers,
this is a very important book to have!

By learning the Bits and Pieces of writing,
Zinnser shows us what important in a piece of writing.Just like Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the
Bones," and Steve Kowit's "In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop", two other
important books base on learning to write better, Zinnser show us every important aspect of
nonfiction writing to the bone. He brings us into view when he tells us that he not the same person
that he was 25 years ago, in which he says that basically we change. The idea that we learn to use
new ideas to old ones to make our selves better, is what William Gibson talks about in his article,
"God's little toys." What I think is really important, this that Zinsser says that good writing is
based on craft no matter what types of technology makes writing easier.

Zinnser lays
down the principles towards his writing, the first The Transaction. I like how he talks about a
situation that he faced while talking to a class with another speaker who had different thoughts
about writing. Zinnser points out that we as learners and writers should know our self, and what
drives us to want to move learn.Zinsser talks about a transaction with him self in which he finds
that warmth and humanity is the key element to understand good writing. I find that I'm finding
inspiration just by reading and writing. Too bad though, it doesn't seem to work for me when it
comes to learning about comprehending another language like Spanish that have to take to graduate
college. But, I guess, it all has to do with being motivated.

Zinnser wants us as
writers to start off with simple ideas, simple sentences, words, adverbs, and verbs. With
Nonfiction writing, Zinnser is telling us there is no need for hidden massages and meaning if we're
talking about real life. A lot of people tell me when I'm writing a paper or showing them a poem I
wrote, that I should use simple words.

Based on the ideas of readers reading a topic
for the first time, Zinnser points on to us that the writer should understand that the reader (most
of the time) is not an expert. By understanding how we interpret ideas, Zinnser talks about Style.
His idea of how we tend to have our own style in writing is based on the idea of how we learned to
write. How we learn to write Zinnser says, is based on early school grammar and listening. Zinnser
has the rational idea of how we write is based on weight of authority.

The most
important part of style Zinnser tells us is that we should have confidence within our selves and our
believes.
Writing is learned by imitation. If anyone asked me how I learned to write, I'd say
I learned by reading the men and women who were doing the kind of writing I wanted to do and trying
to figure out how they did it." (Zinnser, 35).

My professor told me, I have to put my
own voice in the paper, I have to tell the reader who I am and what I want to address. Zinnser
points out to the idea of all writers, towards addressing the reader on a final last word. He tells
us, "Most nonfiction writers have a definitiveness complex. They feel that they are under some
obligation-to the subject, to their honor, to the gods of writing-to make their article the last
word. It's a commendable impulse, but there is no last word."(Zinnser, 52). My papers seem to be all
over the place before I ever start really shaping the up. I believe that I will have to follow
Zinnser closer on what he says about writing. "Therefore think small. Decide what corner of your
subject you're going to bit off, and be content to cover it well and stop." (Zinnser, 52) />
Just by reading what Zinnser has to say about the aspects of writing, tells me, if I listen
to what he says, maybe 'I'll' become a better writer. I think we all want to become better writers,
and Zinnser gives us fine example of what he's what to show us, by letting us look at other passages
from other writers on how they express certain aspects of writing.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Oft-repeated commonsense guide to effective writing
Comment: I guess an opionion of this book really depends on your own experience with writing. I've been
writing nonfiction of various sorts for more than five decades. There's nothing in Zinsser's book
that I don't know or practice. On the other hand, if you're new to writing, afraid of writing or
just want a reminder of what the rules are, Zinsser offers solid, can't fail advice in an easy to
digest package.

Zinsser doesn't lead you into the thorny thickets of grammar: rather
he tells you the basics. Write what you know. Keeps it simple and accessible to the reader. Polish
what you write until only what you truly want to say is left. Good advice that virtually every
writer of any kind of nonfiction must follow.

What irks me, however, is Zinsser's
insistence on including his political opinions in a "guide to writing nonfiction." He includes
numerous references to various Presidents and clearly states his political leanings. These
references are entirely irrelevant to anything in the book. Their inclusion reminded me of Bernard
Goldberg's explanation of journalist's blindness to their own political bias: since everyone around
them thinks the same way, they don't think they're biased. Zinsser apparently thinks that everyone
shares his political views and is blind to the fact that is not the case.

Other than
this purely personal irritation, Zinsser's volume is a fine reminder of what every nonfiction writer
should always remember and an excellent guide to the nervous neophyte.

Jerry

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