preview

On Writing Well Essay

Decent Essays

Writing can be a difficult craft to understand and even begin to master, so it was refreshing to have this fact adressed within the first few pages of On Writing Well. Zinsser's reassuring voice telling me that when given the right tools and knowledge, anyone can write, instantly made me know I was going to like learning from him. I had never before heard an author, or writer of any nature for that matter, tell me such a thing. This sense of understanding would continue on as I read, for this would be only the first of many useful tips I would be given while reading this book. Zinsser starts off by giving the basic principles of quality nonfiction writing. It was nice for once to have someone telling me that I don't need to sound like a know-it-all and that in fact, it was better for my writing if I avoided it all together. No useless words. Nothing that sounds too overbearing. That, along with the idea of writing for me and not an audience really stuck to me. After all, …show more content…

From interviewing to humor writing, there is an abundance of knowledge on how to master anything that you might be confronted with. I specifically like reading about how to write scientifically, as I can never wrap my head around how to do it well. Overall, this section succeds most in providing tips for writing in general mixed in with every specialization, which makes this book invaluable for any type of writer. After reading about the attitudes of writing, the only things I found bothering me about this book was just how repetative Zinsser was. I felt like every fact was being drilled into my head. This, along with the fact that at times I felt like I was being talked down to, started to bother me near the end. Still, I believe this is a comprehensive guide in how to be the best writer one can be, and I know I will be using much of what I learned while reading it in my future writing

Get Access