61 Quotes by William Zinsser about writing
- Author William Zinsser
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I'm often dismayed by the sludge I see appearing on my screen if I approach writing as a task--the day's work--and not with some enjoyment.
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- Author William Zinsser
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The writer, his eye on the finish line, never gave enough thought to how to run the race.
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- Author William Zinsser
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Don't annoy your readers by over-explaining--by telling them something they already know or can figure out. Try not to use words like "surprisingly," "predictably" and "of course," which put a value on a fact before the reader encounters the fact. Trust your material.
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- Author William Zinsser
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Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty, and the sentences become longer and longer as they fill up with stately elms and frisky kittens and hard-bitten detectives and sleepy lagoons. This is adjective-by-habit - a habit you should get rid of. Not every oak has to be gnarled. The adjective that exists solely as a decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader.
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- Author William Zinsser
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Good writing is good writing, whatever form it takes and whatever we call it.
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- Author William Zinsser
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...being "rather unique" is no more possible than being rather pregnant.
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It wont do to say that the reader is too dumb or too lazy to keep pace with the train of thought. If the reader is lost, it's usually because the writer hasn't be careful enough.
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- Author William Zinsser
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Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty, and the sentences become longer and longer as they fill up with stately elms and frisky kittens and hard-bitten detectives and sleepy lagoons. This is adjective-by-habit - a habit you should get rid of. Not every oak has to be gnarled. The adjective exists solely as a decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader.
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- Author William Zinsser
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...writing is a craft, not an art, and that the man who runs away from his craft because he lacks inspiration is fooling himself.
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