William Zinsser
William Zinsser
William Knowlton Zinsserwas an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, where he worked as a feature writer, drama editor, film critic and editorial writer. He was a longtime contributor to leading magazines...
confused writing tired
Don’t say you were a bit confused and sort of tired and a little depressed and somewhat annoyed. Be tired. Be confused. Be depressed. Be annoyed. Don’t hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident.
editors want strive
All writers should strive to deliver something fresh-something editors or readers won't know they want until they see it.
reading writing easy
Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.
be-kind kind
Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.
soon-enough enough periods
There's not much to be said about the period except that most writers don't reach it soon enough.
space adjectives quiver
Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."
editors curious
Editors are licensed to be curious.
interesting humanity ordinary
Probably every subject is interesting if an avenue into it can be found that has humanity and that an ordinary person can follow.
reading writing today
Make a habit of reading what is being written today and what has been written before. Writing is learned by imitation.
important firsts articles
The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn't induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead. And if the second sentence doesn't induce him to continue to the third sentence, it's equally dead.
events looks calling
Memoir isn't the summary of a life; it's a window into a life, very much like a photograph in its selective composition. It may look like a casual and even random calling up of bygone events. It's not; it's a deliberate construction.
anything-goes world
Never let anything go out into the world that you don't understand.
toms
Nobody becomes Tom Wolfe overnight, not even Tom Wolfe.
reading cutting trying
I try to make what I have written tighter, stronger and more precise, eliminating every element that's not doing useful work. Then I go over it once more, reading it aloud, and am always amazed at how much clutter can still be cut.