On Writing Wel: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

This book has helped me gain confidence in myself as a writer. It talks about what writing should look like whether you are a sportswriter or travel writer. It keeps its focus on nonfiction writing but you get many lessons on fiction writing as well. MUST READ if you are a writer or editor or just hoping to be a writer some day.

Good book for guiding about non fiction writing.. Not recommended for fiction writing .. Nicely explained with examples from American writers

Such a wonderful and exquisite learning tool. Just a mere reading taught me a lot. I, without wasting a single second thought of gifting it to the most deserving. My happiness knew no bounds when I saw that person reading it analytically and grasping the message on the go.I strongly believe that this budding litterateur shall definitely rise up with a creative work jaded and jazzed up with jewels of words and garlands of phrases. I recommend it for all and sundry. If "On Writing Well" is read along with "The Elements of Style", the combination can help one assimilate and accumulate wealth of knowledge about the nuances of the literature world. Read and relish the jelly-jam churned out like fresh butter with honey drops falling on it.

Writing a book, on writing well, must be an enormously difficult task. It is more likely to be brutally judged. But Willam as done a beautiful job on this book and has demnstrated his narrative skills in the best way possible. This book has given me new insights on writing and i hope i will be able to retain these learning for a long time

The book content is good as expected but the paper quality is too cheap. It cost 600 rupees for a mere 300 pages, atleast print it in good quality paper. (3 star for its content)

Excellent book to learn to improve any kind of writing style - fiction, non fiction, day to day communication. William explains the core principles in a simple yet effective manner. At times I did feel like some theories/examples were being repeated so some skimming will be needed. But once you find those gems of wisdom, it is absolutely worth the read. A classic on the art of writing well!

Good book to bring clarity, cut clutter, sharpen your writing skills and connect with readers.

It is, as the author has put it, a complementary book to the masterpiece written by E.B.White.But it is much more than that. Its like trying to find your own mind as a writer. I absolutely loved reading the examples and the ways in which Zinsser has explained the craft of writing. I guess after reading the book , I have a feeling that maybe all of the users may not able to make an art of writing, but most of us can learn the craft well. I thank the author for writing so well on writing well!

I bought this book for my feature writing course. This book has 25 Chapters, organized into four parts: Principles, Methods, Forms and Attitudes. The first part focuses on the principles of writing. It provides several guidelines for a craft of writing which includes: Write simple, clutter free sentences; adopt a style so that reader can recognize you as someone special; write for yourself; choose simple and proper words; and lastly, get into the habit of using dictionaries. Part two shows the method of writing. This part teaches you that unity of pronoun, verbs, and mood are the anchors of good writing. It further instructs readers that, in feature writing, the lead must capture the reader immediately and force him or her to keep reading. In the same way, the end should take readers by surprise. Next, it suggests readers to use active verbs, avoid adverbs and adjectives as much as possible. Lastly, it provides guidelines for proper punctuation. Part three covers writing about the different form of nonfiction, including writing about people, places, memoirs, science and technology, business writing, sports, arts, humor, etc. In any of these forms, it suggests writing with clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity. In addition, it calls for using first person, active verbs, and avoiding long words and vague nouns. The last part imparts knowledge about the attitudes. The sound of your voice should be so relaxed that you hear the author talking to you, which requires strenuous effort and constant refining; crude, corny and verbose are enemies of good writing. Besides, it recommends avoiding cheap slang, shoddy sentences, windy philosophizing, and cliché, the enemy of taste. Next, it inspires its readers to write about subjects that interest them and they care about. Though the title of the book suggests that it is a guide to writing nonfiction, it is also for all those people who want to know about the craft of writing. In the end, this book suggests adding humor and surprise to writing, the question is how to be humorous in writing. The recipe is not given.

Spedizione arrivata in tempo, oggetto come da descrizione, libro ben scritto.

This was recommended to me on X when I asked how I can become a better copywriter. I was not disappointed. Great ideas about how to write, why to write and the technicalities in the middle. If you are interested in writing commercially or otherwise, it's a great primer on writing with no assumed knowledge. I admit he is a bit left leaning politically however it's not strong and easily dismissed. Good read

Buen libro, tiempo y forma cumplido para el envío , aún que no fue para si no un regalo lo disfrutaron mucho

Zinsser's book is top-notch. It provides solid, easy to remember guidelines for how to make your writing cleaner and crisper. I am a writer and have to write both academic and popular pieces, and this book really helped me to understand the difference in writing styles and how to improve my own style. Zinsser takes you through the various styles of writing (and types, e.g. sports, fiction, etc.) and explains the do's and don'ts of each. The best part about the book is that the guidelines are easy to remember, such as (paraphrasing) don't use more words when less can do the same job. One big plus is that the book is also very humourous and provides great examples to follow along with. A lot of people shy away from writing books because a) there are so many out there that it's intimidating to choose one, and b) most are generally quite pedantic and boring. Zinsser's book, on the other hand, is quite engaging for a "how to" book and stands above the rest because it combines easy-to-use guidelines with solid examples and a good wit. After just one read through I found my writing improving very quickly, and since then I always have it close at hand. Even after many years this is still one of the best writing books, and along with Strunk and White's "The Element's of Style" this is one of the classic, must-have writing guides. This book has greatly improved my writing. I plan to have it on my bookshelf for life, and to consult it often!