Tag Archives: William Zinsser

Entertainment Value

“When I tell aspiring writers that they should think of themselves as part entertainers, they don’t like to hear it — the word smacks of carnivals and jugglers and clowns. But to succeed you must make your piece jump out … Continue reading

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Clutter Control

“Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills, and meaningless jargon.” “People read with their ears, whether they know it or not.” William Zinsser On the bookshelves of many … Continue reading

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By Imitation

“Writing is learned by imitation; we all need models.” William Zinsser Our boy Willie is a busy fellow! He’s the author of a classic guide which I’ve drawn on for many a post called On Writing Well (see Ink Think … Continue reading

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Energetic Endings

“The perfect ending should take the reader slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right to him…. It is like the curtain line in a theatrical comedy. We are in the middle of a scene (we think) when suddenly one … Continue reading

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Ink Think

“Four basic premises of writing: clarity, brevity, simplicity, and humanity.” William Zinsser “Composition is a discipline; it forces us to think. If you want to ‘get in touch with your feelings,’ fine; we all do. But if you want to … Continue reading

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Inner Ear

Tough night:  just spent about two hours revising four pages of a key scene for my YA novel. I made the revisions by reading my draft aloud — it’s amazing what a difference this makes! When your tongue stumbles over … Continue reading

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Clutter Patrol

“Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader from one paragraph to the next, and it’s not a question of gimmicks to ‘personalize’ the author. It’s a question of using the English language in a way that will achieve … Continue reading

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Three Agreements

“In truth, I never consider the audience for whom I’m writing. I just write what I want to write.” J.K. Rowling “Who am I writing for?” It is a fundamental question and it has a fundamental answer: you are writing … Continue reading

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