scottacorbin's review
3.0
I always love reading books about reading and writing. One of the books that has been most helpful to me was "Woe Is I," a little book on writing and grammar that helps me make writing decisions on a daily basis. For this reason, I was excited to read On Writing Well. As far as books on writing go, it was fine.
Zinsser, writing in the spirit of E. B. White and his classic Elements of Style, seeks to educate readers on all things related to the craft. Broken down in four parts, Zinsser covers the basics of sentence construction ("words," "clutter," "style,") as well as the more intangible aspects of writing ("using your voice," "author's decisions,"). In between, he has a small tour through various forms of writing (e.g. writing about sports, humor, business writing, etc. etc.)
Ironically, I think the book could've used more editing. The beauty of White is its tight simplicity and, while Zinsser's aim was to teach some of that while also helping the reader grasp his point through other expert writers, it sometimes felt overly long. Many chapters which I was excited to read, I soon got bogged down and bored. One of Zinsser's aims is to try to teach writers how they can keep the reader hooked. I guess even the experts who are responsible for teaching the craft sometimes fail.
Anyway, while this book wasn't as good as the aforementioned above, I still had chapters which I enjoyed very much. Some of his points were duly taken as well. I can sometimes write overly long sentences. Don't believe me? Go back to the last paragraph and check out the mega subordinate clause in sentence two. Yikes.
Zinsser, writing in the spirit of E. B. White and his classic Elements of Style, seeks to educate readers on all things related to the craft. Broken down in four parts, Zinsser covers the basics of sentence construction ("words," "clutter," "style,") as well as the more intangible aspects of writing ("using your voice," "author's decisions,"). In between, he has a small tour through various forms of writing (e.g. writing about sports, humor, business writing, etc. etc.)
Ironically, I think the book could've used more editing. The beauty of White is its tight simplicity and, while Zinsser's aim was to teach some of that while also helping the reader grasp his point through other expert writers, it sometimes felt overly long. Many chapters which I was excited to read, I soon got bogged down and bored. One of Zinsser's aims is to try to teach writers how they can keep the reader hooked. I guess even the experts who are responsible for teaching the craft sometimes fail.
Anyway, while this book wasn't as good as the aforementioned above, I still had chapters which I enjoyed very much. Some of his points were duly taken as well. I can sometimes write overly long sentences. Don't believe me? Go back to the last paragraph and check out the mega subordinate clause in sentence two. Yikes.
aquabak's review
3.0
I was debating between 3 or 4 stars for this book. I quite liked it - the author evidently knew what he was doing and had good advice. He was funny while he was informative, and those are good qualities, but I struggled through it. I found myself wanting to skip certain parts of the book, and that's not something that should ever happen. Overall, though, I do think it will help me improve my writing, so I can't completely discredit it.
fatherroderick's review
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
A good, down-to-earth guide to writing in general, and to write memoir specifically. The author advocates a clear, simple writing style, and to always write for yourself first, rather than to try pleasing a specific audience.
An important takeaway for my work as a documentary maker is the advice to always insert yourself into the story, to share how what you encounter or discover impacts you. Don't be afraid to give your opinion and to share your own journey, including the struggles and the failures along the way.
I would recommend this book to my fellow priests and deacons too as a source of inspiration and advice on how to deliver an engaging homily or sermon that people can relate to and will actually remember.
An important takeaway for my work as a documentary maker is the advice to always insert yourself into the story, to share how what you encounter or discover impacts you. Don't be afraid to give your opinion and to share your own journey, including the struggles and the failures along the way.
I would recommend this book to my fellow priests and deacons too as a source of inspiration and advice on how to deliver an engaging homily or sermon that people can relate to and will actually remember.
nibsy's review
5.0
Written Well
I suppose it’s appropriate that a book entitled, “Writing Well,” should be so well written. The author makes the point that it doesn’t matter what you write about, just write it well. The pleasure of reading comes from reading well-written content. This book leads by example. It’s packed full of great advice for improving one’s writing and many clear examples to illustrate the advice.
I suppose it’s appropriate that a book entitled, “Writing Well,” should be so well written. The author makes the point that it doesn’t matter what you write about, just write it well. The pleasure of reading comes from reading well-written content. This book leads by example. It’s packed full of great advice for improving one’s writing and many clear examples to illustrate the advice.
kjboldon's review
4.0
Classic for a reason. Though updated, still dated: humor section praises Woody Allen and Garrison Keillor and gives bare passing mention to women.
jbojkov's review
4.0
Classic manual on how to write non-fiction works. Even though this has been updated, it still felt a little old-fashioned at times. But lots of good, practical advice. Some I was even able to apply to work.