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A review by awashinfeeling
On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
4.0
I recommend this book as a must-have work of reference for all (would-be) writers out there. Although Zinsser explains that this book is specifically for non-fiction, some of his suggestions can easily be applied to fictional works as well. Removing word clutter, for instance, is useful for prose writing too. It's helpful and I try to follow some of his advice.
I don't agree with all of Zinsser's views of good writing. Some of his ideas are outdated, others are straitlaced. For example, his use of the generic He would be considered sexist today - and rightly so. He generally dislikes gender-neutral words (eg. flight attendant) and sounds tediously "Victorian" at times. Interestingly enough, I get the impression that he doesn't consider himself a language purist but he would surely look like one now.
I don't agree with all of Zinsser's views of good writing. Some of his ideas are outdated, others are straitlaced. For example, his use of the generic He would be considered sexist today - and rightly so. He generally dislikes gender-neutral words (eg. flight attendant) and sounds tediously "Victorian" at times. Interestingly enough, I get the impression that he doesn't consider himself a language purist but he would surely look like one now.