On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Front Cover
Harper Collins, May 9, 2006 - Reference - 336 pages

On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sole, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.

 

Contents

Clutter
3
Unity
49
Bits Pieces
67
Nonfiction as Literature
95
The Travel Article
116
The Memoir
132
Science and Technology
147
Writing in Your
165
Humor
207
The Sound of Your Voice
231
Enjoyment Fear and Confidence
241
The Tyranny of the Final Product
253
A Writers Decisions
261
Writing Family History and Memoir
281
Write as Well as You Can
295
SOURCES
305

Sports
178
Critics and Columnists
193
INDEX
311
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2006)

William Zinsser has been a mentor for countless people who want to write with clarity and confidence. His eighteen books include the classic On Writing Well, which has sold almost 1.5 million copies. He now teaches at the New School and at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Bibliographic information