On Writing Well – William Zinsser

After reading The Elements of Style and a couple of other books on writing I didn’t necessarily plan on reading another one on this topic. But when I saw that Derek Sivers recommended On Writing Well on his site I thought it might be worth checking out.

I learned a lot about how to improve my writing in the first few chapters of the book. They were relevant, filled with examples and easy to understand. The main takeaways for me were:

• The best writing comes from rewriting as much as necessary.
• Strip down each sentence to its essence.
• Avoid long sentences. Break them down into smaller pieces if it’s easier to understand.
• Ask yourself “What am I trying to say?” and check in later “Have I said it?”.
• Writing in the first person is the most genuine way to write.
• Don’t forget to have fun, your readers will notice and enjoy it.
• Use people and places in your writing, they make your story come to life.
• Write like a human being and avoid confusing your readers with fancy words that don’t mean much.

Now every time I write whether it’s for my blog, at work or anywhere else I try to put these learnings into practice. The book gave me new tools to improve my writing and made the process more enjoyable. It’s like I was given a clear path to follow on my journey to becoming a better writer.

All that’s left do is write. And rewrite some more.

★★★☆☆