On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
byWilliam Knowlton Zinsser
Writing is a craft that can be improved; you aren't born with superb writing abilities. This book is a good start to improving your writing. One central point of the book is that good writing comes from a desire to write well, with repeated effort and careful editing. Your writing should not be to overly detailed or contain too much vague language, less is more and be simple and to the point. The main task is to communicate your central idea and transform the reader from a passive observe into a engaged ally. I also liked that is written in a very approachable manner with some biographical information and other experiences and wouldn't just serve as just a reference manual. The book goes over writing principles, methods and different tones of writing. He also talks about different guidelines for specific kinds of non-fiction like business, sports, travel, humor, arts, etc. Solid book to have in anyone's reading collection.
Motivations to Read
Being able to express myself in many different ways is very important to me on a personal level. Early out when I started picking up on my reading habit, I knew that I wanted to prioritize picking out books that focused on principles and were time tested. This is one of those books and has been used by some great writers to become even better. For learning, I want to learn from masters, and this book is an effective way to do that.
3 Reasons to Read
- You want to learn how to write better
- Fundamental Principles for Writing (Non-Fiction focused)
- Improve your communication
