On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
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 sold, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.
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Keys to Great Writing
This versatile guide will improve the skills of virtually every type of writer, from professional copywriters to students. Its interactive lessons entertain as they inform, encouraging writers to test their knowledge, learn new techniques, and pay attention to detail. Readers will find: 100 tips for better writing; an “Elements of Style” checklist; a copy editing skills test; common writing mistakes; a glossary of grammatical terms; and, a handy proofreading checklist, and more.
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I am sorry to disagree….,
I usually only write reviews for books I can praise. I actively avoid giving criticism about books that have, as this one does, a large and enthusiastic following. I feel compelled to write now because I think that many will not be as well served as they imagine after reading these reviews.
I think this book is popular for many understandable and, in themselves, good reasons. The writer is up-beat and optimistic. He supplies simple formulas for complex problems. He has both wit and charm. He supplies many funny stories. He makes fun of pompous academics and pedagogues. He is empathetic and warm. His instructions are personal, not distant or abstract. He requires little of the reader and avoids pesky formalities. For all these reasons, one should be attracted to a non-fictional book of reminiscence about writing. However, all these virtues are not those of a book teaching writing.
Indeed, many dislike books that try to teach writing because the majority are rigorous, boring, and impersonal. So, it is no wonder that against those demanding and dry texts this humane presentation appears as an oasis. However, it is a mistake to think that those emotional values make this a good writing text.
This book’s relation with writing is much like a movie’s relation with its topic: a narrative about a thing more than an instruction. For instance, “Field of Dreams” may make us happy, but it hardly is likely to make us better baseball players. Here most of Zinsser’s time is expended in context, quotation of others, and folksy tale. These are topped off with a brief commands – “Go to it” – that have a cheerleader’s enthusiasm and lack of content. He celebrates one style, his own, which is short and informal to the exclusion of the hundreds of others that have graced our language. He gives little help with formal discourse. He feels free to judge — for instance scientists — outside his field and beside the point. He makes numerous grammatical errors and seems to recognize the dash as the only punctuation. He generalizes egregiously about topics that are enormous and yet undefined, for instance “the human element.”
In short, he is less an instructor and more a coach.
As I said, his many strengths have understandably broad appeal, but this book would be inadequate for the college classes I teach. You may not need such formal help and that is fine as long as you do not think it appears here.
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|A CLASSIC GUIDE TO WRITING WELL,
On Writing Well, by William Zinsser, is meant to compliment The Elements of Style by Stunk and White. In Zinsser’s own words “The Elements of Style is a book of pointers and admonitions: do this, don’t do that. What it didn’t address was how to apply those principles to the various forms that nonfiction writing and journalism can take.”
Although the book is organized in four parts, the content could really be summarized in two categories:
· Writing principals, methods, and attitudes
· Guidelines for specific forms of nonfiction, including travel, humor, business, sports, arts, memoirs, and family history.
Subjects addressed include: rewriting, craft vs. art, humanity and warmth, clutter, simplicity, finding a style, clichés, rhythm, unity, tone, and attitude. All of these are covered with the insight of a successful writer having decades of experience.
The author works some biographical information and experiences into the text, but the focus of the material is on writing well. Given that the first edition was in 1976, some of the examples and attitudes are dated, but they also add to the charm of the book.
No recaps or exercises are included at the end of the chapters, but an index is provided for easy reference.
As the subtitle indicates, the book is specifically directed at nonfiction writing, but many of the concepts also apply to fiction. With over a million copies sold, and in its thirtieth anniversary edition, much of the information has already been worked into other writing guides. As envisioned by Zinsser, On Writing Well compliments The Elements of Style. Together, they make a great combination.
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|Good basic advice for basic writers,
I read this book as part of a class on writing essays. The advice in it is apt, but it was too basic for the good writers in the group. The nonwriters, on the other hand, found it all amazing and startling stuff. I’d recommend it for those who have read enough to know what a complete sentence looks like but have never seriously written before and want to.
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|Provides needed context for grammar and style issues!,
I’ve always found grammar as boring as watching the snow in our driveway melt. It always went in one ear and out the other. Complex sentences, compound-complex sentences, participial phrases, subordinate… ah, never mind. Who cares? Those are all just dry terms. They don’t really mean anything, do they?
Well, yes, they do. They key is context, and Mr. Wilbers provides that in abundance. It isn’t the rules he drills into us–it’s the effect they have on your writing! What does punctuation do to the rhythm of your words? What does it do for meaning and clarity? How does each punctuation mark influence the way a reader reads your work?
He does the same for sentence types. How can you use your choice of sentence structure to emphasize your point? Which sort of phrase allows you to end a sentence with style and flourish? Which sentence type can create a feeling of expectancy or an engaging opening? In other words, how can you use the full range of techniques at your disposal to make your point clearly, succinctly, and persuasively?
Not sure how to write a persuasive essay? Don’t know how to alter your essay for a sympathetic or unsympathetic audience? You’ll find very practical instructions in here for nearly every aspect of the writing process, from planning to content to revision.
This book is aimed primarily at non-fiction writers; many of its tips apply to everything from persuasive essays to business writing. However, Wilbers does explain his tips in relation to narrative writing as well. No matter the type of writing you do, this book will improve your style.
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|A highly recommended course in one volume,
In Keys To Great Writing, Stephen Wilbers covers every aspect of the craft of writing and shows the aspiring author how to develop a writer’s “voice” that is unique, precise, and effective with their readership. Wilbers covers every aspect of writing from grammar to revision strategies, offering clear, effective information. Of special value to the novice writer are his: Four Mythos of Great Writing; The Elements of Style Checklist; The Elements of Composition Checklist; The Four-Step Writing Process; Glossary of Grammatical Terms; Proofreading Checklist; Four Common Errors in Word choice; Five Ways To Bring Music to Your Writing; and Fourteen Techniques to Eliminate Wordiness. Keys To Great Writing is a complete and highly recommended course in one volume and a valuable reference guide enabling writers to stand out with a distinctive style and literary presence all their own.
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|Best book on grammatical study I have read to date,
Sharpen your pencil and get out your highlighter, this book is a keeper. Written in easy, non-condescending language, Keys To Great Writing is a great interactive study tool for both the novice and the accomplished writer.
Effective for all types of writing, Keys focuses on business writing as well as fictional (or literary) writing. However, with its concentration on structure (in easy to use terms), Keys proves to be as valuable for writing a memo to your boss as it is for writing the great American novel.
Relying heavily on Strunk and White’s ‘The Elements Of Style’ and Williams’ ‘Style: Ten Lessons In Clarity’, Wilbers captures a cozier approach to the structure and disciplines of writing well. He also manages to cover an amazing array of rules, styles, and techniques, quite well, in a brief 250 pages. The book also includes a Glossary of Grammatical Terms, a checklist for Keys To Great Writing, a checklist for Elements of Composition, a checklist for Proofreading, Recommended Resources, and an Index.
Some of the book, especially chapter five on Personality, works well for public speaking as well as writing techniques. So his points made in Keys To Great Writing could very well be called Keys To Great Communication. One of the things I found most helpful was Wilber’s heavy use of example, showing both the correct and incorrect structures. Noun modifiers, actions verbs, hedges, POV’s, setting, scene, subject, style, noun stacks, personality, adjectives, sentence types, ellipses, economy, punctuation, and more…its all here.
The book is divided into three parts, Keys To Great Writing, Elements Of Composition, and Drafting And Revising. Each part is divided into straightforward categories that flow easily from one lesson to the next. I wouldn’t mind having Wilber’s work on CD as a companion to the book. If you write for business (memos, letters, policy and procedure), or you write for pleasure (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short stories or novels), Wilber’s ‘Keys To Great Writing’ is an invaluable companion for your desktop. Enjoy!
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