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On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Book by William Zinsser · 4 quotes · Writing, Clutter, Writing Well

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On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction Quotes

“Also bear in mind, when you're choosing your words and stringing them together, how they sound. This may seem absurd: readers read with their eyes. But in fact they hear what they are reading far more than you realize.”

“Writing is learned by imitation. If anyone asked me how I learned to write, I'd say I learned by reading the men and women who were doing the kind of writing I wanted to do and trying to figure out how they did it.”

“I try to make what I have written tighter, stronger and more precise, eliminating every element that's not doing useful work. Then I go over it once more, reading it aloud, and am always amazed at how much clutter can still be cut.”