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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

“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.”

“Don't try to guess what sort of thing editors want to publish or what you think the country is in a mood to read. Editors and readers don't know what they want to read until they read it. Besides, they're always looking for something new.”

“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.”