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William Zinsser

William Zinsser Quotes

Writer

William Zinsser was an American writer renowned for his concise, clear, and humorous writing style. His works spanned a variety of fields including literature, history, and practical writing, with his most famous titles being 'On Writing Well' and 'American Writing'. Zinsser's writing style has had a profound impact on modern writing.

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All Writing Ifs Reader Want Sentences Thinking People Written Knows Trying Write Writer Writing Well Hard On Writing Writes Art On Writing Well Reading Subjects

Famous William Zinsser Quotes

“I think a sentence is a fine thing to put a preposition at the end of.”

Thinking Ends Fine Sentences Fine Things Prepositions

Author:William Zinsser

“Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill rode to glory on the back of the strong declarative sentence.”

Strong Glory Sentences Abraham

Author:William Zinsser

“All your clear and pleasing sentences will fall apart if you don't keep remembering that writing is linear and sequential, that logic is the glue that holds it together, that tension must be maintained from one sentence to the next and from one paragraph to the next and from one section to the next, and that narrative - good old-fashioned storytelling - is what should pull your readers along without their noticing the tug.”

Ifs Should Writing Together Remember Fall Next Clear Reader Logic Sentences Storytelling Narrative Tension Sections Old Fashioned Falling Apart Noticing Paragraph Linear Glue One Sentence

Author:William Zinsser

“Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty. The sentences become longer and longer as they fill up with stately elms and graceful boughs and frisky kittens and sleepy lagoons.”

Sentences Soil Prose Kitten Adjectives Sleepy Lush Lagoons

Author:William Zinsser

“One of the saddest sentences I know is "I wish I had asked my mother about that." Or my father. Or my grandmother. Or my grandfather. As every parent knows, our children are not as fascinated by our fascinating lives as we are.”

Knows Children Mother Father Wish Parent Our Children Sentences Fascinating Grandmother Fascinated Grandfather My Grandmother My Grandfather Saddest

Author:William Zinsser

“The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn't induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead. And if the second sentence doesn't induce him to continue to the third sentence, it's equally dead.”

Ifs Firsts Important Reader Thirds Sentences Articles

Author:William Zinsser

“If the nails are weak, your house will collapse. If your verbs are weak and your syntax is rickety, your sentences will fall apart.”

Ifs Fall House Weak Sentences Collapse Nails Falling Apart Verbs Syntax

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

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

“Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things that people do”

People Ifs Writing Firsts Hard Moments Remember Clear Hard Work Despair First Time Thirds Sentences Accidents Hardest Hardest Thing Third Time Writing Well

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

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

“Many of us were taught that no sentence should begin with "but." If that's what you learned, unlearn it - there's no stronger word at the start. It announces a total contrast with what has gone before, and the reader is thereby primed for the change.”

Ifs Should Writing Gone Taught Reader Stronger Sentences Contrast Unlearn

Author:William Zinsser

“The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that’s already in the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what—these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence. And they usually occur in proportion to the education and rank.”

Writing Long Secret Reader Thousand Function Sentences Proportion Carrie Construction Passive Components Verbs Good Writing Unsure Adverbs Short Words Long Words

Author:William Zinsser

“You can solve most of your writing problems if you stop after every sentence and ask: what does the reader need to know next?”

Ifs Knows Needs Writing Doe Problem Next Asks Reader Solve Sentences

Author:William Zinsser

“Writing is linear and sequential; Sentence B must follow Sentence A, and Sentence C must follow Sentence B, and eventually you get to Sentence Z. The hard part of writing isn't the writing; it's the thinking. You can solve most of your writing problems if you stop after every sentence and ask: What does the reader need to know next?”

Ifs Thinking Knows Needs Writing Doe Hard Problem Next Asks Reader Solve Sentences Linear

Author:William Zinsser

“There's no sentence that's too short in the eyes of God.”

Inspirational Eye Sentences Too Short

Author:William Zinsser

“The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.”

Writing Secret Sentences Components Good Writing Writing Well

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

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

“A clear sentence is no accident.”

Writing Clear Sentences Accidents

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

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

About the Author

Born: October 7, 1922
Died: May 12, 2015
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 150

Related Topics

Writing Ifs Reader Want Sentences Thinking People Written Knows Trying Write Writer Writing Well Hard On Writing Writes Art On Writing Well Reading Subjects

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing NonfictionRelated source material

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing NonfictionRelated source material

On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing NonfictionRelated source material

Writing about Your Life: A Journey Into the PastRelated source material

The Writer Who StayedRelated source material

ON WRITING WELL : THE CLASSIC GUIDE TO WRITING NONFICTIONRelated source material

Spring TrainingRelated source material

Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for ChildrenRelated source material

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