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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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Famous William Zinsser Quotes

“Rewriting is the essence of writing well - where the game is won or lost.”

Writing Wells Games Lost Essence Rewriting Writing Well

Author:William Zinsser

“Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it's where the game is won or lost. The idea is hard to accept. We all have emotional equity in our first draft; we can't believe that it wasn't born perfect. But the odds are close to 100 percent that it wasn't.”

Writing Firsts Believe Wells Ideas Hard Games Lost Born Perfect Accepting Emotional Percent Essence Odds Equity Rewriting Writing Well

Author:William Zinsser

“Be yourself and your readers will follow you anywhere. Try to commit an act of writing and they will jump overboard to get away.”

Writing Trying Reader Commit Being Yourself Get Away Overboard Writing Well

Author:William Zinsser

“All writing is ultimately a question of solving a problem.”

Writing Problem Writing Well

Author:William Zinsser

“Nobody told all the new e-mail writers that the essence of writing is rewriting. Just because they are writing with ease and enjoyment doesn't mean they are writing well.”

Writing Wells Mean Essence Ease Enjoyment Mail Rewriting Writing Well

Author:William Zinsser

“Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills, and meaningless jargon.”

Writing Disease Meaningless Construction Unnecessary Clutter Jargon Pompous Writing Well Strangling Frills

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

“Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is.”

Written Subjects Products Sells 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

“Clutter is the disease of American writing.”

Writing Disease Clutter Jargon Pompous Writing Well Strangling Frills

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

“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

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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