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Quote by 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.”

Quote by William Zinsser

Author

William Zinsser

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. more

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“The sound of the bat is the music of spring training.”

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Book:Spring Training

Source: Spring Training

“The writer who cares about usage must always know the quick from the dead.”

Knows Care Who Cares Usage

Book:On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Source: On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

“The writers job is like solving a puzzle, and finally arriving at a solution is a tremendous satisfaction.”

Jobs Solutions Satisfaction Puzzles Arriving

Author:William Zinsser

“There's no subject you don't have permission to write about. Students often avoid subjects close to their heart ... because they assume that their teachers will regard those topics as 'stupid.' No area of life is stupid to someone who takes it seriously. If you follow your affections you will write well and will engage your readers.”

Ifs Writing Wells Heart Life Is Teacher Subjects Stupid Students Reader Areas Regard Assuming Affection Permission Topics

Author:William Zinsser

“Tips can make someone a better writer but not necessarily a good writer. That's a larger package - a matter of character. Golfing is more than keeping the left arm straight. Every good golfer is a complex engine that runs on ability, ego, determination, discipline, patience, confidence, and other qualities that are self-taught. So it is with writers and all creative artists. If their values are solid their work is likely to be solid.”

“To write a good memoir you must become the editor of your own life, imposing on an untidy sprawl of half-remembered events a narrative shape and an organizing idea. Memoir is the art of inventing the truth.”

Writing Art Ideas Half Events Shapes Memoir Narrative Remembered Editors Inventing Imposing

Author:William Zinsser

“When you're ready to stop, stop. If you have presented all the facts and made the point you want to make, look for the nearest exit.”

Ifs Want Looks Made Facts Ready Exit

Book:On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Source: On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

“Writers are the custodians of memory, and that's what this chapter is about: how to leave some kind of record of your life and of the family you were born into.”

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Author:William Zinsser

“Writers can write to affirm and to celebrate, or they can write to debunk and destroy; the choice is ours.”

Writing Choices Celebrate

Book:The Writer Who Stayed

Source: The Writer Who Stayed

“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.”

Ifs Men Writing Trying Kind Wanted Reading Figures He Man Men And Women Imitation

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