I’ve been writing often on this site lately, so I decided to listen to the audio version of On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser. The book was highly recommended by Derek Sivers. More than a collection of grammatical rules and techniques, On Writing Well is a common sense guide on how to keep your writing concise and engaging. Here are the passages and concepts that resonated with me:

Writing: Art or Craft?

• Writing is a craft, like carpentry or plumbing. As any craft, it has its tools. The tools of writing are words.
• Re-Writing is more important than writing. Writing never comes out right the first time around.

The Principles of Good Writing

1. Clarity
2. Simplicity
3. Brevity
4. Humanity

1. Clarity

• Clarity is the goal in writing.
• The reader must understand exactly what you mean.
• Read your sentences aloud to see if they are clear.

2. Simplicity

• Remove clutter from your writing.
• Rid your writing of any pretentiousness, pomposity and fat.
• Use simple words: don’t use “assistance” when you can say “help”. Don’t use “I’m congnizant of” when you can say “I know”.
• Writing is hard: easy writing makes hard reading.

3. Brevity

• Short is better than long: short sentences are better than long sentences.
• Cut your writing by 50%!
• Things you can cut:
  • Adverbs (loudly, thoroughly, etc.). Most of the time, the verb is enough.
  • Most adjectives.
  • Qualifiers: “sort of”, “a little bit”, etc.
  • Anouncing what you’re about to say: “As you probably may have noticed…”

4. Humanity

• Write the way you talk. If you don’t speak a certain way, don’t write it that way.
• Sound like a person.
• You are writing for YOU.
• You don’t need to be an expert about a subject. You just need to be interested.
• Your style is your personality in writing.
• Don’t try to be ornate or pretentious.

Attitude

• All writers are driven by ego.
• Self-esteem is important: write about what YOU want.
• If you want to write compelling stories, you need self-esteem.
• Who are you writing for? You!
• Your writing is the gift of who you are.

Discipline

• Many times you won’t feel like writing, so you need strong discipline and work habits.
• The reader has to believe that the writer is feeling good.
• You learn to write by writing.
• There is no right or wrong way to write: some write a full text and then review. Others write one paragraph and re-writes it often before moving to the next.
• There is no right or wrong time to write but you need to establish a routine for writing and stick to it.
• Re-writing will give you pleasure.

How-To Tips

• Writing is visual. Good writing catches the eye before it catches the brain.
• Use plain words that you can relate to.
• Use active verbs: active verbs give momentum to a sentence and helps you picture who did what.
• One-syllable active verbs are the best.
• Eliminate passive verbs: they remove the person from the sentence, and force you to come up with a passive noun.
• Use short, simple nouns that we all know.
• Bad nouns are usually of latin origin: orientation, implementation, etc. (too long and sound pretentious).
• If you are not an expert on a subject just show sincerity.
• To write good English you have to read good English.
• Find role-models and imitate them.
• Write with your “ear”: rhythm, cadence, musicality are very important. Read your sentences aloud to see if they sound write.
• If a sentence doesn’t “sound” right, re-write it.
• Make sure that your sentences are well connected, otherwise you will lose your reader.

Information and Narrative

• There is nothing more interesting (and effective) than the truth.
• Don’t try to explain what is already clear.
• Sincerity is your most important credential.
• Narratives: everybody loves stories. Tell a story.
• Make ample use of quotes. Quotes are the best way to convey what people think, say or feel.
• Quotes make your writing credible and interesting.
• Learn the skill of interviewing.
• Interview with pen and paper, not a recording device.
• Alternate quotes with your writing.
• A good interviewer has to generate trust.
• Be true to yourself!