Books for Writers: "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser

I discovered On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser on my husband’s bookcase. We had been married a few months, and it was one of many, many books he brought into our marriage. He majored in journalism; I majored in English. It was part of his curriculum; I wish it had been part of mine, too. I don’t think any other book has helped me write as concisely.

Today, if someone were to ask me what book I’d recommend for improving readability, I would say On Writing Well without hesitation.

I have not read the whole book, just the first ten chapters and a few at the end. Many topics in the middle—memoirs, travel logs, sports—have not applied to what I have written so far. But the first couple of chapters do. In fact, both would benefit any writer, not just those focused on nonfiction. They focus on simplicity and editing out the “clutter.” I reread them from time to time as a reminder to keep my own writing as simple as possible.

Now that I want a job writing, I am going to read the sections I’ve skipped. If the information is even partly as good as the rest, I know it will be helpful in getting me to my next career.