Summary Of On Writing Well By David Zinsser

Writing is a powerful tool for communication and connection. As an extension and expression of the mind, writing is as much about the mental processes of the author as it is about the final marks laid to paper. As we write, we hold in mind our own thoughts on the work, anticipate the reader’s thoughts, and think both in concrete and abstract ways in order to accomplish the task at hand. Whether an academic research paper, a novel, or text message to friends, writing seeks to engage, persuade, or impress concepts upon an audience. Like language and other art forms in general, the practice of writing is ever-evolving and is subject to cultural and contextual influence, expectations, and conventions. Each writer holds a theory

There are many who strive to become famous writers and although some succeed, many do not find such great prosperity. In the words of bestselling author Stephen King, “while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one,” (142). King’s thesis from his novel On Writing can be debated because with “hard work, dedication, and timely help” it is possible for a writer of any skill level to improve to become better. On Writing is intended to teach the basic skills of writing so readers can develop writing skills to progress to be better writers. If one has passion for writing, patience, and the willingness to learn they will succeed in becoming great writers.

It is essential to understand that classes taken in grade school do not give students a full understanding of each subject. With the topic of writing, there will always be a new lesson to learn, an aspect to improve, or a differing way to explain. Author Craig Vetter states in Bonehead Writing, “This is your enemy: a perfectly empty sheet of paper. Nothing will ever happen here except what you make happen.” Each story, essay, or response comes from a writer’s experiences. With each attempt at a new piece comes an underlying story of emotions the writer is facing. Each person’s writing is unique and the ideas people have are related to their past experiences and what they believe to be familiar with when deciding which writing style to use. As a high school student, I have learned many things about writing that helped me become the improved writer I am today, but the most essential advice I have received is practice makes perfect. Although there is no actual perfect way of writing, I have discovered that each essay I write, my writing improves. It is easier to spot mistakes, find areas to improve, and ponder elevated word choice to use.

Writing is something we have been used to since childhood. Beginning to write with just a few words and activities to improve our pendmanship. From easy sentences we all gradually improve our writing, as expected from higher levels of education. However, throughout all this time, many of us have been writing blind. Only writing what is seen an necessary, oblivious to the true skill and precision it takes to actually write quality work. Through the use of Anne Lammott’s article “Shitty First Drafts” and personal experiences, I will advice you, my fellow freshman, on certain a aspect of writing that you may not have known prior to joining the college world, as well as offer some life advice.

From elementary school to high school, I was taught that my writing had to be structured and follow strict criteria. After I arrived in Mr. Mukherjee’s ENG 102 class, I was given the opportunity to express my creative freedom through words and graphical pictures. It can often be difficult and challenging to improve upon my own writing abilities unless motived with an idea in mind. When looking back on my time at ASU, I thought about the goals that I wanted to address for myself and the course goals that my instructor had set for the class. These goals include ones that I had accomplished to the best of my ability and ones that I need to address as well as improve.

written so clearly and practically which helps the reader to dwell in the writing and understand it

Writing is a practice that most of us were taught when we were young. We were taught the basics of grammar, how to form a sentence, conjunction words, how to write paragraphs and more. Although we have learned this skill while growing up and have used the skill every year after entering kindergarten, this does not mean our writing process will ensure the best work. The authors that I chose each encourage their audience to excel in the art of writing in their own way to help with the writing process.

Goodman 6 Richard Goodman English Comp II Mrs. Cravens 21 February 2018 Audience in Mind What makes a good writer? Many people have differing opinions on what makes a person a good writer, or the standard in which one can write. One of the main things to remember about writing is to always keep your audience in mind, and adjust you writing style and language accordingly.

In our society, people communicate through various ways. One of the most essential way is writing. Through writing, people convey their thoughts and ideas, connect to others, and pass on wisdom generations by generations. More importantly, writing effectively promotes the advancement of society. Though some people have not realized the how writing benefits from writing, the author of the article “How to Read Like A Writer”, Mike Bunn illustrates that focusing more on the rhetorical “strategies” and structure rather than the content can improve our own writing.

Writing is different for everybody. After reading the first part of On Writing Well by William Zinsser my perspective toward writing changed; starting off by the fact that he admitted that “writing is indeed hard” (12). This author, with humorous stories and anecdotes, explained several principles that help one understand how to write efficiently. First of all, be yourself! Zinsser emphasizes the fact that you should be true to yourself and your writing in order to engage a reader in your piece. Other essential principles are: Be precise and avoid clutter. He claims that “the secret to good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components” (7). As I read, I noticed how important engaging a reader becomes to an author but Zinsser reminded me how my writing was made to “please myself first” and then an audience (25). The last but not least rules to follow are: to “avoid clichés” (Zinsser, 35) and “separate usage from confusing jargon” (Zinsser, 45). It is important to maintain your reader active by expressing clear thoughts and avoiding typical sayings that only make a literary piece

Peter Elbow’s article talks about the necessity to write with care. In order to write well,

Most individuals, no matter their age, struggle with writing with proper mechanics and content. In the book “On Writing,” author Steven King gives his personal perspective and advice on the craft of writing. King also shares his story about how he has become the successful writer he is today. In his novel, King wants to reveal to his readers that it is essential to read a lot and write a lot to become a great writer. He begins by talking about how there are no bad dogs and relates it to human beings.

Simplicity according to its definition is well simple but, simplicity is not however simple to do in writing.Some think that reducing an article or paragraph or just removing needless words or phrases will make it simple but, that is false. Simplicity in a career is usually only achieved after spending long periods of time working on and honing skills. Writers in this chapter have pressed how important simplicity is in writing, they also do a very nice job of showing it in their writing. William Zinsser said that good writing doesn’t come naturally,though people seem to think it does. Zinsser was quite passionate about simplicity in his writing, calling “clutter” as a disease in American writing and saying “we are a society

Writing isn’t something everyone is gifted in, it is learned. The book On Writing Well, explains exactly what the title says, how to write well. The first seven chapters are basic key components every writer should be aware of while writing.

Author, John Williams, sets the tone in lesson five by prefacing his lesson with insightful quotes, from Benjamin Franklin and Thomas De Quincey, that speak about the key role of cohesion and coherence within a writing context (65). Now writers must understand and practice the art of organizing words and sentences for a smooth reading experience instead of a choppy, difficult, or confusing reading experience. Overall, the author teaches writers how to arrange their ideas with sentences that work well together, “…arrange sentences so that they flow easily from one to the next” (66).