Classic Book on Writing Remains Relevant for Modern Writers

Wenham, MA- Words count. Whether that medium is a text message, email or newspaper article, today’s words need to be concise, clutter free, and bold.

William Zinsser in his book, On Writing Well not only teaches relevant writing skills, but along the way offers encouragement and support for anyone who writes poorly, perfectly or anywhere in between. “Writing is hard work,” he says, “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,”

Journalist Christian Brink, 21, says “One thing I remember from my high school English class is that every word must earn its way onto the page and that is just what Zinsser gets at in his chapter on simplicity. I feel that young writers too often try to impress their audience with verbose language, which often clouds their original intent.”

Zinsser’s book, written over 30 years ago, still has value to today’s aspiring writers. “For me, Zinsser has awakened my eyes to what journalists should truly see. By no means are his tools obsolete for the modern day journalist. Above all, Zinsser’s points will make the work of today’s journalists more enjoyable and fulfilling” Stuart Knechtle, 22 says.

The writer has reason to persevere. “But all of them are vulnerable and all of them are tense. They are driven by a compulsion to put some part of themselves on paper, and yet they don’t just write what comes naturally,” Zinsser says, “They sit down to commit and act of literature, and the self who emerges on paper is far stiffer that the person who sat down tow rite. The problem is to find the real man or woman behind the tension.”