On Writing Well
January 10, 2010 2:19 pm BooksOn Writing Well (30th Anniversary Ed.) William Zinsseer
It’s a daunting task to write a review of a book about writing, and I’m not exactly sure where to begin. I have to say first of all that it is obviously very well written, so just the process of reading the book gives you a good understanding of writing. The book four main section; Principles, Methods, Forms and Attitudes. When I first started reading I couldn’t put the book down, the first section on Principles, really pulled me in a raced me along with real examples of what we should be doing and how. It was at the third section however, where I started to slow and I think that was down to me trying to read the entire thing in linear form. I didn’t feel that all the chapters were relevant to me yet I still tried to drag myself through them and this started to drag a bit, so I skipped a couple of chapters I knew weren’t for me (sports writing… okay not my thing) and on to Section 4 where my interest was instantly reignited. The chapters; Enjoyment, Fear & Confidence and The Tyranny of the Final Product really feeling that they were helping not only with my writing but with attitude to business too.
I found this guide really useful, and I’ll certainly be rereading (parts of) it, and as I reread and practice I hope you’ll notice the improvement.