William Zissner: On Writing Well

“There are many good reasons for writing that have nothing to do with being published. Writing is a powerful search mechanism, and one of its satisfactions is to come to terms with your life narrative. Another is to work through some of life’s hardest knocks—loss, grief, illness, addiction, disappointment, failure—and to find understanding and solace.”
― William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

“Trust your material if it’s taking you into terrain you didn’t intend to enter but where the vibrations are good. Adjust your style accordingly and proceed to whatever destination you reach. Don’t become the prisoner of a preconceived plan. Writing is no respecter of blueprints.”
― William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

“Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience — every reader is a different person.”
― William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide To Writing Nonfiction

“Writing is hard work. 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.”
― William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

“Thinking clearly is a conscious act that writers must force on themselves.”
― William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

“But nothing has replaced the writer. He or she is still stuck with the same old job of saying something that other people will want to read.”
― William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

“Not every oak has to be gnarled.”
― William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction