On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

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She told us the reason for this is that most people retain information best when reading at a fifth-grade reading level, and magazines like these are far above that. Next the lead must do some real work. It must provide hard details that tell the reader why the piece was written and why he ought to read it. But don’t dwell on the reason. Coax the reader a little more; keep him inquisitive. Such considerations of sound and rhythm should go into everything you write. If all your sentences move at the same plodding gait, which even you recognize as deadly but don’t know how to cure, read them aloud. There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.” — Ernest Hemingway

The product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is. You should always collect more material than you will use. Every article is strong in proportion to the surplus of details from which you can choose the few that will serve you best. Write drunk, edit sober” might be one of the most famous writing quotes about editing, but we can’t all outdrink Ernest Hemingway. Which is why these other words of wisdom and writing quotes exist! Part 2. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them – then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart.Zinsser's overarching advice for writers in On Writing Well is to be economical in their writing, to be honest with themselves, and to be courteous to their audience by writing pieces that have a lot of thought behind them.

If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." — Toni Morrison When you’re ready to stop, stop. If you have presented all the facts and made the point you want to make, look for the nearest exit. So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.” ― Dr. Seuss The number one piece of advice that most authors have for other authors is to read, read, read. Here’s why.

Writing Well Takes Practice

If your intro is terrible, nobody will keep reading no matter how brilliant, interesting, or thought-provoking the rest of the piece is. You might as well be a person wearing a fedora in their Tinder profile picture! A writer never has a vacation. For a writer life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.” — Eugene Ionesco Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.” — Stephen King

As any writer knows, there are no actual “rules” in this craft. That said, these writing quotes reveal some famous principles in writing that won’t let you down.There are some books that refuse to be written. They stand their ground year after year and will not be persuaded. It isn’t because the book is not there and worth being written — it is only because the right form of the story does not present itself. There is only one right form for a story and, if you fail to find that form, the story will not tell itself.” — Mark Twain