Friday, October 02, 2009
"On Writing Well" Still Matters
Thirty-three years and seven editions later, William Zinsser’s On Writing Well is as relevant as ever. Zinsser divided the book into four parts (Principles, Methods, Forms, and Attitudes), so it’s easy to get just the ideas you’re looking for. The opening and closing sections are most instructive for the developing nonfiction writer, and the Forms section is generous in examples of descriptive writing from authors like Woody Allen, Alfred Kazin, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Eudora Welty. Here’s the link:
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"I hope this email finds you well ... I hope you are doing fine ... I hope you are having a good day ... I hope you had a good weekend ...
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A participant in one of my workshops, D. Hom, asked a question about hyphenating expressions such as “end of year.” Determining what to h...
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READER QUESTION Could you settle an office dispute over whether the word “trainings” is legitimate? We might use it in a sentence...