March 16, 2024 / 2 Minute Read

notes on writing well

Listed below are my notes from On Writing Well by William Zinsser.

Hopefully they will assist any who dare to wield the power of the pen.

  • The first sentence is the most important.

  • Ultimately the product any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is.

  • Whatever writing ritual works for you is best. Don’t compare your routine to others.

  • If you think writing is hard, that’s because it is!

  • Write about what you care about.

  • Don’t annoy readers by overexplaining. Trust your material.

  • Clutter is the disease of writing. Most drafts can be cut by at least 50%. Simplify, simplify, simplify!

  • The writer will do anything to avoid writing. You must force yourself to produce.

  • Writing is an act of ego. Admit it, and use it.

  • Readers want a writer who believes in himself and what he’s saying. Don’t be kind of bold, be bold!

  • You learn to write by writing.

  • Many of us were taught that that no sentence should begin with “but.” If that’s what you learned, unlearn it. There is not stronger word at the start.

  • Your subconscious mind does more writing than you think. A writer is always working. Many stories will come like a bolt of lightning just when you need them most.

  • Utilize surprise in your endings.

  • Writing is linear and sequential. Make sure your readers can follow your story.

  • You are writing for yourself.

  • Keep your paragraphs short. Writing is visual, and long soliloquies will often scare readers away.

  • Always look for ways to make yourself available to the people you are trying to reach.

  • Rewriting is the essence of writing well.

  • Nobody expects you to get it right the first time, or even the second time.

  • There’s nothing more interesting than the truth.

  • If you would like to write better than anyone else, than you have to want to write better than everyone else. You must take pride in the smallest details of your craft.

  • Never publish anything you don’t understand.

  • When writing about a topic your knowledgeable in, assume the reader knows nothing.

  • Readers will stop reading if they feel like they are being patronized. No one likes a bully.

  • Don’t try to be a writer. Your product is you.

  • There’s always someone watching you. Don’t disappoint them.

  • It’s far easier to write negative content than positive.

  • Don’t alter your voice to fit your subject.

  • Writing well means believing in your writing and believing in yourself.