“At college most of us are encouraged to improve our vocabulary and to practice expressing complex ideas, but no one ever teaches us how to write with flair,” contends writing guru William Zinsser. The professor and literary critic tackles this subject with impeccable wit and insight in his book On Writing Well: The Classic Guide To Nonfiction, providing a wealth of timeless advice for writers. Here are Wordsmith’s top takeaways:
1. Make it personal
Zinsser believes that no matter what genre or medium, writers must maintain a sense of humanity and warmth. No one likes to sit and decipher the meaning behind your text. Avoid verbal sludge that cheapens the tone, and keep in mind that your best selling commodity as a writer is you. Explain why you’re personally invested in a topic and how it has affected your life. As a rule of thumb for expressing personality, avoid any word and phrase you wouldn’t feel comfortable using in a conversation.
2. Learn to declutter
Clear thinking produces clear writing. “Unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon” have no place in good writing says Zinsser. He urges writers to strip every sentence to its cleanest components – improving each passage by removing unnecessary adverbs and adjectives. Get into the habit of asking: is this word, sentence or paragraph as simple, clear and elegant as it could be? He also recommends avoiding writing in “journalese” by striking out clichés and overly official words.
Jeff Stuart Goldfarb, a former student of Zinsser’s, claimed, “No one has ever attacked my work with a blue pencil like Bill Zinsser. I watched essays swagger into class like General Custer, only to find themselves cut to shreds and shot full of holes, bleeding on the prairie, wondering where their first three paragraphs had gone. For sloppy, spongy, timid writing, Bill Zinsser’s class was the Battle of Bull Run.” Taking Zinsser’s de-cluttering philosophy to heart, he even had his name legally changed to Jeff Stuart. Now that’s dedication.
3. Understand your audience
Readers are not one collective, mass audience – and writers can’t cater for everyone. According to Zinsser, ‘You are who you are, he is who he is, and either you will get along or you won’t.” However, there are certain techniques that can make your writing resonate with broader audiences.
Generally, readers process one idea at a time, in a linear sequence. But they also appreciate surprises that veer away from the norm. Entertain your audience by adding, “humor, anecdotes, paradoxes, an unexpected quotation, a powerful outlandish detail, a circuitous approach or elegant arrangements of words.”
4. Dazzle ‘em with style
As a writer, style is your unique differentiator – and your most marketable asset. The way you structure thoughts and construct your phrases give character to your writing, and leave a deep impression on your readers.
Zinsser maintains that readers don’t only read with their eyes; they also “hear what they are reading in their inner ear.” Reinforce your personal style through consistency of rhythm, alliteration and sentence variation. And never intentionally change your voice to suit a particular audience – readers can smell a phoney a mile away.
5. Keep at it
There is really no such thing as the fabled “natural writer.” Zinsser believes the distinction between good and great authors lies in their diligence, and that learning to continuously fall in love with language helps to keep prose nimble. All of the greats immersed themselves in the quest to find rich and supple words that best fit their context.
Zinsser encourages every writer to express their curiosity with simplicity, clarity and elegance – reminding us that it’s not the words themselves that matter, but how we use these words to communicate real value.