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    On Writing Well Audio Collection
    On Writing Well Audio Collection
    On Writing Well Audio Collection
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    On Writing Well Audio Collection

    Written by William Zinsser

    Narrated by William Zinsser

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The classic works on the art of nonfiction writing are now in a complete package for your listening pleasure.

    This expanded CD collection presents William Zinsser's On Writing Well, the classic teaching book that has sold more than 1 million copies, together with a new 90-minute section that tells you how to write a memoir.

    Based on a course that Zinsser taught at Yale, On Writing Well has long been praised by writers, teachers and students for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It's for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day. Whether you want to write about people and places, science and technology, business, sports or the arts, this is the definitive guide to the craft of nonfiction.

    Part II of this collection—on memoir, personal history and family history—tells you in helpful detail how to write the story of your life: who you are, who you once were, and what heritage you come from. Throughout, Zinsser refers to the work of many successful memoir writers, including Frank McCourt, Annie Dillard, Russell Baker and Eudora Welty, to demonstrate how they solved the problems of selection, compression, focus and tone that every memoir writer struggles with.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateNov 2, 2004
    ISBN9780060818067
    On Writing Well Audio Collection
    Author

    William Zinsser

    William Zinsser is a writer, editor and teacher. He began his career on the New York Herald Tribune and has since written regularly for leading magazines. During the 1970s he was master of Branford College at Yale. His 17 books, ranging from baseball to music to American travel, include the influential Writing to Learn and Writing About Your Life. He teaches at the New School in New York.

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    Reviews for On Writing Well Audio Collection

    4.5/5

    218 ratings49 reviews

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    • 3/5
      As I read William Zinsser’s On Writing Well, I repeatedly thought of Ratatouille, an animated film from Pixar Studios. True, it’s a tenuous connection between the two works. Zinsser’s book was published more than three decades prior to the theatrical release of Ratatouille. And Zinnser’s intended audience (even though he argues in his book that a writer should never write for an intended audience) was likely professional adults whereas the animators of Ratatouille sought only to amuse children and childlike adults. But Zinsser’s book and the film argue for the same thing: anyone can master a craft. In Ratatouille, this theme is presented more whimsically; a rat becomes a world-class Parisian cook by following the credo “Anyone can cook!” Being a rat, he’s naturally disadvantaged in the kitchen, but with hard work, confidence, and, most importantly, an appreciation for delicious food, he manages to overcome his deficits and become a five-star chef. Zinsser is essentially supporting the same idea. Based on what he says in On Writing Well, anyone can write! Whether you’re a physicist more comfortable with quantum theory than punctuation rules or a relatively accomplished writer only occasionally struck by doubts, you will benefit from hearing these comforting words. In fact, Zinsser’s book is less of a writing manual and more of a psychiatric guide for the aspiring writer.

      If you approach On Writing Well as a panacea for all your technical writing woes, a salve for your misplaced commas, a remedy for your verbosity, then you’re sure to be disappointed. As Zinsser repeatedly demonstrates—both through personal example and sage advice—success in writing comes from positive psychological habits. Anyone can write, because all anyone must do is develop confidence, approach the world as an interested and interesting citizen, and discover his or her ever elusive “self” and record it in words. As a result, the message of On Writing Well is scary yet liberating. There are no quick solutions here, but if you’re courageous enough to try, you can become a writer.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      My job requires me to be able to write well, and this book really helped me to hone my writing skills. Zinsser's advice and techniques are concrete and specific, and after applying his suggestions and theories to my own work, I improved my style tremendously.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The best book I've ever read about writing. Every high school and college student should be required to read this. It's honest, well written, and full of stories and examples that help you remember the key advice.

      I typically save good quotes while reading a book; in this case, I'm afraid that I've saved half the book.

      “The airline pilot who announces that he is presently anticipating experiencing considerable precipitation wouldn’t think of saying it may rain.”

      “The most important sentence in any article is the first one.”

      “Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum. Active verbs push hard; passive verbs tug fitfully.”

      “Readers want a writer who believes in himself and in what he is saying. Don’t diminish that belief. Don’t be kind of bold. Be bold.”

      “I don’t like to write; I like to have written.”

      “Most men and women lead lives, if not of quiet desperation, at least of desperate quietness, and they jump at a chance to talk about their work to an outsider who seems eager to listen.”

      V. S. Pritchett: “One realizes there are two breeds in Turkey: those who carry and those who sit. No one sits quite so relaxedly, expertly, beatifically as a Turk; he sits with every inch of his body; his very face sits. He sits as if he inherited the art from generations of sultans in the palace above Seraglio Point.”

      “The English (as Pritchett reminds me) have long excelled at a distinctive form of travel writing—the article that’s less notable for what a writer extracts from a place than for what the place extracts from him. New sights touch off thoughts that otherwise wouldn’t have entered the writer’s mind.”

      “Writing is not a special language owned by the English teacher. Writing is thinking on paper.”

      “The principle of scientific and technical writing applies to all nonfiction writing. It’s the principle of leading readers who know nothing, step by step, to a grasp of subjects they didn’t think they had an aptitude for or were afraid they were too dumb to understand.”

      “Countless careers rise or fall on the ability or the inability of employees to state a set of facts, summarize a meeting or present an idea coherently.”

      “You only have to remember that readers identify with people, not with abstractions like “profitability,” or with Latinate nouns like “utilization” and “implementation,” or with inert constructions in which nobody can be visualized doing something: “pre-feasibility studies are in the paperwork stage.”

      “Remember: “I” is the most interesting element in any story.”

      “It doesn’t bother me that a certain number of readers will not be amused; I know that a fair chunk of the population has no sense of humor—no idea that there are people in the world trying to entertain them.”

      “As a nonfiction writer you’ll be thrown again and again into specialized worlds, and you’ll worry that you’re not qualified to bring the story back.”

      “In travel writing you should never forget that you are the guide. It’s not enough just to take your readers on a trip; you must take them on your trip.”

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5

      I first read On Writing Well as a college student 26 years ago, and because I was a photojournalism major, I remember being impressed by what amounted to my first "writer's book."

      Zinsser knows how to craft a sentence and make a point, and the overall impression is one of being taught by a patient, gray-haired professor.

      On Writing Well is aimed squarely at non-fiction writers (not surprising given Zinsser's newspaper background), and I'd suggest it's still an ideal primer for new writers.

      Initially published in 1976, On Writing Well was reissued in a 2006 "30th Anniversary Edition" which included a new section on writing memoirs.

      Overall, this book has aged fairly well (good writing is still good writing), though writers nowadays are facing new challenges, and you won't find answers to those issues here. Those looking for step-by-step guides to getting published won't find what they want here.

      Instead, Zinsser has written a nice, patient, intelligent book about writing better. It's a classic and for good reason, though it is starting to show some wear around the edges.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Fantastic resource the simplest explanation of what to do when you need to write.
      It was beautifully explained using all the techniques the author propses. No fluff, full of empathy and crystal clear.
      Highly recommend.
    • 3/5
      I thought it was more about writing in general. Might read it when I want to write my memoir
    • 5/5
      The attention on simplicity and clear thoughts. Straight to the point.
    • 5/5
      It is targeted at non-fiction writing, but Zinsser has a lot of tips that can readily apply to fiction writing as well. Easily a book of reference I could see myself returning to for a refresher course on the finer points of crafting stories.
    • 5/5
      This is a classic that I have just discovered. The book was written many years ago, but has been updated.It focuses on non-fiction writing and has lots of great guidelines plus great advice.My favorite piece of advice was - if you are having difficulty with re-writing a sentence, try deleting it and see what the effect is.The basic tenet of the book is that writing is re-writing. No one gets it right first time, so be prepared for re-writing and re-writing.I know from personal experience that I can improve existing writing - but a blank page is hard to edit.It has specialist sections on most popular types of non-fiction writing. I skipped a few that I don't write about e.g. Sport.Highly recommend.If you are interest in fiction writing check out Stephen Kings' (yes THE Stephen King) classic - On Writing.
    • 5/5
      Simply written. To the point. A book on writing written well.
    • 5/5
      From my Cannonball Read 6 review ...

      I love participating in Cannonball Read for a few reasons. I didn’t know AlabamaPink, but I followed her on Pajiba and am happy to support fundraising in her name. I love that CBR motivates me to pick up a book instead of a video game or magazine, and I know I wouldn’t have read nearly as many (mostly good) books in the last 18 months without it. But one benefit I didn’t fully understand until recently is that CBR gives me the chance to improve my non-fiction writing on a weekly basis. This latest read has been particularly useful with that goal.

      My husband read ‘On Writing Well’ and thought I’d enjoy it. It bodes well for a book that aspires to be a guide to writing nonfiction that it is so easy to read. Mr. Zinsser wrote the first edition of this book in 1976, but has updated it many times, most recently about eight years ago. It is well-organized, fun to read, and most importantly filled with fantastic advice, as my notebook filled with quotes from it confirms.

      A few of Mr. Zinsser’s suggestions are obvious, but that doesn’t mean most people actually follow them. One thing he pushes for repeatedly is to take a stand and remove the passive voice. Until graduate school many of my instructors required that I write in the passive voice; thankfully that changed but I still find myself having to work at using my voice in my writing, especially at work. I don’t think I’m alone in that, and it’s nice to get some advice on being even stronger with my word choice.

      But there’s so much more in this book than Mr. Zinsser’s enthusiasm for active sentences. He provides great examples to support his point that we should be crafting sentences, paragraphs and pieces that readers want to read. We shouldn’t be looking for the longest synonym or the most clauses in a sentence; we should tell the story in a way that works for us. He offers great advice to get us there; a few of my favorites are:
      •“What do your readers want to know next? Ask yourself that question after every sentence.”
      •“Examine every word you put on paper. You'll find a surprising number that don't serve any purpose.”
      •“Most adverbs and adjectives are unnecessary.”
      •“Clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.”

      Unfortunately, while Mr. Zinsser understands and reinforces the power of language, he seems to only allow that power in so far as he agrees with it. He mentions that he used to use ‘he’ as his generic pronoun, but feminists convinced him that such usage was sexist, and so he changed his style. He saw that not using a gender-neutral form whenever possible reinforced the idea that male is the default, and female the anomaly. But in other areas he suggests that being careful with language is just ‘political correctness’ and dismisses it. The specific example he uses – expressing his distaste for the term undocumented resident and preference for the term illegal alien – shows that he still chooses his words based on his political inclination. He sees the error in his ways on gender, but apparently not yet on nationality. That is disappointing.

      Despite that one (important) area where Mr. Zinsser and I disagree, I know that much of what he wrote is solid advice. Hopefully as I incorporate his suggestions my writing – for Cannonball Read, for work, and for my own blog – will improve. Or, I should say, I will improve my writing.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful voice to listen to. Advice directly to the heart of the writer
    • 4/5
      Very helpful book. I love the wit and warmth of the author. I learned from the book and was encouraged to continue thinking about my writing. I will likely reference this book in the future. I would recommend it for aspiring writers.
    • 5/5
      What a masterpiece. Short and sweet I’ll definitely listen to this book again and again.
    • 5/5
      An excellent guide to writing nonfiction, this book includes memorable quotes and quality advice for writing all kinds of nonfiction without losing character or falling into any traps.
    • 5/5
      The best way to learn is by imitation . Great book to start with when writing a memoir.
    • 5/5
      Everyone who fancies themself a writer should be forced to read this book at least once in their career.
    • 2/5
      weird order of playback. the main book consists of way more chapters than on this audiobook, sadly.
    • 4/5
      This book really opens a writer's eyes on how some simple changes and adjustments with our style and convention will make us better writers. I read this one for my Abydos trainer certification and took in good advice on writing better.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book on writing a memoir story of my life
    • 5/5
      William zinner gives principles and attitudes required for writing with concrete examples and a process framework
    • 5/5
      Outstanding little book. It is going to help me immensely with my memoir
    • 5/5
      This book is "pure gold". Wonder- and helpful content, great writer/narrator.
    • 4/5
      I was forced to purchase this book for a course I took, but I didn't sell it back. It was amusing and very informative.
    • 5/5


      And essential book for learning how to write, how to appreciate (the act of) writing and the written word - clean and clear prose, and that which is not; and how to do both with intelligence and relaxed compassion.
    • 3/5
      This, along with The Elements of Style, was my summer reading for my AP English Language and Comp class. Personally, I liked this book better. We were assigned to write reviews for both of them, so here is mine for On Writing Well:

      At some point in their lives, most people will write something. Whether it is in their business, as a journalist, an author, or writing a memoir or family history, writing is present everywhere. It is an important part of society. Unfortunately, almost everyone finds it to be a difficult task that requires much practice, determination, and patience. The purpose of On Writing Well is to provide assistance to writers and help improve their craft.
      Since its publication thirty-six years ago, On Writing Well has become a popular book among aspiring writers of nonfiction. Written by William Zinsser, a former journalist for The New York Herald Tribune, professor at Yale, and a freelance writer, it was his attempt to put the curriculum of his nonfiction course into a book. He also wrote it with the intention of being a complement to The Elements of Style, the go-to manual of writers. It has received much praise and has become known as one of the most important books on writing.
      The book contains twenty-five chapters divided into four parts. Each part covers an important topic of writing: principles, methods, forms, and attitudes. The chapters in Principles cover the basics of writing, such as writing style, word usage, and preventing clutter. Methods expands upon the topics covered in Principles by providing a guide on how to keep your writing together, as well as tidbits of how grammatical terms should be used. In Forms, each chapter covers a different type of nonfiction writing, including interviews, travel articles, business writing, sports, and humor. Attitudes concludes the volume by discussing writing voice, decisions, and emotions that writers experience.
      Zinsser uses a wide variety of nonfiction works as examples throughout his book. An excerpt from E.B. White’s “The Hen (An Appreciation)” is used to demonstrate how each author should write for himself and use words they would use in conversation. Part of Joan Didion’s article “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream” is used to provide an example of how a travel article should be written, with all of the details doing useful work.
      Works written by Zinsser and his experiences as a professor are often used as reference points. One of my favorite examples in the book was the story of his Audubon article on Roger Tory Peterson, a legendary birdwatcher. He describes how he was requested to write the article and initially refused because it was a subject with which he was unfamiliar. After watching a documentary on Peterson, he was inspired to take up the project. In the process, he learned Peterson was a very interesting man. An artist as well as an ornithologist, Peterson’s artistic skill led him to be discovered by millions across America. The main advice given by the author in this story was to think broadly about each assignment. I thought that not only was it an interesting and well written story, but it was also a good way to convey the message.
      One of the greatest advantages of On Writing Well is that it is surprisingly readable at some points. Although it is definitely not the ideal page-turner, it isn’t dreadfully boring either. The lackluster parts of the book are made up for by the excellent tidbits of advice as well as an enticing writing style that is commanding and concise but not harsh. One major annoyance I had with the book was the rather long middle section. The chapters provide guides for many different types of writers, but it was rather irritating to have to read through so many examples of writing and not much actual advice. I also think it would be difficult for most students below college level to read this volume. In addition, many of the pop culture references Zinsser uses did not make sense to me. I think that the book would be more helpful to a younger audience if a newer edition was published with updated references for the current generation. The book was very helpful overall though; I used it quite a bit as reference for writing this very review. I would recommend On Writing Well for anyone who does any sort of writing in their life, but more towards more experienced writers than those starting on the writing journey.
    • 5/5
      The best book on writing I've ever read. This book lightly touches on grammar, only to get it out of the way, and then is on to the act of writing. He focuses on the thought process of writing, what to write about, how to write about different subjects, and most importantly how to rewrite what you've just written. Everybody that writes, anything, should read the first section, titled "Principles". Those first fifty pages apply to all forms of writing and will serve you well. William Zinsser wrote in such an engaging style that I'll be adding at least two more of his books to my reading list. And because he talked about it so fondly I might even reread Walden, but that's a long shot.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book on writing and thinking about writing. Zinsser covers a wide breadth of topics, from writing memoirs, to writing about travel, to writing about sports, and more. He makes it very simple - write about people doing things, and write more like you speak than less. Good chapter on organizing a longer work as well.
    • 5/5
      On Writing Well is a simple guide for writing well. Thankfully, as a book about writing should be, it is written well. I found the advice to be accessible and ready to be applied.If you write (and you do) you should read this book.
    • 5/5
      Clarity. Simplicity. Brevity. Humanity.