Rating: 
Summary: Well Written
Review: Not only did this book educate me about how to write well, it inspired me to become a writer myself. Zinseer's writing is outstanding. He moves the reader along, as he encourages you to do in your writing, at a steady pace with sufficient pause to educate. However, don't be fooled. This book contains a tremendous amount of information and is a book that you will find yourself reading more than once. Zinseer covers a number specific areas including science, technology, arts, sports, business and others. Anyone who must do any writing as part of a job, or other civic duty, will benefit from reading this book. It is on my short list of references which I re-read whenever I have a chance.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this, write better.
Review: This is a wonderful book on writing. It is more than just a guide to writing grammatically well, it also teaches how to write interesting, meaningful pieces. Though this book includes its fair share of grammar and syntax lessons, its main focus (and the largest portion of its pages) is in the ART of writing well.Parts I and II cover the basics on style--how to eliminate clutter, write clear, tight sentences, etc. Part III, the bulk of the work, deals individually with a variety of subjects that you might write about--people, places, business, sports, the arts, etc. This is where the book is most handy, where Zinsser steps out of the writing-guide mold and gives us something unique, something very useful. Part IV deals much with the process of revision, and talks about the final product. This is useful to anyone who has goals of being published. Throughout, this book is full of humor and wit, as well as a writing style that is very fun to read. The only negative (in my opinion): Zinsser uses too many of his own pieces as a basis of comparison. Yes, I agree, he IS a good writer. But he's not the ONLY good writer out there. I would have liked to see less of his own work. The examples he uses from other writers are great--I just wish there were more of them. Overall, this is a must-have for any aspiring writer, or for anyone who likes to write and wants to improve his or her style. This is not the best writing book out there, but you'll definitely see an improvement in your style for having read it.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and insightful peek behind the writer's curtain
Review: Zinsser has penned what is perhaps the most approachable and insightful work on the science of writing nonfiction. He brings a light, lively style to a subject that many consider daunting, and in so doing he clearly demonstrates the principle that a lesson can be told simply if the teller understands it properly. Among the more useful lessons Zinsser teaches his readers is that all writers struggle. He dismisses wholesale the notion that some writers are so gifted that they never have blocks (or what Ayn Rand called "the squirms"). This candid glimpse into the real art of writing as hard work is as refreshing as it is reassuring. Zinsser's clarity of writing and facile touch make reading this text a genuinely fun experience. He practices what he preaches, and it becomes immediately evident that "a clear sentence is no accident...few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time." Leonardo da Vinci once quipped the beauty is the purgation of superfluities, and this is one of the great lessons from Zinsser: the elimination of clutter. Zinsser likens clutter to "the ponderous euphemism that turns a slum into a depressed socioeconomic area, a salesman into a marketing representative, and garbage collectors into waste disposal personnel"...all of these extravagances are to be avoided at all costs. The book is replete with pearls of wisdom, but the most useful can be condensed into three principles: trust your material[1]; truly respect language[2]; and write with simple eloquence[3]. In short, I cannot recommend this book enough to those who wish to gain insight into the craft of writing-even if it is merely to become a better reader. From word choice to style to grammar, Zinsser gently and skillfully walks the reader behind the scenes of a familiar world, and he clearly demonstrates where (and how) the ivory tower hits the pavement. I drank deeply from this book, and I'm sure that I will continue to return to the well over time. [1] "[R]eaders will bring to a piece of writing all the emotion a writer could ask for-if he will just get out of the way." -WZ
[2] "You will never make your mark as a writer unless you develop a respect for words and a curiosity about their shades of meaning that is almost obsessive." -WZ
[3] "Every successful piece of nonfiction should leave the reader with one provocative thought that he didn't have before. Not two thoughts, or five-one thought." -WZ
Rating:
Summary: Narrative Style Lessons Come in Handy
Review: When I first scanned the book at the store, I thought, "No way I can learn anything from a narrative style book." Plus, when do I have time to read such a book especially when the last full fiction book I read was in 1999? It came recommended and it was on sale. What the hey? I love books and I'm a sucker for 'em. Turns out it's one of the smarter book purchases. Zinsser wrote a travel article that fascinated me, a person who skips the boring travel section in the local newspaper. When I read a book to improve some aspect of my life, I have to refer to it and put it to practice or it'll never stick. Not with this book. While reading through it -- and I read it over a period of a few months -- I remembered and applied the concepts in my writing such as omitting needless words and qualifiers. Good stuff, enjoyable read, and lessons applied.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this Book
Review: I want to be a better editor. I purchased two books on writing,"On Writing Well" and "Sin and Syntax." I expected them to become more shelf-liner reference material, so imagine my surprise when my "sit and skim" session became a day of reading. Zinsser's On Writing Well is a well written book about writing. Imagine that. I've learned more from On Writing Well than through my college grammar books. Better yet, I'm actually developing a framework for writing and editing. I've always admired good writers. I recognized writing as a craft, but with its dependence on style, syntax, and structure, writing well was just beyond my reach. I'm not there yet. I have years of blah writing to overcome. In my journey to better editing, On Writing Well is now my companion and guide. Buy this book.
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Summary: Student to Salesperson- Your life will be so much easier
Review: Like many of the books on my shelf, I was forced to aquire "On Writing Well" for my classes. This is my last semester and my greatest regret is that I did not invest in such a treasure sooner. This book has saved my life. It is hard to find a well written book on writing well, but this one merits the title. The author admits in all honesty that writing is hard, but goes into detail on how to make it easy. The book is thorough, explaining in "layman's terms" how to write. There are chapters on everything from grammar usage to how to make your writing funny. The chapter on "Enjoyment, Fear and Confidence" while writing is most helpful. The author uses anecdotes and clever humor to keep the reader interested. This book is a jewel among self help guides... It is worth every penny of investment and your writing is guaranteed to improve after one lecture.
Rating:
Summary: I wanted an A!
Review: B, B+, and B-, were the only grades I'd earned on my essays. Then, my professor suggested I read this book. I read it. It's now my literary bible. Finally, I get A's. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide for everyone
Review: I stumbled upon this book as I was looking for a guide to writing essays. It looked interesting and the first few pages read well, so I bought it. Little did I know that this book would change my world view on writing and learning. In the first few chapters Mr. Zinsser sounds like an old fashioned English teacher, harping on the fundamentals and simplicity. The fact that he is right made the message easier to absorb. In the latter chapters he focuses on different kinds of writing, that is when he hooked me. Even if you never write a memoir, it is fascinating for me to read about how people go about writing one. Now I am writing my own, for my own consumption, because the process sounds like something that is enlightening and worth doing. The same is true for his chapers on art critique, sports, humor, etc. I have also gained a massive reading list from Mr. Zinsser, now I am curious to a whole new world that I was not aware of and more importantly, I did not care about. But he made me interested in these books because he made me curious about how these authors are able to communicate their message so clearly.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta Have It
Review: I'm an English major, and this is the most useful and most entertaining book on writing that I've ever read. It's a must have.
Rating:
Summary: Whoever you are, you NEED this book
Review: William Zinsser has been a columnist for Life and The New York Times as well as an executive editor of the Book of the Month Club. He is well qualified to write "an informal guide in writing nonfiction." In ON WRITING WELL he treats subjects like words, usage, the audience, the interview, the ending, sports, criticism, humor and more. This is material he developed while teaching a course in nonfiction at Yale and it's loaded with tips. "Make a habit of reading what is being written today," he says, "and what has been written before. But cultivate the best writers." "Although this is a book about writing," he goes on, "it is not meant just for writers...Its points are valid for all the people who have to do some writing just to get along in their job...many a career rises or falls on th eability or inability of an employee to state an idea or a set of ideas clearly and concisely." Whether you're a writer or not, you write. This book can teach you to do it effectively and with style. It should be beside everyone's computer.
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