Notes from "On Writing Well" by William Zissner
Here's the first edition of "Inside Access: Great Founders Write"
Hey gang,
Welcome to Inside Access: Great Founders Write. In this series, I’m going to share my notes and research from writing my book, “Great Founders Write.”
First up is a summary of one of the all-time great writing books: “On Writing Well” by William Zissner.
Below is a list of over 100 quotes from the book and a few notes of my own (in italics).
But first…
Since this is a new series, share your feedback in the comments. What was your favorite quote? What didn’t you like about this format?
Finally, if you enjoyed this post, please hit the 🖤 and share with one friend.
Enjoy!
On the Practice of Writing
“Writing well means believing in your writing and believing in yourself, taking risks, daring to be different, pushing yourself to excel.”
This is no different than entrepreneurship.
“Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it’s because it is hard.”
- Great quote for conclusion
“Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it’s where the game is won or lost.”
“Writing is not a special language owned by the English teacher. Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone who thinks clearly can write clearly, about anything at all.”
On Rhythm
“Such considerations of sound and rhythm should go into everything you write. If all your sentences move at the same plodding gait, which even you recognize as deadly but don’t know how to cure, read them aloud.”
(I write entirely by ear and read everything aloud before letting it go out into the world.)
“An occasional short sentence can carry a tremendous punch.”
“Also bear in mind, when you’re choosing words and stringing them together, how they sound. This may seem absurd: readers read with their eyes. But in fact they hear what they are reading far more than you realize. Therefore such matters as rhythm and alliteration are vital to every sentence.”
“They enjoyed not only the arrangement but the effort to entertain them.”
On Clarity
“Today everybody in the world is writing to everybody else, making instant contact across every border and across every time zone.”
“Nobody told all the new computer writers that the essence of writing is rewriting. Just because they’re writing fluently doesn’t mean they’re writing well.”
“Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.”
Great quote for start of Chapter 3: Writing with Clarity
“But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.”
“Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other.”
“It’s impossible for a muddy thinker to write good English.”
“Writers must therefore constantly ask: what am I trying to say? Surprisingly often they don’t know.”
“Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time.”
“Beware, then, of the long word that’s no better than the short word: “assistance” (help), “numerous” (many), “facilitate” (ease), “individual” (man or woman), “remainder” (rest), “initial” (first), “implement” (do), “sufficient” (enough), “attempt” (try), “referred to as” (called) and hundreds more.”
“Most first drafts can be cut by 50 percent without losing any information or losing the author’s voice.”
“Few people realize how badly they write. Nobody has shown them how much excess or murkiness has crept into their style and how it obstructs what they are trying to say.”
“The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis.”
“All writing is ultimately a question of solving a problem.”
“Every successful piece of nonfiction should leave the reader with one provocative thought that he or she didn’t have before.”
“Not two thoughts, or five— just one.”
“Readers want to know— very soon— what’s in it for them.”
“Another moral is to look for your material everywhere, not just by reading the obvious sources and interviewing the obvious people.”
On Style
“When we say we like the style of certain writers, what we mean is that we like their personality as they express it on paper.”
“But you will be impatient to find a “style”— to embellish the plain words so that readers will recognize you as someone special.”
“You will reach for gaudy similes and tinseled adjectives, as if “style” were something you could buy at the style store and drape onto your words in bright decorator colors.”
“There is no style store; style is organic to the person doing the writing, as much a part of him as his hair, or, if he is bald, his lack of it.”
“Readers want the person who is talking to them to sound genuine. Therefore a fundamental rule is: be yourself.”
“They must relax, and they must have confidence.”
“Writers are obviously at their most natural when they write in the first person.”
“If you aren’t allowed to use “I,” at least think “I” while you write, or write the first draft in the first person and then take the “I” s out. It will warm up your impersonal style.”
“The lead must do some real work. It must provide hard details that tell the reader why the piece was written and why he ought to read it.”
“Just as it takes time to find yourself as a person, it takes time to find yourself as a stylist, and even then your style will change as you grow older.”
“Think of the other as a creative act: the expressing of who you are. Relax and say what you want to say.”
“Never say anything in writing that you wouldn’t comfortably say in conversation. If you’re not a person who says “indeed” or “moreover,” or who calls someone an individual (“ he’s a fine individual”), please don’t write it.”
“For the nonfiction writer, the simplest way of putting this into a rule is: when you’re ready to stop, stop. If you have presented all the facts and made the point you want to make, look for the nearest exit.”
“Surprise is the most refreshing element in nonfiction writing. If something surprises you it will also surprise— and delight.”
“The difference between an active verb style and a passive- verb style— in clarity and vigor— is the difference between life and death for a writer.”
“Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum.”
“Many verbs also carry in their imagery or in their sound a suggestion of what they mean.”
Use colorful but well-known verbs. Don’t settle for boring
“Most adverbs are unnecessary.”
“This is adjective- by- habit— a habit you should get rid of.”
“Make sure they are necessary. Do they provide information critical to the reader’s understanding?”
Example: “Last quarter’s poor results have forced me to make tough decisions.”
This statement would be confusing without these adjectives.
“LITTLE QUALIFIERS. Prune out the small words that qualify how you feel and how you think and what you saw: “a bit,” “a little,” “sort of,” “kind of,” “rather,” “quite,” “very,” “too,” “pretty much,” “in a sense” and dozens more.”
“Don’t be a little annoyed. Be annoyed. Don’t hedge. Good writing is lean and confident.”
Don’t be kind of bold. Be bold.
“The Period. There’s not much to be said about the period except that most writers don’t reach it soon enough.”
“Among good writers it is the short sentence that predominates, and don’t tell me about Norman Mailer— he’s a genius. If you want to write long sentences, be a genius.”
The snark cracks me up. I want to write this book like Zissner.
“Humor is best achieved by understatement, and there’s nothing subtle about an exclamation point.”
“MOOD CHANGERS. Learn to alert the reader as soon as possible to any change in mood from the previous sentence. At least a dozen words will do this job for you: “but,” “yet,””
My notes: These words also indicate something new is about to happen. Be alert: Change is afoot.
“I can’t overstate how much easier it is for readers to process a sentence if you start with “but” when you’re shifting direction.”
“Many of us were taught that no sentence should begin with “but.” If that’s what you learned, unlearn it— there’s no stronger word at the start.”
“It announces total contrast with what has gone before, and the reader is thereby primed for the change.”
“Don’t start a sentence with “however”— it hangs there like a wet dishrag.”
“Don’t use phantom nouns - Make sure your sentences have a subject.”
“As a result, there is anger and confusion in the customer base.”
“Who is angry and confused? No subject and weak verb “is””
“Rewrite: “As a result, customers are angry and confused.”
“THE QUICKEST FIX. Surprisingly often a difficult problem in a sentence can be solved by simply getting rid of it.”
“Keep your paragraphs short. Writing is visual— it catches the eye before it has a chance to catch the brain.”
“But don’t go berserk. A succession of tiny paragraphs is as annoying as a paragraph that’s too long.”
Using pronouns:
“It’s perfectly acceptable to use THEY/THEM/THEIR as a gender neutral pronoun for someone.”
“A new employee cannot use their vacation time in the first 90 days.:
“One other pronoun that helped me in my repairs was “you.” Instead of talking about what “the writer” does and the trouble he gets into, I found more places where I could address the writer directly (“ You’ll often find…”).”
On Courage
“Leaders who bob and weave like aging boxers don’t inspire confidence— or deserve it.”
“Sell yourself, and your subject will exert its own appeal. Believe in your own identity and your own opinions. Writing is an act of ego, and you might as well admit it. Use its energy to keep yourself going.”
On Storytelling
“Narrative is the oldest and most compelling method of holding someone’s attention; everybody wants to be told a story.”
“Always look for ways to convey your information in narrative form.”
“Nobody can write a decent article about the disappearance of small towns in Iowa; it would be all generalization and no humanity. The writer would have to write about one small town in Iowa and thereby tell her larger story, and even within that one town she would have to reduce her story still further: to one store, or one family, or one farmer.”
The writer gradually thought her story down to human scale.
“The quest is one of the oldest themes in storytelling, an act of faith we never get tired of hearing about.”
“Moral: any time you can tell a story in the form of a quest or a pilgrimage you’ll be ahead of the game. Readers bearing their own associations will do some of your work for you.”
The story of humanity is a quest. It’s the driving force in our lives.
“Narrative— good old- fashioned storytelling— is what should pull your readers along without their noticing the tug.”
“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.” This is true for business writing as well.
“Decide what you want to do. Then decide to do it. Then do it.”
On Business writing
“Any organization that won’t take the trouble to be both clear and personal in its writing will lose friends, customers and money.”
“Let me put it another way for business executives: a shortfall will be experienced in anticipated profitability.” The snark is real!
“Managers at every level are prisoners of the notion that a simple style reflects a simple mind. Actually a simple style is the result of hard work and hard thinking.”
On Finding Your Voice
“Don’t alter your voice to fit your subject. Develop one voice that readers will recognize when they hear it on the page.”
“Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or a craft.”
On Enjoying Writing
“If something strikes me as funny in the act of writing, I throw it in just to amuse myself.”
“Writers have to jumpstart themselves at the moment of performance, no less than actors and dancers and painters and musicians.”
“Fear of writing gets planted in most Americans at an early age, usually at school, and it never entirely goes away.”
“One way to generate confidence is to write about subjects that interest you and that you care about.”
“Living is the trick. Writers who write interestingly tend to be men and women who keep themselves interested.” … “That’s almost the whole point of becoming a writer. I’ve used writing to give myself an interesting life and a continuing education.”
“If you write about subjects you think you would enjoy knowing about, your enjoyment will show in what you write. Learning is a tonic.”
“If you want your writing to convey enjoyment, write about people you respect.”
“I’m struck by how often as a writer I say to myself, “That’s interesting.” If you find yourself saying it, pay attention and follow your nose.”
I want to know…
What was your favorite quote?
How could I improve this format moving forward?
If you enjoyed this article, please his the 🖤 and share! Thanks!