“Nothing so animates writing as someone telling what he thinks or what he does – in his own words,” said William Zinsser, in his book, On Writing Well, “It breathes life into writing.”
When Zinsser wrote On Writing Well, in 1976, did he ever imagine that three generations later, his book would be breathing life into millions of writer’s minds and pieces?
“Zinsser is the little man on my shoulder as I write. I know his book so well that I hear it as I write. No, I don’t need that word. . . this would be a good place for a quote,” said Jo Kadlecek, professor of Communication Arts and Senior Communications Writer of Gordon College.
“Zinsser gives me confidence in my writing. His book his practical . . .simple and clean. That is my goal for my writing,” said Jessica Burton, 21 and a senior at Gordon College.
“Zinsser’s information is relevant for every type of writing,” said Kara Bettis, 19, and a sophomore at Gordon. When writing, Bettis reminds herself of Zinsser’s advice: “Most first drafts can be cut by 50 percent without losing any information or losing the author’s voice.”
“Remove clutter,” said Maggie Lafferty, an aspiring 21-year- old journalist, “that is what I took away from Zinsser’s book. It has drastically improved my reporting.”
“The life-changing message of On Writing Well is simplify your language and thereby find your humanity,” said Zinsser on his website, www.williamzinsserwriter.com. Zinsser’s message is loud and clear and has been replayed through writer’s minds for thirty-four years.
No comments:
Post a Comment