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I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.
William Zinsser
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William Zinsser
Age: 92 †
Born: 1922
Born: October 7
Died: 2015
Died: May 12
Journalist
Literary Critic
Writer
New York City
New York
William Knowlton Zinsser
People
Person
Wells
Urge
Might
Urges
Firsts
Admit
Well
Ego
First
Almost
Writing
Write
Always
Persons
More quotes by William Zinsser
Writing is thinking on paper.
William Zinsser
I try to make what I have written tighter, stronger and more precise, eliminating every element that's not doing useful work. Then I go over it once more, reading it aloud, and am always amazed at how much clutter can still be cut.
William Zinsser
The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.
William Zinsser
As a writer I try to operate within a framework of Christian principles, and the words that are important to me are religious words: witness, pilgrimage, intention.
William Zinsser
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 a total contrast with what has gone before, and the reader is thereby primed for the change.
William Zinsser
I think a sentence is a fine thing to put a preposition at the end of.
William Zinsser
Writers can write to affirm and to celebrate, or they can write to debunk and destroy the choice is ours.
William Zinsser
You'll 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. The English language is rich in strong and supple words. Take the time to root around and find the ones you want
William Zinsser
Writing and learning and thinking are the same process.
William Zinsser
If a good word already exists, there is no need to invent something painful.
William Zinsser
Editors are licensed to be curious.
William Zinsser
Writing is hard work.
William Zinsser
Probably every subject is interesting if an avenue into it can be found that has humanity and that an ordinary person can follow.
William Zinsser
It's a fitting irony that under Richard Nixon launder became a dirty word.
William Zinsser
Dare to tell the smallest of stories if you want to generate large emotions.
William Zinsser
Nobody becomes Tom Wolfe overnight, not even Tom Wolfe.
William Zinsser
Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is.
William Zinsser
People read with their ears, whether they know it or not.
William Zinsser
Writing organizes and clarifies our thoughts. Writing is how we think our way into a subject and make it our own. Writing enables us to find out what we know-and what we don't know-about whatever we're trying to learn.
William Zinsser
Motivation clears the head faster than a nasal spray.
William Zinsser
