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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. So decide what single point you want to leave in the reader's mind.
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
Five
Decide
Point
Piece
Didn
Reader
Two
Thoughts
Thought
Pieces
Every
Single
Mind
Leave
Provocative
Successful
Nonfiction
More quotes by 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
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I think a sentence is a fine thing to put a preposition at the end of.
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Writers are the custodians of memory, and that's what this chapter is about: how to leave some kind of record of your life and of the family you were born into.
William Zinsser
You learn to write by writing.
William Zinsser
Nobody ever stopped reading E. B. White or V. S. Pritchett because the writing was too good.
William Zinsser
All writers should strive to deliver something fresh-something editors or readers won't know they want until they see it.
William Zinsser
If writing seems hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things people do.
William Zinsser
There's not much to be said about the period except that most writers don't reach it soon enough.
William Zinsser
Never forget that you are practicing a craft with certain principles.
William Zinsser
Motivation clears the head faster than a nasal spray.
William Zinsser
Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader reading from one paragraph to the next, and it's not a question of gimmicks to personalize the author.
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Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is.
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Editors are licensed to be curious.
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If you write for yourself, you'll reach all the people you want to write for.
William Zinsser
Make a habit of reading what is being written today and what has been written before. Writing is learned by imitation.
William Zinsser
A writer will do anything to avoid the act of writing.
William Zinsser
Writing and learning and thinking are the same process.
William Zinsser
Fighting clutter is like fighting weeds-the writer is always slightly behind.
William Zinsser
It's a fitting irony that under Richard Nixon launder became a dirty word.
William Zinsser
Writing wasn't easy and wasn't fun. It was hard and lonely, and the words seldom just flowed.
William Zinsser
