Zinsser’s 30-year-old book on writing still speaks to modern writers

By Jesse Poole

Although first published in 1976, William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well is still surprisingly applicable for writers today. “The need for journalism is constant and the need for good writing won’t change,” said Alison Lynch, ’12, communication arts major form Holliston, MA.

A young writer might think instructions on writing from the ‘70’s would be hard to follow, but “It’s fast and captures the audience,” said Steven Fletcher, ’12, a Communication Arts major from Augusta, ME. “He teaches how to write for more than just a blog, his writing is not instant, and Zinsser shows we’ve got to go back and enjoy playing with the words.”

According to Zinsser many writers feel the need to use ‘difficult’ language, but “writing does not need to be an impenetrable fog,” said Fletcher. “It needs to be clear, concise, and inviting, and this is what Zinsser teaches.”

Heather Lobe, ’10, theatre major from Erial, NJ, said, “Books jam-packed with theories make reading dry and hard to understand. Zinsser practices what he preaches; he’s straight to the point.”

Fletcher went on to say that Zinsser speaks to nonfiction writers especially, “and is a book that teaches the art of the simple,” said Fletcher. “He advocates writing without fluff.”

“I like what Zinsser says about ‘clutter’,” said Lynch. “I do add a lot of words because I’m use to creative writing.” But, “Clutter is the disease of American writing,” writes Zinsser. “We are a society strangling in unnecessary words.”

“Zinsser tells specific examples of things that do and do not work,” said Lobe. And according to Fletcher, “the advice Zinsser relays is timeless.”