William Zinsser, On Writing Well, 2008
Comment in one sentence
A must-read for anyone who writes, regardless of language.
Review
Writing used to be an unpleasant challenge for me. No longer. The book has delivered me out of the mire of struggling with writing. Now I find myself inspired and motivated. It's not so much that I've known how to write well overnight. It's that I begin to see writing as a lifelong journey mixing cheers with tears. Writing promises to melt my experiences and feelings into words, bringing me closer to the beauty of language and the truths of existence. The draw catches me.
On Writing Well lays bare hardships and blessings of composing. Enchanted by its clean and compelling prose, I cherish the moments with it and expect to revisit it next year.
Quotes
From the audiobook
1. A clear sentence is no accident.
2 Writing is talking to sombody else on paper.
3 Simplicity is a virtue in writing.
4 Hard writing makes easy reading. ...Easy writing makes hard reading.
5 Writing is thinking on paper.
6 People in authority, from train conductors to corporate CEOs, are prisoners of the idea that a simple style reflects a simple mind. The exact opposite is true. This simple style is the result of a very hard work.
7 Short is better than long. Short words are better than long words. Don't use numerous when you can use many. Don't use assistance when you can use help. Short sentences are better than long sentences.
8 Go and cut the last thing you wrote by 50%.
9 Most adverbs are unnecessary. ...Most adjectives are also unnecessary.
unnecessary phrases and hedging words: in a sense, in a funny sort of way, sort of, kind of, a bit, a little
10 My rule of thumb is that every component in a piece of writing should be doing useful work. New work. Work that hasn't been done up to that point.
11 All writing is a journey. You, the writer, are asking somebody to go on a trip with you.
12 Don't ever try in your writing to be someone you are not. How you write is how you define yourself.
13 Your style is you. When we say we like the writer's style, what we mean is that we like the writer's personality as he or she projects it on paper. We like the person.
14 You're writing for yourself.
15 You learn to write by writing. ..Writing is a craft that requires steady application.
16 Rewriting is the essence of writing...With every change, I feel that I'm getting nearer to where I'd finally like to arrive.
17 Always remember: writing is visual. It catches the eye before it has a chance to catch the brain.
18 Writing is clear and strong and warm.
19 Active verbs are your strongest tools.
20 All writing is learned by imitation. We all need models. I learn to write by reading the people who are doing the kind of writing I want to do, and trying to figure out how they did it.
21 My main commodity as a writer is me.
22 Go with your passions and your interests. There's no subject that is not acceptable.
23 You must listen to what you write.
24 The challenge in writing is to not write like everybody else.
25 Replace every cliché with something fresh, something that takes the reader slightly by surprise.
26 Pomposity is one of the biggest of all enemies in writing.
How to write a memoir
1. When you write your memoir, you must become the editor of your own life. ..Remember you are not writing an autobiography, you are only writing a memoir. It's a big difference.
2 Autobiography is the iceberg. The whole story.
3 Memoir doesn't care about the whole life. ...A memoir is a self-contained story, set in a particularly interesting time and place.
4 Think small when you write about your past. Remember memoir isn't the summing up of a life. It's a window into a life at a certain moment.
5 Every writer of a memoir has to become, to some extent, a travel writer to generate some kind of journey because all life is a journey.
6 Memoirs take much of their strength from precise detail.
7 Many small details can add up to one big truth.
8 Every memoir finally has its own unique subject, and shape and length.
9 Think small. Focus on one period in your past, and tell a story within strict unities of time and place and point of view.
10 Writers are obviously at their most natural when they write in the first person. ..Therefore I urge people to write in the first person: to use "I" and "me" and "we" and "us". 用“我”来写作
From the book
1 The professional writer must establish a daily schedule and stick to it. 每日写作的必要性
2 The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. 简洁
3 Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can't exist without the other. 思路清楚
4 Thinking clearly is a conscious act that writers must force on themselves. 靠练
5 Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. (与audiobook第一条相同)
6 Examine every word you put on paper. You'll find a surprising number that don't serve any purpose. 改写的必要
7Look for the clutter in your writing and prune it ruthlessly. 秋风扫落叶般删掉废话
8 If you aren't allowed to use "I", at leat think "I" while you write, or write the first draft in the first person and then take the "I"s out.
9 Sell yourself and your subject will exert its own appeal. Believe in your own identity and your own opinions. 自我呈现
10 You are writing for yourself.
11 You are writing primarily to please yourself. 自娱自乐
12 Simplify, prune and strive for order. 写作的方法
13 Never say anything in writing that you wouldn't comfortably say in conversation. 说人话
14 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. 咬文嚼字是必须的
15 The race in writing is not to the swift but to the original. 写作比拼的是原创性
16 Writing is learned by imitation. If anyone asked me how I learned to write, I'd say I learned by reading the men and women who were doing the kind of writing I wanted to do and trying to figure out how they did it. 仿写
17 Good writers of prose must be part poet, always listening to what they write. 写作的诗意和动听
18 An occasional short sentence can carry a tremendous punch. It stays in the reader's ear. 短句的力量
19 Today's spoken garbage may be tomorrow's written gold. 麻雀变凤凰的畅想
20 Good usage, to me, consists of using good words, if they already exist, to express myself clearly and simply to someone else. 简单清楚
21 The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis. 习惯的力量
22 Unity is the anchor of good writing.风格要统一
23 Every writing project must be reduced before you start to write. ...Think small. Decide what corner of your subject you're going to bite off, and be content to cover it well and stop. 小处入手，不贪多。
24 Your mood and your style are consistent from start to finish. 情绪、风格始终不变（from beginning to end）
25 Your lead must capture the reader immediately and force him to keep reading. 开头要抓人
26 Take special care with the last sentence of each paragraph--it's the crucial springboard to the next paragraph. 每段最后一句话的重要性
27 You should always collect more material than you will use. 准备充分
28 Always look for ways to convey your information in narrative form. 描述
29 The perfect ending should take your readers slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right. 结尾有惊喜
30 Surprise is the most refreshing element in nonfiction writing. 语不惊人死不休
31 Make active verbs activate your sentencesm and avoid the kind that need an appended preposition to complete their work. ...Use precise verbs. 及物动词 eg Dont't set up a business aht you can start or launch.
32 Always make sure that your readers are oriented. 明确方向
33 Let the humor sneak up so we hardly hear it coming.
34 Stay alert to the currents around you. 长点心
35 Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it's where the game is won or lost. 好作品改了又改
36 Writing is an evolving process, not a finished product. 写作是慢工出细活
37 The last word is the one that stays in the reader's ear and gives the sentence its punch. 最后一个字的重要性
38 If you follow your passions you will write well and will engage your readers.
39 Nothing is deader than to start a sentence with a "Mr. Smith said" construction--it's where many readers stop reading. 某某说不要出现在句首
40 Unlike autobiography, which spans an entire life, memoir assumes the life and ignores most of it. 回忆录与传记的差别
41 Anyone who thinks clearly can write clearly, about anything at all.
42 "I'm here and I'm involved": make that your creed if you want to write serious humor.
43 The effortless style is achieved by strenuous effort and constant refining.
44 Be on the watch for funny or self-serving quotes and use them with gratitude.
45 a deep-bone belief that quality is its own reward 优秀是给自己的奖赏
Notes
1.The window is open to a view across the water. (用词简洁，画面丰富)
2 a nail keg
to drive nails
3 The old man sitting at the typewriter /table 介词的用法
4 Writiing has gone electronic. go+adj
6 put the course into a book 讲堂课出本书，联想百家讲坛
7 I had long considered him my model as a writer.
句型： I had long considered sb +溢美头衔 as a +职业
造句： I had long considered Greta Garbo my goddess as an actress.
8 the dominant how-to manual for writers
9 wrestle with the craft 两句三年得的感受
10 My concerns as a teacher have also shifted. 关注点变了
11 Their stories take me deeply into their lives. 深深吸引了我
12 Many are near despair. 美音的连续卷舌让人崩溃
13 Bloggers are saturating the globe. 充斥全球
14 On one level the new torrent is good news. ....But as always, there's a catch.
降级版 One one side the new trend is good...But there's always a hidden problem.
15 Just because they're writing fluently doesn't mean they're writing well. 对于许多写手来说这句话值得思考
16 be revealed with the arrival of sth. 某事物的出现揭示了一个问题
17 Two opposite things happened: good writers got better and bad writers got worse. 好的更好，糟的更糟
18 E-mail is ideal for the never-ending upkeep of daily life.
降级版 E-mail is perfect for the endless recording of daily life.
19 The new age, for all its electronic wizardary, is still writing-based.
降级版 The new era is still based on writing despite all the electronic magic.
based 活用： Richard Burton played a mercenary heavily based on him.(TE) 以……为原型
20 Dr. Brock was dressed in a bright red jacket. 摆脱wear的束缚
21 The first question went to him. 跳出被动态的包围圈
22 Professional writers are solitary drudges who seldom see other writers. 孤独的苦行僧
23 describe with gusto the joys of doing sth 兴致勃勃的讲
24 I should take up surgery on the side. 副业
25 fiddle endlessly with the paragraph 不停地改稿子
26 I often find myself reading with interest about a trop I never thought would interest me. ...What holds me is the enthusiasm of the writer fro his field.
句型 I often find myself doing sth 句型 What holds me is +noun
27 This is the personal transaction that's at the heart of good nonfiction writing. 强调句
句型与法语强调句如出一辙 C'est qqch qui est .....
28 Clutter is the disease of American writing. 问题，症结所在
29 a galaxy of electronic devices
galaxy： a large number of famous people 众星云集
30 keep pace with the train of thought 跟上思路
lose track of sth
31 It is worth bothering about. 麻烦，值得较真
32 词语辨析： today: the historical present
eg. Today prices are high.
33 Clutter is political correctness gone amok. 关联run amok
34 throw dust in the eyes of the populace 蒙蔽
35 Nobody becomes Tom Wolfe overnight, not even Tom Wolfe.
造句：Nobody becomes Li Bai overnight, not even Li Bai. 李白不是一天练成的，他自己也不成。
36 water cooler 饮水机
37 Unfortunately, no cure has been found. 无法治愈
38 tell sb in words that come naturally 说人话
39 Good writers are visible just behind their words. 人如其言
40 I give it first prize as the most wishy-washy sentence in modern public discourse. 我给发最苍白无力奖
41 They doze off in the middle of your article. 读你的文章，读着读着就睡着了
42 Weeds choked their yards. 院子里长满荒草
43 The impact he made on subsequent writers of nonfiction is beyond measuring, and even now his topical pieces seem as fresh as if they were written yesterday. 影响不可估量，新鲜得如同昨天刚刚出炉
44 He didn't kowtow to the reader or curry anyone's favor. 拍马屁
45 It is out of such courage that revered and influential journalists are born.倒装
46 But I can't bring myself to say it. 说不出来
47 We're in the hands of a hack, and we know it right away. 读到烂文章时的火眼金睛
48 care deeply about words 钻进去
49 seize avidly an opportunity = sauter sur l'occasion 抓住机遇
50 Passions ran high. 激情高涨
51 the commuter's daily trek to Manhattan 通勤
=les trajets quotidiens domicile-travail
52 A, long a defender of B（an idea） 长期支持者
53 muddy the waters 把水搅浑
54 cultivated speakers 有教养的
55 Jargon is flooding our daily life and language. 水漫金山
56 Travel writing is a conspicuous example. 突出的例子
57 a drain on your enthusiam 打击积极性
58 There's no pat answer. 现成的答案
59 the period "snapper" in the routine of a stand-up comedy (snapper=punchline) 抖包袱
60 nudge his curiosity and tug at his sleeve 小词的细致
61The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women.
62 Most of us are still prisoners of the lesson pounded into us by compostition teachers of our youth. 作文的灌输
63 There were no thrills when he reigned, but neither were there any headaches. 不功不过
64 Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident. 不要模棱两可，去掉hedge words
65 be robbed of the pleasure of doing sth. 剥夺
66 be in a tight corner; get you out of many tight corners 摆脱困境
67 The gains far outweigh the hazards. 利大于弊
68 Today there are very few roles that aren't open to both sexes. 句型
69 Careful writers can't stop fiddling. 头韵
70 I'm grateful for every chance to keep improving my work. 我倍加珍惜
71 fall into the habit of doing sth
72 The books and articles they had written were solid and useful.
73 Silence greeted the question.
74 World War II sent seven millions Americans overseas and opened their eyes to reality.
75 Over night, America became a fact-minded nation.
76 Motivation is at the heart of writing. 核心，至关重要
77quail at the prospect of doing 退缩
78 Take heart. (to feel encouraged)
79 push yourself into the real world 强迫自己
80 Strive for fresh words and images.
81 Build now, civilize later.
82 heavily touristed, cliché sites 著名景点
83 Are you doing your part? 尽职尽责
84 Visiting national parks is an American family tradition. 套用句型
主干：Doing XX is a Chinese family tradition.
85 Beware of waxing. 小心言过其词 用beware of doing 替代don't do
86 We have to write what the teacher wants. 学生写作的苦恼
87 Middle age brings no release. 中年危机
88 I urge them to write in personal detail about what is closest to them. 强烈建议
89 be in for sth: be going to experience sth unpleasant very soon
eg be in for chaos
90 His piece moved with simplicity and logic.
91 play ticktacktoe 三子棋
92 the big, bustling world 庞大喧闹的世界
93 I have long been an admirer of ... 句型
94 It pays to do: used to say that doing something is worth the effort or expense
95 The discovery of the Iraqi EMIS program had much of the drama of a good spy novel. 狗血堪比间谍小说
96 Vulnerability has a strength of its own.
97 It seems that traffic is beginning to pile up again in front of the school. 下学时家长围在校门口
98 owe money for lunch 欠午饭钱
Sometimes children are very slow in repaying. 长期不还钱
99 easier said than done 说的比做的轻松
100 He was being done a disservice. 被服务所累
101 Money is the looming monster in America sport, its dark shadow everywhere.
102 be booed by fans 明星们的惨痛经历
103 In tennis the pot of gold is huge. ....In football and basketball the pay is sky-high. 有钱的花样写法
104 Sermons are the death of humor. 说教
105 You have only youself to blame for doing something so stupid. 怪你自己蠢
106 talk down to sb 居高临下的训导
Nobody wants to be patronized.
107 What does it take to be a comic writer? 需要具备什么素质？
108 Dying is no big deal. Living is the trick.
109 succum to the pressure 屈从于压力
110 I've used writing to give myself an interesting life and a continuing education. 句型，赞美自己的事业
111 make a lifelong habit of doing sth
112 tourist-infested cities
113 Desperately poor, Mali was people-rich.
114 To linger in Djenné’s ancient square at dusk was a high moment of our trip.
115 Like the rest of creation, they come in all varieties. 各种各样
116 For all these acts of salvation, editors can't be thanked fervantly enough. 怎么都不为过
句型 can't be done enough
Good Leads
1. I've often wondered what goes into a hotdog. Now I know and I wish I didn't. 先抛出结果，让你猜
Recommended
1 Jill Kathryn Conway, The Road from Coorain
2 Harry Golden, Walt Kelly, Howard Lindsay, John Updike & William K. Zinsser, Five Boyhoods
3 Out of Egypt: A Memoir
4 Henry Louis Jr Gates, Colored People
5 Alfred Kazin, A Walker in the City
6 Eudora Welty, One Writer's Beginnings
7 Ian Frazier, Family
8 William Strunk Jr. & E.B. Write, The Elements of Style
9 Henry David Thoreau, Walden
10 King James Bible
11 William Shakespeare
12 Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
13 Truman Capote, In Cold Blood
14 Norman Mailer, Armies of the Night
15 David McCullough, Truman
16 Joseph Mitchell, The Bottom of the Harbor
17 James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time
18 Joseph Heller, Catch-22
19 Dr. Strangelove (cinema, 1964)
Materials(in my time order)
1. Justin的微信公众号 孟庆伟英文写作 检索“On Writing Well”
2.The audiobook(与书有关联性，但内容不对应) 分享On Writing Well音频及电子书
3. The book
