Book review: On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Some time ago, I discovered Seth’s Godin’s blog (thanks Basia for the recommendation), and since then, I have read every single article by him. There is something about his writing style that I admire a lot. It is concise and keeps me reading even if the subject is not in the scope of my interests. The Akimbo Podcast is another masterpiece produced by Seth that I can’t stop listening to.
People like Seth inspired me to invest some time in my writing skills. “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser is one of the positions that I can’t recommend enough to every content creator.
This short book is about four core principles of good writing: clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity. It emphasizes the fact that writing is a skill that can be learned and improved. It also changed how I think about writing and my audience — you should write for yourself, not for others.
If you create any form of writing content daily (yes, emails as well), this book is a must-read for you. So let me leave you with one of my favourite quotes from this book.
When you write, don’t worry about what other people write. Writing is a transaction between you, the writer, and your readers.