William Zinsser on Keeping ‘On Writing Well’ Up-to-Date

Speaking of excellent writing books, here’s a nice piece by William Zinsser regarding his excellent On Writing Well:

But when I analyzed White’s book, its terrors evaporated. The Elements of Style was essentially a book of pointers and admonitions: Do this, don’t do that. As principles they were invaluable, but they were only principles, existing without context or reality. What his book didn’t teach was how to apply those principles to the various forms that nonfiction writing can take, each with its special requirements: travel writing, science writing, business writing, the interview, memoir, sports, criticism, humor. That’s what I taught in my course, and it’s what I would teach in my book. I wouldn’t compete with The Elements of Style; I would complement it.

★ Tuesday, 31 March 2009