#writing

Explore Books, Authors and Common Highlights on Writing

Showing 79 of 79 highlights

You should always write with the reader in mind.

#writing #audience #communication #intention

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Avoid a succession of loose sentences.

#writing #structure #style #coherence

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

In writing, it is best to keep the subject and the verb close together.

#writing #structure #clarity #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.

#perfectionism #self-acceptance #psychology #writing

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.

#writing #emphasis #structure #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Place yourself in the background.

#writing #humility #style #authenticity

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Avoid the use of qualifiers.

#writing #clarity #conciseness #editing

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

There is no such thing as a perfect sentence.

#writing #perfection #creativity

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

A sentence should be an experience.

#writing #experience #engagement

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

Writing is about learning to pay attention and to communicate what is going on.

#creativity #communication #attention #writing

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words.

#writing #clarity #conciseness #editing

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Make sure the reader knows who is speaking.

#writing #clarity #communication #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Use the first person.

#writing #personal #voice #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

The challenge is to make the mundane interesting.

#writing #creativity #perspective #observation

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

The only way to get through it is to write the book.

#motivation #writing #determination #process

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Vigorous writing is concise.

#writing #conciseness #clarity #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.

#perseverance #writing #self-improvement #creativity

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The beginning of a sentence should be striking.

#writing #style #impact #expression

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.

#writing #creativity #faith #expression

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

To write is to make a decision about the order of things.

#writing #decision-making #creativity #structure

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

You have to write the book that wants to be written.

#writing #authenticity #creativity

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

The best writing is rewriting.

#revision #writing #craft #improvement

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

Structure is the backbone of any piece.

#structure #writing #foundation

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

The act of writing is an extension of thought, facilitated by the humble pencil.

#creativity #thought #writing

From The Pencil: A History by Henry Petroski

The writer must have a strong point of view.

#writing #perspective #voice

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

To write is to think, and to think is to live.

#writing #expression #thought

From How to Live: A Life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell

The act of writing clarifies thought.

#clarity #thinking #writing

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

The first sentence is the hardest.

#writing #creativity #process

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

The active voice is usually stronger than the passive.

#writing #voice #strength #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Good programmers know what to write. Great programmers know what to rewrite.

#programming #rewriting #greatness

From The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth

You are the writer. You are the one who has to make the decision.

#writing #decision-making #ownership

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

You can’t get it right if you don’t get it wrong.

#failure #learning #writing #growth

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.

#writing #self-discovery #creativity #expression

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

You can make anything by writing.

#creativity #writing #possibility #expression

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The act of writing is an act of self-discovery.

#writing #self-discovery #creativity #reflection #expression

From The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Be clear.

#writing #simplicity #clarity #expression

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

A writer's job is to find the right word.

#writing #craft #precision

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

I think that all writing is a form of prayer.

#spirituality #writing #self-reflection #creativity

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

A writer is someone who has written something.

#identity #writing #self-definition #creativity

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

The most important word in writing is 'revision.'

#writing #revision #improvement

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Good writing is about the audience.

#writing #audience #communication

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

The writer is a collector of moments.

#observation #writing #experience

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

There is no such thing as a perfect writing process.

#writing #process #imperfection #creativity

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The writer's job is to make the reader feel that they have been there.

#writing #immersion #experience #engagement

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Writing is a way of talking without being interrupted.

#communication #writing #expression #creativity

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

You have to be willing to put in the time to get to the heart of the matter.

#dedication #persistence #writing #craft

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

Publication is not the end; it’s the beginning.

#writing #publication #journey #creativity

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

There is no such thing as a good writer; there are only good rewriters.

#writing #revision #process #improvement

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Every word counts in a narrative.

#narrative #writing #economy

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

The most important thing is to keep your writing honest.

#honesty #writing #integrity #authenticity

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Writing is a process of discovery.

#writing #discovery #exploration

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Good writing demands time and patience.

#patience #craft #writing

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

Omit needless words.

#writing #efficiency #clarity #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Good writing is good thinking.

#writing #thought #clarity #process

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.

#writing #creativity #friendship #philosophy

From The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche

The act of writing is an act of discovery.

#writing #discovery #creativity #expression

From The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.

#writing #faith #creativity #expression

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

The active voice is usually preferable to the passive.

#writing #voice #style #clarity

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

The number of a subject determines the number of its verb.

#writing #grammar #rules #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

You are writing for yourself, but you are also writing for your readers.

#writing #audience #communication #purpose

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Every piece of writing is a journey into the unknown.

#exploration #writing #journey #discovery

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

Use the first person in writing.

#writing #perspective #style #authenticity

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.

#focus #process #mindfulness #writing

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.

#writing #clarity #simplicity #craft

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

The writer’s job is to find the material that will make the story come alive.

#storytelling #writing #creativity #craft

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.

#writing #resistance #creativity #discipline #motivation

From The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Do not join independent clauses with a comma.

#writing #grammar #style #clarity

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

The writer's job is to create the perfect world.

#writing #imagination #creation

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Writing is an art form, and like all art forms, it requires practice.

#art #writing #practice #skill

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Writing is an act of discovery.

#creativity #writing #discovery #expression

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

You must be willing to be surprised by what you find.

#curiosity #discovery #writing #exploration

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

You write to figure out what you think.

#self-discovery #writing #reflection

From Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

The writer's task is to make complicated things simple.

#writing #simplicity #clarity #explanation

From On Writing Well by William Zinsser

The only way to get through is to write through.

#perseverance #writing #process #growth

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The art of deciphering is nearly as old as writing itself.

#history #communication #deciphering #writing

From The Codebreakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet by David Kahn

Writing, as a form of technology, has had profound impacts on human societies.

#writing #technology #society #communication

From Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

We write to expose the unexposed.

#writing #truth #creativity #expression

From Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Pencils are not just for writing; they are tools for thinking and problem-solving.

#thinking #problem-solving #writing #tools

From The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences.

#writing #conciseness #efficiency #style

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White