Introduction

• Writing has gone electric, but nothing had replaced the writer.
• The purpose of the writer is to say something that the other people will want to read.
• This books complements The Elements of Style book by applying those principles to nonfiction works.
• The essence of writing is rewriting.
• Just because the writing is fluent doesn’t mean they’re writing well.

Part I: Principles

Chapter 1: The Transaction

• There isn’t any right method for writing.
• Any method that helps you say what you want to say is the right method for you.
• The product of a writer isn’t the subject they’re writing about but the subject of themselves.
• Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader reading.

Chapter 2: Simplicity

• The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.
• E.g. Words with no function, long words that could be shorter, and adverbs that copy the meaning already carried by the verb.
• Simplify, simplify.
• To clear our writing of clutter, we must clear our heads of clutter.
• Clear thinking becomes clear writing.
• E.g of clutter
  • So much verbiage that the reader doesn’t know what it means.
  • Shoddily constructed sentences.
  • Switching pronouns midsentence.
  • Switching tenses midsentence.
  • No logical sequence.
  • Incorrect word usage.
• Writers must constantly ask themselves
  • What am I trying to say?
  • And have I said it?
• Good writing doesn’t come naturally, although most people think it does.
• Writing is hard work.

Chapter 3: Clutter

• Clutter is the laborious phrase that has pushed out the short word to mean the same thing.
• E.g. “At this point in time” instead of “now”.
• “Experiencing” is one of the worst clutter.
• E.g. “Are you experiencing pain” instead of “Does it hurt?”
• Clutter is used to sound pompous and to hide mistakes.
• Clutter is the enemy of clear writing.
• Aim to replace a long word with a short word with the same meaning.
• E.g. Replace “assistance” with “help” and “implement” with “do”.
• The same goes for phrases such as “I might add” or “It is interesting to note”.
• Don’t inflate what needs no inflating.
• Look for the clutter in your writing and prune it ruthlessly.

Chapter 4: Style

• You have to strip your writing down before you can build it back up.
• When you try to add style into your writing, it loses what makes you unique.
• A fundamental rule is to be yourself.
• Write in the first person and use “I” and “me” and “we” and “us”.
• If you aren’t allowed to use “I”, at least think “I” while you write.
• Writing is an ego, and you might as well admit it.

Chapter 5: The Audience

• Who am I writing for?
• You are writing for yourself. There is no great mass audience.
• Never say anything in writing that you wouldn’t comfortably say in conversation.

Chapter 6: Words

• Develop a respect for words and a curiosity about their shades of meaning.
• Take the time to find the words you want.
• Don’t use cliche words because they’re expected and boring.
• Writing is learned by imitation.
• Get into the habit of using a dictionary and a thesaurus.
• Also bear in mind, when choosing words, how they sound.
• Remember rhythm.
• Consider sound and rhythm every time you write.
• An occasional short sentence can carry a tremendous punch.
• Like so.
• Words are the only tools you have.

Chapter 7: Usage

• Does the word have a real need?
• E.g. The word “myself” can always be replaced by “me”.
• Infer doesn’t mean imply.
• The reader infers, the speaker implies.

Part II: Methods

Chapter 8: Unity

• You learn to write by writing.
• Unity is the anchor of good writing.
• One choice is unity of pronoun.
• E.g. First person vs third person.
• Unity of tense is another choice.
• E.g. Present vs past.
• Unity of mood is another.
• E.g. Informal vs formal.
• Instead of controlling his writing, his writing is controlling him.
• Every writing project must be reduced before you start to write.
• Every piece of nonfiction should leave the reader with one provocative thought. Not two, not three, but one.

Chapter 9: The Lead and the Ending

• The most important sentence in any article is the first one.
• The lead must nudge at the readers curiosity and tug at their sleeve.
• The lead can be
  • Fresh
  • Novelty
  • Paradox
  • Humor
  • Surprise
  • Unusual
• You should always collect more material than you will use.
• Another approach is to just tell a story.
• There can be no firm rules for how to write a lead, except for the rule of not letting the reader get away.
• An article that doesn’t stop where it should is a drag and a failure.
• A good last sentence should give the reader a lift, and it lingers when the article is over.
• The perfect ending should take your readers slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right.
• Its like the curtain closing at the end of a play.
• When you’re ready to stop, stop.
• What usually works best is a quotation.

Chapter 10: Bits and Pieces

• Use active verbs.
• E.g. “Joe saw him” vs “He was seen by Joe.”
• Verbs are the most important words of all your tools.
• Active verbs push hard; passive verbs tug fitfully.
• Also use precise verbs.
• E.g. Resign, retire, fired instead of stepped down.
• Most adverbs are unnecessary and are redundant.
• E.g. Blared loudly, clenched teeth tightly, effortlessly easy.
• Most adjectives are also unnecessary.
• E.g. Yellow daffodils, brown dirt, quiet ninjas.
• The rule is to make the words do work that needs to be done.
• E.g. “He looked at the gray sky and the black clouds and decided to sail back to the harbor.”
• Prune out the small words that qualify how you feel and how you think and what you saw.
• E.g. A bit, sort of, very, too, pretty much.
• Don’t hedge your writing with timidities. Be confident and lean.
• The biggest problem with writers using the period is that they don’t reach it soon enough.
• The dash has two uses
  • To justify/amplify the first part of the sentence.
  • To set apart a parenthetical thought within a longer sentence.
• Learn to alert the reader to any changes in mood from the previous sentence.
• E.g. But, yet, however, nevertheless, still, instead, thus, therefore, now, later, subsequently.
• You can start sentences with “but” contrary to what we’ve been taught.
• But don’t start sentences with “however” as it’s a weaker word and requires careful placement.
• E.g. “it is, however, a weaker word”.
• Always make sure your readers are oriented.
• Always ask yourself where you left them in the previous sentence.
• Contractions are informal and can help your writing connect with the reader.
• Always use “that” unless it makes your meaning ambiguous.
• Use “that” over “which” more unless the sentence needs a comma.
• E.g. “The house, which has a roof,”
• “Which” is used to describe, explain, or qualify the phrase that preceded the comma.
• Avoid concept nouns and have people do actions.
• E.g. “The common reaction is incredulous laughter.” versus “Most people just laugh with disbelief.”
• Also avoid creeping nounism and overstatement.
• Surprisingly often a difficult problem in a sentence can be solved by simply getting rid of it.
• Writing is visual - it catches the eye before it has a chance to catch the brain.
• Paragraphs are a subtle but important part of writing as its the road map that constantly tells the reader how your ideas have been organized.
• To deal with sexist writing
  • Use he or she
  • Use they
  • Use we
  • Use you
• Rewriting is the essence of writing well.
• Writing is an evolving process, not a finished product.
• Rewriting doesn’t mean to write multiple drafts, it means to revise and tighten the raw material you wrote on your first try.
• Trust your material.
• Resolve to not let your writing go into slow motion, to not nudge the reader with significance.
• Capture and convey the truth.
• The reader plays a major role in writing and must be given room to play it.
• Don’t annoy your reader by overexplaining or telling them how they should feel.
• E.g. Avoid “surprisingly”, “predictably”, “of course”, “interestingly”.
• Go with your interests and don’t avoid subjects that your passionate about; fearing others have no interest in it.

Part III: Forms

Chapter 11: Nonfiction as Literature

• Nonfiction as the literature of fact.
• Motivation is at the heart of writing.

Chapter 12: Writing About People: The Interview

• Skipped.

Chapter 13: Writing About People: The Travel Article

• Skipped.

Chapter 14: Writing About Yourself: The Memoir

• Skipped.

Chapter 15: Science and Technology

• Writing is thinking on paper.
• Clear thinking translates to clear writing.
• Assume that the reader knows nothing.
• Lead readers who know nothing, step by step, to grasp a subject that they didn’t think they could understand or are too afraid they are too dumb to understand.
• Imagine science writing as an upside-down pyramid.
• Start with facts and build from there.
• Ask yourself: So what? Why?
• Help the reader to identify with the scientific work being done.
• Avoid technical jargon.
• Never forget where you left the reader.
• Don’t tell a story about science, tell a story about people doing science.

Chapter 16: Business Writing: Writing in Your Job

• Readers identify with people, not with abstractions.
• How we write and how we talk is how we define ourselves.
• Four principles of good writing
  • Clarity
  • Simplicity
  • Brevity
  • Humanity
• People falsely belief that a simple style reflects a simple mind.
• Actually, a simple style is the result of hard work and hard thinking.
• “I” is the most interesting element in any story.

Chapter 17: Sports

• Skipped.

Chapter 18: Writing About the Arts: Critics and Columnists

• Skipped.

Chapter 19: Humor

• Skipped.

Part IV: Attitudes

Chapter 20: The Sound of Your Voice

• Don’t alter your voice to fit your subject.

Chapter 21: Enjoyment, Fear and Confidence

• Skipped.

Chapter 22: The Tyranny of the Final Product

• Skipped.

Chapter 23: A Writer’s Decisions

• Learning how to organize a long article is just as important as learning how to write clearly.
• The hardest decision about any article is how to begin it.
• Never be afraid to break a long sentence into two or more shorter ones.
• Always ask yourself: what do your readers want to know next?
• The challenge is to not write like everyone else.
• No writing decision is too small to be worth a large expenditure of time.
• Don’t spoil the reader’s pleasure of discovery. Trust your material.

Chapter 24: Writing Family History and Memoir

• Skipped.

Chapter 25: Write as Well as You Can

• When we say we like the style of certain writers, what we mean is that we like their personality as they express it on paper.
• Parts of the style toolbox
  • Humor
  • Anecdote
  • Paradox
  • Unexpected decision
  • Powerful fact
  • Cadence
  • Rhythm
• If you would like to write better than everybody else, you have to want to write better than everybody else.