William Zinsser

William Zinsser, who died in 2015, was the author of 18 books, including On Writing Well, and a columnist for the Scholar website.

How to Write a Memoir

Be yourself, speak freely, and think small

by William Zinsser | Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Thanksgiving Day Repainted

by William Zinsser | Friday, November 18, 2011

A Christmas Dinner

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 24, 2010

The Daily Miracle

Life with the mavericks and oddballs at the Herald Tribune

by William Zinsser | Saturday, December 01, 2007

Blue Moons and Buttermilk Skies

American songwriters knew that weather was a state of mind

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 13, 2017

Yes, But

I collect self-canceling headlines, but I’m tired of them

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 06, 2017

E-Maledictions

It’s a life choice: I don’t have email

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 29, 2017

The 300-Word Challenge

On writing short essays

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 15, 2017

Flunking Description

Why I tried to write like a Victorian novelist

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 22, 2017

Looking Forward, Looking Back

by William Zinsser | Friday, February 25, 2011

The Complete Zinsser on Friday

Congratulations to William Zinsser, winner of the 2012 National Magazine Award in the category of Digital Commentary

by William Zinsser | Thursday, February 02, 2012

Envoi

With his 82nd blog entry, a revered journalist, teacher, and essayist says goodbye

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 16, 2011

Writing English as a Second Language

by William Zinsser | Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Journeys with Joseph Mitchell

by William Zinsser | Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Sharing the Issues

by William Zinsser | Friday, May 07, 2010

A Joyful Noise

by William Zinsser | Friday, May 14, 2010

Rescued by Humor

by William Zinsser | Friday, May 21, 2010

At Ease in the Stone Age

by William Zinsser | Friday, May 28, 2010

Permission Givers

by William Zinsser | Friday, June 04, 2010

The Old Flotilla

by William Zinsser | Friday, June 11, 2010

Life and Work

by William Zinsser | Friday, June 18, 2010

Melville’s South Seas Myth

by William Zinsser | Friday, June 25, 2010

What Does It Do?

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 02, 2010

Like a Mighty Stream

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 09, 2010

Stevenson's Ghost

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 16, 2010

Family Albums

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 23, 2010

Sacred Objects

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 30, 2010

Mark Twain’s Hannibal

by William Zinsser | Friday, August 06, 2010

Detour Ahead

by William Zinsser | Friday, August 13, 2010

Literate Revelry

by William Zinsser | Friday, August 20, 2010

The Grand Tour

by William Zinsser | Friday, August 27, 2010

Where Did the Summer Go?

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 03, 2010

One Man’s Library

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 10, 2010

Singing Along With Mitch

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 17, 2010

Out of Order

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 24, 2010

Men of Letters

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 01, 2010

Fantasia for the Left Hand

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 08, 2010

An Interesting Life

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 15, 2010

Crash Through That Line of Blue!

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 22, 2010

The Revenge of the Comic Novel

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 29, 2010

Tips

by William Zinsser | Friday, November 05, 2010

On the Trail of the Chêng Ho

by William Zinsser | Friday, November 12, 2010

Home for Thanksgiving

by William Zinsser | Friday, November 19, 2010

Tales of ‘South Pacific’

by William Zinsser | Friday, November 26, 2010

“Bring Back Boredom!”

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 03, 2010

Yes, But

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 10, 2010

Stopping Steve Martin

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 17, 2010

Obama and the Lac Bug

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 31, 2010

Blondie and Dilbert

by William Zinsser | Friday, January 07, 2011

E-Maledictions

by William Zinsser | Friday, January 14, 2011

Goodbye and Don’t Come Back

by William Zinsser | Friday, January 21, 2011

Stardust Memories

by William Zinsser | Friday, January 28, 2011

No Second Act

by William Zinsser | Friday, February 04, 2011

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

by William Zinsser | Friday, February 11, 2011

The Right to Write

by William Zinsser | Friday, February 18, 2011

The 300-Word Challenge

by William Zinsser | Friday, March 11, 2011

Working for Tina Brown

by William Zinsser | Friday, March 04, 2011

In Bed by the Last Eight

by William Zinsser | Friday, March 18, 2011

A Cousin from Cologne

by William Zinsser | Friday, March 25, 2011

Prisoners of Britspeak

by William Zinsser | Friday, April 01, 2011

Content Management

by William Zinsser | Friday, April 15, 2011

Easter Light

by William Zinsser | Friday, April 22, 2011

Once Around the Sun

by William Zinsser | Friday, April 29, 2011

Trapped by the Past

by William Zinsser | Friday, May 06, 2011

No Last Names

by William Zinsser | Friday, May 13, 2011

Central Park Lite

by William Zinsser | Friday, May 20, 2011

In Memoriam

by William Zinsser | Friday, May 27, 2011

Writing for the Wrong Reasons

by William Zinsser | Friday, June 03, 2011

Baseball Without Myths

by William Zinsser | Friday, June 10, 2011

Me and My Relationships

by William Zinsser | Friday, June 17, 2011

The Last of the Lone Wanderers

by William Zinsser | Friday, June 24, 2011

How to Get to Our House

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 01, 2011

Tristes Tropiques

by William Zinsser | Friday, April 08, 2011

Unexpected Visitors

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 08, 2011

On the Trail of Sublime

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 15, 2011

Summer House Books

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 22, 2011

The ‘A’ Word

by William Zinsser | Friday, July 29, 2011

No Degrees of Separation

by William Zinsser | Sunday, August 28, 2011

Peter McGuire's Holiday

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 02, 2011

Improving a Masterpiece

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 09, 2011

Flunking Description

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 16, 2011

No Place Like “Home”

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 23, 2011

“Who Would Care About My Story?”

by William Zinsser | Friday, September 30, 2011

Hold the Emotion!

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 07, 2011

Dancing With Scrolls

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 14, 2011

Nowhere People

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 21, 2011

Hats Off

by William Zinsser | Friday, October 28, 2011

Brother, Can You Spare a Job?

by William Zinsser | Friday, November 04, 2011

The Perils of Pauline Kael

by William Zinsser | Friday, November 11, 2011

The Writer Who Stayed

by William Zinsser | Friday, November 25, 2011

Looking for a Model

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 02, 2011

The Overtone Years

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 09, 2011

The Last Word

With his last two entries, a revered journalist, teacher, and essayist says goodbye

by William Zinsser | Friday, December 23, 2011

Blondie and Dilbert

by William Zinsser | Friday, January 06, 2012

Writing for the Wrong Reasons

by William Zinsser | Friday, January 20, 2012

Me and My Relationships

by William Zinsser | Friday, January 13, 2012

No Proverbs, Please

by William Zinsser | Thursday, March 15, 2012

Blue Moons and Buttermilk Skies

by William Zinsser | Thursday, March 15, 2012

My Stardust Memories

by William Zinsser | Monday, August 02, 2010

Tristes Tropiques

Remembering the screenwriter of North by Northwest

by William Zinsser | Thursday, September 01, 2005

Visions and Revisions

Writing On Writing Well and keeping it up-to-date for 35 years

by William Zinsser | Sunday, March 01, 2009

Why I Don’t Give Tips on How to Write

by William Zinsser | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Simple Geometry

by William Zinsser | Friday, April 23, 2010