Notes in the Margin

On Writing Well

By William Zinsser

Collins, 2006

336 pages, $14.95

reviewed by Terrisa Meeks

Within the first 10 pages of William Zinsser’s On Writing Well, he tells us that the most important thing a writer brings to her work is herself. “Ultimately, the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is,” he says. For the rest of On Writing, he encourages writers to be genuine, accurate, and skilled with the English language.

On Writing Well feels like a text book, probably because it’s loaded with instructions and examples. The chapters can stand alone, so if you’re fascinated with sports writing, turn directly to Chapter 17. Chapter 10, “Bits and Pieces,” encapsulates most of the material in On Writingand is so thorough that it could have been titled “Nuts and Bolts.” He instructs us to read, read, read—and to embrace the rewriting process, which he describes as “the essence of writing well: it’s where the game is won or lost.”

The degradation of the English language annoys him, and he singles out repeat offenders: government documents, “journalese,” and pompous businesses. Zinsser wants verbs to remain verbs and nouns to remain nouns. Nonfiction writing is his focus, and he makes a good argument that fiction shouldn’t have a monopoly on the literature label. Using examples like Joan Didion and H.L. Mencken, he makes a point that’s hard to dispute.

“The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components,” Zinsser tells us. He does his best to give us the tools we need to remove junky adverbs, imprecise nouns, and fuzzy organization. He also explains how to focus a story. When one of his students tells him that she wants to write an article about the decline of Iowa farms, Zinsser helps her distill the idea into one small town, one farm, one family. Readers have to connect with a story, he explains, and a close-up on people and places is the best way to hold their attention.

Zinsser is a precise writer who admits that he protects his work “fiercely,” even buying back his pieces from publications that want to make changes he feels are unacceptable. For most writers, this isn’t an option, but it’s refreshing to hear a different point of view on this topic. Most advice to writers encourages more flexibility, not less.

On Writing Well concludes on the same note it began: “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.” Follow Zinsser’s advice, and your readers will find you articulate and clear. What else could a writer ask for?

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Terrisa Meeks is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can visit her on the web at Just Write or Vegas Girl.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

Get a Freelance Life:MediaBistro.com’s Insider Guide to Freelance Writing

by Margit Feury Ragland

Three Rivers Press

320 pages, $14.00

reviewed by Sarah E. White

If you ever wished you had a wise older sister in the freelancing business, someone who could tell you everything you need to do (as well as what not to do) to succeed as a freelance writer, you need to read Get a Freelance Life: MediaBistro.com’s Insider Guide to Freelance Writing by Margit Feury Ragland.

This book is chock full of wisdom on just about every aspect of living the freelance life, from coming up with ideas to reading contracts, running your business to getting affordable health insurance, and much more.

The first part of the book is, without a doubt, worth the price of admission. “Are You Ready to Be Free?” lists 11 questions you should ask yourself to find out whether you’re suited for a freelance career. It goes into the basics you need to set up a freelance writing business and some ideas for building relationships that will get you jobs in the future.

Another great feature of this book is the plethora of real-life examples used throughout. You’ll get to see real freelancers’ websites, resumes and query letters, giving you an idea of how you might design and word your own. There are also editorial guidelines and calendars from real publications that show you how different publications approach planning, as well as a section talking about which parts of some magazines are most open to freelancers. This information might help you break in to some of your favorite publications.

And if you didn’t major in journalism and have never spent time working as a staff writer for a magazine or newspaper, Get a Freelance Life has got you covered there, too. Chapters on different kinds of articles, how to get your first assignment, reporting, writing and what an editor does with your story after you write it will help newbies and seasoned pros alike understand the business a little better.

If you’re new to the freelance writing world, or would like to start freelancing and don’t know where to begin, you absolutely need to read this book. If you’ve got a little writing under your belt and would like to take your freelancing career to the next level, this book will give you insight on how to do just that. Even more experienced writers will likely find ideas in this book that will change the way they work.

Ragland, who teaches classes for the media networking site MediaBistro.com, should be commended for sharing so much information and knowledge about the way the freelancing world really works. There are many places you can go to find some of this information, but rarely is it all presented in one place, and in a format that you can carry around with you, dog-ear and return to over and over when you have questions and need guidance. It’s a 24/7 career counselor for writers. It should leave you feeling inspired and a little less scared about this crazy writing world.

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Sarah E. White is a freelance writer and editor living in Arkansas. She is the author of Doing the Write Thing: The Easy Way to Self-Edit. Her home on the web is http://www.sarahewhite.com.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

The Elements of Style, Illustrated

by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White

Illustrated by Maria Kalman

The Penguin Press, 2005, $24.95

reviewed by Sarah E. White

I’m a word nerd from way back, so I’ve loved The Elements of Style since I was first introduced to it in junior high school. Its advice or writing clearly and well spoke to me, much as it spoke to E.B. White when he was a student in William Strunk’s class in 1919.

Although the book is old, it’s by no means outdated. The wisdom of these six little sections, which in the fourth edition run a mere 105 pages, is still valid, maybe even more so since the proliferation of e-mail speak into the vernacular.

I reread Elements annually and try each time to take its lessons to heart: omit needless words, use definite, specific, concrete language, use the active voice, place yourself in the background, write in a way that comes naturally, don’t overwrite, etc.

Strunk and White also tackle some of those grammatical gaffes that drive word nerds crazy, such as how to form possessives and plurals, how to deal with titles, and where to use commas, dashes, and colons — and it provides a thorough and useful list of commonly misused words and phrases.

The Elements of Style, Illustrated also includes a collection of simple but fun illustrations that exemplify examples from the text: “Polly loves cake more than she loves me,” “He noticed a large stain right in the center of the rug,” “Chloe smells good, as a baby should,” “overly, muchly, thusly,” and “Illusion. See allusion,” “know-ledge” are a few of the more notable ones.

If you already own a copy or two of Elements (this is my third!), it’s not necessary to run out and buy another. But if you don’t already own this fine book, get yourself a copy of the illustrated edition. The added art will make you smile, and the wonderful lessons about writing will make you wonder how you lived without this book on your shelf.

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Sarah E. White is a freelance writer and editor living in Arkansas. She is the author of Doing the Write Thing: The Easy Way to Self-Edit. Her home on the web is http://www.sarahewhite.com.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

by Barbara Davis

The typical American business writer seems to have an aversion to using the word “me.” It’s as though somehow “me” got assigned to informal writing, and only “I” and “myself” are allowed into the hallowed ground of business writing. This is both illogical and ungrammatical.

Personally, I blame the parents. I think it harkens back to when, around the age of eight, you’d burst into the kitchen saying something like, “Me and Jimmy saw the biggest snake ever!” Your mom (if she was like 82.6% of American moms) would not say something like “Don’t your dare bring it into this house!” (which would be logical response), but instead, she’d say archly “*JIMMY AND I* saw a snake.” This resulted in grown ups afraid to ever utter the word “me,” let alone use it in their business writing. Unfortunately for suffers of this phobia, “me” sometimes is the right word.

Here are the symptoms: A letter that closes something like “Please feel free to contact Joe Smith or myself if you have any questions.” An e-mail that says “Between you and I, I think the customers will …”

A grammar geek will tell you that you use “I” when you are the subject - the one doing something. (”I saw the snake. I screamed. I ran away.”) Use “me” when it’s the object - the one receiving the action. Hint: When you have a word like “to” or “between” or “from” (and if some part of your brain says “I remember those little words - those are prepositions!” your former English teachers would be so pleased) immediately before, “me” is almost always the right choice - in that case, it’s the object of the preposition. Okay, no more grammar terms, I promise.

Most people find it natural enough to use “me” when you’re the only one involved: “Send it to me” or “You’ll be hearing from me.” Just remember that the same rules apply when other people are involved. “Sent it to both Jim and me,” or “Between you and me…” or “You’ll be hearing from either Susan or me by Friday to follow up.” (For that matter, it’s “Jimmy and I saw the snake.” Mom was right about that.)

So here’s the cure: Temporarily remove any other person the phrase, and see what makes sense with what’s left - which sounds right, “me” or “I”? Just between you and me, “me” just might be right.

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Barbara Davis has been in communications in one form or another for 20 years. She does occasional freelance work, enjoys the writing process, and gets great satisfaction helping others make their writing clearer. Contact her at barbarafdavis@comcast.net.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

by Cathy Rogers

Which came first: a disorganized soul who discovers at age 42 she is able to express her thoughts through writing, or a semi-successful scribe who is unable to find the editor’s number or that most recent article revision? Surely a well-organized writer exists; but I won’t be winning that award any time soon.

As long as I am writing, there’s little hope of a paperless society. As a community news columnist and freelance article writer, I possess a plethora of folders currently occupying the seats of my dining chairs, the floor of my home office, and the back seat of my Honda. Some folders are even filed away; admittedly not ones I use often.

Dozens of paper scraps containing magazine article ideas, interview contact names/numbers, and writing website URL’s are loose in my purse, stuck in writing reference books, and stashed in those beloved folders. Articles on school events, local business profiles, and magazine submissions (all in various stages of revision) float around me like dust particles. Although I’m technologically-literate and ecologically-minded, I still seem to have innumerable paper copies weighing down the ever-heavier book bag I carry each day to my non-writing job.

With my multiple audiences and markets, the notes naturally get mixed together. For example, on a magazine subscription card is both a reminder to query a magazine and note of a company whose profits support breast cancer research (which I’ll need, of course, when I write about local breast cancer events).

The curse of the attention-deficit writer! Want to know the flip side of this dilemma? Writing this essay was a piece of cake. No research was necessary other than thumbing through the folders. The down side is I created a new “to-do” list.

Now where should I put it?

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Cathy Rogers is a freelance writer from East Tennessee. She writes community news and special assignment articles for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Additionally, she has had essays on Southern culture published online and in regional magazines.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

by John Hershey

Have you seen those ads in writers’ magazines for books about how to write a bestselling book? Did you ever wonder if you could write a book like that? (Not a bestselling book—a book about how to write a bestselling book.) Well, now you can, with the help of my new book, You Can Write a Bestselling Book About How to Write a Bestselling Book!

This book will teach you my unique system of writing, publishing, and marketing a book about writing books. You can use this proven method to write a book that will help your readers write, publish, and market their own bestselling books.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “I’ve never written a book. How can I tell others how to do it?” Look at it this way: Once you’ve used my easy system to write your own book about how to write a book, you will have written a book! And that gives you all the experience and credibility you need to turn your book into a bestseller.

Take me for example. Before I wrote You Can Write a Bestselling Book About How to Write a Bestselling Book!, I had never written a book. But now that I have written a book about how to write a book about writing bestselling books, I am uniquely qualified to help other writers write books about book writing.

Think of all the aspiring writers out there who yearn to know the secret to writing a bestselling book. That’s a big target audience! If you can successfully market your book to this demographic, it will be a bestseller, and you will have thereby discovered the secret to writing a bestselling book, which you can easily sell to these readers because you will have already written a book about it!

My book You Can Write a Bestselling Book About How to Write a Bestselling Book! is on its way to becoming a bestseller. Reserve your copy while supplies last! If you act now, you’ll also receive a free copy of my novel, A Soothing Cup of Novel Tea, the moving story of a writer who writes a novel about a novelist’s inspiring struggle to write his great novel.

Order now!

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John Hershey is a writer who writes about how to write about writing. To read more, visit his website, www.rakishwit.com.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

by Heather Wardell

“Next week; he will call me.”

“I told him what to do: he made it clear he wouldn’t do it.”

Colons and semicolons are probably the most difficult punctuation marks to use correctly. Once you understand them, though, you will find that they can really enhance your writing.

Colons can be thought of as being like a very short equals sign. They connect the first part of the sentence to the second. For example, we could say, “All of the important people arrived: Lisa, Holly, Beth and Matthew,” and use a colon.

We would not use a semicolon in that case. Semicolons connect two separate thoughts together. “I told him what to do; he made it clear he wouldn’t do it.” This could have been written as two sentences, but linking the pieces together gives the thought strength, and also provides a change from very short sentences. The sentence about the important people could not have been written as two separate sentences, so it requires a colon.

Semicolons are also used when you are listing a number of things, some of which contain commas. They help to make it clear when you are listing the next thing and when you are listing attributes of the first thing. An example is definitely necessary!

I ask you to bring three things to my party: tomatoes, bread and cheese. (Notice the colon!) You arrive, and say, “Here you go! I brought the fresh, ruby red tomatoes; whole wheat bread straight from the oven; and cheese, bought from the farmers’ market this morning.” Try this sentence with commas instead of semicolons, and you will find that you’re not really sure when to pause. The semicolon gives a slightly longer pause than a comma does, and it helps to keep the various items separate.

What about the first sentence I gave you? The semicolon there should simply be a comma.

Try these last few sentences on for size:

The cat slept in the sun ___ his owner looked on.

She added the last few ingredients ____ milk, sugar, and one egg.

Keep in mind that colons connect two halves of a sentence, and semicolons connect two separate sentences or pieces of a list, and you will be fine!

(Answers: The cat slept in the sun; his owner looked on. She added the last few ingredients: milk, sugar, and one egg.)

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Heather Wardell is a freelance writer specializing in technology, and is obsessed with good grammar. Her eBook, “Simple HTML,” will be available soon. Visit www.heatherwardell.com for more information on Heather and her work.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.