William Zinsser Quotes

One of underestimated tasks in nonfiction writing is to impose narrative shape on an unwieldy mass of material.

William Zinsser

• Writing
• Shapes
• Narrative
• Nonfiction
• Underestimated

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Quotes to Explore

• Writing an essay is like a school assignment: I have my topic, I organize my thoughts, and I write it. I have complete control over what I'm doing. Writing a novel is like setting out on a journey without knowing who or what I'll encounter, how long it's going to take, or where I'm going to end up.

  

  Tawni O'Dell
  • Up
  • Long
  • Writing

• I wasn't one of those kids who grew up wanting to write or who read a particular book and thought: 'I want to do that!' I always told stories and wrote them down, but I never thought writing was a career path, even though, clearly, someone was writing the books and newspapers and magazines.

  

  Gayle Forman
  • Up
  • Writing
  • Book

• It usually takes me 20 to 90 minutes to write a song because once I start, I don't stop. If I start writing a song, and you try to have a conversation with me, you're a bad person.

  

  Halsey
  • Writing
  • Bad
  • Song

• All art is propaganda, and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists. I stand in utter shamelessness and say that whatever art I have for writing has been used always for propaganda for gaining the right of black folk to love and enjoy. I do not care a damn for any art that is not used for propaganda.

  

  W. E. B. Du Bois
  • Writing
  • Love
  • Art

• I didn't have that thing that Michael Bolton did; my star power - my charisma - was not a match to my writing ability.

  

  Dan Hill
  • Writing
  • Power
  • Star

• Writing anything, it sorta starts the way you'd build a castle at the beach. You're just taking your hands and you're mounting up sand.

  

  Aaron Sorkin
  • Up
  • Writing
  • Beach

• '(Songwriting) It's a gift. It all comes from somewhere. I started out really young, when I was four, five, six, writing poems, before I could play an instrument. I was writing about things when I was eight or 10 years old that I hadn't lived long enough to experience.'

  

  Willie Nelson
  • Long
  • Writing
  • Experience

• It sounds odd, but I was a singer and started writing songs, and I didn't have anything in mind. Maybe it crossed my mind that it would be cool to have a hit record and a career, but that was so out of reach that I don't think I thought about it that much.

  

  Bill Medley The Righteous Brothers
  • Writing
  • Mind
  • Career

• I think I get certain pleasure from writing what I'm performing.

  

  Ellie Kemper
  • Writing

• Writing in a strict form can surprise you.

  

  Anne Stevenson
  • Writing

• The more you write, the more you're capable of writing.

  

  Paul Theroux
  • Writing

• Have a working spouse, because you won't earn a living from writing - not at first, if ever. My wife worked for years to support us.

  

  Piers Anthony
  • Writing
  • Support
  • Wife

• Writing is a really good first step toward that goal of knowing yourself.

  

  Jewel Kilcher
  • Good
  • Writing

• I did try to write stories in college because I was interested in writing, and I was interested in the sound of language, but I was just no good at narrative and at fiction.

  

  Billy Collins
  • Good
  • Writing
  • College

• When you start early, and you're writing for free, there's a lot of producers that will take advantage of you... It is seared in my brain forever.

  

  Allison Schroeder
  • Writing
  • Free
  • Brain

• Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo.

  

  Don Marquis
  • Writing
  • Book
  • Poetry

• I grew up performing in glee club at my school; I was the ostrich in 'Peter Pan,' and then I was super-involved in church choir and worship leading at my church. So I always loved music and was involved with it, but never really thought it was what I wanted to do until I started writing.

  

  Kelsea Ballerini
  • Up
  • Music
  • Writing

• It is not about writing those hits again. I am sure I could write them, but it is about the sensibilities.

  

  Alison Moyet
  • Writing

• When I first told people I was writing a book, some would say that was interesting, but others thought it was some holiday project and I would lose interest. I think my parents thought the same thing, and they were surprised when I kept going. I'm not sure I thought I would keep going, but then it became a big part of my life.

  

  Alexandra Adornetto
  • People
  • Life
  • Writing

• I made the mistake of writing something very, very short about Obama for this website that I write fiction for, and my father told me never do that again. And he was right. I have nothing to add to a political conversation because it's not my area.

  

  Jesse Eisenberg
  • Writing
  • Father
  • Political

• When I was 13, I told my dad I needed to record myself because I sounded awesome, even though I didn't. By 18, I was a lot better. Then I got a publishing deal, so I was writing songs for other people professionally.

  

  Meghan Trainor
  • People
  • Writing
  • Dad

• Back in school, there was this guy who had a huge crush on me. One day, when he mustered the courage to propose to me on a Rose Day, my friends burst out laughing right in front of him. I'm sure we all have had such experiences, and I've had crushes in the past. Right now, all I can think about is my films and deliver my best.

  

  Pooja Hegde
  • School
  • Friends
  • Guy

• I do have faith that something better is always coming for you.

  

  Rachael Yamagata
  • Faith
  • Have Faith
  • Something Better

• One of underestimated tasks in nonfiction writing is to impose narrative shape on an unwieldy mass of material.

  

  William Zinsser
  • Writing
  • Shapes
  • Narrative