On writing well

This book is simultaneously a must-read and a slog. When it soars, it's the best writing book I've picked up; when it slows down, it's like trudging through waist-high mud. But Zinsser's prose is clear, consistent, and easy to skim. I found in the slower chapters that I could normally read the first and last sentence of each paragraph and get what I needed. This tells me two things: (1) if those particular chapters were more relevant to me (they were focused on particular kinds of non-fiction writing), they would be wellsprings of information; (2) Zinsser so carefully used topic-sentence conclusion-sentence in his writing that his paragraphs can sing with just two sentences. It's startling writing, and refreshing to read. It also wakes you up to your own tics and shortcomings. Terrific book!at first, I wrote “a bit of a slog,” but then remembered Zinnser's advice: if something's a slog, say it's a slog; don't hedge your opinion behind weak phrases.