=====On Writing Well =====

====Chapters====
===Chapter 4===
  * "You have to strip down your writing before you can build it back up" carpentry metaphor {sounds like OCS training}
  * "A writer is obviously at his most natural and relaxed when he writes in the first person"
  * "Sell yourself, and your subject will exert its own appeal"
  * "Writing is an act of ego, and you might as well admit it."

===Chapter 7 Usage===
  * "Hassle" and "Freak" OK but "notables" and "greats" not
  * "the pen must at length comply with the tongue" Samuel Johnson
  * "In general we turned out to be liberal in accepting new words and phrases, but conservative in grammar" p.40
  * "These may seem like picayune distinctions. They're not. They are signals to the reader that you are sensitive to the many shadings of usage."

===== On Writing Well =====

  * 1976
  * William Zinsser

====Ch 13. Bits and Pieces====

  * use active verbs
    * Hemingway, Thurber, Thoreau, KJV, Shakespeare, Lincoln
    * "Joe hit him" vs "He was hit by Joe"
  * Most adverbs are unecessary e.g. "The radio blared loudly"
  * Most adjectives are unnecessary (fr elsewhere: quality over extent)
  * Limit qualifiers e.g. "a bit", "very"
  * Keep paragraphs short
  * "Your subconscious mind does more writing than you think"
  * Use verbs instead of concept nouns e.g. reaction, cynicism
  * abolish "The human condition"
  * avoid concept nouns
    * "The common reaction is incredulous laughter" ... "most people just laugh with disbelief"

Science
 
  * Sequence is key - start with reader knows nothing --> "inverted pyramid" - Chimpanzee ticktactoe
  
==== CH 17 Humor====

  * Humor - using it to deliver a serious point "Hairdresser" example
  * "Humor is the secret weapon of the non-fiction writer. It is secret because so few writers realize that it is often their best tool -- and sometimes their only  tool -- for making an important point" p.134


==== History ====
  * 2017-04-26 Created
  * 2020-08-28 Transcribed from index card to dokuwiki

====Source====
On Writing Well. William Zinnser

====History====
  * 2017-06-01 Created on index card
  * 2020-08-10 transcribed to dokuwiki with minor edits