The four elements that make up a fantastic article

On Writing Well is considered the bible for nonfiction writers. It’s been on my reading list for years, even since before I started writing. I finally read it and it lived up to the hype. William Zinsser’s advice is simple, stern, and clear.

I learned a lot. Ever since I started reading the book, I immediately applied his tips to my articles.

My favorite lesson? Let’s hear it from the author himself: “Many of us were taught that no sentence should begin with ‘but’. If that’s what you learned, unlearn it — there’s no stronger word at the start. It announces total contrast with what has gone before.”

I was so happy when I read this. I like to start sentences off with “but”. But many people advised me not to do this. Well, sorry to break it: but I will.

Naturally, the book goes beyond simple advice like this. From what I deduced from the book, four elements make up a good article:

Clarity
Simplicity
Brevity
Humanity

If you take these four elements into account in your writing, your article’s quality will quadruple.

Even though the book is aimed at improving your nonfiction writing, I believe that most of Zinsser’s advice applies to fiction too.

This is what I learned.

Clarity

“Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone who thinks clearly can write clearly.” — William Zinsser

Zinsser touches upon many topics that deal with writing clear sentences. Previously, I used to write as I would talk. I used extra adverbs to make sure it was clear what I meant, which in hindsight probably annoys readers because they’re smarter than I assumed. That’s an issue most writers face. You want to make sure your message comes across and over-explain. Don’t.

William Zinsser: “prune out the small words that qualify how you feel and how you think and what you saw.” This is another example of writing as you talk. Using words and phrases such as: a bit, a little, very, quite, etc. Omit them from your work when you edit.

Another thing I did was generously throwing around adjectives to decorate my writing. Especially in my early short stories and articles. I thought it sounded smarter and that it improved my writing. On the contrary, it seemed obnoxious and readers can tell when you’re not using your voice. According to Zinsser, when you do that, you lose whatever it is that makes you unique. Be natural.

In the book, Zinsser gives the following example: a yellow daffodil. A seemingly innocent decoration. But both you and the reader know that daffodils are generally yellow. So don’t do this. Zinsser: “The adjective that exists solely as decoration is self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader.”

When you edit your work, make sure that you write clearly. Make sure you’re not decorating a barren Christmas tree. Show the tree, not the decorations. Show the beauty of the tree itself: the leaves, the smell, the firmness of the branches, etc.

Use active verbs in your writing, omit small words that express how you would talk to someone, be prudent in the use of adverbs and adjectives. Most importantly: know that your reader is smarter than you think she is.

Read your work out loud. Listen to sentences that seem off. If you struggle with it, your reader will too. William Zinsser: “Also bear in mind, when you’re choosing words and stringing them together, how they sound. This may seem absurd: readers read with their eyes. But in fact, they hear what they are reading far more than you realize.”

Simplicity

“All writing is ultimately a question of solving a problem.” — William Zinsser

I will approach the element of simplicity in three ways: simplicity in your message, simplicity in your writing, and the simple process of becoming better.

Simplicity in your message

Like Zinsser says above, your writing should be about solving a problem. Most writers start from a problem and write the article from there.

Good nonfiction work should leave the reader with (at least) one provocative thought that they didn’t have before. What have you discovered, learned or uncovered? Therein lies the secret. It’s that simple.

Ask yourself: what is it I’m trying to say?

Simplicity in your writing

Take another look at the previous part about clarity. William Zinsser’s advice is simple and easy to apply to your work. Don’t overcomplicate your writing. Be you and be clear.

One thing I’d like to touch upon here is the matter of beginning and ending your story. When done right, this simply increases the quality of your work. Plus, when you draw your reader in immediately and you leave them with a provocative or insightful thought, you have gained yourself a fan. Or if you’re unable to leave them with such a thought, give them a lift in the last sentence that lingers.

Zinsser: “The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead.”

Your title is perhaps the most important, there’s no doubt about that. That’s the portal to your story and the reader must be enticed to enter that portal. But if you start with a lousy sentence, they could just as easily leave.

A last note on when to end your article from Zinsser: “When you’re ready to stop, stop. If you have presented all the facts and made the point you want to make, look for the nearest exit.”

The simple process of becoming better

“You learn to write by writing. The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis.” — William Zinsser

This has been my mantra for the past two years. I write about 500–750 words in my novel almost every day. I try to write 2–3 nonfiction posts every week. Usually, they are about 1,200–2,000 words in length.

I can tell my writing has improved over the years because of this habit. That and studying the craft itself. Articles about writing on Medium, reading books, studying my favorite books, exploring the creative processes of my favorite writers. Keep learning, become better.

Brevity

“The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.” — William Zinsser.

Closely tied to writing clearly, you need to use your words sparingly to make your points. Use short words where you can replace longer ones. Omit words that serve no function (like excess adverbs or adjectives I mentioned before).

Examine every word you put on paper. You’ll find a surprising number that don’t serve any purpose. This is one mistake I often make on my own blog or in my own work. Luckily, tools like Grammarly inform me of these mistakes that slip in and I omit these before I hit publish.

Be precise and only use useful words. Go over your work and read it out loud.

Ha, a brief paragraph about brevity, I love it.

Humanity

“Use your own experience to connect the reader to some mechanism that also touches his life.” — William Zinsser

That’s another secret ingredient to a good story people read and resonate with. With my series on how to write a short story, I did this. I taught the reader everything I learned about my short story writing journey, not only supported by proven fictional frameworks, but also by examples from my stories and development.

“Who am I writing for? It’s a fundamental question, and it has a fundamental answer: You are writing for yourself. Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience.” — William Zinsser

Write for yourself, it’s advice almost every writer hands out. Follow it. If you do, you become your most natural self. Your style grows from that. Writing is a transaction between you and the reader. If you’re lucky the transaction goes as planned, leaving both parties satisfied. If not, well, that comes with the trade. You can’t please everyone. Not in life and not with your writing.

Conclusion

What makes a fantastic nonfiction piece?

Step 1: Solve a problem and leave your reader with an insightful message.

Step 2: Use your own experience to illustrate your message.

Step 3: Use a clear, simple and brief style that is yours.

Join my email list to keep in touch.

Please note: this post contains affiliate links.

Lessons in Nonfiction Writing by William Zinsser