Classic Book Loses Relevance in Some Aspects

Wenham, MA-William Zinsser's first version of On Writing Well was written over 30 years ago and his ideas are still closely followed by present-day writers and journalists.  But a few of his ideas have gotten lost or ignored over time as the world and the fields of writing/journalism have evolved. Zinsser says in the opening pages of his book: "I urge people to write in the first person and use I and me and we and us. They put up a fight."


Growing up students often learn that when writing a formal piece, such as an article or published piece, the word "I" should never be used when referring to any part of the piece that shows opinion or possible bias. Zinsser said that "they[writers] think they must earn the right to reveal their emotions or their thoughts. Or that it's egotistical." Because the common belief on when it is acceptable to use the word "I" is very much a large gray area, writers either overuse the word "I" and turn their writing into a hate/love piece, or they are afraid of not being politically correct enough; therefore taking any personal opinion out of their writing.

"I definetly feel as if many writers are afraid to take a stand because they are afraid of the criticisms that may follow," said Katie S., 19, of Wenham. Right now we live in a world where declaring something for what it is is often looked down upon, where minority groups have more power because they have the ability to hold the majority accountable for being politically correct and trying to please everybody. In many cases people do not want to hear the truth, or they already know the truth but would prefer to deny its' occurrence as it is not favorable to their beliefs. “Still,” Zinsser says, “we have become a society afraid of revealing who we are…Americans are unwilling to go out on a limb. A generation ago our leaders told us where they stood and what they believed. Today they perform strenuous verbal feats to escape that fate.”

Maybe writers denying themselves their own opinions is simply a facet of writing that has developed overtime, but Zinsser makes it very clear that a writer can report facts while still expressing themselves through words. “Good writers are visible behind their words,” says Zinsser.