Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty, and the sentences become longer and lo… - William Zinsser

" "

Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty, and the sentences become longer and longer as they fill up with stately elms and frisky kittens and hard-bitten detectives and sleepy lagoons. This is adjective-by-habit - a habit you should get rid of. Not every oak has to be gnarled. The adjective that exists solely as a decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader.

writing-advice write writer on-writing writers adjectives writing on-writing-well
English
Collect this quote

About William Zinsser

William Knowlton Zinsser (born October 7, 1922 – May 12, 2015 ) was an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, where he worked as a feature writer, drama editor, film critic, and editorial writer, and has been a longtime contributor to leading magazines.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Alternative Names: William Knowlton Zinsser
All quotes from William Zinsser Similar Quotes by other Originators
Try QuoteGPT

Chat naturally about what you need. Each answer links back to real quotes with citations.

Shorter versions of this quote

Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty, and the sentences become longer and longer as they fill up with stately elms and frisky kittens and hard-bitten detectives and sleepy lagoons.
This quote has a book source. Sign up to see titles and page references
Find Similar
Originators like William Zinsser:
Natalie Goldberg Dickie Bush Ralph Keyes Trinh T. Minh-ha Grace Paley

Additional quotes by William Zinsser

Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, assessing a Polish crisis in 1984, said: “There’s continuing ground for serious concern and the situation remains serious. The longer it remains serious, the more ground there is for serious concern.
This quote has a book source. Sign up to see titles and page references
Find Similar
Try QuoteGPT

Chat naturally about what you need. Each answer links back to real quotes with citations.

One of the words I railed against was “personality,” as in a “TV personality.” But now I wonder if it isn’t the only word for that vast swarm of people who are famous for being famous — and possibly nothing else. What did the Gabor sisters actually do?
This quote has a book source. Sign up to see titles and page references
Find Similar