I have no interest in teaching writers how to sell. I want to teach them how to write. If the process is sound, the product will take care of itself, and sales are likely to follow.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of focusing on the writing process rather than sales techniques.
William Zinsser's quote conveys the idea that the primary goal of teaching writers should be to hone their writing skills. He asserts that if writers develop a strong and effective writing process, the quality of their work will naturally attract readers and lead to sales, thereby suggesting that mastering the craft should take precedence over marketing tactics.
In practice
In a writing workshop to encourage focus on craft over commerce.
Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things that people do
Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or a craft. Bach and Picasso didn't spring full-blown as Bach or Picasso; they needed models. This is especially true of writing.
Good writing is lean and confident.
My four articles of faith: clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.
Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident. . . . Every little qualifier whittles away some fraction of the reader's trust. Readers want a writer who believes in himself and in what he is saying. Don't diminish that belief. Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.
Noise is the typographical error and the poorly designed page...Ambiguity is noise. Redundancy is noise. Misuse of words is noise. Vagueness is noise. Jargon is noise.
Concentration is a part of life. It is not the consequence of a method of education.
Many college text-books, which were a weariness and stumbling-block when I studied, I have since read a little with pleasure and profit.
The most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings
I want to promote the introduction of art history in primary schools and to convince the general public that, even in a period of economic crisis, arts funding is an absolute necessity at the federal, state, and local levels.
Life is a classroom -- only those who are willing to be lifelong learners will move to the head of the class.
Very early in life I became fascinated with the wonders language can achieve. And I began playing with words.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.