Part IV: Chapter 22 The Tyranny of the Final Product Summary

The author establishes an important point: writers tend to focus on the final product rather than the process of creating the final product. Zinsser does not want to teach people how to become published, and this is due mostly to his not knowing what editors want. He can teach people how to write well though, and he does this at the New School in Manhattan.

His teaching method is different from most college instructors. Zinsser throws away the idea that papers must have deadlines. He instead gives the students breathing room to make all the decisions necessary before the words are set on paper. The students must decide what to write about, what angle to take with the subject, what perspective is to be maintained throughout the...