Writing to learn
by William Zinsser · first published 1988
11mentions
5recommended by
8HN commenters
2010–2026first – last mentioned
63% recommend25% neutral13% critical
Why HN recommends it
Argues that writing across all subjects helps people think and learn. It shows how writing notes and working through problems on paper builds a lasting habit.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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I think Writing to Learn by William Zinsser: (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Learn-William-Zinsser/dp/00627...) would also be a good choice.
on “Ask HN: Effectively improving your writing ability” ↗…Writing is how we think our way into a subject and make it our own. Writing enables us to find out what we know—and what we don’t know—about whatever we’re trying to learn.” ― William Knowlton Zinsser, Writing to Learn One of the books that got me into writing for myself.
on “How to think in writing” ↗…cite sources as I find them. When I finally solve the issue or create "the thing", I revisit the doc and either publish it internally, or keep it in my archives. This really became a habit after reading Writing to Learn by William Zinsser. I recommend this book to everyone and their grandmother these days. "Writing enables us to find out what we know—and what we don’t know—about whatever we’re trying to learn."
on “Use a work journal” ↗If you haven’t read William Zinsser “Writing to learn” you’re doing yourself a disservice
on “Writes and Write-Nots” ↗…Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer. 3. Diffusion of Innovations. 4. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing. 5. Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash. 6. Writing to Learn. 7. On Writing Well. 8. Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware. 9. Thinking In Systems: A Primer. 10. The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company.
on “Ask HN: What are some no fluff books on engineering, career, and general wisdom?” ↗I found that the book "Writing to Learn" by William Zinsser was excellent in convening this process. As noted in the book the author advocated for more writing to be included in all subjects. <https://goodreads.com/book/show/585474.Writing_to_Learn>
on “I'd rather read the prompt” ↗The author articulates perfectly what I think too. I’d recommend for everyone to read Writing to Learn by William Zinsser. It’s an incredible book showing that you can learn anything by writing about it. With an LLM doing all the writing for you, you learn close to nothing.
on “Don't Let AI Write for You” ↗…unravels connections previously not accessible. Read this essay by Paul Graham: Putting Ideas into Words [0]. And also refer to his other essays on writing. There is also a great book by Paul Zissner: Writing to Learn. I suggest this book to people. Writing, when done while learning works akin to teaching- one of the most crucial steps in so-called Feynman Technique of learning. [0]: https://paulgraham.com/words.html
on “Writing is thinking” ↗Zinsser's Writing to Learn disappointed me. I agree with the premise of the title, and have had many of those "Eureka!" moments when writing out a problem, but the book doesn't really make the case that writing helps to learn nor…
on “Write for others but mostly for yourself (2022)” ↗There is interesting book about it: writing to learn https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Learn-William-Zinsser/dp/0062...
on “Write for others but mostly for yourself (2022)” ↗Kind of reminds me of the book by zinsser: writing to learn
on “Write for others but mostly for yourself (2022)” ↗