Aims and Options: A Thematic Approach to Writing Book

Contents

• Introduction

  Communication Triangle

  Writing Aims

  The Writing Process

  • 1. Work

    Starting Points

    Readings on Work. Mary E. Mebane, Nonnie's Day; Tomoyuki Iwashita, Why I Quit the Company

    Prewriting. Making a List; Limiting a Topic

    Drafting. Nonstop Writing; Narration

    Rewriting. Reviewing

    Editing. Subjects and Verbs

    Options for Writing

    • 2. Education

      Starting Points

      Readings on Education. U.S. News and World Report Staff Writers, Advice That Can Help You Succeed on Campus; Ji-Yeon Mary Yuhfill, Let's Tell the Story of All America's Cultures

      Prewriting. Questioning

      Drafting. Developing a Thesis Statement; Description

      Rewriting. Discovering the Purpose of Your Paper

      Editing. Clauses and Commas

      Options for Writing

      • 3. Environment

        Starting Points

        Readings on Environment. Gale Lawrence, Baby Birds; Rachel Carson, A Fable for Tomorrow

        Prewriting. Asking Journalists' Questions

        Drafting Organizing Ideas. Definition

        Rewriting. Analyzing Your Audience

        Editing. Correcting Common Sentence Errors

        Options for Writing

        • 4. Health

          Starting Points

          Readings on Health. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., A Giant Step; Elissa Ely, Dreaming of Disconnecting a Respirator

          Prewriting. Cubing

          Drafting. Introductions and Conclusions; Cause and Effect

          Rewriting. Making a Focus Map

          Editing. Agreement

          Options for Writing

          • 5. Identity

            Starting Points

            Readings on Identity. Langston Hughes, Salvation; Kirsten Mullen, Subtle Lessons in Racism

            Prewriting. Keeping aJournal

            Drafting. Developing Coherence and Transitions; Classification

            Rewriting. Determining Voice and Distance

            Editing. Choosing the Right Pronoun

            Options for Writing

            • 6. Relationships

              Starting Points

              Readings on Relationships. Bob Greene, Four Words; Robert J. Trotter, How Do I Love Thee

              Prewriting. Clustering

              Drafting. The General versus the Specific; Comparison and Contrast

              Rewriting. Supporting Evidence

              Editing. Correcting Ambiguous Modifiers and Pronouns

              Options for Writing

              • 7. Law

                Starting Points

                Readings on Law. Albert Scardino, After a Burglary; Martin Luther King, Jr., The Ways of Meeting Oppression

                Prewriting. Enhancing Perceptions

                Drafting. Crafting Sentences; Explaining a Process

                Rewriting. Reconstructing Sentences

                Editing. Economy and Parallelism

                Options for Writing

                • 8. Media

                  Starting Points

                  Readings on Media. David Nyhan, Turn off the TV Before It Ruins Us; Max Frankel, Universal E-Mail: Worthy of a "New Frontier" Commitment

                  Prewriting. Voice Projection

                  Drafting. Coordinating and Subordinating Ideas. Persuasion

                  Rewriting. Reconstructing Paragraphs

                  Editing. Using Punctuation Correctly

                  Options for Writing

                  • Appendix—Researching and Documenting
                  • Acknowledgments
                  • Index