Working It Out : A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers

First Things First: An Introduction: "DO I HAVE TO BUY THE BOOK?"

Part One:Prewriting

1."I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE"

2."HOW DO I WRITE A THESIS?"

3."HOW DO I GET MY IDEAS TO FIT TOGETHER?"

Part Two:Drafting

4."I KNOW WHAT I SAY, BUT I CAN'T SAY IT"

5."I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY INTRODUCTION."

6."HOW DO I BACK UP WHAT I SAY?"

7."I DON'T KNOW HOW TO END."

8."I CAN'T THINK OF THE RIGHT WORD"

Part Three:Revising

9."MY DRAFT HAS PROBLEMS"

10."I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CHANGE"

11."MY IDEAS SEEM ALL MIXED UP"

12."MY DRAFT IS TOO SHORT"

13."MY DRAFT IS TOO LONG"

14."MY WRITING SEEMS BORING"

15."HOW CAN I GET MY WRITING TO FLOW?"

Part IV:Editing

16."I NEED HELP FINDING MY MISTAKES"

17."I USED A PERIOD AND A CAPITAL LETTER, SO WHY ISN'T THIS A SENTENCE?"

18."HOW CAN THIS BE A RUN-ON OR A COMMA SPLICE?IT'S NOT EVEN LONG."

19."I/ME,SHE/HER,HE/HIM,THEY/THEM,WE/US,WHO/WHOM-WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?"

20."HOW DO I KNOW WHICH VERBFORM TO USE?"

21."I'M UNSURE ABOUT USING MODIFIERS."

22."WHY CAN'T I PLACE A COMMA WHEREVER I PAUSE?"

23."WHAT DO I DO IF I WANT TO QUOTE SOMEBODY?"

24."I HAVE TROUBLE WITH APOSTROPHES."

25."I CAN'T SPELL."

Part V:Writing Practice

26. IDEAS FOR WRITING

Appendix:Coping With Essay Examinations