Rewrite Right! : Your Guide to Perfectly Polished Prose

by Venolia, Jan

• ISBN13: 9781580082396
• ISBN10: 1580082394
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-01
• Publisher: Random House Inc

Summary

Everyone knows that writing can be improved by the simple process of reviewing, editing, and rewriting, but many struggle with how to go about critiquing their own work--be it a letter to a friend, an important business document, or an academic essay. Fortunately, help is at hand in REWRITE RIGHT!, the definitive guide to polishing your prose. According to writing authority Jan Venolia, the skills needed to revise your work are surprisingly easy to learn and a cinch to incorporate into everyday writing routines. This practical guide describes in clear, direct language how to effectively rewrite a report, letter, essay, or article, so that writers of all levels can improve the quality of their work and harness the power of language.

Author Biography

JAN VENOLIA has been helping people improve their writing for more than 30 years. A veteran writer and editor, Jan lends her expertise to workshops and conferences. She lives in Gualala, California.

Table of Contents

Why Rewrite?	p. 1
Writing and Editing in the 21st Century	p. 4
The Internet as Writing Resource	p. 4
Outlining	p. 6
Writing and Revising	p. 7
Checking Spelling and Grammar	p. 9
Tracking Revisions	p. 11
Editing via E-Mail	p. 12
Getting Started	p. 15
Two-Level Editing	p. 15
Editing Someone Else's Writing	p. 16
Editing Your Own Writing	p. 17
Style Sheet	p. 23
Proofreading	p. 23
First-Level Editing: Content	p. 29
Write to Your Audience	p. 29
Have a Plan	p. 37
Grab Their Attention	p. 43
Make It Clear	p. 53
First-Level Editing: Style	p. 64
Trim the Lard	p. 64
Know Your Words	p. 69
Cut Cliches and Hackneyed Expressions	p. 73
Speak Out	p. 76
Jettison Jargon	p. 80
Evoke Images	p. 83
Watch Small Words	p. 85
Second-Level Editing: Punctuation	p. 89
Apostrophes	p. 89
Colons	p. 93
Commas	p. 95
Dashes	p. 100
Exclamation Points	p. 101
Hyphens	p. 102
Parentheses	p. 107
Periods	p. 108
Question Marks	p. 109
Quotation Marks	p. 109
Semicolons	p. 112
Second-Level Editing: Grammar	p. 114
Agreement	p. 114
Pronouns	p. 121
Adjectives and Adverbs	p. 125
Verbs	p. 128
Parallel Structure	p. 132
No-Fault Sentences	p. 132
Second-Level Editing: Mechanical Style	p. 135
Abbreviations	p. 135
Capitalization	p. 140
Numbers	p. 149
Spelling	p. 152
Quotations	p. 161
Word Division	p. 162
Document Integrity	p. 165
Document Appearance	p. 166
Glossary	p. 169
Index	p. 183
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