The Writer’s Way

by Rawlins, Jack

• ISBN13: 9780618426805
• ISBN10: 0618426809
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-03-11
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

This dynamic, process-centered paperback combines a rhetoric with readings. Based on a "whole language approach," The Writer's Way recognizes that people learn best by reflecting on what they do--and that writers learn best when inspired by compelling reasons to write, motivated by strong examples, and reinforced by immediate personal rewards. Offering frank advice in a supportive, encouraging tone, this text leads students step by step through the writing process, from pre-writing to polishing the final draft. Part I, "Introduction to Writing," provides a broad introduction to the natural-language attitude toward learning to write, establishing the "hands-on" approach of the book. Parts II and III offer step-by-step walkthroughs of the writing process, beginning with generating ideas, drafting, and organizing (Part II: "Planning and Drafting"), followed by "Revising and Editing," in Part III, which includes coverage of peer critiquing. Part IV, "Modes of Writing," highlights the decisions about audience, purpose, structure, and language that writers face when writing in personal, informative, and persuasive modes. Part V, "Academic Writing," discusses writing for college courses and includes chapters on writing about literature, writing in the sciences, collaborative writing, and research. Part VI, "A Treasury of Essays," is a collection of 24 model student essays collected by the author from his classrooms over the years.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
Prologue How to Go to School	1	(1)
How to Get a Good Grade	1	(1)
How to (Re)Learn in School: A Guide to Studying	2
Part One INTRODUCTION TO WRITING	1	(32)
Learning to Write	2	(14)
Learn Like a Baby	3	(1)
The Four Basics	4	(5)
Exposure	5	(1)
Motivation	6	(1)
Practice	7	(1)
Feedback	8	(1)
What Good Is a Composition Class?	9	(1)
Exposure	9	(1)
Motivation	9	(1)
Practice	9	(1)
Feedback	9	(1)
How Can I Write Well Right Now?	10	(1)
Writer's Workshop: What Helps, What Doesn't	11	(4)
Exercises	15	(1)
What Makes Writing Good?	16	(17)
What Good Writing Isn't	19	(1)
What Good Writing Is: The Sense of Audience	20	(3)
Having a Reader in Your Head	21	(1)
Giving the Readers What They Need	22	(1)
Seeing Writing as Performance	23	(1)
It Really Works: Two Proofs	23	(4)
Writer's Workshop: The Reader's Dialogue	27	(3)
Exercises	30	(3)
Part Two PLANNING AND DRAFTING	33	(32)
Finding Something to Write About	34	(16)
Where Do Good Essays Come From?	35	(4)
Five Principles for Getting Good Ideas	39	(6)
Writing from Rage	45	(1)
Writer's Workshop: Finding Essays in Your Life	45	(4)
Exercises	49	(1)
From First Thoughts to Drafts	50	(15)
Defeating Writer's Block	52	(12)
Exercises	64	(1)
Part Three REVISING AND EDITING	65	(150)
Thesis, Purpose, Audience, and Tone	66	(30)
The Spirit of Revising	67	(1)
How to Feel About Rules	68	(1)
Revision Tools	68	(3)
Diagnostic Tools	70	(1)
Making Your Own Tools	70	(1)
Revision in Five Giant Steps	71	(1)
Thesis, Purpose, Audience, and Tone	71	(14)
Topic	72	(1)
Thesis	73	(2)
Purpose	75	(2)
Audience	77	(5)
Tone	82	(3)
Purpose and Audience Tell You How to Write	85	(2)
Writer's Workshop: Revising for Thesis, Audience, and Purpose	87	(5)
Exercises	92	(4)
Organization, Part 1: Mapping and Outlining	96	(14)
The Organizing Attitude	98	(2)
Mapping	100	(2)
Making the Tool	100	(1)
Using the Tool	100	(2)
Outlining	102	(6)
Making the Tool	102	(3)
Using the Tool	105	(3)
Exercises	108	(2)
Organization, Part 2: Abstracting	110	(12)
Transition and Readers	111	(2)
Transition and Connectors	113	(1)
Abstracting	114	(4)
Making the Tool	115	(1)
Using the Tool	116	(2)
Diagnosing Transition by the Numbers	118	(1)
Structural Templates	119	(1)
Paragraphing	119	(1)
Exercises	120	(2)
Beginning, Ending, and Titling	122	(12)
Beginnings	123	(5)
Making the Tool	123	(3)
Using the Tool	126	(2)
Conclusions	128	(2)
Making the Tool	128	(2)
Using the Tool	130	(1)
Titles	130	(2)
Making the Tool	130	(1)
Using the Tool	131	(1)
Exercises	132	(2)
Making the Draft Longer or Shorter	134	(12)
Making It Shorter	135	(2)
Making It Longer	137	(5)
Making It Longer by Filling In	138	(2)
Expanding the Canvas	140	(1)
Asking the Next Question	141	(1)
Writer's Workshop: Expanding Essays	142	(3)
Exercises	145	(1)
Peer Feedback	146	(16)
Rules for Readers	147	(2)
Rules for Writers	149	(2)
Peer Editing in Groups	151	(1)
The Writer's Role in Group Editing	152	(1)
Peer Editing for Mechanics and Grammar	152	(1)
Writer's Workshop: Peer Editing a Peer-Editing Session	153	(9)
Rewriting for Style	162	(18)
Style as Clothing	163	(1)
How to Master a Style: Three Steps	164	(1)
Sentence Length	165	(2)
Latinate Diction	167	(4)
Concretion	171	(5)
Exercises	176	(4)
Editing	180	(24)
Getting the Editing Attitude	181	(3)
``Grammar''	184	(5)
Conventions	184	(1)
Rules of Logic	185	(3)
Rules of Clarity	188	(1)
Punctuation	189	(9)
The Comma	189	(2)
Things Commas Don't Do	191	(1)
The Semicolon	192	(1)
Things Semicolons Don't Do	193	(1)
The Colon	193	(1)
Things Colons Don't Do	193	(1)
The Dash	194	(1)
Parentheses	194	(1)
Question Marks	194	(1)
The Hyphen	195	(1)
The Apostrophe	195	(2)
Quotation Marks	197	(1)
Things Quotation Marks Don't Do	198	(1)
Spacing and Positioning	198	(1)
Spelling	198	(2)
The Worst That Can Happen to You	200	(1)
Following Format	201	(1)
Proofreading	202	(1)
Exercises	203	(1)
Publishing	204	(11)
What, Me Publish?	205	(1)
Ways to Go Public	205	(5)
Electronic Publishing	205	(1)
Publishing in the Classroom	206	(1)
Publishing on Campus	206	(1)
Community Publications	207	(1)
Desktop Publishing	208	(1)
Magazine Articles	208	(2)
Academic Publishing	210	(1)
Books	210	(1)
Preparing a Manuscript for Submission	210	(3)
Business Letter Format	211	(2)
Exercises	213	(2)
Part Four MODES OF WRITING	215	(70)
Personal Writing	216	(14)
Show, Don't Tell	221	(3)
Choosing an Effect	224	(1)
Does Personal Writing Have a Thesis?	225	(1)
Writer's Workshop: Concretizing Abstract Generalizations	225	(4)
Exercises	229	(1)
Writing to Inform	230	(16)
What's Informative Writing?	231	(5)
The Three Challenges	236	(4)
You Don't Feel Knowledgeable Enough	236	(2)
It's Boring	238	(1)
Coik is a Constant Problem	238	(2)
Eight Teaching Tips	240	(2)
Writer's Workshop: The Eight in Action	242	(3)
Exercises	245	(1)
Writing an Argument, Part 1: Thinking It Through	246	(22)
What's an Argument?	247	(1)
Finding an Argumentative Prompt	248	(1)
Thinking It Through vs. Selling the Case	249	(1)
Why Thinking Is Hard	249	(2)
How to Think: A Template	251	(12)
Eliminating Language Problems	251	(1)
Making a Well-Formed Assertion	251	(2)
Eliminating Clouding Language	253	(2)
Examining Your Assumptions	255	(3)
Examining the Consequences of the Thesis	258	(1)
Seven Cleanup Tasks	259	(4)
Writer's Workshop: Using the Tools	263	(3)
Exercises	266	(2)
Writing an Argument, Part 2: Selling the Case	268	(17)
Define Your Objectives Realistically	269	(2)
Establish a Positive Relationship with Your Audience	271	(3)
Be Human	271	(1)
Be Interesting	272	(1)
Empathize	272	(1)
Four Diagnostic Questions	273	(1)
Find a Dramatic Structure	274	(5)
Writer's Workshop: Using Models	279	(4)
Exercises	283	(2)
Part Five ACADEMIC WRITING	285	(84)
Writing in School: An Introduction	286	(8)
What's New? Nuthin'	287	(7)
Writing on Literature	294	(6)
Purpose and Audience	295	(1)
What to Write About	296	(1)
Thesis and Topic	297	(1)
Critical Approaches	297	(1)
The Opening Paragraph	297	(1)
Quotations	298	(1)
Page References	299	(1)
Tense	299	(1)
Writing in the Sciences	300	(4)
Audience and Purpose	301	(1)
Structure: The Lab Report	302	(2)
Part I: Introduction	302	(1)
Part II: Methods	302	(1)
Part III: Results	303	(1)
Part IV: Discussion	303	(1)
Essay Tests	304	(6)
The Universals	305	(2)
Subject Tests	307	(1)
Literacy Tests	307	(3)
Collaborative Writing	310	(6)
How to Make the Collaborative Experience Work for You	311	(3)
Typical Collaborative Work Schedule	314	(2)
Research	316	(10)
Using the Library	318	(3)
The Texts	318	(2)
Library Search Tools	320	(1)
Researching from a Terminal	321	(5)
Databases	322	(1)
Web Sites	323	(3)
Using Sources	326	(16)
Summary and Paraphrase	327	(1)
Quotation	328	(1)
Why and When to Quote	328	(1)
How to Quote	328	(1)
Documentation	329	(7)
Why and When to Document	329	(1)
How to Document	330	(4)
Citing Online Sources	334	(2)
Model Citations	336	(3)
Exercises	339	(3)
The Research Paper	342	(27)
Setting Yourself a Good Task	343	(2)
Getting Things Organized	345	(2)
Format	347	(1)
Graphics	348	(2)
A Model Research Paper	350	(19)
Part Six A TREASURY OF ESSAYS	369	(52)
Personal Essays	370	(11)
Informative Essays	381	(12)
Argumentative Essays	393	(10)
Academic Essays	403	(11)
Four Essays on Dieting	414	(7)
Author/Title Index	421	(4)
Subject Index	425