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Debuting in its first edition, Renovating Your Writing outlines the principles of effective composition and then engages the reader with constant revision and editing practices to improve writing skills at school, work, and home. This enlightening brief text provides readers with unique strategies, tactics, and tips needed to improve their ability to critique and self-revise their work. Kallan introduces and emphasizes to readers the difference between the act of writing and the informed practice of writing.
List of contents
PART I: STRATEGIES, TACTICS, AND TIPS CHAPTER 1: RETHINKING YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT WRITING The Writing Process: Separating Fact from Fiction Your Writing: Separating Fact from Fiction CHAPTER 2: STREAMLINING YOUR WRITING Adopt the Runt of the (Word) Litter Ration Long Sentences Write Very Tightly without Verbosity Exercises CHAPTER 3: CONSTRUCTING SENTENCES Get to Your Point, Today Start with Active Actors Avoid Verby Nouns Play Nice Qualify Sensibly Treat Others Fairly Recognize that Women Exist Exercises CHAPTER 4: CONSTRUCTING PARAGRAPHS AND PAGES State Your Purpose Like You Mean It Exercising Rhetorical Literacy Build Them (Paragraphs and Pages) Right and They (Readers) Will Come Bottomline Main Ideas and Main Arguments Organize Evidence into Piles and Subpiles Embrace Your Outline Drive Home Your Message: Formatting Your Document Rely on Headings and Subheadings Befriend Bullets and Numbers Choose a Typeface Exercises CHAPTER 5: FORTIFYING SENTENCES, PARAGRAPHS, AND PAGES Check Out Your Audience Shepherd Your Sentences Rally Around the Topic Sentence Worry Not about Length Smooth the Rough Edges Strategize Your Case Strategize Persuasive Messages Strategize Informative Messages Revise How You Revise: A Final Note Exercises PART II: ADDITIONAL TOOLS CHAPTER 6: PUNCTUATION UNMASKED Why, Is Punctuation; So Important Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points Periods Question Marks Exclamation Points Commas, Semicolons, and Colons Commas Semicolons Colons Apostrophes Double and Single Quotation Marks Ellipses and Slashes Ellipses Slashes Dashes, Parentheses, and Brackets Dashes Parentheses Brackets CHAPTER 7: WRITING NON-OBNOXIOUS PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL E-MAILS CHAPTER 8: WHY YOU ARE NOT ALWAYS READ: RATING YOUR READABILITY Finding Your Fog Indexsm Score Putting the Fog Indexsm Scale to Work CHAPTER 9: LEARNING TO WRITE COGENTLY History and Structure of Short Fiction Stylistic Characteristics of Short Fiction A Short Conclusion about Short Fiction Exercise Answers About the Author
