The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Well

Front Cover
Penguin, Jan 9, 2000 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 480 pages

You're no idiot, of course. You know how to tap out an email to your boss, scrawl a note to your sweetheart, even throw in an extra flourish when you sign a greeting card. But when it comes to really writing that excruciating process of transferring your thoughts to paper without inventing some strange new language well, let's just say you think you lack the write stuff. The written word was a great achievement in human history; don't give up on it just yet! 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Well' is the writing book you've been waiting for everything you need to know to make writing of any kind as easy as thinking or speaking. In this 'Complete Idiot's' Guide, you'll get :
-Expert advice on making your writing as clear, persuasive and painless as possible, whether it's a thank-you note, a school paper, or an executive briefing. Easy-to-follow guidelines on a structure, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and style. No-nonsense advice on figuring out the three hardest parts of any writing: the beginning, middle and end.

 

Contents

Contents
1
Z The Write Way
15
Pack the Essentials
27
Words Words Words
39
Clause and Effect
55
Sentence Sense
69
Paragraphs Plus
83
The Writing Process
95
The Moment of Truth
192
Description
199
Writing Across the Curriculum
211
Just Shoot Me Now Research Papers
223
l8 Seek and Ye Shall Find
241
Cast a Critical Eye
255
In the End Zone
267
More Big Deals
281

Write This Way
97
A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place
113
Chronological Order
119
Making Your Bones
127
Revising and Editing
145
Write for Success
159
ClassifyDivide
166
Narration
173
Persuasion
185
It Wont Be Greek to You
186
Writing Speeches
297
Speeches That Persuade
303
Letter Perfect
313
Writing on the Job
327
Youve Got Mail
341
Picture Perfect
353
Spelling Ace
369
Punctuation
385
A Capital Affair
399
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2000)

Dr. Laurie E. Rozakis has published dozens of books, including Shaum's Quick Guide to Writing Research Papers, Study Skills for the Utterly Confused, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style. She is a full professor of English and humanities at State University of New York at Farmingdale, and has taught English and research skills for more than fifteen years.

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