A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers: Strategies and Process

Title
Table of Contents
Myths about Writing: An Introduction
	Don’t Believe Everything You Hear
	How to Become a Better Writer
	A Sample Essay: “The Uniform Solution”
PARTI A Troubleshooting Guide to Prewriting
	1 “I Don’t Know What to Write.”
		Freewrite
		Write Blindfolded
		Use Looping
		Try Clustering
		Write a List
		Brainstorm
		Examine Your Topic from Different Angles
		Use Questionnaires
		Write an Exploratory Draft
		Relate the Topic to Your Own Experience
		Find a Fresh Angle
		Talk into a Recorder
		Talk to Other People
		Write a Poem
		Write about Your Block
		Put Your Writing on the Back Burner
		Identify Your Purpose and Audience
		Keep a Journal
		Combine Techniques
		Develop Your Own Writing Topic
		Plagiarism Alert
	2 “How Do I Write a Thesis?”
		Study Your Idea Generation Material
		Write a Two-Part Thesis
		Note the Main Points You Will Make in Your Essay
		Limit Your Thesis to Something Manageable
		Express Your Assertion in Specific Words
		Avoid Factual Statements
		Avoid Announcing Your Intentions
		Consider Your Thesis to Be Tentative
		Fill in the Blanks
		Return to Idea Generation
	3 “How Do I Get My Ideas to Fit Together?”
		Check Your Thesis
		Use Colored Markers
		Write a Scratch Outline
		Construct an Outline Tree
		Complete an Outline Worksheet
		Write an Informal Outline
		Construct an Outline Map
		Write an Abstract
PART II A Troubleshooting Guide to Drafting
	4 “I Know What I Want to Say, but I Can’t Say It.”
		Eliminate Distractions
		Set Intermediate Goals
		Allow Your Draft to Be Rough
		Write in a New Place
		Switch Your Writing Tools
		Write on a Daily Schedule
		Write a Letter to a Friend
		Write for Yourself
		Use a Natural Style
		Speak into a Recorder
		Reread Often
		Walk Away
		Concentrate on What You Can Do and Skip What You Can’t Do
		Resist the Temptation to Rewrite as You Draft
		Write Fast and Don’t Look Back
		Write the Title
		Stop before You Block
		Write an Outline
		Return to Idea Generation
		Use Your Essay Format
		Split Your Computer Screen
		Write Invisible Notes
		Cut and Paste
	5 “I’m Having Trouble with My Introduction.”
		Explain Why Your Topic Is Important
		Provide Background Information
		Tell a Story
		Use an Interesting Quotation
		Provide Relevant Statistics
		Plagiarism Alert
		Find Common Ground with Your Reader
		Describe Something
		Ask One or More Questions Related to Your Thesis
		Begin with the Thesis and the Points You Will Discuss
		Keep It Short
		Write It Last
		Turn Your Conclusion into Your Introduction
	6 “How Do I Back Up What I Say?”
		Use Your Own Experience
		Use Your Observations
		Talk to Others
		Tell a Story
		Describe People and Places
		Give Examples
		Give Reasons
		Show Similarities or Differences
		Explain Causes or Effects
		Explain How Something Is Made or Done
		Explain What Would Happen If Your Assertion Were Not Adopted
		Consider Opposing Views
		Use Material from Outside Sources
		Plagiarism Alert
		Use the Word Count Feature
	7 “I Don’t Know How to End.”
		Explain the Significance of Your Thesis
		Provide a Helpful Summary
		Explain the Consequences of Ignoring Your Thesis
		Conclude with a Point You Want to Emphasize
		Restate Your Thesis for Emphasis
		Suggest a Course of Action
		Ask a Question
		Look to the Future
		Combine Approaches
		Echo Your Introduction
		Keep It Short
	8  “I Can’t Think of the Right Word.”
		Write in a Natural Style
		Skip the Problem and Return to It Later
		Use ITTS
		Substitute a Phrase or a Sentence for a Troublesome Word
		Ask Around
		Freewrite for Three Minutes
		Use Simple, Specific Words
		Use the Thesaurus and Dictionary Wisely
		Build Your Vocabulary
PART III A Troubleshooting Guide to Revising
	9 “I Thought My Draft Was Better Than This.”
		Be Realistic
		Walk Away
		Share Your Draft
		Listen to Your Draft
		Identify Two Changes That Will Improve Your Draft
		Write a Second Draft without Looking at the First
		Do Not Despair If You Must Start Over
		Try to Salvage Something
		Do the Best You Can with What You Have
		Evaluate a Print Copy of Your Draft
		Examining a Draft
	10  “I Don’t Know What to Change.”
		Walk Away
		Construct a Reader Profile
		Think Like Your Reader
		Describe Your Draft Paragraph by Paragraph
		Type Your Draft
		Listen to Your Draft
		Underline Main Points
		Outline Your Draft after Writing It
		Revise in Stages
		Share Your Introduction and Conclusion
		Share Your Draft
		Pretend to Be Someone Else
		Use a Revising Checklist
		Trust Your Instincts
		Do Not Edit Prematurely
		Do Not Be Fooled by Appearances
		Examining a Draft
	11 “Is It Cheating If Someone Helps Me?”
		Choose Your Readers Carefully
		Give Your Readers a Legible Draft
		Give Your Readers Guidance
		Get More Than One Opinion
		E-mail Your Draft
		Evaluate Responses Carefully
		Be a Reliable Reader
		Plagiarism Alert
		Examining a Draft
	12 “My Ideas Seem All Mixed Up.”
		Use Topic Sentences
		Write a Postdraft Outline
		Use Transitions
		Repeat Key Words
		Use Synonyms
		Use Outline Cards
		Examining a Draft
	13 “My Draft Is Too Short.”
		Check Your Thesis
		Underline Major Points
		Show after You Tell
		Add Description
		Add Examples
		Add Dialogue
		Evaluate the Significance of an Idea
		Share Your Draft with a Reliable Reader
		Return to Idea Generation
		Use Your Computer’s Tools
		Examining a Draft
	14 “My Draft Is Too Long.”
		Check Your Thesis
		Eliminate Unnecessary Points
		Outline Your Draft
		Eliminate Wordiness
		Do Not Overwrite Your Introduction or Conclusion
		Use Your Computer’s Tools
		Examining a Draft
	15  “My Writing Seems Boring.”
		Replace General Words with Specific Ones
		Use Active Voice
		Substitute Action Verbs for Forms of To Be
		Rewrite Clichés
		Eliminate Obvious Statements
		Include Dialogue
		Add Description
		Add Examples
		Tell a Story
		Check Your Thesis
		Use Your Computer’s Style Check Cautiously
		Examining a Draft
	16 “My Writing Sounds Choppy.”
		Use Different Sentence Openers
		Vary the Placement of Transitions
		Combine Short Sentences
		Alternate Long and Short Sentences
		Use Parallel Constructions
		Use Your Ear
		Examining a Draft
PART IV A Troubleshooting Guide to Editing
	17 “I Don’t Find My Mistakes.”
		Edit Last
		Leave Your Work for a While
		Point to Each Word and Punctuation Mark
		Isolate Each Line
		Prepare a Fresh, Typed Copy
		Listen to Your Draft
		Learn Your Pattern of Error
		Use an Editing Checklist
		Trust Your Instincts
		Edit More Than Once
		When in Doubt, Check It Out
		Learn the Rules
		Get Help
		Use Your Computer’s Grammar Check with Caution
	18 “I Used a Period and a Capital Letter, so Why Isn’t This a Sentence?”
		Understand What a Sentence Fragment Is
		Isolate Everything You Are Calling a Sentence
		Read Your Draft Backward
		Check -ing and -ed Verb Forms
		Check for Fragment Warning Words
		Watch Out for Who, Whom, Whose, Which, and Where
		Eliminate the Fragments
	19 “How Can This Be a Run-On or a Comma Splice? It’s Not Even Long.”
		Understand What Run-On Sentences and Comma Splices Are
		Understand How to Separate Independent Clauses
		Correct Run-Ons and Comma Splices with Dependent Clauses
		Study Sentences Individually
		Underline Warning Words
		Forget about Long and Short
	20 “It Is I; It Is Me—What’s the Difference?”
		Cross Out Everything in the Phrase but the Pronoun
		Cross Out Words That Rename
		Add the Missing Words in Comparisons
		Use They, Their, and Them with Plural Nouns
		Remember That the -body, -one, and -thing Words Are Singular
		Circle Who and Whom and Underline the Rest of the Clause
		Substitute He and Him for Who and Whom
		Determine the Word You Refers to
		Check It and They
		Avoid Unclear Reference
		Be Careful of This and Which
	21 “How Do I Know Which Verb Form to Use?”
		Cross Out Phrases before the Verb
		Rewrite Questions
		Rewrite Sentences Beginning with Here and There
		Watch Out for Subjects Joined by Or and Either/Or
		Watch Out for Indefinite Pronouns
		Understand Verb Tenses
		Listen to Your Verb Tenses
	22 “I’m Unsure about Modifiers.”
		Know When to Use an Adjective and When to Use an Adverb
		Remember That Good Is an Adjective and Well Is an Adverb—with One Caution and One Exception
		Do Not Use More or Most with an -er or -est Form
		Check Sentences That Open with -ing or -ed Verb Forms
		Place Modifiers Near the Words They Describe
	23 “Can’t I Just Place a Comma Wherever I Pause?”
		Find the Subject and Look in Front of It
		Find the Coordinating Conjunctions, and Then Look Left and Right
		Look for Series
		Identify Nonessential Elements
	24 “What If I Want to Quote Somebody?”
		Consider Where in the Sentence the Quotation Occurs
		Determine Whether the Quotation or the Entire Sentence Asks a Question
		Reproduce a Person’s Thoughts as a Quotation
		Be Sure You Really Have Exact Words
		Plagiarism Alert
	25 “I Have Trouble with Apostrophes.”
		Identify the Missing Letter(s) in a Contraction
		Use It’s Only When You Can Substitute “It Is” or “It Has”
		Avoid Contractions
		Use the “Of ” Test
		For Possessive Forms, Ask Two Questions
		Watch Out for Noun Plurals
		Watch Out for Possessive Pronouns
		Use Your Computer’s Spell Check Cautiously
	26 “I Never Know What to Capitalize.”
		Capitalize the Names of Animals and People and the Titles before People’s Names
		Capitalize Titles of Relatives Substituted for Names
		Capitalize Specific Geographic Locations, Names of Nationalities, and Adjectives Derived from Them
		Capitalize Religions, Sacred Books, and Words and Pronouns That Refer to God
		Capitalize Specific Days, Months, and Holidays
		Capitalize Specific Brand Names
		Capitalize Specific Organizations, Companies, and Buildings
		Capitalize Specific Historic Events, Documents, and Periods
		Capitalize Titles Correctly
		Use Your Computer’s Tools
		Capitalize E-mail Correctly
	27 “I Can’t Spell.”
		When in Doubt, Check It Out
		Buy Two Dictionaries
		Use a Pronunciation Dictionary
		Use a Spelling Dictionary
		Use a Pocket Spell Checker
		Learn Correct Pronunciations
		Break a Word into Parts
		Break a Word into Syllables
		Look for Prefixes
		Use Memory Tricks
		Learn the Homophones
		Underline Words to Check Later
		Keep a Spelling List
		Use Your Computer’s Autocorrect Feature
		Use Your Computer’s Spell Check Cautiously
PART V A Troubleshooting Guide to Research
	28 “How Do I Find Good Sources—and Why Do I Need Them?”
		Get to Know Your Campus Library
		Consider Your Needs
		Consult Your Campus Reference Librarian
		Use Reference Works
		Use the Computerized Catalog to Locate Books
		Use Indexes to Locate Magazine, Journal, and Newspaper Articles
		Use Abstracts and Bibliographies to Locate Books and Journal Articles in Specific Subjects
		Search the Internet
		Use Online References
		Use High-Quality Sources
	29 “What Do I Do with the Sources I Find?”
		Skim Your Sources to Determine Their Usefulness
		Paraphrase Important Ideas
		Use Summary When Appropriate
		Use Quotations Appropriately and Correctly
		Integrate Sources with Each Other and with Your Ideas
		Document Source Material Appropriately
		Plagiarism Alert
	30 “What Does an Essay with Sources Look Like?”
		Student Essay: “The Benefits of School Consolidation”
P A R T VI Appendixes
AP P E N D I X A “English Is Not My First Language.”
AP P E N D I X B “I Get Nervous Writing in Class and Taking Essay Examinations.”
AP P E N D I X C “I Need a Writing Topic.”
Index