Co-authored by two esteemed writers, Writing Well, is a beautifully-written and thoroughly readable guide to
the craft of writing prose.
Donald Hall, National Book Critics Circle Award winner and Pulitzer Prize nominee, and Sven Birkerts, recipient
of awards from the National Book Critics Circle and PEN, bring their talents to this concise, lively text that
covers all aspects of writing but is best known for its signature chapters on words, sentences, and paragraphs.
Going beyond the basics of composition, the text teaches originality and elegance in writing, and encourages students
to develop their own written voice. Sample student papers--including several works in progress--allow students
to learn the writing process through the work of their peers. A brief handbook section rounds out the coverage.
Sven Birkerts' new Foreword to this Classic Edition explores the cultural context of Writing Well's first edition
and examines how it remains significant and useful over 30 years after its initial publication.
Foreword.
Preface.
1. Introduction: Writing, And Writing Well.
Writing to Make Contact.
The Idea of an Audience.
Honest and Dishonest Expression.
Plagiarism.
Examining the Words.
Revising the Map.
Themes and Revisions.
Examples from Print.
Disorganized Writing, Pompous Writing.
Learning to Write Well.
Exercises.
2. Reading, And Reading Well.
The Reading Process.
Reading Is Writing and Writing Is Reading.
Philosophies and Politics.
Reading Tone.
Chaos or Consensus?
Reading in the Information Age.
Reading as Rereading.
Put the Blame on Blame.
Active and Passive Readers.
Close Reading.
Practice in Response.
Sight Reading.
Exercises.
3. Writing An Essay.
Getting Ideas for Papers.
Writing the Draft.
Biography of a Theme.
Exercises.
4. Words.
The Smallest Unit.
The Insides of Words.
Exercises.
Verbs.
Exercises.
Nouns.
Exercises.
Modifiers.
Exercises.
Original Words: Comparisons.
Exercises.
5. Sentences.
Style and the Sentence.
Parts of Sentences.
Types of Sentences.
Exercises.
Clarity, Coherence, Unity.
Revising Sentences I.
Exercises.
Revising Sentences II.
Exercises.
Variety and Unity.
Exercises.
6. Paragraphs.
Uses of Paragraphs.
Paragraphs as Signs for Readers.
Purpose and the Paragraph.
Unity in the Paragraph.
Coherence in the Paragraph.
Exercises.
Development in the Paragraph.
The Order of Paragraphs.
Revising Paragraphs.
Exercises.
7. Argument And Persuasion.
Exposition.
Advancing Our Position.
Uses for Argument.
Audience in Argument and Persuasion.
Reasonableness in Argument.
Time for the Opposition.
The Order of Argument.
Logic and Emotionalism.
Style in Argument.
Common Fallacies in Thinking.
Looking for an Argument: Process.
Exercises.
8. Writing Research.
Using the Library.
On-Line Research.
Documentation.
A Sample Research Project.
9. A Brief Review Of Grammar, Punctuation, And Mechanics.
Make Whole, Clear Sentences.
Exercises.
Match the Parts of Sentences That Need Matching.
Exercises.
Connect Modifiers with What They Modify.
Exercises.
Keep the Sentence Consistent.
Exercises.
Keep Punctuation Clear.
Exercises.
Keep Mechanics Conventional.
Exercises.
A Glossary of Usage and Grammatical Terms.
Acknowledgments.
Author and Title Index.
Subject Index.
Some Common Revision Symbols.
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