Contents

Praise for The Writer’s Practice

About the Author

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

GETTING STARTED

Before We Begin . . .

Writing Experiences

Questions about This Book

Who Are You? (As a Writer)

SECTION I:

INTRODUCTION TO THE WRITER’S PRACTICE

How Do I . . . ? (Instructions)

The Writing Process

Should I . . . ? (Review)

Reading Like a Writer

SECTION II:

SKILLS DRILLS

Who Are They? (Profiling)

Making Inferences from Observations

Where Did You Go? (Sense Memory)

Bringing the World to the Page

You Did What? (Adventure Report)

Is It True? Did It Really Happen? (Experience vs. Memory)

SECTION III:

ANALYTICAL WRITING

What’s the Right Thing to Do? (Ethical Dilemma)

Titles

If It Isn’t True, Why Do People Believe It? (Conspiracy Theory Analysis)

Who Are We? (Rhetorical Analysis of a Commercial)

Writing Is Thinking

What’s So Funny? (Rhetorical Analysis of a Work of Humor)

What’s Going to Happen? (Playing the Pundit)

Why Proofreading Is So Difficult

What If . . . ? (Alternate History)

Procrastination

How’s It All Going to End? (Judging the Apocalypse)

SECTION IV:

RESEARCH AND ARGUMENT