How Writing Works: A Field Guide To Effective Writing

Description

This is an engaging and practical introduction to the elements of grammar, sentence structure, and style that you need to write well across a range of academic, creative, and professional contexts, deftly combining practical strategies with scholarly principles. The second edition includes updated material based on a longstanding commitment to writing and to best international practice. It includes advice on reading; language; grammar and style; structuring; designing; paragraphing; punctuation; workplace and academic documents; digital writing for social media; and revising, editing, and proofreading. How Writing Works should be on the desk of everyone who needs to write: students, professionals in all fields, and creative writers. It is an essential handbook for working writers and writing workers in the contemporary writing-reliant workplace. The accompanying companion website includes video interviews and presentations from leading grammarians including Professor David Crystal and Professor Geoff Pullum, in addition to online quizzes and activities to support readers’ learning. Cover Page Endorsements Page Half Title Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Page Contents Page Preface Page CHAPTER 1 How writing works Writing in our contemporary information society What is writing? Vocation or avocation? Writing in the workplace The writing-thinking-learning connection Keeping a journal Inspiration for journalling Writing as a problem-solving process Getting started Producing writing worth reading What characterises good writers? The last word Activities Further reading CHAPTER 2 How reading works Why read? How does reading help writing? Writing for your readers Reading in the workplace Structuring writing for reading Reading critically The last word Activities Further reading CHAPTER 3 How words work Using words well Taking words seriously: Style, voice, and tone Choosing words wisely Spoken communication The last word Activities Further reading CHAPTER 4 How sentences and content words work Grammar and syntax Descriptivism and prescriptivism Traditional grammar Syntax Content words The last word Activities Further reading CHAPTER 5 How structure words and paragraphs work Structure words, interjections, and paragraphs Structure words Interjections/exclamations Analysing sentences Paragraphs The last word Activities Further reading CHAPTER 6 How punctuation works Why punctuate? Categories of punctuation marks Punctuation patterns The last word Activities Further reading CHAPTER 7 How structure and design work Shaping the verbal and the visual Structuring What is document structure? Design considerations The last word Activities Further reading CHAPTER 8 How genres and workplace documents work Understanding genre expectations Writing in a professional context: Workplace genres The last word Activities CHAPTER 9 How academic research and writing work Research-based writing: How academic writing works Academic research and writing Critical reasoning Getting started on research The last word Activities CHAPTER 10 How digital writing works The inexorable rise of digital media The early years Email: Insistent and indelible Writing for social media in the workplace Organisational websites Blogs Twitter Texting The last word Activities CHAPTER 11 How revising, editing, and proofreading work Writing with the intention of revising Revising Editing Proofreading Using computers for writing and editing What happens in publishing? Five levels of edit: Checklist Typographical errors The last word Activities Acknowledgements Answers to the activities References Index