JohnR.

Trimble,WritingwithStyle
1GettingLaunched
1)Pickasubjectthatmeanssomethingtoyou,emotionallyaswellasintellectually(4)
2)Delimititsothatitismanageable(7)
3)Stockpiledatareadersliketobetaught(7)
4)Formulateavarietyofsearchingquestions[and]beginsketchingoutyourclaims,
usingnotecards,slipsofpaper[ortheoutlineronyourwordprocessor](7)
5)Chooseoneideaastheprovisionalorganizingprincipleorthesis(9)
6)Writearoughdraft:Scribbleofftwoorthreeroughdrafts(9)[myapproachisto
organizeandreorganizeoutlinewithpiecesinvariousstagesofcompletion].Ideasthat
lookgoodinitiallyhavetheunhappyhabitoflookingirrelevantorincompletefrom
hindsight(9)Irecommendthatyouusethesamestartingformulaforeachdraft.Simply
writethewordsWell,itseemstomethat(10).Neverletyourselfpausemorethan
brieflybetweensentences,anddontcensoryourthoughts
7)Readthedraftcriticallyunderlinephrasesthatpleaseyou(11)
8)(Re)writeanotherroughdraftbutdontstoptoedit:Ifyouslowdowntoeditwhatyou
havewritten,youllputanairtightlidonthoseunconsciousthoughts(11)
9)(Re)writeanotherroughdraft.Deleteeveryextraneousidea.Brightenuplackluster
phrases.Clarifymuddythoughts.Tightenuptheircontinuity.Convertunnecessarypassive
contructionsintoactiveones.Readeverysentencealoud.Aboveall,forceyourselfto
searchpainstakinglyforevensmalllapsesincontinuity[notehowthisdiffersfromprimary
sources](1112)

2ThinkingWell
"Thenovice"
Selforiented:hisnaturaltendencyasawriteristothinkprimarilyofhimselfandthusto
writeprimarilyforhimself.Here,inanutshell,liestheultimatereasonformostbadwriting
(15)
Thesuccessofthecommunicationdependssolelyonhowthereaderreceivesit(15)
"Theveteran"
theartofsellingthereadertwothings:yourideasandyouasintelligent,informed,
credible,andcompanionable(17)
Fouressentials:sayingsomethingworthhisattentionmustbesoldonitsvalidityand

importanceyourselffurnishstrongargumentsuselanguagethatsellsvigorousverbs,
strongnouns,assertivephrasing(17)
Yousellyourreaderbycourteouslyservinghim(17)
Fivewaystoservereader:phraseyourthoughtsclearlyspeaktothepointanticipate
hismanyquestionsofferhimvarietyandhumorconversewithhiminawarm,
friendly,openmanner(19)
Basicattitudes:principalgoalistocommunicatewhateverisntplainlystatedthereader
willinvariablymisconstrueevenprofoundestideasarecapableofbeingexpressed
clearlyninetenthsofallwritingisrewritingperhapsmostimportantofall,theyare
sticklersforcontinuity(20)
"Anticipateyourreadersresponse"
Readerisjustwaitingforanexcusetotuneoutwritermustmusttakecaretouse
emphathyanticipationtomeetchallengesineachsentence:helpreaderfeeltheurgency
offeranalogies[avoid]avoidconfusingsentences[isthereanywaytointerpretsentence
incorrectly?]avoidrepetition,pretention,verbosityusestronglyconversational,living
voice(22)
"SomeConcludingThoughts"
Avoidwritingmumbojumbo:
1)Writeforyourreaderavoidwritingforoneself
2)Asinglereadingisall[yourreader]owesyou
3)Useshorterwordsandshortersentences
4)Rereadpapertwice:firstthroughtheeyesofanonliterarypersonthenthroughtheeyes
ofyourworstenemy(24)
5)Rereadthepaperthenextday.

3"Howtowriteacriticalanalysis"
AplotsummarybeginswithnothesisorpointofviewAcriticalanalysistakesa
viewpointandattemptstoproveitsvalidity(26)
Usedetailstodemonstrateapoint(26)
Suggestions:assumethatyourbasicaudienceisawellinformedreaderhewillbebored
withcommonplaceperceptionsheprefersreadingargumentstomerechat(29)

4"Openers"
YougiveeachstoryonlyfourorfivesentencestoproveitselfYou,too,willgenerally

begivenonlyfourorfivesentencestoprovethatyouareworthahearing(31)
Agoodopenerinvariablyhasagoodthesisbold,interesting,clearlyfocusedandagood
thesistendstoargueitselfbecauseithasabuiltinforwardthrust(31)
[Theexamplesofopeners,p.32,arenotappropriateforhistoricalwriting]
Askilledwriterwillsometimeshavetospendasmuchasathirdofhistotalwritingtime
tryingtogethisopenerintoshape(35)
Suggestionsforopeners:strong,tightlyfocusedthesisconcretedetailsfrontdoor
approachfullbodiedbiggestpunchthestrongeststatementofyourthesiscomesat
theend(36)

5"Middles"
"Theanalogy"
Primarygoal[ofexpositorywriting]istoexplain(37)
Theexpositorywriterislikeaprosecutingattorney[butyoumustbemorehonest,more
opentoevidence]:Tellemwhatyouregoingtotellem,tellittoem,andthentellem
whatyouvetoldem'(38)
"Thechecklist"
Fiveotheressentials:
1)Awelldefinedthesisorposition
2)Aclearplanofattack
3)Solidevidence
4)Strongcontinuityofargument
5)Apersuasiveclosingappeal(40)
Readerismostconvincedbyquality,notquantity(42)
"Theimportanceofcontinuity"
[Seeboxonpg.51,examplespg.52]
"Finaltips"
1)Makesureyouhaveaclearthesis.(53)
2)"Thinkofyourselfasaprosecutingattorney,thinkofyouressayasacase,andthinkof
yourreaderasahighlyskepticaljury"(53)

3)Proveeachofyourpointssupportingyouroverallthesis(53)
4)"Signpostyourargumenteverystepoftheway"(53)
5)"Assert,thensupportassert,thensupportassert,thensupport"(53)
6)Paragraphsshouldbe"organizedaroundasinglemajorpoint"(53)
7)Insteadofstartingeachparagraphwithatopicsentence,use"abridgesentencewhose
primefunctionistoconveythereaderoverintoanewparagraph"(54)

6"Closers"
1)Getyourmainpointinsharpfocus
2)Gratifyyourreaderwithatleastonenewidea
3)Giveyourendingemotionalimpact(57)