The Concise Edition of the popular title, The Curious Writer offers the same unique, entertaining, and personal author voice that is sure to grab reader’s interest and motivate them to write. In an abbreviated format, The Curious Writer offers an emphasis on inquiry as both a driving force behind the writing process and a method of discovery and learning. The book operates on the principle that writers, who begin with questions, rather than answers, achieve better results in their work.
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The Concise Edition of the popular title, The Curious Writer offers the same unique, entertaining, and personal author voice that is sure to grab readers interest and motivate them to write. In an abbreviated format, The Curious Writer offers an emphasis on inquiry as both a driving force behind the writing process and a method of discovery and learning. The book operates on the principle that writers, who begin with questions, rather than answers, achieve better results in their work.
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1: WRITING AS INQUIRY
Motives for Writing
Beliefs About Writing
Exercise 1.1: What Do You Believe?
One Students Response: Jons Journal
Inquiring into the Details: Journals
Unlearning Unhelpful Beliefs
The Beliefs of This Book
Inquiring into the Details: Portfolios
Writing Situations and Rhetorical Choices
Habits of Mind
Start with Questions, Not Answers
Suspend Judgment
Search for Surprise
Exercise 1.2: A Roomful of Details
One Students Response: Margarets Journal
Inquiring into the Details: Invention Strategies
Writing as a Process
Recognizing the Challenges
Exercise 1.3 What Is Your Process?
Thinking About Your Process
Linear versus Recursive Models
Dialectical Thinking
Exercise 1.4 Practicing Dialectical Thinking
One Students Response: Jons Journal
Writing with Computers: Knowing When to Step away from the
Computer
Exercise 1.5 Overcome Your Own Challenges
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 2: READING AS INQUIRY
Motives for Reading
Beliefs About Reading
Exercise 2.1 What Do You Believe?
Reading Situations and Rhetorical Choices
Reading as a Process
Linear versus Recursive Models
Exercise 2.2 Reading Strategies
Reading: Henry David Thoreau, Excerpt from Walden
Inquiring into the Details: Reading Perspectives
Dialectical Thinking
Writing with Computers: Reflection and Dialectical Thinking on a
Computer
Believing and Doubting
Exercise 2.3 Practicing Dialectical Thinking
Reading: Bruce Ballenger, The Importance of Writing Badly
One Students Response: Todds Journal
Inquiring into the Details: The Double-Entry Journal
Adapting to Unfamiliar Reading Situations
Exercise 2.4 Further Practice: Untangling Academic Prose
Reading: David W. Noble, excerpt from The Forces of Production: A Social
History of Industrial Automation
Inquiring into the Details: Encountering Unfamiliar Genres
Reading The Visual
Learning the Grammar of Images
Some Strategies for Reading Images
Exercise 2.5 Reading Images
The Look of Writing
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 3: WAYS OF INQUIRING
Opening Questions for Inquiry
Exploration
Explanation
Evaluation
Reflection
Practicing Inquiry
Reading: Bruce Ballenger, How Much Should We Care What Happens to
Animals
Exercise 3.1 Exploring Within and Without
Reading: Frank Bruni, excerpt from It Died for Us
One Students Response: Daniels Journal
Exercise 3.2 Explaining to Yourself, Explaining to Others
One Students Response: Daniels Journal
Exercise 3.3 Evaluating the Arguments
One Students Response: Daniels Journal
Exercise 3.4 Reflecting on the Process
One Students Response: Daniels Journal
Symphonic Inquiry
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 4: WRITING A PERSONAL ESSAY
Writing About Experience
Motives for Writing a Personal Essay
Personal Essays and Academic Writing
Features of the Form
Personal Essay: Naomi Shibab Nye, Long Overdue
Inquiring into the Essay
Personal Essay: Judith Ortiz Cofer, One More Lesson
Inquiring into the Essay
Seeing the Form: Self Portrait by Frances Benjamin Johnston
The Writing Process
Thinking About Subjects
Generating Ideas
One Students Response: Margarets Journal
Inquiring into the Details: Clustering or Mapping
Judging What You Have
Writing the Sketch
Writing with Computers: Cutting versus Deleting
Student Sketch: Lana Kuchta, The Way I Remember
Moving from Sketch to Draft
Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information
Composing the Draft
Workshopping the Draft
Revising the Draft
Polishing the Draft
Student Essay: Julia C. Arredondo, Beet Field Dreams
Evaluating the Essay
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 5: WRITING A REVIEW
Writing That Evaluates
Motives for Writing a Review
The Review and Academic Writing
Features of the Form
Review: Lester Bangs, Review of Peter Guralnicks Lost Highways
Inquiring into the Essay
Review: Ann Hodgman, No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch
Inquiring into the Essay
Seeing the Form: Choosing the Best Picture
The Writing Process
Thinking About Subjects
Generating Ideas
Writing with Computers: Spelling, Grammar, and Style Checkers
Judging What You Have
Exercise 5.1 From Jury to Judgment One Students Response:
Christys Journal
Writing the Sketch
Student Sketch: Christy Claymore, Casablanca: Even As Time Goes By
Moving from Sketch to Draft
Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information
Composing the Draft
Workshopping the Draft
One Students Response: Christys Journal
Revising the Draft
Polishing the Draft
Student Essay: Christy Claymore, Casablanca Endures: Even As Time Goes By
Evaluating the Essay
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 6: WRITING A PROPOSAL
Writing About Problems and Solutions
Problems of Consequence
Problems of Scale
Motives for Writing Proposals
The Proposal and Academic Writing
Features of the Form
Proposal: Barrett Seaman, How Binging Became the New College Sport
Inquiring into the Essay
Proposal: Michael Arad and Peter Walker, Reflecting Absence
Inquiring into the Essay
Proposal: Julie Ann Homutoff, A Research Proposal: Effect of Infants
Perceived Gender?
Inquiring into the Essay
Seeing the Form: The Faces of Meth Use
The Writing Process
Thinking About Subjects
Generating Ideas
One Students Response: Caesars Journal
One Students Response: Ginas Journal
Judging What You Have
Inquiring into the Details: Writing a Research Proposal
Writing the Sketch
Student Sketch: Gina Sinisi, Clothing Optional
Moving from Sketch to Draft
One Students Response: Ginas Journal
Writing with Computers: Tracking Changes to a Draft
Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information
Composing the Draft
Inquiring into the Details: EvidenceA Case Study
Workshopping the Draft
Revising the Draft
Polishing the Draft
Student Essay: Gina Sinisi, Clothing Optional
Evaluating the Essay
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 7: WRITING AN ARGUMENT
Writing to Persuade People
Getting into Arguments
Arguments and Inquiry
Making Claims
Two Sides to Every Argument?
Motives for Writing an Argument
The Argument and Academic Writing
Features of the Form
Argument: Alice Goodman, Getting Real in the Classroom
Inquiring into the Essay
Inquiring into the Details: Some Basic Argument Strategies
Argument: George F. Will, The `Growth Model and the Growth of Illiteracy
Inquiring into the Essay
Argument: Erin Aubry Kaplan, Still Trying to Kick the Kink
Inquiring into the Essay
Seeing the Form: The Imagetext As Argument
The Writing Process
Thinking About Subjects
Generating Ideas
One Students Response: Bens Journal
Writing with Computers: Arguments on the Internet
Judging What You Have Got
Writing the Sketch
Student Sketch: Ben Bloom, How to Really Rock the Vote
Moving from Sketch to Draft
Inquiring into the Details: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos and the
Rhetorical Situation
Inquiring into the Details: Using Toulmin to Analyze Arguments
Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information
Composing the Draft
Inquiring into the Details: What Evidence Can Do
Workshopping the Draft
Inquiring into the Details: Ten Common Logical Fallacies
Revising the Draft
Polishing the Draft
Student Essay: Kelly Sundberg, I Am Not a Savage
Evaluating the Essay
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 8: WRITING A CRITICAL ESSAY
Writing About Literature
Motives for Writing a Critical Essay
The Critical Essay and Academic Writing
Features of the Form
Short Story: Leslie Marmon Silko, Lullaby
Inquiring into the Story
One Students Response: Noels Journal
Short Story: Joyce Carol Oates, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Inquiring into the Story
Critical Essay: Alice Hall Petry, Who Is Ellie? Oates `Where Are Where Are
You Going, Where Have You Been?
Inquiring into the Essay
Seeing the Form: Christinas World by Andrew Wyeth
The Writing Process
Thinking About Subjects
Generating Ideas
Inquiring into the Details: Common Literary Devices
Judging What You Have
Writing a Sketch
Student Sketch: Julie Bird, What Is the Role of Nature in `Lullaby?
Moving from Sketch to Draft
Research and Other Strategies: Gathering More Information
Composing the Draft
Workshopping the Draft
Revising the Draft
Polishing the Draft
Student Essay: Julie Bird, Nature as Being: Landscape in Silkos `Lullaby
Evaluating the Essay
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 9: RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
Methods of Collecting
Research in the Electronic Age
Magic Words That Open Doors
How Librarians Organize Books
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Google Your Boole
Writing with Computers: Researching Online
Developing Working Knowledge
Searching Key Library References
Inquiring into the Details: Methods of Recording Information
Conducting Subject Surveys on the Web
Inquiring into the Details: The Working Bibliography
Evaluating Library Sources
Evaluating Web Sources
Developing Focused Knowledge
Finding Books
Inquiring into the Details: How to Annotate a Book
Finding Periodicals
Finding Newspapers
Finding Sources on the Web
Writing in the Middle: Synthesizing Source Information and Your Own Ideas
Writing with Computers: Plagiarism and the Internet
One Students Response: Claudes Research Log
Interviews
Arranging Interviews
Making Contact
Conducting the Interview
Using the Interview in Your Writing
Surveys
Defining a Surveys Goals and Audience
Types of Survey Questions
Inquiring into the Details: Types of Survey Questions
Crafting Survey Questions
Conducting a Survey
Using Survey Results in Your Writing
Knowing When to Stop
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 10: USING AND CITING SOURCES
Controlling Information
Using Sources
Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Quoting
Citing Sources
Avoiding Plagiarism
Exercise 10.1 The Accidental Plagiarist
MLA Documentation Guidelines
Inquiring into the Details: The Common Knowledge Exception
Citing Sources
Inquiring into the Details: Citations That Go with the Flow
Writing with Computers: Formatting in the MLA Style
Format
Preparing the Works Cited Page
A Sample Paper in the MLA Style
Student Essay: Amy Garrett, We Need the Sun
APA Documentation Guidelines
Inquiring into the Details: Recent APA Style Changes
How the Essay Should Look
Citing Sources in Your Essay
Preparing the References List
A Sample Paper in the APA Style
Using What You Have Learned
CHAPTER 11: REVISION STRATEGIES
Reseeing Your Topic
Divorcing the Draft
Writing with Computers: When your Computer Makes it Hard to
Divorce a Draft
Strategies for Divorcing the Draft
Five Categories of Revision
Problems of Purpose
Revision Strategy 11.1: Whats Your Primary Motive?
Revision Strategy 11.2: What Do You Want to Know About What You
Learned?
One Students Response: Julias Draft
Revision Strategy 11.3: Finding the Focusing Question
Revision Strategy 11.4: Whats the Relationship?
Problems with Meaning
Implicit or Explicit Meaning
Looking Beyond the Obvious
Methods for Discovering Your Thesis
Revision Strategy 11.5: Find the Instructive Line
Revision Strategy 11.6: Looping Toward a Thesis
Revision Strategy 11.7: Reclaiming Your Topic
Revision Strategy 11.8: Believing and Doubting
Methods for Refining Your Thesis
Revision Strategy 11.9: Questions as Knives
Revision Strategy 11.10: Qualifying Your Claims
Problems with Information
Revision Strategy 11.11: Explode a Moment
Revision Strategy 11.12: Beyond Examples
Revision Strategy 11.13: Research
Revision Strategy 11.14: Backing up Your Assumptions
Problems with Structure
Formal Academic Structures
Revision Strategy 11.15: Reorganizing Around Thesis and
Support
Revision Strategy 11.16: Multiple Leads
Inquiring into the Details: Types of Leads
Revision Strategy 11.17: The Frankenstein Draft
Revision Strategy 11.18: Make a PowerPoint Outline
Problems of Clarity and Style
Solving Problems of Clarity
Revision Strategy 11.19: Untangling Paragraphs
Inquiring into the Details: Transition Flags
Revision Strategy 11.20: Cutting Clutter
Revision Strategy 11.21: The Actor and the Action Next Door
Improving Style
Revision Strategy 11.22: Actors and Actions
Revision Strategy 11.23: Smoothing the Choppiness
Revision Strategy 11.24: Fresh Ways to Say Things
Using What You Have Learned
INDEX
