Cites the news story "lead," which tells immediately what the story is about, as necessary for "hooking" the reader. States that leads do not come that easily, but that they must deliver the news. Adds that a good lead should eliminate unnecessary words and select key words. Offers examples of good and bad leads. (PA)

Discusses the need to provide evidence when making claims, particularly when reporting research results. Suggests evidence should be precise; be wary of generalizations; question authority; and link the manuscript together in a coherent manner. (LRW)

Reports on research which argues that if students are to develop their own writers' voices, they must be given the time to mull over and make changes to their writing and to discuss and appreciate the voice in the writing of others. (SR)

Argues that corporate style guides create consistency in documents, promote a professional image, train new employees, and define document generation. Describes how to develop a corporate style guide. (SR)

Examines the paradigm "the writer is self-contained," which underlies current writing practices in business and education. Discusses how creating a supportive climate for the writing process relates to the paradigm "every writer needs an editor." Discusses the implications of making such a change in business, industry, and education. (SR)

Describes two ways to combat "bad tone" and "unclear thinking" in writing. Describes "breaking the ice" as being aware of a written message's appearance--the message's readability. Explains that "fog-lifting" is accomplished by writing clearly, and by paying particular attention to the verb "to…

Describes the author's experience with a writing group at a summer institute. Reconstructs the writing group's process, describing the evolution of a poem about the death of his sister and the writing group's invaluable assistance in that history. (SR)

Argues, from the point of view of an undergraduate engineering student, that making the pass/fail grading system mandatory for college freshman composition students will help them achieve the goal of learning to write. (SR)

Explains and exemplifies terminal modifiers in the context of technical writing. Examines representative technical reports and finds that increased attention to terminal modifiers (especially the absolute, the summarizing appositive, and the nonparticipial adjective phrase) would significantly increase options for effective expression. (SR)

Discusses the overuse of capital letters in technical writing. (SR)

Provides 10 tips on things not to do when writing stories, including not believing any of the other 9 "don'ts." (SR)

Maintains that cliches can improve students' writing style. Describes six techniques for polishing cliches into something original. (SR)

Describes briefly the historical development of the English language. Argues that technical writers should use mostly words derived from Anglo-Saxon with only an occasional drop of Latinate to liven things up. (SR)

Discusses kinds of jargon found in technical writing, how much jargon is acceptable, and the best way to handle jargon. (SR)

Describes three principles of direct mail sales letters intended to entice readers to read them: the personalized look; an indirect arrangement of support; and readability ease. (SR)