How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide

by Laura Brown

Overview

“There has never been a guide as comprehensive as this to writing in all its forms. . . . Useful, clear and encyclopedic, this book is an essential guide for every household.”—Examiner

Need to know how to format your résumé for that job application? How do you write a cover letter that will stand out? Wondering how to request a letter of recommendation for graduate school? Trying to craft a get-well note that will really help? How informal is too informal when instant messaging in the office? What do you write on the website for your small business? What should you say in a wedding invitation? Or a divorce announcement?

With over 200 how-to entries and easy-to-use models organized into three comprehensive sections on work, school, and personal life, How to Write Anything covers a wide range of topics that make it an essential guide for the whole family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393868043
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/03/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	608
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Laura Brown, PhD, has taught writing to just about everyone—from corporate executives to college students—in her thirty years as a business writing coach. The author of The Only Business Writing Book You'll Ever Need and How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide, she lives in New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Section I The writing process 3

Chapter 1 You can write anything 5

Chapter 2 Finding your process 7

Understand Your Purpose 7

Understand Your Reader 9

Brainstorm Your Content 11

Organize 14

Draft 16

Revise 17

Speed and the Spinner 21

Section II E-Writing and the technology revolution 23

Chapter 3 Choose your weapon 25

To Write or Not to Write 25

If You Write 27

What about the Future? 30

Chapter 4 The process of e-writing 32

Is Your Purpose Clear to You and Your Reader? 33

Is Your Message Tailored to Your Reader? 34

Revise, Revise, Revise 35

Make It a Habit 43

Section III The entries 45

Writing in your personal life 45

The Basics 47

Announcement 47

Invitation 56

Congratulations 65

Thank-You Note 70

Apology 78

Holiday Family Newsletter 83

Love Letter 87

Fan Letter 91

Personal Journal 94

Get-Well Note 96

Obituary 101

Condolence Letter 105

Eulogy 112

Weddings and Births 117

Engagement Announcement 117

Wedding Invitation 120

Wedding Toast 129

Wedding Vows 131

Wedding Announcement 135

Wedding Congratulations 135

Wedding Thank-You 136

Birth Announcement 141

Baby Shower Invitation 144

Baby Gift Thank-You 145

Personal Business 149

Complaint 149

Letter to a Neighbor 156

Letter about Jury Duty 161

Letter to Fight a Parking Ticket 164

Note to Your Child's Teacher 168

Note on the Windshield 172

Note to Recover Lost Property 174

Classified Ad and Online Auction Listing 176

Receipt 180

Community Life 183

Editorial 183

Letter to the Editor 187

Fund-raising Letter 190

Appeal for Volunteers 194

Instructions 198

Note to a House Sitter, Babysitter, or Pet Sitter 198

Recipe 203

Social Media 210

Personal Blog 210

Online Review 213

Facebook Status Update 218

Twitter 219

Writing at school 223

The Basics 225

Note Taking 225

Outline 229

Summary 237

Annotated Bibliography 240

Research Paper 243

Presentation 254

Exam Essay Question 257

Core Writing Assignments 261

Personal Essay 266

Process Description Essay 273

Compare and Contrast Essay 277

Argumentative Essay 282

Interpretive Essay 292

Writing in the Sciences and Social Sciences 300

Science Project Logbook or journal 300

Lab Report 304

Literature Review 309

History Essay 312

Writing in the Arts 322

Art Review 322

Performance Review 327

Book Review 332

Other Forms of Academic Writing 337

College or Scholarship Application Essay 337

Request for Recommendation 347

E-mail to Teacher or Professor 351

Academic Rèsumè 356

Recruiting Letter 361

Athletic Rèsumè/Athletic Profile

Internship Letter 370

School Newspaper 373

Writing at work 379

The Basics 381

Business E-mail 381

Request/Inquiry 386

Instant Message 389

Business Letter 391

Memo 394

Business Apology 397

Business Bio 403

Speech 408

PowerPoint Presentation 412

Questionnaire 418

Message of Introduction 423

Message of Commendation 425

Letter of Recommendation 428

Agenda 432

Business Meeting Announcement 435

Minutes 437

The Job Search and Human Resources 442

Job Description 442

Job Advertisement 446

Cover Letter for Résumé 449

Resume 454

Interview Follow-Up 464

Job Candidate Rejection Letter 468

Job Offer Letter 471

Letter Accepting a job Offer 476

Letter Declining a job Offer 478

Letter Withdrawing from the Job Search 481

Performance Review 483

Resignation Letter 490

Termination Letter 494

Promotion and Public Relations 498

Brochure 498

Newsletter Article 504

Press Release 507

Testimonial 511

Website Copy 515

Business Blog 520

Facebook Status Update 524

Twitter 529

Reports 533

Basic Report Format 533

Transmittal 535

Executive Summary 537

Incident Report 539

Sales and Billing 542

Sales Letter 542

Sales Proposals 548

Invoice 552

Collection Letters 556

Acknowledgments 561

About the author 563

Contributors 564

Index 573

Editorial Reviews

"Laura Brown’s How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide is the most comprehensive guide to writing I’ve seen. I wish the book had been available when I was in college more than 50 years ago."

Huntington News

"A practical guide to everything you’ll ever need to write—at work, at school, and in your personal life… At once a how-to, a reference book, and a pioneering guide for writing in a changing world, this is the only writing resource you’ll ever need."

Teach a CEO

"A terrifically useful resource."

Small Business Resource

"Brown’s ideas of inspired framework and hip-pocket lists of suggestions assured me that I will be rescued from writer’s block when it happens. I think you’ll find this book just as life-saving for your business communication needs."

Small Business Trends

"Laura Brown has written the ultimate guide for anyone who needs to create clear, concise, and compelling written communications. Students, business people, and even seasoned professional writers should keep it handy, right between their dictionary and thesaurus."

Michael Snell

"How to Write Anything is the first book I've seen that addresses the very core of writing for today's digital communications channels. The lessons in this book are for everybody."

Mary Olson

"To author a book called How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide, you have to be foolish, delusional, or be Laura Brown, who pulls it off with grace and wisdom. Brown provides readers with an overview of the writing process—the infrastructure on which all writing is built—and specific strategies for hundreds of situations. Of course, eventually writers have to face each task alone, but they will be well-equipped thanks to Laura Brown."

author of The Writing Workshop Note Book Alan Ziegler

"Laura Brown's ability as a writing coach is unparalleled, and How to Write Anything offers the best of her guidance on business writing. Laura has a gift for helping business writers focus, refine, and develop their ideas, and express those ideas in a compelling way. Whether you are a CEO or a first-time manager, How to Write Anything will help you craft your message for the highest possible impact."

Robert C. Daugherty

"As a writing instructor of over thirty years, I know full well the demands upon young writers. Laura Brown answers the tough questions on how to get started, how to craft tone for a target readership, how to develop succinct content, and how to master argumentation."

Roger Marheine

"Now, this is a reference book worth owning! Brown offers crisp, succinct advice on how to write better complaint letters, business emails, apology notes, and much more. Especially helpful are the visual "Do" and "Don't" charts next to each example."

Entertainment Weekly

"An invaluable guide. If your job or your business depends on delivering clear messages with impact, you need this book."

Bernd Schmitt

02/01/2014
Patrons who are unsure of the appropriate and comforting words for a note of condolence, the enthusiastic and confident tone of a cover letter, or the professional content of a press release will find significant help in this title, which covers writing from interpretative essays to job advertisements and athletes' résumés. Brown provides directions, outlines, and examples of effective writing and invaluable "dos" and "don'ts," accompanied by samples of letters "like this" and "not like this." Equally helpful are specific reasons for not using certain styles, tones, and words. Chapters one and two concentrate on the writing process—brainstorming, organizing, understanding your purpose, revising your words, etc. Subsequent chapters cover writing projects in one's personal life, at school, and at work. The kind and variety of the writing are impressive: a thank-you note, an obituary, a birth announcement, a complaint, an editorial, a personal blog, a research paper, a literature review, an internship letter, etc. Unlike Paula LaRocque's The Book on Writing, this title does not cover creative writing, nor does it include grammatical or word usage particulars. VERDICT A useful handbook for anyone who writes occasionally but especially for those who write often and with a variety of needs.—M.S. Lary, San Bernardino, CA

Library Journal

2014-01-09
An enthusiastic writing coach offers practical support. In this upbeat self-help book, Brown gives advice for putting words together effectively and efficiently. She covers hundreds of different tasks, from resignation letters to classified ads, obituaries to wedding vows, Twitter posts to press releases. Her "proven process" takes the form of a spinner whose arrow points to one of six words indicating stages in the writing process: purpose, reader, brainstorm, organize, draft, revise. Writing rarely proceeds in a linear fashion, she writes, and she encourages writers to start anywhere: "You can start by brainstorming. You can start by writing an outline. You can start by drafting….The real key to success is not going through these six steps in any particular order but simply in ensuring that you've touched all these bases at least once." For most of the writing tasks she considers, Brown shows both successful and unsuccessful samples. Weak pieces fail to consider the writer's goals, have little sense of a reader's needs, unintentionally convey a negative or hostile attitude, or use vague generalizations rather than concrete details. Although she doesn't cover grammar, Brown insists that every piece of writing needs to be proofread—even emails. Up-to-the-minute sections cover personal blog entries, online reviews and Facebook status updates. The section on writing at school seems more appropriate to high school assignments than the analytical and critical essays required in college classes. More helpful is advice on how to write a high school work resume and an internship application letter, tasks that students often find daunting. The author brings considerable experience as a business-writing consultant to a section on writing at work, including Power Point presentations, minutes, job descriptions, cover letters and candidate rejection letters. Besides hints for language, content and organization, she reminds readers of the legal consequences of what they put in writing. Brown's concrete, common-sense approach makes this book a useful reference.

Kirkus Reviews