Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Manage Your Writing 1
Be Your Own Communication Department 3
Writing in a Knowledge Economy 8
What a Writing Course Can-and Can't-Do 12
How to Use This Book 16
"The Discipline of the Craft" 17
Managing Your Writing Time 18
The Law of the Next Action 21
The 12 Steps 23
Manage Your Writing 25
Manage Your Writing Today 26
Chapter 1 Find the "We": Manage Your Relationship with Your Reader 27
Communication and Community 30
Personality 32
Attitude 35
Circumstances 38
Knowledge 41
Manage Your Writing Today 45
Chapter 2 Make Holes, Not Drills: Manage with Purpose 47
Death to Subject Lines 50
Ko and Mei Communication 53
The Long and Short of It 54
The Corporate Communication Grid 56
Manage Your Writing Today 61
Chapter 3 Get Your Stuff Together: Manage Your Information 63
Asking Questions 65
Outside and Inside 68
Map Your Information 70
Manage Your Writing Today 73
Chapter 4 Get Your Ducks in a Row: Manage Your Structure 75
An Everyday Example 78
The Technique of Organizing 81
Formulas 82
Writing to Sell 87
From Information to Knowledge 90
Manage Your Writing Today 94
Chapter 5 Do It Wrong the First Time: Manage Your Drafting 97
Draft as Prototype 98
Debriefing the Exercise 101
Overcoming Writer's Block 102
Writing and "Flow" 103
Manage Your Writing Today 106
Chapter 6 Take a Break and Change Hats: Manage Your Internal Writer and Editor 109
Breaking for Objectivity 110
From Writer-Based to Reader-Based 113
The Two Hats 115
Manage Your Writing Today 122
Chapter 7 Signal Your Turns: Manage Your Paragraphs 125
Tools for Revision 127
Turn Signals 129
Manage Your Writing Today 140
Chapter 8 Say What You Mean: Manage Your Subjects and Verbs 143
Hidden Subjects 145
Hidden Verbs 146
Hidden Subjects and Verbs 148
Active or Passive 149
Modifiers 151
Manage Your Writing Today 156
Chapter 9 Pay by the Word: Manage Your Sentence Economy 159
Objectivity and Common Sense 162
Two Tools 164
Beckwith on Economy 165
Manage Your Writing Today 168
Chapter 10 Translate into English: Manage Your Word Choices 171
Learning from the IRS 173
Word Histories 176
Good Reasons Otherwise 181
Readability Formulas and Style Checkers 184
Deliberate "Obfuscation"? 186
Three Examples 188
Manage Your Writing Today 192
Chapter 11 Finish the Job: Manage Your Spelling, Punctuation, and Mechanics 195
Manage Your Writing Today 202
Chapter 12 Manage Your Writing: Evaluate Your Writing Process 205
Manage Your Writing Today 206
Appendix A Manage Your Online Writing 209
Appendix B Manage Your Global Writing: The Case of the Belgian Fries 217
Appendix C Manage Your Speaking 223
Appendix D Resources for Managing Your Writing 229
Index 233
