Getting started. Before we begin
Questions about this book
Introduction to the writer's practice. How do I
Skills drills. Who are they? (profiling)
Making inferences from observations
Where did you go? (sense memory)
Bringing the world to the page
You did what? (adventure report)
Is it true? Did it really happen? (experience vs. memory)
Analytical writing. What's the right thing to do? (ethical dilemma)
If it isn't true, why do people believe it? (conspiracy theory analysis)
Who are we? (rhetorical analysis of a commercial)
What's so funny? (rhetorical analysis of a work of humor)
What's going to happen? (playing the pundit)
Why proofreading is so difficult
How's it all going to end? (judging the apocalypse)
Research and argument. What do they mean? (argument summary and response)
Huh? Say what? (research translation)
The perils of "objectivity"
Why should I trust this? (understanding sources)
Hey, whaddaya know? (trivia questions and annotated bibliography)
Is a hot dog a sandwich? (impossible argument)
You've got to do this! (passion argument)
Why am I so angry and what can I do about it? (problem/solution argument)
Version 1: school edition
What do you want to say? (finding your own argument)
Other writing experiences. May I
Are you trying to make me angry? (conflict letter)
How can I help you help me? (solution letter)
If I knew then what I know now (advice to your former self)
What should I do? (advice to someone else)
No, seriously, make me laugh (short imagined monologue)
Who is this stranger? (profile)
Who is this special person? (tribute)
The right word vs. the almost right word (thinking about sentences)
This is the end. Who are you now? (as a writer).