rhetoric

Young-adult novelist Judith Ortiz Cofer discusses her personal development from her childhood in Puerto Rico to her role as an American writer and teacher, describing the tools she uses to generate ideas and improve the effectiveness of her writing.

Presents step-by-step guidance for writing several kinds of letters, including personal, career and employment, general business, customer service, sales and marketing, internal, vendor, and credit, collection, and billing correspondence as well as E-mails and faxes, and includes over three hundred sample letters.

Presents writing techniques useful for getting words on paper, for revising, for dealing with an audience, and for getting feedback.

Offers advice on the scholarship application process, what judges look for, interview strategies, and examples of both successful and unsuccessful scholarship essays accompanied by constructive criticism.

Presents an introduction to expository writing, explaining that it contains writing that informs or provides facts, and can include anything from a science report to a letter to the president, showing how to write with main ideas, supporting facts, and strong conclusions.

Shares the secrets of powerful writing and explains how to eliminate poor writing habits, enliven tired vocabulary, write effectively for a target audience, and express oneself with greater clarity, harmony, and specificity.