Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Introduction 1
4. 1. “Jargon-y, Theory-Heavy, and Obscure”: Handling Specialized Language 18
5. 2. Stage-Setting, Recapping, and Forecasting: Reducing “Traffic Direction” and Procedural Language 55
6. 3. “Doesn’t Flow”: Improving Sequencing and Organization 83
7. 4. “I’ve Been Struggling with Structure Since the Dissertation”: Solving Structural Problems 128
8. 5. “Too Much Just Put There”: Dealing with Source Material 146
9. 6. “Book Has No Through-Line”: Tackling Common Thesis Problems 177
10. 7. “Length! A Huge Concern!”: When a Manuscript Must (or Should) Be Shortened 189
11. 8. “Make It Readable”: Revising Syntax and Sentence Construction 206
12. 9. “Awk.”: Finding Your Cadence, Tone, and Voice 228
13. 10. “Metaphors Gone Awry”: Fine-Tuning Figurative Language 253
14. 11. “Needs Tightening and Strengthening”: Clarifying Verbs, Subjects, and Objects 272
15. 12. “Bizarre Words and Flaky Diction”: Replacing Inapt Words and Phrases 286
16. 13. When Others Identify Problems: Coping Productively with Criticism 303
17. A Note of Encouragement 327
18. The Style Audit 329
19. Works Cited 337
20. Acknowledgments 341
21. Index 343