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DOCUMENT RESUME CS 212 771 ED 334 573 Henson, Kenneth T. AUTHOR Writing for Successful P.11)lication. TITLE ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication INSTITUTION Skills, Bloomington, IN.; National Educational Service, Bloomington, IN. Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), SPONS AGENCY Washington, DC. ISBN-1-879639-04-01 REPORT NO PUB DATE 91 RI88062001 CONTRACT 289p. NOTE ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication AVAILABLE FROM Skills, Smith Research Center, Suite 150, 2805 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47408 ($21.95); National Educational Service, 1610 W. 3rd St., P.O. Box 8, Bloomington, IN 47402 ($21.95). Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) -- Information PUB TYPE Analyses - ERIC Clearinghouse Products (071) MF01/PC12 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Faculty Publishing; Publishing Industry; *Scholarly DESCRIPTORS Journals; *Writing for Publication; *Writing Improvement; *Writing Skills Scholarly Writing; Stylistics; Writing Style IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT Arguing that becoming a successful author requires the ability to write simply, clearly, and forcefully, this book provides practical suggestion for clear and forceful professional (2) "Finding Topics"; writing. Chapters include: (1) "Why Write"; (3) (5) "Organizing Articles"; (6) (4) "About Style"; "Getting Started"; "Using Journals, Libraries and Surveys"; (7) "The Most Common Errors (In Journal Writing); (8) "Communicating with Journal Editors": (9) "Questions Beginners Ask"; (10) "Getting Book Contracts"; (11) "Business Writing"; and (12) "Beyond Luck: Planning for Success." (RS) *********************************************************************** Reproductiohis supplied by MRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *************m******************************************************* WRIIIII0 FO SUCCESSFUL PUBLICATIO DV KENNETH I. HENSON BEST COPY AVAILABLE Learo how HE Select topics select louroals Write lead seuteoces write query letters use questionnaires Dm lop style Nepotiate cootracts S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OflI r 1jI !aucafinra, Resawch ana ,mpto.ement E DUCATIONAL RE SOURCES INFORMATION CENTER 'ERIC' 1:-1 ;,/ fa SS yelms CIO( .rhunI hdS heeh MAHONE Ier enrol Info P person or cut,fin.tilhOn iy.y.natny .1 ERI-C1 EDUCRIIONfil M.no, hanips Nive beer mfide fff Improve SERUICE reprOdUr 1.On duenly of op.n.ons staled r MSC/0C U menf du nof net essinly ,eptesen1 ottICICI Of RI potolion of poKr A SPECIAL CHAPTER 011 BUSIIIESS WRIIIII6 WRITING FOR SUCCESSFUL PUBLICATION KENNETH T. HENSON NAHUM E R fOU(1111001 SERVICE J NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICE ERIC CLEARINGHOUSE ON READING AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS Bloomington, Indiana 1991 Published 1991 by ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills Carl B. Smith, Director and National Educational Service This publication was prepared with partial funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. RI88062001. Contractors under- taking such projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their judgment in professional and technical matters. Points of view or opinions, however, do not necessarily represent the official view or opinions of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Cover design by Brian Thatcher Printed in the United States of America ISBN 1-879639-04-01 r DEDICATION who have participated in This book is dedicated to all the hosts classes and workshops, including my writing permitted me to bring the work- and faculties who have questions and insights have shop to their campuses. Yziur opportunities to better provided for yourselves and for me publication. I respect the understand the art of writing for do it right. merit in learning t 3 fact that you recognize the know you can succeed at And when you do it right, you whatever level you choose. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to express my appreciation to the staff at Phi Delta Kappa for the opportunities they have given me to expand and improve my own writing program. Starting in 1984, former Kappan editor Bob Cole and current Kap- pan editor Pauline Gough have published all of my biennial surveys of journal editors in PDK's premier journal, the Kappan. Thanks to Derek Burleson, Special Publi- cations Editor, for publishing my Kappan fastback Writ- ing for Professional Publication. A special thanks to Phil Harris who Iris provided many opportunities for me to take my writing workshop to campuses from Miami to San Diego, and for asking me to develop and trJach week-long, advanced summer writing institutes at Indiana University. Phil, thanks to you and Polly Pershing, of all the workshops we've done, there's never been a snare. Anyone who has attended a PDK biennial conference understands the precision, qual- ity, and integrity that permeate the staff at Phi Delta Kappa. I thank all of you. Geralt1 Unks, E&tor, The High School Journal, has always been generous with his time in providing help for struggling writers. Many of us owe yoL a debt of grati- tude. Thanks. Dale Baughman, John Carter, Dave Gilman, the jaes at staff at Contemporary Education and their collea Indiana State University; Charles Galloway, Dc,nald Lu.x, and Marjory Seltzer at Theory Into Practice, and Tom Buttery, American Middle School Education, thanks for the opportunities you have given me to learn about writing through guest editing. For his help editing the original manuscript, I want to thank my good friend Peter Oliva whose own dedication to the craft of writing provides a model for other authors. I also appreciate the excellent word processing of Teresa Barnes who works magic with the computer. I want to acknowledge Nancy Shin az,c1 Finally, Alan Blankstein at National Educational Service for their dedication to this project and for making it an enjoy- able experience Thanks. -1 V , THE AUTHOR Kenneth Henson is a writer. His thirteen books were published by D.C. Heath, F.E. Peacock, Longman, Mac- millan, McGraw-Hill, Merrill, National Educational Serv- ice, Sycamore Press, and Teachers College Press. His more than 100 articles have appeared in two dozen national jounals. since 1984 his articles in tLe Kappan have reported his biennial survey of journal editors. His other articles on writing for publication have appeared in the business journal Training and Development, the NASSP Bulletin, The Writer, and The Writer's Yearbook. He is author of the Phi Delta Kappa monograph, Writing for Publication. Kenneth Henson is a speaker who has taken his writing workshop to more than 100 cities and campuses nationwide. His week-long Phi Delta Kappa Writing Sum- mer Workshops are offered at Indiana University and San Diego State University. Kenneth Henson is Ira editor. He has served on the review board of Action in 7eacher Education, American Middle School Education, The Physics Thacher, and The Journal of Thacher Education. He has served as guest editor of American Middle School Education, Contempo- rary Educatirn, Gateway. to Teacher Education, and The- ory Into Practice. For his work with several issues of Theory Into Practice he received the Ohio State Univer- sity Distinguished Service Award. Kenneth Henson is a 7..esearcher. His grants have produced over one million dollars. One proposal funded vi six summer institutes for physics teachers. Another proposal funded a ccmpetency-based teacher education program which received the Association of Thacher Educators Distinguished Program Runner-up Award. His studies of journal requirements are now being replicated in other disciplines and in other countries. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One: WHY WRITE 1 1. Reasons to Write 3 2. A Time and Place for Everything 10 3. Tooling Up for the Job 12 4. Taking Inventory 14 Chapter Two: FINDING TOPICS 17 1. Just One Good Topic 17 2. The Dissertation 18 3. Your Job 21 4. Other Occupations 22 5. Reference Books 23 6. Forecasting the Future 25 Chapter Three: GETTING STARTED 29 1. The Right Title 29 2. Selecting Titles for Nonfiction Journal Artickis 31 3. Writing The First Sentence 34 4. Paragraphing 37 5. Go Ahead and Write 38 Chapter Four: ABOUT STY1.E 42 1. Handicaps that Defeat Would-he Writers 43 2. 18 Reasons Why People Don't Write 43 3. Writing Cearly 47 4. Editing Exerds- 48