The Lost Tools of Writing, Level One is an intermediate writing course rooted in the canons (categories) of rhetoric, which define the writing process used. Classical rhetoric consists of five canons that organize the writer’s and speaker’s task: invention, arrangement, elocution (style), memory, and delivery. This course focuses on the first three—invention, arrangement, and elocution. With adaptation, these writing exercises are still essential for today’s students who wish to prepare for clear, thoughtful, and winsome communication. Once a young person grasps how to use these tools effectively, the stress, confusion, and fear that may have accompanied previous writing courses fades, replaced by a new sense of confidence. This is the course for the student who is looking for practical help in areas like these:

• Getting started with a composition
• Coming up with good ideas
• Locating facts
• Defending an argument
• Moving or convincing the reader
• Arranging ideas for maximum impact
• Creating and organizing outlines
• Transitioning from one thought to the next
• Finding enough to say
• Saying the right things