This article outlines a three-part pedagogy capable of responding to the risks, rewards, and headaches associated with public rhetoric and writing. To demonstrate the purchase of this pedagogy, I revisit one of the oldest and most misunderstood public rhetoric and writing assignments: the letter-to-the-editor assignment.

The revision of written work should be thought of by students as a creative process, just as the editing of a film is a creative process. (JH)

One approach for encouraging students to develop their sense of audience is for them to record an interview, transcribe it, and then edit the written form for different audiences and rhetorical purposes. (HOD)

Notes that George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" is frequently encountered in textbooks that ignore the existence of the original audience. Argues that textbook editors thereby misinform students by failing to show how writers recognize and write to particular audiences, and how writers' specific audiences determine many of the authors'…

A middle ground, between picky concern for correctness and mushy libertarianism, must be found on which to base effective freshman composition courses. (JH)

If we want monority students to be able to speak out effectively for their rights, we must teach them, without destroying their own voices, to use language that cannot be labeled substandard. (JH)

One teaching approach for basic writing students is to have them transcribe their inner speech--of matching their oral language to written language. (HOD)

Offers three techniques for helping students learn to revise entire pieces, discover how words work in context, and eliminate errors. (RL)