Letter to Tom with Inspiration Software.
Think about Tom's predicaments: both with Becky and the Injun Joe/oath-to-keep-mum situation. Write a letter to Tom that:  1. Shows you know the details of his main problems. 2. Gives him advice on what to do next. 3. Explains why your advice is good, and answers a possible objection. -- Make it at about 300 words long. Use letter form. Spelling, punctuation, and neatness count! Proofread it when you are done. Extra credit for good use of slang/dialect.
Part One: Brainstorming Ideas.
  1. Double-click on Inspiration to start it.
  2. In the center oval, type "Tom's problems."
  3. Click the Rapid Fire button. 
  4. Type "The problem with Becky is...(blah, blah, blah)" and hit Enter.
  5. Type "The problem with Injun Joe is...(blah, blah, blah)" and hit Enter.

  6. Click somewhere else, off to the side of the diagram you just made. 
  7. Over on the Tools Bar, click the oval (or one of the rectangles).
  8. Type "Advice for Becky Problem."
  9. Click the Rapid Fire button.
  10. Now, brainstorm possible advice for Tom. What should he DO about his problem with Becky? After you type each one, hit Enter. The software will make a new balloon for each idea.
  11. Once you have a bunch of ideas for the Becky problem, click somewhere else, off to the side of the diagram you just made.
  12. Over on the Tools Bar, click the oval (or one of the rectangles).
  13. When it appears on the screen, click on it, and type "Advice for Injun Joe Problem"
  14. Click the Rapid Fire button again.
  15. Now brainstorm advice for Tom's second big problem. What should he DO about his oath and the murder? After you type each one, hit Enter. The software will make a new balloon for each idea.
  16. Once you have a bunch of ideas, look at all the things you came up with, and decide which piece of advice you will use for each problem.
  17. Click once on the idea you like and then click the big star in the Tools Bar. Star an idea for each problem.

    18. Objections/Rebuttals
  18. Click on one of your starred ideas.
  19. Click the Rapid Fire button again.
  20. Now brainstorm possible objections to that idea. After each one, hit Enter.
  21. Change the ovals for the objections to the talk balloon shape.
  22. Now think about your rebuttals for each objection. Click once on an objection, click the Rapid Fire button, and type your rebuttals for each objection, and hit Enter after each one.
  23. Change those rebuttal ovals to little clouds.

  24. Save to your spot on the server. Call the file "Tom's problems."
Part Two: Organizing and writing.
  1. Look at your diagram, and delete the ideas you didn't star. (Click once on each, and hit the delete key.)
  2. Now, click the Outline button.
  3. You will see your letter organized for you.
  4. If the "Tom's Problems" part ends up at the bottom, click on the small box to the left of that line of the outline, and drag it to the top.
  5. Go to the File menu, and choose "Transfer to Word Processor."
  6. This will open up Word.
  7. Begin writing your letter, above the outline. Use the outline to remind yourself how to organize your letter, and what to say. "Dear Tom, I see you got a whopper of a problem with that gal, Becky. You went and talked about Amy..."
  8. Be sure to save your Word document to your space on the server. BUT, DON'T SAVE THE INSPIRATION FILE! I want to see all your ideas, not just the ones you used.
  9. Remember: You get bonus credit for good use of slang. Spelling, punctuation, and mechanics all count. Use paragraphs.