Writing and editing guides Books

Book SynopsisA Strategic Guide to Technical Communication incorporates useful and specific strategies for writers to create aesthetically appealing and usable technical documentation. These strategies have been developed and tested on a thousand students from a number of different disciplines over twelve years and three institutions. The second edition adds a chapter on business communication, reworks the discussion on technical style, and expands the information on visual communication and ethics into free-standing chapters. Particular attention is paid throughout to the needs of Canadian students.Trade ReviewComments on the previous edition:“What a fantastic textbook! Concise and practical, A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication is an outstanding text that provides theoretically well-grounded, pedagogically sound, and hands-on guidance to creating effective professional documents. It’s one of those rare textbooks students will want to keep on their book shelves well beyond their graduation.” — Doreen Starke-Meyerring, McGill University“Clear, accessible, and immaculately written, A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication is a superb choice for the introductory technical communication course. The organization of the text is excellent, guiding students through style and document design to the major genres of technical discourse, ethics, and usability testing, concluding with impressive chapters on online documentation and oral presentations. Without question, A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication is my text of choice for our undergraduate technical communication course.” — Joseph Little, Niagara University“A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication covers clearly and well the main genres of technical writing—further, it includes in-depth, thought-provoking, up-to-date sections on topics such as navigating ethical issues; setting up, conducting, and reporting usability studies; and writing online documents. This book would work equally well for a technical communication course and for courses in business or professional writing: its rhetorical perspective and wide-ranging coverage go well beyond the features common to bestselling technical writing texts.” — Kelly Belanger, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University“Intelligently organized and informed by the latest in theory and research, A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication is a comprehensive and user-friendly textbook. Instructors will appreciate its solid grounding in theory and research, its many examples of student writing, and its helpfully integrated in-class exercises, lab assignments, and suggestions for major projects. Students will like the book’s hands-on approach and practical strategies for writing, designing, and testing documents for real users in both traditional and online environments.” — Jo-Anne Andre, University of CalgaryTable of ContentsPREFACE ONE THINKING ABOUT AUDIENCE, PURPOSE, AND GENREWhat is technical communication?How does it differ from other types of writing?IN-CLASS EXERCISE 1.1Applying the Communication Triangle to Sample DocumentsCreative vs. technical writingIN-CLASS EXERCISE 1.2Analysing Documents with Multiple AimsWho are these “users”?Ways of thinking about usersIN-CLASS EXERCISE 1.3Analysing Multiple Audiences for DocumentsHow do you learn about your users? Interview usersObserve usersInterview expertsCreate user profiles IN-CLASS EXERCISE 1.4Write a User ProfileReaching your primary usersWhy are you writing?LAB ASSIGNMENT 1.1Characterizing Your UsersWhat is genre?LAB ASSIGNMENT 1.2Linking Purpose and Audience Structural conventionsRhetorical conventionsOrganization and presentation of contentGoals and function of the genreGenre and activity setsWhat are the main genres of technical communication? Why does genre matter?How does one analyse a new genre? Analysing style sentencesparagraphs Analysing structureAnalysing register diction (word choice) What are genre sets?How are the documents in genre sets interdependent?LAB ASSIGNMENT 1.3Analysing a New Genre What are the conventions of the application letter?What role does the résumé play in this genre set? MAJOR PROJECT 1.1The Job Application PackageTWO LEADING AND MISLEADING THE READER: ETHICAL ISSUES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONEthics at workEthics frameworksIN-CLASS EXERCISE 2.1Outlining an Ethical PositionEthics for studentsHow is ethics related to technical communication? Copyright, trademarks, and patentsWhat is not copyrightableRules for copying images Writing ethicallyPlain language guidelinesMAJOR PROJECT 2.1Ethical Dilemma PaperTHREE RESEARCHING TECHNICAL SUBJECTSPrimary research: Interviewing Preparing for the interview learn everything you can about the subjectlearn about the subject matter expertprepare a list of organized questionswriting good questions IN-CLASS EXERCISE 3.1Prepare to Interview a ClassmateConducting the interviewschedule an hour-long interview, if possibleintroduce yourself and explain your projectdecide whether to record the interviewbe an active listenercontrol the interviewworking with those for whom english is a second languageclosing the interviewIN-CLASS EXERCISE 3.2Interview a ClassmatePrimary research: Conducting surveys Asking good questionsGuidelines for asking good questions rephrase jargon and technical languageinto plain languageask specific questionsavoid loaded questionsbreak compound questions into individualquestions Choosing appropriate responsesPreparing the survey formReporting survey data MAJOR PROJECT 3.1Create a Survey FormSecondary research: Finding print and online sources Conducting an effective search for sources: Library and InternetAssessing the credibility of your sources Citing and paraphrasing researched sourcesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 3.3Which Item Needs a Source Cited?IN-CLASS EXERCISE 3.4Which Paraphrase Is Legitimate and Which Is Too Close to the Original?FOUR WRITING TECHNICAL PROSEClarity Where do readers look for clues about the writer’s main ideas? place the context or the familiarinformation on the leftplace main ideas as the subjects of sentences IN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.1Place Main Ideas as the Subjects of SentencesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.2Rewrite a Paragraph from Your Own Proselocate the subject and the verb close to one anotherIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.3Position Subjects and Verbsplace important ideas at the end of sentences to emphasize themplace one point in each syntactic structureplace old information that links back in the subject position, and put new information that you want readers to attend to at the point of emphasisIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.4Place Key Ideas in Positions of Emphasisuse verbs rather than nominalizations to express action in your sentencesCohesionIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.5Locate the Verbs in a Series of Nominalizations Linking sentences from start to startLinking sentences from end to start Additional reading on clarity and cohesionIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.6Create Links between Familiar and New InformationPlain languageIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.7Revising for Plain Language #1ConcisenessParallelismIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.8Revising for Plain Language #2Defining, describing, and explaining Definition brief definitionformal or categorical definition IN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.9Writing Categorical Definitionsextended definitionIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.10Distinguish an Operational Definition from a Set of InstructionsLAB ASSIGNMENT 4.1Identifying Methods of Defining, Describing, and ExplainingLAB ASSIGNMENT 4.2Defining or Describing a Technical Concept or DeviceFIVE DESIGNING DOCUMENTS AND PAGE LAYOUTSWhat is document design?IN-CLASS EXERCISE 5.1Evaluating Quality in Document DesignWhat are the elements of document design? Typefaces and fonts should i use a serif or sans-serif font? White space IN-CLASS EXERCISE 5.2Assessing Your Use of White Space Should margins be justified or ragged?Should you use capitals or lower case? Strategic solutions: Four design principles Proximity how do i create proximity? Alignment basic strategies for creating alignment RepetitionContrast Designing a layout gridLAB ASSIGNMENT 5.1Critiquing an Existing DesignLAB ASSIGNMENT 5.2Revising a Poor DesignMAJOR PROJECT 5.1Redesigning a BrochureMAJOR PROJECT 5.2Designing a Newsletter How do you use the space on your page to create impact?How do you vary the horizontal or vertical space on a page?What is a grid?How do I design a grid for my project?What about using a template for my grid design? MAJOR PROJECT 5.3Create Your Own ProjectSIX COMMUNICATING THROUGH VISUALS: VISUAL TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONUsing visuals to communicate effectively Visual communication and the writing processWhat are the “right ways … to show data”?Select the right visual for telling that story pie chartsline graphsbar chartsdot chartstablesmapsphotographsline drawingsgantt charts Use the conventions for typical visuals a titlea captionall units labelled IN-CLASS EXERCISE 6.1What Does a Gantt Chart Contribute to the Work Schedule? source of the datasource of visual Visuals that confuse or mislead LAB ASSIGNMENT 6.1Evaluating VisualsLAB ASSIGNMENT 6.2Creating Interesting VisualsLAB ASSIGNMENT 6.3Evaluating the Ethics of Visual DisplaySEVEN WRITING EMAIL AND LETTERS FOR THE WORKPLACEEssentials of workplace communication Who are your readers? power levels, demographics, communication networks, and obstacles to action What motivates your readers?Organize and present your ideas to motivate readers to act IN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.1Revising to Motivate Readers to ActSecondary goals for workplace communicationWriting messages: Email, memos, lettersTips for writing effective email messagesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.2Assessing Subject Lines writing emails that identify problems Formatting memosFormatting memo reports tips for writing a good memo report IN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.3Writing a Solution-Finding Email to Your InstructorFormatting a business letterWriting messages Informative messagesPositive messagesNegative messages writing a good buffer IN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.4Revising a Positive and Informative Message Persuasive messages direct request messagessolution-finding messages IN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.5Writing a Negative MessageIN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.6Overcoming Obstacles to Reader AcceptanceIN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.7Writing a Direct Request MessageEIGHT WRITING WINNING PROPOSALSWhy write proposals?What kinds of proposals are there?What is a proposal?When should you decline to write a proposal?How do proposals get evaluated?Who is the audience for a proposal?How do you analyse a RFP?Sample RFP analysis Class proposals: What kind of proposal is requested?What are the primary criteria listed in the RFP? IN-CLASS EXERCISE 8.1Analyse an Assignment as an RFPWhat is persuasion? What are the components of an argument? how do you create a strong logical appeal?how do you create a strong ethical appeal?how do you create an effective emotional appeal? How do you organize a proposal?LAB ASSIGNMENT 8.1Creating Effective Emotional Appeals What is the standard generic format for a proposal? questions a proposal must answer How do you incorporate persuasion into the format to create a winning proposal? LAB ASSIGNMENT 8.2Practising Rhetorical AppealsMAJOR PROJECT 8.1Writing a Proposal Option to write a manualOption to write a recommendation report NINE REPORTING TECHNICAL INFORMATIONStatus or progress reports Purpose of status reportContent of status reportWriting the status report: Rhetorical considerations White papers or information reportsLAB ASSIGNMENT 9.1Writing a Status ReportMAJOR PROJECT 9.1Reporting Progress on Your Technical Manual What information do you put in a white paper?How do you reach the audience for a white paper?What are some useful strategies that will increase the effectiveness of your white paper? stand back from your subject matter and summarize the key points that newcomers need to know to appreciate the new product or serviceassume your reader is a newcomer to the subjectdescribe the problem in specific and personalized termsin describing how your product or service works, distinguish its features from the benefits it confers on the reader One expert’s helpful hintUsability test your white paper IN-CLASS EXERCISE 9.1Converting Product Features to Reader BenefitsMAJOR PROJECT 9.2Writing a White PaperLAB ASSIGNMENT 9.2User Test Your White Paper DraftThe laboratory report The laboratory notebook your lab notebook and scientific integrityhow should you organize the information in your notebook? Writing the laboratory report format of the lab report IN-CLASS EXERCISE 9.2Incorporating Visual Aids into a Lab ReportLAB ASSIGNMENT 9.3Revising a Lab Report to Improve Its ArgumentMAJOR PROJECT 9.3Writing a Lab ReportRecommendation reports Report structure memo or letter of transmittaltitle pageexecutive summary or abstractrecommendationsbody of the reportnotes, references, appendices MAJOR PROJECT 9.4Writing a Recommendation ReportTEN WRITING HOW-TO DOCUMENTS: INSTRUCTIONS, PROCEDURES, AND MANUALSWhat makes instructional documents good? Know your target audience or user groupInclude an overview of the procedureWrite usable steps five strategies for writing readable instructions IN-CLASS EXERCISE 10.1Strategies for Writing Good InstructionsIN-CLASS EXERCISE 10.2Organizing Information for the User Subdivide the process how does “chunking” improve the quality of the instructions? IN-CLASS EXERCISE 10.3“Chunking” Techniques and Your Target Audience Use illustrations visuals in software documentation: use screen shots LAB ASSIGNMENT 10.1Creating and Labelling a Screen Shothow can you make effective use of visuals?IN-CLASS EXERCISE 10.4Distinguishing between the Four Methods of Integrating Text and Image Design an effective page layout shorten line lengthschoose a page orientationdesign a grid to organize your informationinclude and visually emphasize tips, warnings, and cautionsdo usability testing LAB ASSIGNMENT 10.2Evaluating Good Instructions—OrigamiLAB ASSIGNMENT 10.3Revising a Poorly Designed Set of InstructionsLAB ASSIGNMENT 10.4Designing and Writing Instructions on How to Create Screen ShotsMAJOR PROJECT 10.1Write a Set of Instructions or a ProcedureMAJOR PROJECT 10.2Write a Technical ManualELEVEN TESTING AND REPORTING DOCUMENT USABILITYWhat is usability?Why test for usability?What is a usability test?What is the purpose of a usability test?Planning the test Selecting test subjectsHow many test subjects?What should you test for?What should you have users do during the test? Designing the test Summarize the purpose of the testOutline what you want them to doThank them for participatingInform them that they can quit IN-CLASS EXERCISE 11.1Modelling Usability TestingConducting the test Demonstrate the equipmentExplain how to “think aloud”Describe the tasksOnce the test begins, do not talk to your testerConcluding the test Reporting your results The objectivesTarget users’ level of knowledgeThe test subjectsTask assigned to usersWhat happened during the testComments of the usersPlans for revision Rhetorical challenges of writing a usability report Analysing your dataWriting the report evidence for your revision plansdemonstrate your skill and competence Usability testing is valuableDesign considerations LAB ASSIGNMENT 11.1Report on Usability Testing of Your Instructions or ProcedureActing on your plans for revisionMAJOR PROJECT 11.1Evaluating the Usability of Your ManualTWELVE TAKING TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION ONLINE: SHARING DOCUMENTS ELECTRONICALLY AND WRITING ONLINE DOCUMENTSWhat is structured documentation?Converting documents to portable documentfile (pdf) formatSharing documents electronicallyHow to use rich text format (rtf) files to solve system or program incompatibilityShared folders and documents posted online Posting a document file on a web page update the web page by adding a link to the documentupload the document file and the revisedweb pageset page permissions (if necessary) IN-CLASS EXERCISE 12.1Posting a Downloadable File on Your Website Creating an electronic portfolio what if i don’t have a homepage to display my portfolio? Writing online documents How do you prepare documents for onscreen use? page orientation is differentresolution on screen is poorerdon’t use blank pagesplan your document navigation How do you ensure a good visual design? divide the screen into functional areasgroup related itemsguide users’ eye movementsput action areas near where users will look for themuse consistent design throughout How do you ensure that your screen display is legible? be succinctwrite for scanability LAB ASSIGNMENT 12.1Converting Print to Online Text use hypertext links to divide long information into multiple pagesname titles and headings effectively Use standard web-design conventions what are the conventions? MAJOR PROJECT 12.1Preparing Instructional Material for Online DeliveryTHIRTEEN PRESENTING TECHNICAL INFORMATION ORALLYCommon speaking occasions Casual, impromptu, and short talksSmall group meetings IN-CLASS EXERCISE 13.1Creating Short Sound BitesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 13.2Introducing YourselfInformal, prepared presentationsIN-CLASS EXERCISE 13.3Delivering a Short Oral ReportFormal presentationsMAJOR PROJECT 13.1Creating an Oral Presentation of the Final Course ProjectGuidelines for preparing presentations Decide what information to include in your presentation slides or outline and what to include in a handoutDetermine how much background to present early in the presentationOrganize your presentation so that listeners can follow your thoughtsCreate visuals to accompany your verbal descriptions Guidelines for creating slides Who is your audience?Brainstorm ideas for slidesTell a storyCreate your slidesPrezi: Overview and zoom Guidelines for giving presentations Take advantage of the immediacy of having live human beings in the same room with youStand so your audience can see the visuals that you display on the screenControl the timing of the slides so you control when the presentation moves from one topic to anotherBreathe REFERENCESINDEX

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Book SynopsisA Strategic Guide to Technical Communication incorporates useful and specific strategies for writers, to enable them to create aesthetically appealing and usable technical documentation. These strategies have been developed and tested on a thousand students from a number of different disciplines over twelve years and three institutions. The second edition adds a chapter on business communication, reworks the discussion on technical style, and expands the information on visual communication and ethics into free-standing chapters.The text is accompanied by a passcode-protected website containing materials for instructors (PowerPoint lectures, lesson plans, sample student work, and helpful links).Trade Review“A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication provides clear and focused instruction on important elements of technical writing, including genre, structure, purpose, usability, visuals, and technical prose. My students found the explanations and guidance offered consistently accessible and useful. I appreciated the well-grounded theoretical approach, as well as the pedagogical support. The second edition strengthens an already valuable textbook by bringing genres to the fore, treating ethics more distinctly, and focusing on issues specific to technical prose, particularly clarity and plain language. The use-value of this textbook is outstanding!” — Patricia Lynne, Framingham State University“A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication covers all the important concepts in an undergraduate Technical Writing class. It has chapters on necessary forms and formats and also pays a good deal of attention to the nuances of persuasive writing and what constitutes clear technical prose. The book is easy to follow, clear, and precise. I highly recommend it.” — Andrea Clark Mason, Washington State UniversityTable of ContentsPREFACEONE THINKING ABOUT AUDIENCE, PURPOSE AND GENREWhat is technical communication?How does it differ from other types of writing?IN-CLASS EXERCISE 1.1Applying the Communication Triangle to Sample DocumentsCreative vs. technical writingIN-CLASS EXERCISE 1.2Analyzing Documents with Multiple AimsWho are these “users”?Ways of thinking about usersIN-CLASS EXERCISE 1.3Analyzing Multiple Audiences for DocumentsHow do you learn about your users? Interview usersObserve usersInterview expertsCreate user profiles IN-CLASS EXERCISE 1.4Write a User ProfileReaching your primary usersWhy are you writing?LAB ASSIGNMENT 1.1Characterizing Your UsersWhat is genre?LAB ASSIGNMENT 1.2Linking Purpose and Audience Structural conventionsRhetorical conventionsOrganization and presentation of contentGoals and function of the genreGenre and activity setsWhat are the main genres of technical communication? Why does genre matter?How does one analyze a new genre? Analyzing style?sentences?paragraphs? Analyzing structure?Analyzing register? diction (word choice) What are genre sets?How are the documents in genre sets interdependent?LAB ASSIGNMENT 1.3Analyzing a New Genre What are the conventions of the application letter?What role does the résumé play in this genre set? MAJOR PROJECT 1.1The Job Application PackageTWO LEADING AND MISLEADING THE READER: ETHICAL ISSUES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONEthics at workEthics frameworksIN-CLASS EXERCISE 2.1Outlining an Ethical PositionEthics for studentsHow is ethics related to technical communication? Copyright, trademarks, and patentsWhat is not copyrightableRules for copying images Writing ethicallyPlain language guidelinesMAJOR PROJECT 2.1Ethical Dilemma PaperTHREE RESEARCHING TECHNICAL SUBJECTSPrimary research: InterviewingPreparing for the interviewlearn everything you can about the subjectlearn about the subject matter expertprepare a list of organized questionswriting good questionsIN-CLASS EXERCISEPrepare to Interview a ClassmateConducting the interviewschedule an hour-long interview, if possibleintroduce yourself and explain your projectdecide whether to record the interviewbe an active listenercontrol the interviewworking with those for whom english is a second languageclosing the interviewIN-CLASS EXERCISE 3.2Interview a ClassmatePrimary research: Conducting surveys Asking good questionsGuidelines for asking good questions rephrase jargon and technical language into plain languageask specific questionsavoid loaded questionsbreak compound questions into individual questions Choosing appropriate responsesPreparing the survey formReporting survey data MAJOR PROJECT 3.1Create a Survey FormSecondary research: Finding print and online sources Conducting an effective search for sources: Library and InternetAssessing the credibility of your sources Citing and paraphrasing researched sourcesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 3.3Which Item Needs a Source Cited?IN-CLASS EXERCISE 3.4Which Paraphrase Is Legitimate and Which Is Too Close to the Original?FOUR WRITING TECHNICAL PROSEClarity Where do readers look for clues about the writer’s main ideas? place the context or the familiarinformation on the leftplace main ideas as the subjects of sentences IN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.1Place Main Ideas as the Subjects of SentencesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.2Rewrite a Paragraph from Your Own Proselocate the subject and the verb close to one anotherIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.3Position Subjects and Verbsplace important ideas at the end of sentences to emphasize themplace one point in each syntactic structureplace old information that links back in the subject position, and put new information that you want readers to attend to at the point of emphasisIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.4Place Key Ideas in Positions of Emphasisuse verbs rather than nominalizations to express action in your sentencesCohesionIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.5Locate the Verbs in a Series of Nominalizations Linking sentences from start to startLinking sentences from end to start Additional reading on clarity and cohesionIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.6Create Links between Familiar and New InformationPlain languageIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.7Revising for Plain Language #1ConcisenessParallelismIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.8Revising for Plain Language #2Defining, describing, and explaining Definition brief definitionformal or categorical definition IN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.9Writing Categorical Definitionsextended definitionIN-CLASS EXERCISE 4.10Distinguish an Operational Definition from a Set of InstructionsLAB ASSIGNMENT 4.1Identifying Methods of Defining, Describing, and ExplainingLAB ASSIGNMENT 4.2Defining or Describing a Technical Concept or DeviceFIVE DESIGNING DOCUMENTS AND PAGE LAYOUTWhat is document design?IN-CLASS EXERCISE 5.1Evaluating Quality in Document DesignWhat are the elements of document design? Typefaces and fontsshould i use a serif or sans-serif font?White space IN-CLASS EXERCISE 5.2Assessing Your Use of White Space Should margins be justified or ragged?Should you use capitals or lower case? Strategic solutions: Four design principles Proximityhow do i create proximity? Alignment basic strategies for creating alignment RepetitionContrast Designing a layout gridLAB ASSIGNMENT 5.1Critiquing an Existing DesignLAB ASSIGNMENT 5.2Revising a Poor DesignMAJOR PROJECT 5.1Redesigning a BrochureMAJOR PROJECT 5.2Designing a Newsletter How do you use the space on your page to create impact?How do you vary the horizontal or vertical space on a page?What is a grid?How do I design a grid for my project?What about using a template for my grid design? MAJOR PROJECT 5.3Create Your Own ProjectSIX COMMUNICATING THROUGH VISUALS: VISUAL TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONUsing visuals to communicate effectively Visual communication and the writing processWhat are the “right ways … to show data”?Select the right visual for telling that story pie chartsline graphsbar chartsdot chartstablesmapsphotographsline drawingsgantt charts Use the conventions for typical visuals a titlea captionall units labelled IN-CLASS EXERCISE 6.1What Does a Gantt Chart Contribute to the Work Schedule? source of the datasource of visual Visuals that confuse or mislead LAB ASSIGNMENT 6.1Evaluating VisualsLAB ASSIGNMENT 6.2Creating Interesting VisualsLAB ASSIGNMENT 6.3Evaluating the Ethics of Visual DisplaySEVEN WRITING EMAIL AND LETTERS FOR THE WORKPLACEEssentials of workplace communication Who are your readers?power levels, demographics, communicationnetworks, and obstacles to action What motivates your readers?Organize and present your ideas to motivate readers to act IN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.1Revising to Motivate Readers to ActSecondary goals for workplace communicationWriting messages: Email, memos, lettersTips for writing effective email messagesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.2Assessing Subject Lineswriting emails that identify problemsFormatting memosFormatting memo reportstips for writing a good memo reportIN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.3Writing a Solution-Finding Email to Your InstructorFormatting a business letterWriting messages Informative messagesPositive messagesNegative messages writing a good buffer IN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.4Revising a Positive and Informative MessagePersuasive messagesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.5Writing a Negative MessageIN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.6Overcoming Obstacles to Reader Acceptancedirect request messagessolution-finding messagesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 7.7Writing a Direct Request MessageEIGHT WRITING WINNING PROPOSALSWhy write proposals?What kinds of proposals are there?What is a proposal?When should you decline to write a proposal?How do proposals get evaluated?Who is the audience for a proposal?How do you analyze an RFP?Sample RFP analysis Class proposals: What kind of proposal is requested?What are the primary criteria listed in the RFP? IN-CLASS EXERCISE 8.1Analyze an Assignment as an RFPWhat is persuasion? What are the components of an argument? how do you create a strong logical appeal?how do you create a strong ethical appeal?how do you create an effective emotional appeal? How do you organize a proposal?LAB ASSIGNMENT 8.1Creating Effective Emotional Appeals What is the standard generic format for a proposal?questions a proposal must answerHow do you incorporate persuasion into the format to create a winning proposal? LAB ASSIGNMENT 8.2Practicing Rhetorical AppealsMAJOR PROJECT 8.1Writing a Proposal Option to write a manualOption to write a recommendation report NINE REPORTING TECHNICAL INFORMATIONStatus or progress reports Purpose of status reportContent of status reportWriting the status report: Rhetorical considerations White papers or information reportsLAB ASSIGNMENT 9.1Writing a Status ReportMAJOR PROJECT 9.1Reporting Progress on Your Technical Manual What information do you put in a white paper?How do you reach the audience for a white paper? What are some useful strategies that will increase the effectiveness of your white paper? stand back from your subject matter and summarize the key points that newcomersneed to know to appreciate the new product or serviceassume your reader is a newcomer to the subjectdescribe the problem in specific and personalized termsin describing how your product or service works, distinguish its features from the benefits it confers on the reader One expert’s helpful hintUsability test your white paper IN-CLASS EXERCISE 9.1Converting Product Features to Reader BenefitsMAJOR PROJECT 9.2Writing a White PaperLAB ASSIGNMENT 9.2User Test Your White Paper DraftThe laboratory report The laboratory notebook your lab notebook and scientific integrityhow should you organize the information in your notebook? Writing the laboratory report format of the lab report IN-CLASS EXERCISE 9.2Incorporating Visual Aids into a Lab ReportLAB ASSIGNMENT 9.3Revising a Lab Report to Improve Its ArgumentMAJOR PROJECT 9.3Writing a Lab ReportRecommendation reports Report structure memo or letter of transmittaltitle pageexecutive summary or abstractrecommendationsbody of the reportnotes, references, appendixes MAJOR PROJECT 9.4Writing a Recommendation ReportTEN WRITING HOW-TO DOCUMENTS: INSTRUCTIONS, PROCEDURES, AND MANUALSWhat makes instructional documents good? Know your target audience or user groupInclude an overview of the procedureWrite usable steps five strategies for writing readable instructions IN-CLASS EXERCISE 10.1Strategies for Writing Good InstructionsIN-CLASS EXERCISE 10.2Organizing Information for the User Subdivide the process how does “chunking” improve the quality of the instructions? IN-CLASS EXERCISE 10.3“Chunking” Techniques and Your Target Audience Use illustrations visuals in software documentation: use screen shots LAB ASSIGNMENT 10.1Creating and Labeling a Screen Shothow can you make effective use of visuals?IN-CLASS EXERCISE 10.4Distinguishing between the Four Methods of Integrating Text and Image Design an effective page layout shorten line lengthschoose a page orientationdesign a grid to organize your informationinclude and visually emphasize tips, warnings, and cautionsdo usability testing LAB ASSIGNMENT 10.2Evaluating Good Instructions—OrigamiLAB ASSIGNMENT 10.3Revising a Poorly Designed Set of InstructionsLAB ASSIGNMENT 10.4Designing and Writing Instructions on How to Create Screen ShotsMAJOR PROJECT 10.1Write a Set of Instructions or a ProcedureMAJOR PROJECT 10.2Write a Technical ManualELEVEN TESTING AND REPORTING DOCUMENT USABILITYWhat is usability?Why test for usability?What is a usability test?What is the purpose of a usability test?Planning the test Selecting test subjectsHow many test subjects?What should you test for?What should you have users do during the test? Designing the test Summarize the purpose of the testOutline what you want them to doThank them for participatingInform them that they can quit IN-CLASS EXERCISE 11.1Modeling Usability TestingConducting the test Demonstrate the equipmentExplain how to “think aloud”Describe the tasksOnce the test begins, do not talk to your testerConcluding the test Reporting your results The objectivesTarget users’ level of knowledgeThe test subjectsTask assigned to usersWhat happened during the testComments of the usersPlans for revision Rhetorical challenges of writing a usability report Analyzing your dataWriting the report evidence for your revision plansdemonstrate your skill and competence Usability testing is valuableDesign considerations LAB ASSIGNMENT 11.1Report on Usability Testing of Your Instructions or ProcedureActing on your plans for revisionMAJOR PROJECT 11.1Evaluating the Usability of Your ManualTWELVE TAKING TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION ONLINE: SHARING DOCUMENTS ELECTRONICALLY AND WRITING ONLINE DOCUMENTSWhat is structured documentation?Converting documents to portable document file (pdf) formatSharing documents electronicallyHow to use rich text format (rtf) files to solve system or program incompatibilityShared folders and documents posted online Posting a document file on a web page update the web page by adding a link to the documentupload the document file and the revised web pageset page permissions (if necessary) IN-CLASS EXERCISE 12.1Posting a Downloadable File on Your Website Creating an electronic portfolio what if i don’t have a homepage to display my portfolio? Writing online documents How do you prepare documents for onscreen use? page orientation is differentresolution on screen is poorerdon’t use blank pagesplan your document navigation How do you ensure a good visual design? divide the screen into functional areasgroup related itemsguide users’ eye movementsput action areas near where users will look for themuse consistent design throughout How do you ensure that your screen display is legible? be succinctwrite for scanability LAB ASSIGNMENT 12.1Converting Print to Online Text use hypertext links to divide long information into multiple pagesname titles and headings effectively Use standard web-design conventions what are the conventions? MAJOR PROJECT 12.1Preparing Instructional Material for Online DeliveryTHIRTEEN PRESENTING TECHNICAL INFORMATION ORALLYCommon speaking occasions Casual, impromptu, and short talksSmall group meetings IN-CLASS EXERCISE 13.1Creating Short Sound BitesIN-CLASS EXERCISE 13.2Introducing YourselfInformal, prepared presentationsIN-CLASS EXERCISE 13.3Delivering a Short Oral ReportFormal presentationsMAJOR PROJECT 13.1Creating an Oral Presentation of the Final Course ProjectGuidelines for preparing presentations Decide what information to include in your presentation slides or outline and what to include in a handoutDetermine how much background to present early in the presentationOrganize your presentation so that listeners can follow your thoughtsCreate visuals to accompany your verbal descriptions Guidelines for creating slides Who is your audience?Brainstorm ideas for slidesTell a storyCreate your slidesPrezi: Overview and zoom Guidelines for giving presentations Take advantage of the immediacy of having live human beings in the same room with youStand so your audience can see the visuals that you display on the screenControl the timing of the slides so you control when the presentation moves from one topic to anotherBreathe REFERENCESINDEX

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Book SynopsisNotable for its use of real document examples throughout in addition to its central section's extended focus on narrative medicine and new media writing, Healthcare Writing: A Practical Guide to Professional Success provides a wide-ranging, much-needed contemporary interdisciplinary perspective on the modes and contexts of writing that are most pertinent to healthcare professionals today. Aimed at students enrolled in university or college-level healthcare programs of various types as well as at current practitioners who might be seeking a portable, readable reference and guide, this book usefully and practically combines the detailed discussion of approaches to key healthcare document types - both professional and academic - with a thorough but focused overview of essential points of grammar, punctuation, and style.Trade Review“Written communication in all its forms is a vital component of clinical care, building professional relationships, and documenting learning. Unfortunately, most training programs offer no formal teaching or assessment of this complex skill. Healthcare Writing covers all the bases: chart notes, emails and letters, social media, reflective pieces, illness narratives, presentations, and research. Highly recommended for learners and educators from all healthcare disciplines.” —Allan Peterkin, MD, author of PORTFOLIO TO GO: 1000 Writing Prompts and Provocations for Clinical Learners“Arntfield and Johnston’s text ushers this important field of professional communication into view for the purposes of teaching and learning. It skillfully synthesizes practical composition guidelines, writing studies theory, and everyday ‘institutional’ writing practices with more conceptual sections such as narrative medicine, pathography, scientific research, and reflective practice. The authors highlight the implications of digital technologies and situate healthcare writing within various medical and social contexts. This text is refreshingly non-proscriptive, and it can be easily adapted to existing pedagogy across healthcare programs while meeting the needs of novices and experts alike.” — Kathryn Alexander, Simon Fraser University“This textbook is refreshingly non-prescriptive, and can easily be adapted to existing teaching across healthcare programs while meeting the needs of the novices and experts alike. Its objective is to teach students enrolled in university or college-level healthcare programs, healthcare communication specialists, as well as current clinical practitioners seeking a portable reference guide.” — The Lamp, NSW Nurses & Midwives’ AssociationTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgementsPart I: Everyday Writing in HealthcareChapter 1: In-Patient Writing: Notes, Charts, and ReportsChapter 2: Interpersonal Writing: Letters, Emails, and PresentationsPart II: Narratives in HealthcareChapter 3: Narrative Medicine, Parallel Charting, and Portfolio WritingChapter 4: Pathographies, Blogs, and Healthcare WikisChapter 5: Social Media and Public HealthPart III: Fundamentals of Healthcare WritingChapter 6: Basics of Grammar, Punctuation, and StyleChapter 7: Healthcare Research and Academic Writing (Part 1): Prewriting, Critical Analyses, Reports, and EssaysChapter 8: Healthcare Research and Academic Writing (Part 2): Finding and Using SourcesChapter 6 Review QuizzesGlossaryReferencesPermissions AcknowledgementsIndex

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Book SynopsisWriting Science in the Twenty-First Century offers guidance to help writers succeed in a broad range of writing tasks and purposes in science and other STEM fields. Concise and current, the book takes most of its examples and lessons from scientific fields, such as the life sciences, chemistry, physics, and geology, but some examples are taken from mathematics and engineering. The book emphasizes building confidence and rhetorical expertise in fields where diverse audiences, high ethical stakes, and multiple modes of presentation present unique writing challenges. Using a systematic approach—assessing purpose, audience, order of information, tone, evidence, and graphics—it gives readers a clear road map to becoming accurate, persuasive, and rhetorically savvy writers.Trade Review“In Writing Science in the Twenty-First Century, Christopher Thaiss combines rhetorical and process approaches to instruct readers in the constantly evolving art of scientific writing. Thaiss’s rhetorical focus also informs the helpful exercises guiding students through the recursive and interactive writing process he promotes. Emphasizing the growing pre-eminence of digital and multimodal writing, Thaiss includes lively chapters on texts as generically diverse as the traditional journal article, Twitter postings, and online infographics. For each of these genres, Thaiss analyzes professional models to show students exactly how writers achieve rhetorical effects like ‘audience splitting’ and ethos building. He extends this granular analysis to each section, teaching readers effectively how to make persuasive, ethical scientific arguments. With its conversational, coach-like tone, the book will be accessible for any undergraduate.” — Leslie Bruce, WAC Director, California State University, Fullerton“Science communication in the twenty-first century requires a sophisticated repertoire of rhetorical strategies in order to communicate with diverse audiences across a variety of genres and media. Thaiss deploys the 2000-year-old tradition of rhetoric in discussions of familiar and emerging genres. Covering the scientific research article, abstracts, and other well-established genres, he provides a strong foundational text for students of science communication. For the twenty-first century, the proliferation of science-focused blogs, tweets, and even infographics provides a good introduction to how science is communicated online. Writing Science in the Twenty-First Century packages the explanatory power of rhetoric in a manner digestible for those new to the field, showing the importance of purpose, audience, style, ethics, and other foundational rhetorical principles.” — Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher, University of WaterlooTable of Contents Introduction: Writing Science for New Readers, with New Technologies, in New Genres Chapter One: Writing to Reach Readers To Write STEM Well, Learn to Read Rhetorically Six Categories of Rhetorical Analysis and Planning: A Systematic Method Chapter Two: Building Experience and Confidence in Writing Science From Fear to Confidence Writing as a Necessary Tool for All in Science Overcoming Obstacles for Science Writers in College When Knowledge and Practice Seem Unconnected: What to Do? Overcoming Obstacle 2: Lack of Helpful Feedback Building Confidence as a Writer in English Resources for Students to build Writing Proficiency Chapter Three: “Writing” Redefined Multi-modally Do We Call It Writing—or Something Else? Multimodal Design, Perhaps? Words Numbers and Mathematical Symbols Photographs Multi-color Charts, Tables, and Graphs Links to Other Sources Drawings and Diagrams Video STEM Communication and “Web 2.0” Access and Tools Chapter Four: Writing Science Ethically Covering up incomplete or poorly-done research, or conflicts of interest Plagiarism What is “common knowledge”? Claims and over-claims: the dangers of hype Striving for accuracy in language Writing ethically in social media: Let’s look at Twitter Chapter Five: Writing the Research Article, Part I—The Abstract, Introduction, and Methods and Materials Thinking Rhetorically about the Peer-Reviewed Research Article Giving Momentum to Your Research “Story” Writing the Abstract Writing the Introduction of the Full Article Writing the Methods and Materials Section of the Full Article Chapter Six: Writing the Research Article, Part II—Results and Discussion Results and Discussion in the Interconnected, Multimedia World Distinguishing between the Results and Discussion Sections Writing Results Writing the Discussion Chapter Seven: Writing the Research Review Goals of the Research Review and Comparison with the IMRD Article Features and Forms of the Research Review Rhetorical Considerations in Writing the Research Review Chapter Eight: STEM Journalism—Writing, Reading, and Connecting with Broader Audiences Thinking of yourself as a “STEM journalist” Who are YOUR readers and why do they care? Writing your STEM popular article—Tips on voice (ethos) and organization Chapter Nine: Science Blogs—New Readers, New Voices, New Tools STEM Blogs—What Are They and Are They Science? A World of Blogs—Finding the Blog(s) for You Studying the Major Types of Blogs Getting into Blogging for Yourself Establishing Your Ethos Building Your Design Chapter Ten: Creating Posters and Infographics Posters and Infographics—Using the Two-Dimensional Space Chapter Eleven: Creating Oral/Visual Presentations Presentations as Unmatched Opportunities “Presence” and “Being Present” in a Presentation Making Your Audience Your Ally The Visual in Oral/Visual: Striving for Balance Achieving Success through Preparation Chapter Twelve: Writing Science with Style and Styles Keep Sentences Concise with Clear Transitions Guide Your Reader with “Signposts” Use Paragraphs to Emphasize—Not Hide—Your Ideas Choose Words to Communicate, Not to Exclude or Intimidate Use Numbers to Convince, Not Drown, Your Readers Revise and Edit to Write with Style Chapter Thirteen: Editing Sentences Why We Must Edit Cut Unneeded Words To “We” or Not to “We” Action vs. Passivity—Tuning Your Voice Punctuate to Accentuate

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Book SynopsisIn recent decades the contested areas of English usage have grown both larger and more numerous. We may argue rather less frequently than was once the case over issues of grammar and usage. But we argue more frequently than ever overwhether to use man or humanity, fisher or fisherman; whether to say Indians or Native Peoples (or First Nations, or Chippewa or Cree or Snuneymuxw, as the case may be); whether to speak of a person being disabled, or challenged, or differently abled; whether it's acceptable to say that's so gay. These are all issues that some would lump together as controversies of political correctness (itself in some ways a problematic expression). Certainly they are all issues that involve ethics as well as the conventions of grammar or of English usage - though they are often intimately intertwined with those conventions.This volume offers a concise and user-friendly guide to these large issues. Can we use language in ways that avoid giving expression to prejudices embedded within it? Can the words we use help us point a way towards a better world? Can we take these issues with appropriate seriousness while remaining open-minded - and still retaining our sense of humor? To all these questions this little book answers yes, while offering clear-headed discussions of many of the key issues.Trade Review“To model being ‘good with words,’ LePan, Buzzard, and Okun do not simply demonize some locutions and canonize others. They provide background information to clarify why it’s problematic to use the term ‘illegal immigrant,’ for example, or ‘lone wolf killer’; they explain when it’s okay to call someone a ‘tranny,’ or an ‘Eskimo’—and when it isn’t; they invite readers to judge cases that admit reasonable arguments on more than one side, such as whether Princeton should remove Woodrow Wilson’s honorifics because of his racism. I realized when I read this book that my own attitudes about how to be good with words have been formed over decades of self-scrutiny and dialogue, a history I couldn’t duplicate for students who wonder why I am uneasy about some of their word choices—but now this book’s nuanced discussions recover that history and help them consider their choices more deeply.” — Patricia Bizzell, Distinguished Professor of English, College of the Holy Cross“Language proficiency includes much more than correct grammar. This innovative textbook will fuel animated discussion and encourage thoughtful language choices in our rapidly changing social landscape. The student-directed internet research exercises are an amazing plus.” — Margery Fee, University of British Columbia“How to Be Good with Words is not just a list of words to use and words to avoid. Rather, it takes as its starting point the basic question: what is the most humane, accurate and rhetorically appropriate way to talk about something? Examining each question in terms of both its historical background and its current context and presenting closely reasoned analyses and solid support for preferred options, this clear and well-organized text gives readers the information they need to make their own thoughtful and responsible choices. How to Be Good with Words is valuable both as a reference text for experienced writers and editors and as a textbook in courses dealing with professional writing or public communication.” — Linda Coleman, University of Maryland“I had never thought I would enjoy a book on language, but How to Be Good with Words changed my mind. This is actually a book on language, ethics, and politics specifically designed to help us think about language use as a way to help make the world a better place. Acknowledging that none of us will ever be perfectly free of bias or prejudice, the authors not only present examples of inappropriate usage and how to correct them, but also discuss the philosophical arguments for why certain language constructions are considered inappropriate. If you want to know about the use of the singular ‘they’; about the difference between ‘transsexual’ and ‘transgender’; whether or not it is ok to refer to someone as a ‘dick,’ ‘pussy,’ ‘slut,’ or ‘tranny’; whether or not ‘black’ should be capitalized; what the difference is between ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘All Lives Matter’; what the difference is between ‘anti-Semitic’ and ‘anti-Jewish’; why ‘Islamic extremist’ or ‘radical Islam’ are problematic terms; what the difference is between ‘genderfluid’ and ‘genderqueer’; or what the difference is between ‘is’ and ‘has’ when talking about someone with a disability, this is the book for you to read. It is timely, well-written, and important.” — Pancho Savery, Reed College“I’ve really been enjoying reading through How to Be Good with Words. This is the most thorough reference I’ve seen for dealing with usage issues around ‘politically correct’ language. I particularly value the thought-provoking rationales and examples; this would make a fantastic principal text for a first-year Composition special topic on civic discourse … Civic and civil discourse is a vital matter for discussion in the current political climate … I hope I find an opportunity to use this text in a course soon!” — Deborah L. Miller, Associate Director First-year Composition, University of Georgia“The authors of How To Be Good With Words encourage students not only to use their words with sensitivity and precision, but also, perhaps more importantly, to listen to each other. … A powerful aspect of the text is the way the authors provide examples of their own differing perspectives on the complex issues they discuss. … Communication becomes, in this context, part of a valuable lesson in the ways we learn about the lives of other people and how to treat them with the same dignity and respect we wish to receive ourselves. … The examples provided further enhance this effect. Discussions of contemporary subjects students know and care about deeply, such as that of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement in the chapter on Race, allow students to better see how and why concerns about language are both important and relevant in their own lives. … Suggested exercises involving the Oxford English Dictionary and Ngram viewer provide students with useful means of working through the ideas they encounter in the text on their own, giving them a greater sense of agency, as well as a way of engaging with language outside of the confines of the classroom or even a particular course. … A text like How To Be Good With Words is particularly valuable at this historical moment.”— Shelby Richardson, University of New Orleans“A unique, extraordinary, thoroughly ‘user friendly’ study, How to Be Good with Words should be considered a ‘must read’ for any and all aspiring writers, and a core addition to both community and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional resource collections.” — Midwest Book Review“Designed for use in the classroom and complete with questions and suggestions for discussion at each chapter’s end, How to Be Good with Words … offers a straightforward guide to the pitfalls of language—and thinking—that can snare us if we’re not careful…. More than a guide to linguistic etiquette, this is a guide to linguistic decency— … [to] knowing what harms certain usages can do and why a speaker or writer might want to avoid them. There is a lot to like in how LePan, Buzzard, and Okun approach this task. One of the book’s best features is that it presents the conversation about language as a conversation, frankly acknowledging when there isn’t a single right view…. The success of How to Be Good with Words in striking a balance between concise presentation and thoroughness in the range of material covered is a remarkable achievement in itself. Informative, accessible and physically compact, it deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who aspires to the most responsible possible practice of the written and spoken word…. ” — Ian Samuels, Alberta Views“I highly recommend How to be Good With Words, a Broadview Press primer on ethical and inclusive language. I will most definitely be teaching from this text in future Writing courses to promote nuanced, responsible academic writing.” — Jeremy Greenway, Huron UniversityTable of Contents Introduction Gender Race Class Religion Sexual Orientation Disability Political Controversies Seriousness and Humor, Euphemism and Plain Speaking Bias-free Vocabulary: A Short List

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Book SynopsisThe Broadview Pocket Guide to Writing: A Concise Handbook for Students presents essential material from the full Broadview Guide to Writing. Included are summaries of key grammatical points; a glossary of usage; advice on various forms of academic writing; coverage of punctuation and writing mechanics; helpful advice on how to research academic papers; and much more. Four commonly-used styles of citation and documentation are covered—MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE.Trade ReviewComments on the full Broadview Guide to Writing:“Even the most useful reference guides are not always, well, shall we say, riveting. A refreshing exception is the new Broadview Guide to Writing, which is smart, helpful, and even fun to read.” —Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, authors of They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing“The chapter on ‘How to Be Good with Words’ braves every thorny patch of ethical usage imaginable with clear-eyed candor, a serious and generous sensibility, and refreshing wit…. [Overall,] The Broadview Guide to Writing is not only informative and impressive; it is smart—smartly written and smartly designed.” —Dennis Paoli, Co-coordinator, Writing Across the Curriculum, Hunter College, CUNY“The Broadview Guide remains the most readable writing guide available—at any price. It’s the only usage guide I’ve ever actually read for fun. Moreover, it’s sensible, and it’s complete. The authors assume nothing, but they don’t condescend. … The 6th edition gives more space to the problems of gender, race, and class-biased language; most guides don’t direct enough of our attention here. The new chapter on visual literacy is also good—an interesting group of paintings & photographs along with a set of clear, concrete ways to ‘read’ them.” — Jacky Bolding, University of the Fraser Valley“… an excellent choice.… The expanded coverage of the sixth edition [makes] this not only a comprehensive writing guide, but also a valuable introduction to communication and critical thinking in today’s academic world. I will be recommending this text to students at all levels.” — Maria DiCenzo, Wilfrid Laurier University“[The] reference sections on grammar and usage … cover everything I would ever point out in student writing.… The section on MLA style covers pretty much everything anyone needs to know about how to deploy this system of documentation.… The sections on academic writing are [also] very good.” — Bruce Greenfield, Dalhousie University“In a market replete with writing guides, this practical book stands out…. The [Broadview] Guide … re-energizes this pedagogical field by providing clear and concise explanations supported by examples.” — Anne Quéma, Acadia University“[The new] section on how language both reflects and shapes reality … is thought-provoking and sensitive.… Overall, the book is comprehensive, balanced, and engaging. I enjoyed reading it, and I rarely say that about handbooks and guides to writing. I’m sure students will find this book helpful and inspiring.” — Candace Fertile, Camosun CollegeTable of Contents Choosing the Best Words Be as Clear and Specific as Possible Watch for Redundancy Avoid Wordiness Watch for Missing Parts Choose the Best Verb Connect Your Ideas Clearly Paragraphing Joining Words Order and Weight Your Ideas According to Their Importance Watch for Ambiguity Illogical or Confused Connections Making Your Writing Consistent Agreement among the Grammatical Parts of Your Writing Watch for Mixed Metaphors Rhythm, Variety, Balance, and Parallelism CONTEXTS OF WRITING Academic Writing: Essays and Arguments From Topic to Thesis Statement The Nature of Argument Argument Structure and Paragraphing Your Arguments, Others’ Arguments Styles and Disciplines The Language of Academic Writing Writing about Literature / Writing about Texts Writing about Science Business and Professional Writing Slang and Informal English The Social Context Gender Race and Ethnicity, Class, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Disability, etc. Bias-free Vocabulary: A Short List GRAMMAR Basic Grammar: An Outline Parts of Speech Nouns Pronouns Articles Adjectives Verbs Adverbs Prepositions Conjunctions and Conjunctive Adverbs Parts of Sentences Subject Object Predicate Clauses and Phrases Parts of Speech and Parts of the Sentence Verbs and Verb Tense Difficulties The Infinitive The Simple Present Tense Subject-Verb Agreement Historical Present Survey of Verb Tenses Voice Mood Combining Verb Tenses: Some Challenges The Past Perfect Tense Combining Tenses—Quoted Material Irregular Verbs Dangling Constructions Nouns and Pronouns Singular and Plural Nouns Singular Pronouns Unreferenced or Wrongly Referenced Pronouns Subject and Object Pronouns Adjectives and Adverbs Comparatives and Superlatives Sentence Fragments / Incomplete Sentences Comma Splices / Run-on Sentences EAL: For Those Whose Native Language Is Not English Articles Frequently Used Non-count Nouns Continuous Verb Tenses Omission or Repetition of the Subjec The Conditional PUNCTUATION The Period The Comma Commas and Non-restrictive Elements That and Which Extra Comma Commas and Lists The Question Mark The Exclamation Mark The Semi-Colon The Colon The Hyphen The Dash Parentheses Square Brackets The Apostrophe Contractions Possession Quotation Marks Other Uses of Quotation Marks Misuse of Quotation Marks to Indicate Emphasis Single Quotation Marks Direct and Indirect Speech Ellipses FORMAT AND SPELLING Capitalization Abbreviations Titles Academic and Business Terms Latin Abbreviations Numbers Italics Spelling Spell-Check Spelling and Sound American Spelling, British Spelling, Canadian Spelling Other Spelling Mistakes RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION Approaches to Research Avoiding Plagiarism Citation and Documentation Incorporating Sources Summarizing Paraphrasing Quoting Directly Formatting Quotations Adding to or Deleting from a Quotation Signal Phrases MLA Style About MLA In-Text Citations About Works Cited MLA Core Elements Examples MLA Style Sample Essay Page APA Style Incorporating Sources in APA Style Summarizing Paraphrasing Quoting Directly Formatting Quotations Adding to or Deleting from a Quotation Signal Phrases About In-text Citations About References APA Style Sample Essay Pages Chicago Style About Chicago Style Chicago Style Sample CSE Style CSE Style Samples GLOSSARY OF USAGE CORRECTION KEY INDEX

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Book SynopsisWriting Wrongs is a concise and thoughtful guide to common errors in English. It covers frequently confused and misused words along with problems of grammar, punctuation, and style, and offers a brief and up-to-date guide to major citation styles. Though it provides guidelines and recommendations for usage, Writing Wrongs acknowledges the evolution of language over time and the fact that different contexts have different rules—it is not narrowly prescriptive. A friendly, flexible, and easy-to-read reference, Writing Wrongs will be useful to students and general readers alike.Trade Review“Finally, a book designed the way I teach. It doesn’t need to be taught page by page or chapter by chapter. You use what you need when you need it. Robert M. Martin uses clear examples to make points with a light conversational style and, at times, a hint of satire. Readers are not just given rules; they are given full explanations about how those rules have changed and are changing. That level of detail is unique. After all, sometimes you just need to know the rule; but sometimes you also need to know why.” — Kirk Layton, Mount Royal University“Informative, refreshingly honest, and often genuinely humorous, Martin’s Writing Wrongs is a comprehensive guide to writing that will serve teachers and students of composition well. While Martin’s book covers many standard topics featured in most textbooks on this subject (grammar, the writing process, documentation), its strength derives from its focus on the less-discussed and trickier issue of the style of good prose, and from its open acknowledgement that ‘the rules’ of good writing are contingent on context and the subject of constant, ongoing negotiation. Eschewing dogma and embracing a conversational tone, Writing Wrongs manages to entertain while teaching its readers the ins and outs of a skill set with which many students—especially early-career undergraduates—routinely struggle.” — Morgan Rooney, Carleton UniversityTable of Contents Foreword Part I: Wait! Stop! Make Sure You Read This! How to Use This Book Part II: How And Why What’s going on? Why? What Makes for Acceptability? Sticklers A Surprising Note on Rules One Last Word Part III: Words Meanings, Uses, and Idioms: a Dictionary Singular and Plural Plurals not Made With -S Singular or Plural? Words Borrowed from Other Languages Compound Terms Abbreviations and Acronyms Mass Nouns and Count Nouns Irregular Verbs Homophones or Nearly Mondegreens and Eggcorns Pronunciations and Mis- Annoying Speech Mannerisms Part IV: Grammar Verb Forms The Continuous Tenses The Perfect Tenses The Subjunctive Sequence of Tenses in Indirect Speech Active and Passive Voice Subject-Verb Agreement Collective Nouns Other Agreement Problems Split Infinitives Like vs. As. The Order of Adjectives Danglers and Misplacements The Supposedly Dangling Infinitive Gerunds and the Possessive Case Ending Sentences with Prepositions The Cases of Pronouns Sentences and Fragments Beginning Sentences with conjunctions Run-on Sentences Punctuation The Exclamation Mark ! The Semi-Colon ; The Colon : The Hyphen - The Dashes –, — Parentheses ( ) Square Brackets [ ] The Apostrophe ’ Quotation Marks “ The Ellipsis ... Italics Publications Other Uses for Italics Capitalization Numerals Part V: Style Redundancy Filler Overblown Language How to Use a Thesaurus Biased or Insulting Language Worries and Motives A Rough Guide to Objectionable Language Replacement Other Problems The Workaround Euphemisms Your Words Jargon, Good and Evil Good Jargon Evil Jargon Excessive Abstraction Metaphors And Similes Mixed Metaphors Parallel Constructions Part VI: Overall Form; The Writing Process Short and Long Sentences Greening Planning Overall Structure Overall Organization Signposting Paragraphing Footnotes Quoting and Citing Authorities When to Footnote Plagiarism Part VII: Source Material And Citation How to Insert Source Material Summarizing and Paraphrasing Quoting Directly Signal Phrases MLA Style About In-Text Citations About Works Cited Chicago Style About Chicago Style APA Style About In-Text Citations About References

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Book SynopsisJoining the Dialogue offers an exciting new approach for teaching academic research writing to introductory students by drawing on communication ethics. Holding to the current view that academic writing means situating ourselves in a research community and learning how to join the research conversations going on around us, Joining the Dialogue proposes that how we engage in dialogue with other researchers in our community matters. We not only read, acknowledge, and build on the research of others as we compose our work; we also engage openly, attentively, critically, and responsively to their ideas as we articulate our own. With this in mind, Joining the Dialogue is geared to helping students discover the key ethical practices of dialogue-receptivity and responsivity-as they join a research conversation. It also helps students master the dialogic structure of research essays as they write in and for their academic communities. Combining an ethical approach with accessible prose, dialogic structures and templates, practical exercises, and ample illustrations from across the disciplines, Joining the Dialogue not only teaches students how to write research essays, but how to write those essays ethically as a dialogue with other researchers and readers.Table of Contents Preface Part 1: Approaching Academic Dialogue Chapter 1: Genuine Dialogue and the Ethics of Communication Chapter 2: The Conversation Situation: Respecting Genre Part 2: Developing Skills of Reception Chapter 3: The Art of Summary: Representing Others Chapter 4: Ethical Interpretation: Summarizing Difficult Material Chapter 5: Orchestrating Dialogue: Writing as Conversation Chapter 6: Ethical Citation: Acknowledging Others Part 3: Developing Skills of Response Chapter 7: Claims, Reasons, and Reasoning: Making Sense of Research Stances Chapter 8: Critical Engagement: Analyzing Content and Assessing Ideas Chapter 9: Response-able Stances: Developing a Research Position Part 4: Participating in Academic Dialogue Chapter 10: Research Topics and Proposals: Preparing to Write Chapter 11: Introductions: Stepping into a Scholarly Conversation Chapter 12: Body Paragraphs: Giving Structure to the Conversation Chapter 13: Conclusions: Inviting Response and Responsibility Chapter 14: Drafts and Revisions: Conversing Clearly

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Book SynopsisStraightforward, practical, and focused on realistic examples, Business and Professional Writing: A Basic Guide for Americans is an introduction to the fundamentals of professional writing. The book emphasises clarity, conciseness, and plain language. Guidelines and templates for business correspondence, formal and informal reports, brochures and press releases, and oral presentations are included. Exercises guide readers through the process of creating and revising each genre, and helpful tips, reminders, and suggested resources beyond the book are provided throughout. The second edition includes new sections on information security and ethics in business writing. New formal proposal examples have been added, and the text has been updated throughout. Business and Professional Writing instructor site resources include PowerPoint lectures, suggested assignments, grading rubrics, and lesson plans, and suggested lecture notes. KEY FEATURES: Very concise—points are made as briefly and directly as possible Tone is friendly and encouraging rather than formal or academic Strong coverage of marketing and promotional writing: brochures, social media, and news releases are covered along with other kinds of workplace writing Readable layout, with many concrete examples, instructive images, and helpful tips throughout Trade ReviewPraise for the First Edition“Paul MacRae’s Business and Professional Writing delivers on its promise to provide a basic bread-and- butter guide to workplace writing. Whereas other books combine practical writing instruction with communication theory, MacRae’s background as a journalist comes through in his concise approach: he hones in on the core genres and skills that all professional writers must develop as part of their writing repertoires. This book practices what it teaches. Concepts are explained and illustrated clearly and efficiently. The strong section on grammar clearly explains the basics that need to be in every professional writer’s toolkit. The book’s brevity, conciseness, and to-the-point approach make it a practical, accessible textbook that would be a great resource for any student.” — Kelly Belanger, Virginia Tech“Business and Professional Writing provides a solid overview of key topics related to business communication. Clear, concise chapters teach students about plain language, format, and grammar, and highlight the most common forms of business communication such as letters and memos. What makes this book stand out from the competition is its focus on news releases, brochures, and promotion on the web. Detailed instructions on how to construct an effective brochure are especially helpful to students who often struggle with this format.” — Precious McKenzie, Rocky Mountain CollegeTable of Contents Acknowledgements Preface Introduction to Business and Professional Writing Part I The Basics of Strong Writing Chapter 1 Plain Language Chapter 2 The Seven Cs of Good Professional Communication Introduction Chapter 3 The Eighth C: Learning Grammar Language Chapter 4 Copy-Editing Part II Document Design Chapter 5 Basic Document Design Chapter 6 Formatting for Correspondence Part III Correspondence Chapter 7 Emails and Memos Chapter 8 Letters: Good News, Neutral, and Bad News Chapter 9 Persuasive Letters Part IV Writing for a Job Chapter 10 Cover Letters Chapter 11 Resumes Part V Promotional Materials Chapter 12 News Releases Chapter 13 Brochures Chapter 14 Promotion on the Web Part VI Oral Presentations Chapter 15 Individual Oral Presentations Chapter 16 Group Presentations Part VII Reports Chapter 17 Informal Reports Chapter 18 Formal Reports Chapter 19 Formal Report Example Appendix A Answers to Exercise Index

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Book SynopsisStraightforward, practical, and focused on realistic examples, Business and Professional Writing: A Basic Guide is an introduction to the fundamentals of professional writing. The book emphasizes clarity, conciseness, and plain language. Guidelines and templates for business correspondence, formal and informal reports, brochures and press releases, and oral presentations are included. Exercises guide readers through the process of creating and revising each genre, and helpful tips, reminders, and suggested resources beyond the book are provided throughout. The second edition includes new sections on information security and ethics in business writing. New formal proposal examples have been added, and the text has been updated throughout. Business and Professional Writing instructor site resources include PowerPoint lectures, suggested assignments, grading rubrics, and lesson plans, and suggested lecture notes. KEY FEATURES: Very concise—points are made as briefly and directly as possible Tone is friendly and encouraging rather than formal or academic Strong coverage of marketing and promotional writing: brochures, social media, and news releases are covered along with other kinds of workplace writing Readable layout, with many concrete examples, instructive images, and helpful tips throughout Trade ReviewPraise for the First Edition“Paul MacRae’s Business and Professional Writing is an excellent entry in the field of writing textbooks. MacRae clearly has years of experience teaching writing: he knows what students need, and he knows how to convey that information in an accessible, almost conversational way. This is a practical, no-nonsense approach to professional writing. What the reader will find here is everything he or she needs to know to be an effective communicator, from a foundation in grammar and basic precepts, including the importance of document design, to how to write in specific professional genres, including persuasive letters, résumés, and reports. Rather than being relegated to an appendix, grammar is foregrounded, along with the ‘seven Cs of good professional communication.’ The coverage is thorough yet concise, and even experienced writers will find the text to be a valuable resource.” — Michael Fox, Western University“Paul MacRae’s Business and Professional Writing delivers on its promise to provide a basic bread-and- butter guide to workplace writing. Whereas other books combine practical writing instruction with communication theory, MacRae’s background as a journalist comes through in his concise approach: he hones in on the core genres and skills that all professional writers must develop as part of their writing repertoires. This book practices what it teaches. Concepts are explained and illustrated clearly and efficiently. The strong section on grammar clearly explains the basics that need to be in every professional writer’s toolkit. The book’s brevity, conciseness, and to-the-point approach make it a practical, accessible textbook that would be a great resource for any student.” — Kelly Belanger, Virginia Tech Table of Contents Acknowledgements Preface Introduction to Business and Professional Writing Part I The Basics of Strong Writing Chapter 1 Plain Language Chapter 2 The Seven Cs of Good Professional Communication Introduction Chapter 3 The Eighth C: Learning Grammar Language Chapter 4 Copy-Editing Part II Document Design Chapter 5 Basic Document Design Chapter 6 Formatting for Correspondence Part III Correspondence Chapter 7 Emails and Memos Chapter 8 Letters: Good News, Neutral, and Bad News Chapter 9 Persuasive Letters Part IV Writing for a Job Chapter 10 Cover Letters Chapter 11 Resumes Part V Promotional Materials Chapter 12 News Releases Chapter 13 Brochures Chapter 14 Promotion on the Web Part VI Oral Presentations Chapter 15 Individual Oral Presentations Chapter 16 Group Presentations Part VII Reports Chapter 17 Informal Reports Chapter 18 Formal Reports Chapter 19 Formal Report Example Appendix A Answers to Exercise Index

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Book SynopsisWhile students today have access to more sources of information than ever before, they are not necessarily equipped to make informed judgments about those sources. Teaching students to evaluate sources has become even more challenging in the last year as issues regarding fake news and “alternative facts” have become a heated matter in conversations taking place in the public sphere.The book will present students with a set of tools that they can use to evaluate any source that they encounter. In addition to learning how to use sources in their writing, students who read Who’s Your Source? will become more savvy consumers of the sources they encounter in their daily lives.Key Features Uses a simple three-part strategy to evaluate sources: rhetorical appeals, rhetorical situation, and reality check Grounded in rhetorical theory—encourages students to evaluate the soundness of arguments as well as the reliability of sources Incorporates real examples from the authors’ experience as instructors—and as scholars Trade Review“This streamlined and highly accessible book covers all the essentials of research, both within libraries and elsewhere, including print and non-print materials, checklists, and guidelines. Using a clear and easy-to-follow conversational style, the authors manage to avoid the dry quality so often found in how-to guides. In straightforward yet precise detail and depth, Melissa Bender and Karma Waltonen nicely connect the mechanics of composition with the considerations integral to the research process, using frequent questions and answers to effectively illustrate research and writing techniques. Overall, Bender and Waltonen’s work provides a variety of educational approaches and considerations to improve students’ research and writing skills. This is an excellent resource for educators!” — Roberto C. Delgadillo, University of California, Davis“Who’s Your Source? is a timely textbook. With chapters on academic sources as well as student-preferred sources (internet, Wikipedia), it addresses the search process and the use (and misuse) of logic and reasoning in assessing sources. It draws on engaging examples from science, politics, and contemporary media (from John Oliver to Monty Python) to help students work through the differences between news and fake news, the uses of evidence, the reliance on forms of visual rhetoric, and the value of testimony from people. It is forthright in its challenge to misleading information and shoddy research. Its discussion of academic genres and procedures is especially thorough. Each chapter offers rich cases for students to work through, sample student papers, discussion questions, and suggestions for projects.” — Jean Ferguson Carr, University of PittsburghTable of Contents Introduction, Or What The Simpsons Can Teach Us About Sources Chapter One: The Other Three Rs: A Three-Part Evaluation Strategy A. Introduction to Rhetoric B. Rhetorical Appeals: Logos, Ethos, Pathos C. Rhetorical Situation: Genre, Audience, Purpose, Context D. Reality Check E. The Three Rs in Action: A Sample Source Evaluation Chapter Two: Evaluating Academic Resources A. Introduction B. Why Do We Use Academic Resources? C. Test Your Current Knowledge About Academic Resources D. Peer Review E. Academic Genres F. How to Use Academic Sources Ethically and Effectively G. The Three Rs in Action: A Sample Source Evaluation H. Student Writing Sample Chapter Three: Evaluating Non-Academic Resources A. Introduction: How to Tell the Difference Between Reliable and Non-reliable Resources B. To Google or Not to Google C. Is Wikipedia reliable? D. How to Spot Fake News E. Other Kinds of Non-Academic Sources F. The Three Rs and Non-Academic Resources G. How to Use Non-Academic Resources Ethically and Effectively Chapter Four: Logical Fallacies A. Introduction B. Fallacies of Logos C. Fallacies of Pathos D. Fallacies of Ethos E. Avoiding Fallacies F. Pythonesque Logic Chapter Five: The Search: The Research Process A. Introduction B. Why Your Librarian is Better Than Google (Scholar) C. How to Find Academic Sources D. How to Find Non-academic Sources E. Notes on Notes Chapter Six: Other Sources: Interviews, Focus Groups, and Surveys A. Introduction B. The Value of Interviews and Focus Groups as Sources C. Effective and Ethical Procedures for Conducting Interviews D. The Value of Surveys as Sources E. Survey Genres: Naturalistic Observation, Questionnaires, Likert Scales F. Effective and Ethical Procedures for Conducting Surveys G. How to Use Interviews and Surveys Effectively in Your Writing Chapter Seven: Visual Rhetoric A. Introduction B. Charts, Tables, and Graphs C. Ethics and Visual Representations of Data D. Guidelines for Evaluating and Creating Effective and Ethical Tables, Charts, and Graphs E. Illustrations, Photos, and Videos F. Ethics and Visual Images G. Guidelines for Evaluating Images and Using Them Ethically Chapter Eight: Using Sources to Support and Develop Your Argument A. Introduction B. How Professional Writers Use Sources for Research C. Your Research Question, Your Sources, and Your Writing Anxiety D. How Professional Writers Use Sources in Their Writing E. Student Writing Sample F. Mind the Gap G. Chapter Recap Chapter Nine: Ethical Writing is Good Writing A. Introduction B. How to Create Flow C. Summary and Paraphrase versus Plagiarism D. Citation Practices E. Footnotes, Endnotes, and the Rest F. Under and Overciting G. What You Need to Look Up Works Cited Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisDrawing on the pedagogy, rhetorical theory, and student editor insights of The Argument Handbook, The Argument Toolbox is a very concise resource designed to help first year composition students, rhetoric and writing students, and first year seminar students build persuasive arguments in various genres. Like the more comprehensive text, The Argument Toolbox is organized and designed so that students can zero in on the content they need to respond to an assignment when faced with a blank screen, a hard deadline, and a skeptical audience.Trade Review“The Argument Toolbox provides easy access to the most valuable tools found throughout The Argument Handbook. Those tools include the three helpful lenses for viewing arguments—invention, audience, and authority—as well as the boxed sets of step-by-step instructions for helping students apply rhetorical concepts for persuasively composing their arguments in multiple genres of writing. The more compact Argument Toolbox also preserves the flexible modular organization of the Handbook, thus allowing instructors a wide range of pedagogical options and offering students an abundance of composition resources ready to hand.” — Steven Mailloux, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Irvine“Building on his prior work with classical argument theory, here K.J. Peters provides a compact, well-organized, and student-friendly guide to demystifying academic argument forms with the aid of rhetorical concepts. The ‘toolbox’ image in the book’s title emphasizes its practicality, which I admire!” — Patricia Bizzell, Distinguished Professor of English Emerita, College of the Holy CrossTable of ContentsChapter 1 Building Arguments: An Introduction Module I-1: Argument Defined Module I-2: Invention and Research: How Will You Find Ideas and Evidence? Module I-3: What You Need to Know about Writing in Universities and Colleges Chapter 2 Inventing and Researching Arguments Module II-1: Elements of Effective Invention Module II-2: Invention Strategies Module II-3: Using Research to Find and Develop Ideas Module II-4: Using Databases and Search Engines Module II-5: Organizing Your Research Module II-6: How Do I Evaluate Sources? Module II-7: Avoiding Plagiarism Module II-8: Integrating Sources Authoritatively Chapter 3 Orienting Arguments Module III-1: Rhetorical Situation Defined Module III-2: Audience Defined Module III-3: Analyzing an Audience Module III-4: Using Appeals, Media, and Conventions to Influence Your Audience Chapter 4 Framing Arguments Module IV-1: Framing Your Subject Module IV-2: Primary and Secondary Stasis Questions Module IV-3: Building an Argument Using Stasis Questions Chapter 5 Shaping Arguments Module VI-1: What Audiences Expect of a State-the-Facts Argument Module VI-2: A State-the-Facts Genre: Research Paper Module VI-3: What Audiences Expect of a Definition Argument Module VI-4: A Definition Genre: Research Paper Module VI-5: What Audiences Expect of a Causal Argument Module VI-6: A Causal Argument Genre: Research Paper Module VI-7: What Audiences Expect of an Analysis and Evaluation Module VI-8: An Analysis and Evaluation Genre: Review of a Cultural Event Module VI-9: What Audiences Expect of a Proposal Module VI-10: A Proposal Genre: Position Paper Chapter 6 Polishing Arguments Module VI-1: Logical Fallacies Defined Module VI-2: Awkwardness and Flow Defined Module VI-3: Using Visuals in your Argument Module VI-4: Using Design Conventions in your Argument Module VI-5: Proofreading your Argument Chapter 7 Documentation Module VII-1: MLA Style for In-text Citation Module VII-2: MLA List of Works Cited Module VII-3: APA Style for In-text Citation Module VII-4: APA List of References

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Book SynopsisAcademic Writing has been widely acclaimed in all its editions as a superb textbook—and an important contribution to the pedagogy of introducing students to the conventions of academic writing. The book seeks to introduce student readers to the lively community of research and writing beyond the classroom, with its complex interactions, values, and goals. It presents writing from a range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, cultivating students’ awareness of the subtle differences in genre.Trade Review“Academic Writing: An Introduction draws on current research in writing studies to usher students (and teachers) into an accessible but sophisticated overview of how university readers and writers create knowledge. This textbook demystifies academic writing by showing students how and why experts make their rhetorical moves within specific situations. Grounded in genre theory, the text offers teachers specific disciplinary tools to use to help students learn to read as well as to write university genres. Packed with examples from genres produced inside and outside the academy, the text offers rich potential for class discussion, and for individual or collaborative writing projects that would prepare students to move into disciplinary research situations (and beyond). Academic Writing is unique because it goes beyond describing the ‘conventions’ of research writing to, instead, richly illustrate what motivates this writing: why scholars cite sources, conduct peer review, or prefer a nominal style. I highly recommend this text for teachers who seek to prepare students to conduct research in their fields and beyond their undergraduate educations.” — Mary Soliday, San Francisco State UniversityPraise for previous editions:“Like any complex rhetorical art, good academic writing is less a matter of conforming to rules than of exercising judgment, informed by a sense of audience expectations and developed by disciplined practice. Academic Writing: An Introduction is one of those rare guides that knows this, and helps students help themselves. As students work through the book’s many imaginative exercises, they will find themselves developing a new level of rhetorical judgment. Not only will they be better equipped to deal with writing assignments in a variety of disciplines; they will likely go on improving as writers after their introductory course has been completed.” — Brian Turner, Centre for Academic Writing, University of WinnipegTable of Contents Preface1 Introducing Genre 1A Hearing Voices 1B Hearing Genres 1C High-School vs. University Writing 1D The University as Research Institution 2 Citation and Summary 2A Introducing Scholarly Citation 2B Is Citation Unique to Scholarly Writing? 2C Why Do Scholars Use Citation? 3 Summary 3A Noting for Gist 3B Recording Levels 3C Using Gist and Levels of Generality to Write Summary 3D Establishing the Summarizer's Position 3E Reporting Reporting 3F Experts and Non-Experts 4 Challenging Situations for Summarizers 4A High-Level Passages 4B Low-Level Passages 4C Summarizing Narrative 5 Think-Aloud Protocols in the Writing Classroom 5A Who Do You Think You're Talking To? 5B Traditions of Commentary on Student Writing 5C An Alternative to Traditional Commentary: The Think-Aloud Protocol 5D Adapting the Think-Aloud Protocol in the Writing Classroom 5E Reading on Behalf of Others 5F Reliability of Readers 5G Presupposing vs. Asserting 6 Orchestrating Voices 6A Making Speakers Visible: Writing as Conversation 6B Orchestrating Scholarly Voices 6C The Challenges of Non-Scholarly Voices 6D Orchestrating Academic Textbooks and Popular Writing 6E Research Proposals 7 Definition 7A Dictionaries 7B Appositions 7C Sustained Definitions 7D The Social Profile of Abstractions and Their Different Roles in Different Disciplines 8 Introductions 8A Generalization and Citation 8B Reported Speech 8C Documentation 8D State of Knowledge and the Knowledge Deficit 8E Student Versions of the Knowledge Deficit 9 Scholarly Readers 9A Think-Aloud and Genre Theory 9B The Mental Desktop 10 Scholarly Styles I: Nominal Style 10A Common and Uncommon Sense 10B Is Scholarly Writing Unnecessarily Complicated, Exclusionary, or Elitist? 10C Nominal Style: Syntactic Density 10D Nominal Style: Ambiguity 10E Sentence Style and Textual Coherence 11 Scholarly Styles II: Messages about the Argument 11A Messages about the Argument 11B The Discursive I 11C Forecasts 11D Emphasis 12 Scholarly Styles III: Visual Rhetoric 12A Figures 12B Graphs 12C Tables 12D Research Posters 13 Making and Maintaining Knowledge I 13A Peer Review 13B Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRD) 13C Making Knowledge 13D Method Sections 13E Qualitative Method and Subject Position 14 Making and Maintaining Knowledge II 14A Modality 14B Other Markers of the Status of Knowledge 14C Tense and the Story of Research 15 Conclusions and the Moral Compass of the Disciplines 15A Conclusions 15B The Moral Compass of the Disciplines: Research Ethics 15C The Moral Compass of the Disciplines: Moral Statements Glossary References Subject Index Index of Researchers Cited

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Book SynopsisIncreasingly, writing handbooks are seen as over-produced and overpriced. One stands out: The Broadview Guide to Writing is published in an elegant but simple format, and sells for roughly half the price of its fancier-looking competitors. That does not change with the new edition; what does change and stay up-to-date is the content of the book. The seventh Canadian edition brings a substantial re-organization of the contents under three headings: Writing Processes, Writing Mechanics, and Writing Contexts. Coverage of the MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles of documentation has been substantially revised to reflect the most recent updates, including the 2020 APA and 2021 MLA changes. As in earlier editions, the Broadview Guide offers wide ranging coverage of academic argument; of writing and critical thinking; and of writing about literature. Coverage of personal and informal writing is included for the first time—as is a sample literary essay in MLA style (in addition to the sample MLA interdisciplinary essay). The 'How to be Good with Words' chapter (on issues of gender, race, religion etc.) has been extensively revised, as has the material on electronic etiquette.Trade ReviewCOMMENTS ON PREVIOUS EDITIONS"Even the most useful reference guides are not always, well, shall we say, riveting. A refreshing exception is The Broadview Guide to Writing, which is smart, helpful, and even fun to read." - Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, authors of They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing "The Broadview Guide remains the most readable writing guide available-at any price. It's the only usage guide I've ever actually read for fun. Moreover, it's sensible, and it's complete. - The authors assume nothing, but they don't condescend." - Jacky Bolding, University of the Fraser Valley"an excellent choice. - The expanded coverage of the sixth edition [makes] this not only a comprehensive writing guide, but also a valuable introduction to communication and critical thinking in today's academic world. I will be recommending this text to students at all levels." - Maria DiCenzo, Wilfrid Laurier University"While it is often difficult to distinguish one writing handbook from another - The Broadview Guide to Writing proves exceptional in a number of ways. - [It is] an accessible and relevant guide for twenty-first century college students, with a keen eye toward process, style, and documentation." - Karen Head, Special Advisor to the Writing & Communication Program, The Georgia Institute of Technology"In a market replete with writing guides, this practical book stands out - The [Broadview] Guide - re-energizes this pedagogical field by providing clear and concise explanations supported by examples." - Anne Quéma, Acadia University"Comprehensive, affordable, and student-friendly." - Candice Rai, English Department, University of Washington-Seattle"[The] reference sections on grammar and usage - cover everything I would ever point out in student writing. - The section on MLA style covers pretty much everything anyone needs to know about how to deploy this system of documentation. - The sections on academic writing are [also] very good." - Bruce Greenfield, Dalhousie UniversityTable of Contents Writing Processes P1 Getting Started P1.1 Attitude and Voice P1.2 Academic Style P1.3 Audience P1.4 Purpose P1.5 Focus P1.6 Discovery P1.7 Writer's Block P1.8 Research P1.9 Finding Sources P1.10 Evaluating Sources P2 Making Sense P2.1 Argument P2.2 Logic P2.3 Fallacies P2.4 Thesis P2.5 Organization P2.6 Modes of Writing P2.7 Logical Fluency P2.8 Your Arguments, Others' Arguments P3 Improving Style P3.1 Stylistic Fluency P3.2 Diction P3.3 Syntax P3.4 Rhythm P3.5 Figures of Speech P3.6 Voice P3.7 Tone P3.8 Revision and Proofreading P3.9 Writing by Computer Special TopicHow to Be Good with Words Writing Mechanics M1 Grammar M1.1 “Right” and “Wrong” M1.2 Parts of Speech M1.3 Parts of Sentences M1.4 Verb Forms M1.5 Mood and Voice M1.6 How to Build Sentences (Sentence Combining) M2 Usage M2.1 Verb Issues M2.2 Preposition Issues M2.3 Noun and Pronoun M2.4 Word Order M2.5 Word Meanings M2.6 Part-of-Speech Conversions M2.7 Slang M2.8 Word Conventions M2.9 Joining Words M2.10 Wordiness M2.11 National Variants M3 Punctuation and Other Conventions M3.1 Punctuation M3.2 Quotations M3.3 Capitalization M3.4 Abbreviations M3.5 Spelling M4 For Those Whose Native Language Is Not English Special TopicSeeing and Meaning Writing Contexts C1: Writing Across the Disciplines C1.1 Different Subjects, Different Styles C1.2 English Studies C1.3 Humanities C1.4 Natural and Applied Sciences C1.5 Social Sciences C1.6 Business and Commerce C2: Forms and Conventions C2.1 The Meanings of Texts C2.2 Meaning and Form in Literature C2.3 The Text in the Present Tense C2.4 Authors and Speakers C2.5 The Scientific Research Paper C2.6 Scientific Tone C2.7 First Person and Active Voice C2.8 Writing in the Workplace C2.9 Personal and Informal Writing C2.10 Examinations and In-class Essays C3: Style Guides C3.1 MLA Style C3.2 APA Style C3.3 Chicago Style C3.4 CSE Style

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Book SynopsisThe Broadview Pocket Guide to Writing presents essential material from the full Broadview Guide to Writing. Included are key grammatical points, a glossary of usage, advice on various forms of academic writing, coverage of punctuation and writing mechanics, and helpful advice on how to research academic papers. MLA, APA, and Chicago styles of citation and documentation are covered, and each has been revised to include the latest updates. A companion website provides a wealth of interactive exercises, information on the CSE style of citation and documentation, and much more.Trade ReviewThe Broadview Guide remains the most readable writing guide available-at any price. It's the only usage guide I've ever actually read for fun. Moreover, it's sensible, and it's complete. The authors assume nothing, but they don't condescend. The new chapter on visual literacy is also good-an interesting group of paintings and photographs along with a set of clear, concrete ways to 'read' them." - Jacky Bolding, University of the Fraser Valley"an excellent choice. The expanded coverage of the sixth edition [makes] this not only a comprehensive writing guide, but also a valuable introduction to communication and critical thinking in today's academic world. I will be recommending this text to students at all levels." - Maria DiCenzo, Wilfrid Laurier University"[The] reference sections on grammar and usage cover everything I would ever point out in student writing. The section on MLA style covers pretty much everything anyone needs to know about how to deploy this system of documentation. The sections on academic writing are [also] very good." - Bruce Greenfield, Dalhousie University"In a market replete with writing guides, this practical book stands out. The [Broadview] Guide re-energizes this pedagogical field by providing clear and concise explanations supported by examples." - Anne Quéma, Acadia University"[The new] section on how language both reflects and shapes reality is thought-provoking and sensitive. Overall, the book is comprehensive, balanced, and engaging. I enjoyed reading it, and I rarely say that about handbooks and guides to writing. I'm sure students will find this book helpful and inspiring." - Candace Fertile, Camosun CollegeTable of ContentsSTYLES OF WRITING: AN OVERVIEW Choosing the Best Words Be as Clear and Specific as Possible Watch for Redundancy Avoid Wordiness Watch for Missing Parts Choose the Best Verb Connect Your Ideas Clearly Paragraphing Joining Words Order and Weight Your Ideas According to Their Importance Watch for Ambiguity Illogical or Confused Connections Making Your Writing Consistent Agreement among the Grammatical Parts of Your Writing Watch for Mixed Metaphors Rhythm, Variety, Balance, and Parallelism CONTEXTS OF WRITING Academic Writing: Essays and Arguments From Topic to Thesis Statement The Nature of Argument Argument Structure and Paragraphing Your Arguments, Others’ Arguments Styles and Disciplines The Language of Academic Writing Writing about Literature / Writing about Texts Writing about Science Writing in the Workplace Slang and Informal English The Social Context: Bias-Free Language Gender Race and Ethnicity, Class, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Disability, etc. Bias-free Vocabulary: A Short List GRAMMAR Basic Grammar: An Outline Parts of Speech Nouns Pronouns Articles Adjectives Verbs Adverbs Prepositions Conjunctions and Conjunctive Adverbs Parts of Sentences Subject Object Predicate Clauses and Phrases Parts of Speech and Parts of the Sentence Verbs and Verb Tense Difficulties The Infinitive The Simple Present Tense Subject-Verb Agreement Historical Present Survey of Verb Tenses Voice Mood Combining Verb Tenses: Some Challenges The Past Perfect Tense Combining Tenses—Quoted Material Irregular Verbs Dangling Constructions Noun and Pronoun Difficulties Singular and Plural Nouns Singular Pronouns Unreferenced or Wrongly Referenced Pronouns Subject and Object Pronouns Adjectives and AdverbsComparatives and Superlatives Incomplete Sentences (Sentence Fragments) Run-on Sentences EAL: For Those Whose Native Language Is Not English Articles (and Other Determiners) Frequently Used Non-count Nouns Continuous Verb Tenses Omission or Repetition of the Subject The Conditional Word Order PUNCTUATION The Period The Comma Commas and Non-restrictive Elements That and Which Extra Comma Commas and Lists The Question Mark The Exclamation Mark The Semi-Colon The Colon The Hyphen The Dash Parentheses Square Brackets The Apostrophe Contractions Possession Quotation Marks Other Uses of Quotation Marks Misuse of Quotation Marks to Indicate Emphasis Single Quotation Marks Direct and Indirect Speech Ellipses FORMAT AND SPELLING Capitalization Abbreviations Titles Academic and Business Terms Latin Abbreviations Numbers Italics Spelling Spell-Check Spelling and Sound American Spelling, British Spelling, Canadian Spelling Other Spelling Mistakes RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION Approaches to Research Avoiding Plagiarism Citation and Documentation Incorporating Sources Summarizing Paraphrasing Quoting Directly Formatting Quotations Adding to or Deleting from a Quotation Signal Phrases MLA Style About In-Text Citations About Works Cited: MLA Core Elements Examples MLA Style Sample Essay Page APA Style Incorporating Sources in APA Style Summarizing Paraphrasing Quoting Directly Formatting Quotations Adding to or Deleting from a Quotation Signal Phrases About In-text Citations About References APA Style Sample Essay Pages Chicago Style About Chicago Style Chicago Style Sample CSE StyleCSE Style Samples GLOSSARY OF USAGE CORRECTION KEY INDEX

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Book SynopsisThis book gives students an answer to the question, “What does my professor want from this essay?” Using a single poem by William Carlos Williams as the basis for the process of writing a paper, it walks students through the processes of reading, brainstorming, researching secondary sources, gathering evidence, and composing and editing the paper.Writing Essays About Literature is designed to strengthen argumentation skills and deepen understanding of the relationships between the reader, the author, the text, and critical interpretations. Its lessons about clarity, precision, and the importance of providing evidence will have wide relevance for student writers. The second edition has been updated throughout and provides three new complete sample essays showing varying approaches to the final essay.Trade Review“I’ve been using Writing Essays About Literature in my courses for years now because it is by far the clearest, most direct, and most engaging explanation of the processes of literary analysis. It explains through demonstration, taking readers through each step with the genuine curiosity we want to encourage in our students. The revisions to the second edition clarify the steps students struggle with most: developing the thesis statement as part of the introduction and then revising the thesis after writing the body of the essay.” — Kylee-Anne Hingston, St. Thomas More College“I was especially impressed by the lively and approachable authorial voice in Writing Essays About Literature. Where students might be accustomed to start with a thesis and write an essay straight through from beginning to end, the book demonstrates a more nuanced writing process that is both inductive and recursive. It gives students the tools to do higher-level research and thinking, and it concludes with sample essays that model those outcomes.” — Sunny Stalter-Pace, Auburn UniversityPraise for the first edition“I am a student studying English and American Studies, and this may be a bit unorthodox, but I wanted to say that Writing Essays About Literature was one of the best textbooks I have ever read … You have done a brilliant job making essay-writing easy, structured, and actually enjoyable!” — Lauren Gaylor, University of KansasTable of Contents Section One: Introduction Chapter One: The Purpose of an Essay about Literature Literature: Instruction, Delight, Imitation The Literary Essay Evidence Communication Subjectivity How to Use This Book Review Questions Section Two: Research and Analysis Chapter Two: Research within the Text Taking Notes about Literature Recording Your Responses to the Text Do I Like the Work? What Words Stand Out? What Feelings Does It Give Me? Do I Identify with Any of the People Represented? Is There Anything about How It's Written That Stands Out? What Is the Work about? Conclusion Review Questions Chapter Three: Using Reference Works The Oxford English Dictionary Etymology Definitions Examples of Usage Scholarly Editions Encyclopedias Conclusion Review Questions Chapter Four: Research about Social and Historical Contexts Topics for Research: Social Phenomena and Literary Movements Useful Resources Using Your Findings Conclusion Review Questions Chapter Five: Research about the Current Critical Assessment of Literary Works Finding Critical Works Assessing Publications Using Bibliographies Reading Critical Works Taking Notes from Critical Readings Conclusion Review Questions Chapter Six: Inventing Your Argument Arranging Your Evidence Reviewing Your Labeled Evidence Categorizing Your Evidence Charting Your Evidence Conclusion Review Questions Section Three: Composition Chapter Seven: Composing Your Argument Inductive Reasoning Composing the Thesis Statement Writing the Subtopic Sentences Composing the Body of the Thesis Statement Composing the Body of the Introduction Concluding the Introduction A Variation: An Essay without Secondary Sources Conclusion Review Questions Chapter Eight: Writing the Body of the Essay The Body Paragraphs Features of Strong Paragraphs Writing the Conclusion and Revising the Introduction The Conclusion Revising the Introduction Conclusion Review Questions Section Four: Polish and Presentation Chapter Nine: Editing and Proofreading Your Essay Conventions of Essay-Writing Style Diction Vocabulary Connecting Words Common Grammatical Errors Apostrophes Demonstrative Pronouns Pronoun Agreement Verb Tense Common Errors in Punctuation and Sentence Structure Semicolons Comma Splices Sentence Fragments Subordinating Conjunctions Conjunctive Adverbs Conclusion Review Questions Chapter Ten: Documenting Your Sources and Presenting Your Work Reasons for Documenting Sources Documentation Practices Presenting Your Work Layout and Order Illustrations Multimedia and the Literary Essay Exemplary Illustrations Complementary Illustrations Supplementary Illustrations Last-Minute Checks Conclusion Review Questions Section Five: Conclusion and Review Chapter Eleven: The Process of Essay Writing-A Summary Collecting Evidence (Chapters 2-5) Categorizing Evidence (Chapter 6) Writing Your Thesis Statement (Chapter 7) Troubleshooting the Thesis Statement (Chapter 7) Writing the Body Paragraphs (Chapter 8) Concluding Your Essay (Chapter 8) Proofreading (Chapter 9) Documentation and Presentation (Chapter 10) Conclusion Works Cited Sample Essay One Sample Essay Two Sample Essay Three Subject Index

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Book SynopsisThe Essays Only You Can Write offers a perspective on essay writing that spotlights a writer’s uniqueness. Resisting the perception that personal and academic writing are at odds with one another, it treats the impulse to write “personally” as potential fuel for a variety of writing purposes.The book encourages students to think like academics--pursuing their enthusiasms, trusting their ideas, and questioning their conclusions--by leading them through three main writing assignments: a personal essay, an essay based on texts, and a research essay. Each chapter offers exercises and strategies for various stages in the pre-writing, drafting, and revision processes. Freewriting; extensive attention to planning; devising a structure and order of ideas that both promote and reflect engagement with a topic; developing rhetorical awareness and knowledge of conventions; and an advocacy for expressive, socially-responsible writing--all are central elements of the text’s instruction.By acknowledging the emotions inherent in the writing process, many of which can muddle thinking--I don’t want anyone to see this; what if I make mistakes?; what if the writing isn’t good?; I don’t want to be critiqued; etc.--Papoulis helps beginning college writers to navigate the psychological as well as the technical roadblocks that can get in the way of their best personal and academic writing.Trade Review“The Essays Only You Can Write offers a large dose of relief and new hope to instructors of first-year writing courses. Every chapter of the book focuses on the value of each student’s own thinking and each student’s own experiences and language resources (rather than anything possibly producible by AI) as the essential elements for meeting every kind of writing challenge posed by the undergraduate classroom. The text will allow first-year composition classes to return to their ideal function of ushering students into a college community, where they can begin to discover themselves as legitimate members who are both learners and contributors to the enterprise of learning.” — Sheridan Blau, Professor of Practice in the Teaching of English, Teachers College, Columbia University“It is no secret that many students dread writing—it often feels disconnected from their interests and areas of study. The Essays Only You Can Write presents students with a vital guide to essay writing that foregrounds the important fact that ‘essays of all sorts are an invaluable form of expression.’ This is a text that welcomes readers into a community of writers by sharing a wealth of innovative tips and imaginative strategies while also presenting the writing process as an importantly personal domain. Irene Papoulis has written so much more than a book; The Essays Only You Can Write guides students through the various stages and myriad forms of essaying, and the voices one might don while doing so.” — erica j. kaufman, Director, Bard College Institute for Writing & Thinking“If you’re anxious about AI technologies and instead want to steer students toward more mindful, analog explorations of themselves and their worlds, this book will be your thoughtful guide. Papoulis champions the personal and research essay genres, and she offers wise and humane coaching for all stages of the writing process. By modeling a ‘Journal of Noticings,’ a ‘Journal of Questions,’ and strategies for mindfulness, Papoulis integrates fresh ideas with time-tested approaches to personal and research essay writing.” — Tom Deans, University of ConnecticutTable of ContentsPreface for StudentsPart One: Your Personal Essay Chapter 1: Starting Ideas and Fundamental Practices Chapter 2: Get to Know the Personal Essay Genre Chapter 3: Write Your Personal Essay Chapter 4: Revise, Add Texture to, and Finish Your Personal Essay Part Two: Your Essay about Text(s) Chapter 5: Reading and Writing about Texts in College Chapter 6: Move Toward Your Essay on a Text/Texts Chapter 7: Draft Your Essay About a Text Chapter 8: Revise your Essay about a text Part Three: Your Research Essay Chapter 9: Confront Your Research Essay Assignment Chapter 10: Do Your Research: Topic/Question/Sources Chapter 11: Build Your Research Essay Draft Chapter 12: Revise Your Research Essay Part Four: Mindfulness and Essay-Writing Chapter 13: Introductory Thoughts on Mindfulness Chapter 14: Using Mindfulness While Writing Part Five: Giving and Receiving Feedback in Peer Groups Chapter 15: What Is Peer Feedback, and Why Does it Make Some People Nervous? Chapter 16: The Psychology of Feedback Chapter 17: Being a Peer Responder Chapter 18: Prompts for Peer Responders

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Book SynopsisStyle & Substance demystifies academic conversations by breaking down the underlying concepts behind good scholarship and the skills involved in research, writing, and presenting. The author guides undergraduates through the trials of academic writing, from how to form fruitful research questions, to gathering and using the appropriate evidence, and finally to crafting polished, thoughtful responses to the questions that we pose ourselves in good research. Throughout, the author demonstrates how engaging in each step of this process thoughtfully and deliberately is how one joins the academic conversations at the heart of college education.Trade Review“Style & Substance is an innovative and engaging guide to modern academic writing. Reading it feels like joining a very well-run academic writing class, one with meaningful and lively discussions about the fundamentals of writing, the goals of scholarly work, the skills required for research using both digital and non-digital sources, and, most refreshingly, advice about turning the resulting writing into academic presentations. Students across the disciplines will find themselves inspired by this exceptional little book. It’s the classroom resource I’ve been looking for: a highly practical and entertaining text that makes academic writing understandable, relevant, and even exciting.” — Jan Duerden, Thompson Rivers University“I cannot think of another book that offers such advice on academic writing, and with clarity and brevity. This will be my go-to recommendation for all of my students in the future—it’s a treasure.” — Daniel Willingham, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia and author of Outsmart Your Brain “Style & Substance … does a particularly good job of using examples to illustrate the concepts being covered. I would have found this book both thought-provoking and practical when I was a student.” — Ryan Skinnell, San José State University“This book provides a substantive yet concise look at the research, writing, and sharing processes for any student new to academic genres. John Lambersky offers good examples and touches on pitfalls to avoid, all in a voice that is pitch perfect for our era of misinformation and in a style needed for our overburdened students.” — Matthew Boedy, University of North GeorgiaTable of Contents This Whole Book Shrunk to Fit on Two Pages Chapter 1: Join the Academic Conversation with Grace Chapter 2: It Begins with Listening Chapter 3: Quotation Integration Chapter 4: Basic Source Evaluation—Argument, Reasoning, Evidence Chapter 5: Putting Ideas in Conversation—with Generosity Chapter 6: Topics and Research Questions Chapter 7: A Spectrum of Sources Chapter 8: Finding the Best Evidence Chapter 9: Establishing the Credibility of a Source Chapter 10: Evidence—Kinds of Studies Chapter 11: Gathering and Organizing Evidence Chapter 12: The Development of Your Argument Chapter 13: The Structure of the Paper Chapter 14: Using Evidence Well Chapter 15: Making Our First Draft Better—Follow the Basic Rules of English Chapter 16: Advanced Style Maneuvers Chapter 17: Sharing with an Audience Chapter 18: Slide Design Chapter 19: Defending Ideas Chapter 20: Conversations about Research, Writing, and Presenting Appendix A: Important Writers on Style Appendix B: An Editing Checklist Appendix C: Important Resources to Have at Hand References and Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisMadsen's book should be welcome both to graduate students about toundertake dissertations and to faculty needing to learn the role ofthesis adviser. . . . Madsen tells how to propose, outline, write,defAnd, and possibly publish a dissertation, information whichshould save graduate students years, pain, and money. --Library JournalTrade Review"Madsen's book should be welcome both to graduate students about to undertake dissertations and to faculty needing to learn the role of thesis adviser. . . . Madsen tells how to propose, outline, write, defAnd, and possibly publish a dissertation, information which should save graduate students years, pain, and money."Table of Contents1. Starting and Completing the Dissertation. 2. Working with the Research Adviser and Advisory Committee. 3. Selecting and Shaping the Research Topic. 4. Preparing the Research Proposal. 5. Employing Basic Research Sources and Techniques. 6. Using the Library and Locating Essential Resources. 7. Organizing, Outlining, and Writing. 8. DefAnding the Thesis. 9. Adapting the Thesis for Publication and Presentation. Resources: Sample Proposals and Manuscript Pages A. SampleProposal: Historical Approach B. Sample Proposal: ExperimentalApproach C. Sample Pages.

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Book SynopsisIncludes 300 "quickwrites", 202 story starters, 141 writing forms, a trait-based writing guide, and more!

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Book SynopsisThis how-to book is for the prospective author and presents guidelines, examples, forms and advice from 900 publishers.

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Book SynopsisOnce nearly as ubiquitous as dictionaries and cookbooks are today, letter-writing manuals and their predecessors served to instruct individuals not only on the art of letter composition but also, in effect, on personal conduct. Poster and Mitchell contend that the study of letter-writing theory, which bridges rhetorical theory and grammatical studies, represents an emerging discipline in need of definition. In this volume, they gather the contributions of eleven experts to sketch the contours of epistolary theory and collect the historic and bibliographic materials - from Isocrates to email - that form the basis for its study.

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Book SynopsisEveryone has a story to tell. Learn how to write your memoir and get published with the help of two well-known publishing professionals. Your Life is a Book guides budding writers though the transformative process of memoir writing to publication. In addition to exploring the unique elements of crafting a memoir-story arc, point of view, dialogue, where to start (not the beginning!), Your Life is a Book also focuses on the self-exploration, awareness and understanding that this emotional literary project triggers. With proven writing exercises and prompts, this book is a practical and enlightening guide to perfecting the art of memoir writing.Trade ReviewIf I were going to write the story of my life, this is the book I'd look to first and last for encouragement, inspiration, and practical advice.—Nancy Pearl, author of Book LustIn this perceptive, practical, sometimes spiritual guide, the discouraging mysteries of writing are clarified—both business-wise and art-wise. It's the book beginning writers wish for, and one veteran writers will be glad to return to, finding new insights in every rereading. —Nicole Hardy, author of Confessions of a Latter-Day VirginYour Life is a Book is terrific—a triumph of lucidity. It's the book I wish I'd had on hand when I was writing a memoir, and it's the book I'll definitely recommend to anyone planning to write one. Peterson and Freymann thought of everything, and demystified the difficult process of memoir-writing and soul-searching in the most positive way. Bravo!—Diane Johnson, author of Le Divorce and Flyover LivesThis book gives you the firm, astute guidance of professionals, mixed with the humor, encouragement, and advice of a good friend—the perfect guide through the often difficult, delicate, and ultimately rewarding journey to completing a memoir. I thoroughly enjoyed it and even after writing two memoirs, I still learned a lot.—Teresa Rhyne, author of The Dog Lived (and So Did I)Your Life is a Book is like having a personal writing mentor and practical literary agent guide you every step of the way in telling your life story. Inspiring, instructive, and most of all, inviting, Peterson and Freymann share their own successful writing and publishing experiences with warmth and wit. I wish I'd had this book when I was writing my memoir! —Sy Montgomery, author of The Good Good, PigIt’s one thing to write one’s innermost thoughts for the sheer private pleasure of it. It’s quite another to adapt those personal musings for public consumption. Crafting a memoir from the bits and pieces of one’s life is a brave and daunting challenge and, like every worthy endeavor, one best accomplished with a trusted guide. Or two. Accomplished writer Peterson (I Want to Be Left Behind, 2010) and literary agent Freymann share their personal experiences with the genre and offer valuable and practical tips about writing, revising, agents, editors, and publishers that can only come from those with years of insider access. From framing a narrative arc to finding one’s own voice, their advice is spot-on: affirmative, reassuring, inclusive, and accessible. Whether describing a harrowing journey of self-revelation or airing the dirty laundry that has piled up in the corners of dysfunctional family life, the memoirist’s goal is to tell that story so as to enlighten both writer and reader. With Peterson and Freymann as coaches, it is a mission that most definitely can be accomplished.—BooklistPeterson (I Want To Be Left Behind) and Freymann (founder, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency) bring decades of experience to bear on the subject of writing and publishing a memoir. Affable, confident, and candid, the authors teach that the process, when done right, can be a journey of personal growth, illustrating their points with poignant examples and metaphors. Part 1, "Crafting Your Memoir," introduces the genre and covers an array of topics: death, abuse, family secrets, food, travel, spirituality, animals, and more. The advice on what does and doesn’t work with each topic is razor sharp and is the overall strength of the book. Battle-tested tips, exercises, and prompts close most chapters, providing writers an opportunity to practice and apply their craft. The second half, "Getting Serious About Publishing," offers insightful perspectives on blogging, agents, editors, handling rejection, indie publishing, and more. Discussions of factuality, point of view, drafting, and scenes are excellent but could be expanded. ­VERDICT: This is a reassuring introduction to how writers should approach their first memoir and an honest discussion of what it will take to publish one. —Library Journal The process of writing about your past can lead to a boost in self-acceptance, self-awareness and fulfillment. And while it's true that not all of us have time to finish a 200-page manuscript, filling in the answer to . . . three short exercises [from the book] may help you face a difficult experience and recognize your own strengths, personal growth and—yes—wisdom. —Oprah.com I’ve found Your Life is a Book to be one of the best books I've read on how to engage in the writing process, specifically the step-by-step process of writing a memoir worthy of an audience. —Joy Stocke, Wild River Review. . . Your Life is a Book is a page-turner filled with insider stories and ways to look anew at your own life story. —The Mystic Wave[Peterson and Freymann] offer plenty of insights gleaned from their own experiences, such as "character evolution is the narrative arc and plot of any memoir" and "for many writers, their work is also a spiritual practice." To these ideas, they add the requisite writing prompts, exercises, and publishing tips. Of particular note are the lessons which Peterson and Freymann draw from the careers of successful memoirists like Cheryl Strayed and Dawn Raffel. The section on publishing is strong, with concrete tips from editors and reviewers . . . eye opening for the aspiring memoirist. —Publishers Weekly “Exercises and prompts to help us connect to our stories, to connect to ourselves.”—Psych Central

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Book SynopsisDo you have what it takes to become an author, but are not sure where to start? Promote Your Book gives enterprising authors the advantage they need to navigate the publishing industry and gain a better understanding of what book promotion is all about. This well-organized collection of the most successful low-cost and no-cost ideas provides solutions for both aspiring and seasoned authors in any genre. You will learn how to promote the book without changing your lifestyle; how to promote creatively, locally, and through social media; submit news releases and tip sheets; arrange book signings, radio, and TV appearances; enhance marketing skills; spend money in all the right places, and more.

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Book SynopsisPublish Your Book: Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author is a professional guide to publishing success for the new and struggling author. With insider tips, up-to-date marketing strategies, timelines, and other resources, this book offers a comprehensive tour of the world of book publishing to help authors successfully navigate the industry.Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this book will help you write your book for a target audience, build promotion into your book, write a successful query letter and book proposal, choose the right publishing option for your book, establish or strengthen your platform, get your book into bookstores, and successfully promote and sell your book. Authors and publishers in any genre and at any stage of the publishing process will benefit from this comprehensive resource, which is an exceptional companion to Promote Your Book (Allworth Press, 2011).

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