Writing and editing guides Books

Book SynopsisA writer will change and grow many times in their writing life. This Journal Workbook aims to champion this journey. It answers those tricky questions writers long to ask, shares secret practices to inspire their writing confidence, and free their unique gifts from common obstacles and writing worries. In this Journal Workbook you will discover surprising new techniques from acting, neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality to re-wild your creativity and empower your writing craft. Writing can seem overwhelming. You long to be a writer, but where do you start?And how do you bridge the gap between where you are right now and where you want to go? How do you discover your voice? What does that even mean? And what can you do to improve your writing? Or discover what you want to write about? This is not a book about getting published or finding an agent. This is a book about finding you. Finding your voice. Trusting your talent. Your creativity. It is about puttiTrade ReviewA wonderful warm hug of a book, packed with practical help and inspiring goodness. Just the tonic to boost the morale of any writer. -- Chris Callaghan * Goodreads *Full of nuggets of wisdom from beginning to end. Packed full of goodies, gems and guidance. -- Emma Perry * Waterstones review *This book is like an invisible hand on one's shoulder supporting and empowering the writer as one takes the first tentative step on their writing path ... I felt [Lucy] wrote it, especially for me. * Amazon review *Table of ContentsIntroduction - Your secret power: what A Writer's Journal Workbook can do for you Part I - Surprising solutions to common questions: Tips, tricks and writing prompts Part II - Practice: The secret habits of a happy writer Resources

Read more less

Book SynopsisLEARN HOW TO WRITE CREATIVELY WITH THIS COMPREHENSIVE AND PRACTICAL COURSE.The only comprehensive Creative Writing title on the market that goes beyond introducing the basic genres to offering a complete journey along the writing path, including material on editing, redrafting and polishing a piece of work. Featuring the unique Workshop exercises to encourage readers to hone their work rather than just progressing through a number of exercises.Takes the reader from complete beginner or committed amateur to the point you've completed, edited and redrafted your work and are ready for publication.ABOUT THE SERIESThe Teach Yourself Creative Writing series helps aspiring authors tell their story. Covering a range of genres from science fiction and romantic novels, to illustrated children's books and comedy, this series is packed with advice, exercises and tips for unlocking creativity and improving your writing. And because we know how daunting the blank page can be, we set up the Just Write online community at tyjustwrite, for budding authors and successful writers to connect and share.Trade ReviewChris is as good a tutor as one could have - superb course and wonderful control of the class and the subject. - A former student

Read more less

LEARN HOW TO WRITE FICTION BY WRITING EVERY DAYWould you like to write but have no spare time?Do you not know where to begin?Write A Novel In 10 Minutes A Day will help you sculpt a full-length piece of creative writing in just ten minutes a day. Starting with a daily practical exercise, it will help you manage your writing schedule within this time frame and help you bring your novel to life. You will be able to clarify your vision and review your time commitments, as well as understand your own abilities. Learning to observe the world around you, write quickly and tap into your unique voice will help you to create all the elements of your story and, by the time you've finished all the exercises, you'll have created something beautiful.ABOUT THE SERIESThe Teach Yourself Creative Writing series helps aspiring authors tell their story. Covering a range of genres from science fiction and romantic novels, to illustrated children's books and comedy, this series is packed with advice, exercises and tips for unlocking creativity and improving your writing. And because we know how daunting the blank page can be, we set up the Just Write online community at tyjustwrite, for budding authors and successful writers to connect and share.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWriting tends to make people anxious, and with good reason. The first sentence of a job application letter can consign it to the bin. A speech intended to rouse can put a room to sleep. A mistimed tweet can cost you your job. And a letter to a beloved may aim to convey feelings of tenderness but end up making the recipient laugh rather than melt. In this complete guide to persuasive writing, Sam Leith shows how to express yourself fully across any medium, and how to maximise your chances of getting your way in every situation. From work reports to Valentine cards, and from emails of condolence to tweets of complaint, Leith lays bare the secrets to successful communication, eloquence and off- and online etiquette. How do you write a job application, a thank-you card, or an email to your bank manager, to your children's headteacher, to your clients or your boss? How do you prepare a speech to win the argument, get the vote of confidence, or embarrass the bridegroom? Getting these things right - or wrong - can be life-changing. Succinct treatments of the most general principles of style and composition, as well as examinations of specific modes of address (What is a subtweet? How do I write a moving elegy?) are accompanied by concrete and well-illustrated dos and don'ts and examples of wins and fails. Astute, sprightly and illuminating, Write to the Point will give you the skills and confidence you need to get your message across on every occasion.Trade ReviewAt last, a book on correct writing that is genuinely amusing - and not just for language nerds ... Informative and hugely entertaining, like a Scotch-soaked conversation with an eccentric, brilliant don -- Juanita Coulson * The Lady *Useful, and persuasive -- Ben East * Observer *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf you feel like you’ve got the wrong tone of voice, don’t understand the ins-and-outs of grammar, or just don’t feel confident writing about yourself without sounding like an idiot, read this book. Copywriter Tait Ischia is brief and to the point in an interesting and engaging way. Which is exactly what you want the words on your website/marketing stuff/professional bio to be too, right? Feel confident in what you say and how you say it when you put fingers to the keyboard. Waffling on should really be reserved for weekend breakfast.Trade Review‘A fantastic way to up your copywriting game and grow more confident in your ability to use the right words.’ -- Michael Bascetta, small business owner at Worksmith‘Some of the best copywriting advice I’ve read. A great resource and a good read, too.’ -- Penny Modra, The Good Copy‘[A]n engaging introduction to the world of social media content creating and copyrighting.’ * Reading, Writing and Riesling *‘[T]his is an easy to follow introduction to copywriting by an accomplished Australian author that will provide a solid foundation that may lead to a deeper exploration down the track.’ * Carpe Librum *

Read more less

Book SynopsisCultivate a state of mind to help your writing flow with acclaimed writing instructor and Giller Prize finalist Sarah Selecky. Celebrated author Sarah Selecky brings the spirit of her popular online writing school to the page in Story Is a State of Mind. Short, personable essays deliver gentle coaching, practical advice, and heartfelt encouragement, alongside writing exercises and meditations that offer abundant opportunities to build awareness, confidence, and technique. Designed for authors seeking support on individual projects or their practice as a whole, this book is overflowing with tips and tools to develop and support creative curiosity and whole-minded writing. Pair it with Sarah Selecky's Story Is a State of Mind Deck of 50 writing prompts for maximum inspiration!A brilliant, soulful, transformative guide to the craft of writing.Theresa Reed, author of The Cards You're Dealt

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisPoetry is increasingly democratic in its use of different formats, but it can be difficult to know how to navigate the range of options available. In a competitive field, this information is not always easy to access, and many poets make mistakes. This handbook is here to help.How do you make the finances work? Should you release a pamphlet or a full collection? Which promoters should you work with? How can you get your work reviewed? How do you maintain a public profile if performance isn't for you? What mentoring and publication options are open for mid-career poets? The Poetry Writers'' Handbook will answer all these questions and more. It provides: - practical advice on managing income and funding a career - detailed information on printing and distribution, marketing and publicity, and submission to editors, reviewers and prizes- up-to-date contacts for funding organisations, prizes, publishers and magazines for poets and their work.It gives a clear and up-to-date picture oTable of Contents1 Small Worlds: an introduction to the world of poetry 2 Getting published: magazines, prizes and pamphlets 3 Getting published: full poetry collections 4 To self-publish, or not? 5 Performance poetry: background and history 6 Performance poetry: owning the stage 7 The business of poetry 8 Marketing your book 9 A community of poets Bibliography Glossary Directory - who to contact Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe were all taught the fundamentals of writing well in school. But how do we write effectively in today’s hyper-interactive world? When The Elements of Style and On Writing Well were published in 1959 and 1976, the internet hadn’t been invented. Since then, there has been a radical transformation in how we communicate. The average adult receives over 100 emails and tens of text messages each day. With all this correspondence, gaining a busy reader’s attention is now a competition. Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink, both behavioural scientists, offer practical writing advice you can use today. They begin by outlining cognitive facts about how busy people read, then detail six research-backed principles for effective writing: Use fewer words Lower the reading level Use formatting judiciously Make the purpose clear for skimmers Emphasise value for readers Make responding as easy as possible. Including many examples, a checklist, and other tools for the most effective writing, this handbook will make you a more effective communicator. Rogers and Lasky-Fink bring conventional ideas about text-based communication into the 21st century’s radically transformed attention marketplace.Trade Review‘Rogers and Lasky-Fink’s research has fascinated me for a long time — and one of the reasons it’s so great is because their writing is so readable. This book is an explanation about how to transform your own everyday writing so that it is easier to read, easier to write — and more likely to make a real difference in the world.’ -- Charles Duhigg, author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better‘Amazing. The best book ever written on effective writing. It will change your life — and make the world a better place.’ -- Cass R. Sunstein, Harvard University, co-author of Nudge‘This book is a home run. It will teach readers the science of getting people to read and respond to messages. What could be more practical than that? This book will be a must read for everyone who communicates in writing … And I cannot imagine a better pair of authors for this book either.’ -- Robert Cialdini, author of international bestseller Influence: the psychology of persuasion‘I wish this book had existed earlier in my career, because it would have saved me from countless mistakes and wasted hours. Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink show how effective writing makes life and work easier, more pleasant, and more productive. Read it today and you will write better tomorrow.’ -- Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, author of From Strength to Strength‘However skilled a writer you are, the insights and tools presented here will make you better. The techniques speak to both courtesy and strategy: respect readers’ time, understand their needs and you’ll gain their focus and trust. Grounded in research but designed for impact.’ -- Nancy Gibbs, Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice of Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University, former managing editor of TIME, author of The Presidents Club‘Indispensable! This actionable, evidence-based guide will help you unleash the power of effective writing. Witty, well-organised, and imminently useful, Writing for Busy Readers is a gem. You’ll never craft a subpar email, text, or memo again.’ -- Katy Milkman, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, author of How to Change‘Inspiring and practical in equal measure and successfully shows the profound difference that effective written communication can make. The contest for people’s attention is fierce but we’ve all got a better chance with this book as our guide.’ -- Ros Atkins * BBC News *‘Science-based tips to help you cut through the noise and reach readers. This is a helpful guide to achieving your communication goals.’ -- Viorica Marian, Northwestern University, author of The Power of Language‘Cost: £17 and three hours of time. Benefit: Hundreds of hours of your time and thousands of hours of the time of others. Conclusion: Good deal.’ -- Max Bazerman, Harvard Business School, author of Complicit‘This book won’t just make you a better writer — it will turn you into a more effective communicator. Writing for Busy Readers is a surprisingly captivating guide to conjuring words that captivate people. Move over, AI: this is the ultimate guide to sharpen every meaningful message you craft.’ -- Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the TED podcast Re:Thinking‘Genius! A succinct, sage guide to writing effectively — and the only one I know of that is grounded in evidence of what really works.’ -- Angela Duckworth, University of Pennsylvania, Founder and CEO of Character Lab, and author of Grit‘[A] useful handbook on how to efficiently get one’s point across, whether in an email, work memo, or social media post … The thoughtful advice is pragmatic and the prose fittingly concise and straightforward. It’s Strunk & White for the internet age.’ * Publishers Weekly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisBigger Results with Less MarketingYou keep being told to do more marketingmore complex, more aggressive, and more expensive marketing. Chasing the latest bright, shiny object is exhausting. Increased efforts keep leading to disappointment. The overwhelm for entrepreneurs, marketers, and business leaders is real. There's a better way.The lean movement has transformed manufacturing and is now revolutionizing marketing. Small, medium, and large businesses are getting bigger and better results with less marketing.In this book, you'll discover:? Why many existing marketing techniques have stopped working and what to do instead.? The exact tools and tactics you need to build a devastatingly effective marketing system.? How to win with a simple, structured, and systemized approach rather than failing with random acts of marketing.? How to pivot from bloated, ineffective, and wasteful marketing activities to ones that compel p

Read more less

Book SynopsisEquip learners to achieve in the Extended Essay. Matched to the new IB Guide, this essential resource provides learners with a step-by-step pathway to maximize achievement. With complete guidance for every aspect of writing and researching, use this resource to strengthen performance.Trade Review"The new Extended Essay text from Oxford University Press is exactly what every IB Coordinator needs. It provides excellent assistance for both students and supervisors throughout the demanding process of this core diploma task, and it does so with almost step-by-step precision and guidance. [...] With over 200 full-IB Diploma students in my building at any given time, having a resource such as this is an absolute blessing! I highly recommend it!" * David Quinn, IB Coordinator, Edmonds-Woodway High School *Table of Contents1: The basics Extended Essay skills and attributes Extended Essay components Extended Essay subject availability Artifacts in language B essays Extended Essay quiz 2: Getting started Subject and topic Designing a research question Limiting factors Comparisons Question vs. title Question starters Feasibility Locating sources Disproving a research question Changing your research question Worksheet: Design your own research question 3: Locating, organizing and evaluating Primary and secondary sources Subject-specific source lists Locating relevant sources Organizing source material How do we go from numerous works to a single essay? Organizing chapters or paragraphs A. Mind maps B. Progression charts C. Branches Evaluation Value and limitations Evaluating methodology 4: Research Research overview Research and the research question Primary research Key issues and concepts in research Methodology Ethical considerations Literature review Conclusions (research findings) 5: Writing essays Introduction Main body Paragraph writing Analysis Analytical structure: How to demonstrate analysis in writing Conclusion Worksheet 1: Meeting the introduction requirements Worksheet 2: Organizing the main body's key points 6: Supervision Criterion E (Engagement): Key to success Exemplar calendar Overview of forms Supervisory support emails The first meeting The second meeting Extended Essay cafe (coming soon) [optional] The third meeting The three mandatory sessions Guidance for mandatory sessions The Extended Essay cafe Extended Essay cafe checklist Exemplar EE cafe presentation 7: Assessment (maximizing marks) The Extended Essay assessment criteria The strands Criterion A: Focus and method (6 marks) The introduction Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding (6 marks) Knowledge and understanding checklist Criterion C: Critical thinking (12 marks) Critical thinking skills Criterion D: Presentation (4 marks) Title page (cover page) Table of contents Page numbers Fonts Spacing Referencing (citations and bibliography) Referencing basics How to add citations and bibliographies using Microsoft Word on a PC How to add citations and bibliographies using Microsoft Word on a Mac Word count Criterion E: Engagement (6 marks) Towards meaningful reflection Getting the most out of reflection Exemplar Reflections on Planning and Progress form 8: Academic honesty What is academic honesty? Plagiarism Plagiarism test

Read more less

Book SynopsisNew York Times Bestseller“Both deeper and more democratic than The Elements of Style” —Adam Haslett, Financial Times“A guided tour through some of the most beautiful, arresting sentences in the English language.” —SlateIn this entertaining and erudite gem, world-class professor and New York Times columnist Stanley Fish offers both sentence craft and sentence pleasure, skills invaluable to any writer (or reader). Like a seasoned sportscaster, Fish marvels at the adeptness of finely crafted sentences and breaks them down into digestible morsels, giving readers an instant play-by-play. Drawing on a wide range of great writers, from Philip Roth to Antonin Scalia to Jane Austen, How to Write a Sentence is much more than a writing manual—it is a spirited love letter to the written word, and a key to understanding how great writing works. It is a book that will stand the test of time.Trade Review"Both deeper and more democratic than The Elements of Style." -- Financial Times "A guided tour through some of the most beautiful, arresting sentences in the English language." -- Slate "[Fish] shares his connoisseurship of the elegant sentence." -- The New Yorker "Stanley Fish just might be America's most famous professor." -- BookPage "How to Write a Sentence is a compendium of syntactic gems-light reading for geeks." -- New York magazine "How to Write a Sentence isn't merely a prescriptive guide to the craft of writing but a rich and layered exploration of language as an evolving cultural organism. It belongs not on the shelf of your home library but in your brain's most deep-seated amphibian sensemaking underbelly." -- Maria Popova, Brain Pickings "[Fish's] approach is genially experiential-a lifelong reader's engagement whose amatory enthusiasm is an attempt to overthrow Strunk & White's infamous insistences on grammar by rote." -- New York Observer "In this small feast of a book Stanley Fish displays his love of the English sentence. His connoisseurship is broad and deep, his examples are often breathtaking, and his analyses of how the masterpieces achieve their effects are acute and compelling." -- New Republic "A sentence is, in John Donne's words, 'a little world made cunningly,' writes Fish. He'll teach you the art." -- People "This splendid little volume describes how the shape of a sentence controls its meaning." -- Boston Globe "Like a long periodic sentence, this book rumbles along, gathers steam, shifts gears, and packs a wallop." -- Roy Blount Jr. "Language lovers will flock to this homage to great writing." -- Booklist "Fish is a personable and insightful guide with wide-ranging erudition and a lack of pretension." -- National Post "For both aspiring writer and eager reader, Fish's insights into sentence construction and care are instructional, even inspirational." -- The Huffington Post "If you love language you'll find something interesting, if not fascinating, in [How to Write a Sentence]." -- CBSNews.com "[A] slender but potent volume. Fish, a distinguished law professor and literary theorist, is the anti-Strunk & White." -- The Globe and Mail "You'd get your money's worth from the quotations alone...if you give this book the attention it so clearly deserves, you will be well rewarded." -- Washington Times "The fun comes from the examples cited throughout: John Updike, Jane Austen...all are cited throughout." -- Washington Post "How to Write a Sentence is the first step on the journey to the Promised Land of good writing." -- Saudi Gazette "How to Write a Sentence is a must read for aspiring writers and anyone who wants to deepen their appreciation of literature. If extraordinary sentences are like sports plays, Fish is the Vin Scully of great writing." -- Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, authors of "They Say/I Say" "Coming up with all-or-nothing arguments is simply what Fish does; and, in a sense, one of his most important contributions to the study of literature is that temperament...Whether people like Fish or not, though, they tend to find him fascinating." -- The New Yorker

Read more less

Book Synopsis Think about your writing from a new perspective and learn to tell a story in the most effective way possible with John Gillard’s The Very Short Story Starter, a flash-fiction workbook.   Popular with creative writers around the world, flash fiction is an ultra-short story format (usually 1,000 words or less) that distills a narrative into its most economic and impactful form. In this lay-flat paperback workbook, you’ll find 101 flash-fiction writing prompts, each crafted to inspire an incredible variety of very short stories. Some prompts instruct you to focus on setting or developing a specific character. Other prompts ask you to play with story structure, to begin at the end or jump right into the middle of the action. You are also encouraged to bring the journal to different locations (a coffee shop or a museum) and take story cues from your surroundings.   With helpful writing tips and just the right amount of space

Read more less

Book SynopsisUniversity literary journals allow students to create their own venue for learning, have a hands-on part of their development in real-world skills, and strive towards professional achievement. But producing an undergraduate literary magazine requires commitment, funding, and knowledge of the industry. This practical guide assists students and faculty in choosing a workable structure for setting up, and then successfully running, their own literary publication. Whether the journal is print or online, in-house or international, Creating an Undergraduate Literary Journal is a step-by-step handbook, walking the reader through the process of literary journal production. Chapters focus on: defining the journal; the financial logistics; editing the journal; distribution; and what could come next for a student writer-editor after graduation. The first book of its kind to offer instruction directly to those running university-based literary magazines, this book includes insights from forTrade ReviewAudrey Colombe’s Creating An Undergraduate Literary Journal provides a wealth of information for faculty advisors, student and faculty editors, and undergraduates and graduate students alike on the business of literary publishing and tips for building, developing, expanding, and marketing a successful literary magazine. * Keya Mitra, Pacific University, USA *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Running a Literary Journal The sorrows, the joys What to expect from this book 1.Defining Your Journal Start Out by Looking Around: What Defines Your School and Your Project? Are you working on an existing journal, or starting from scratch? Considering the Possibilities: In house National/International Online In print 2. Financial and In-kind Support The Budget University: Student Fees, Department, College, Provost Advisory Board Fundraising 101 Faculty Advisor/Graduate Advisor Partner Journals Advertising 3. Editing the Journal Editing tasks: creating a handbook and editorial practices Diversity – Staff and Selections Establishing an Annual Schedule Communication Between yourselves With your writers Production and Design Awards – Or Not 4. Writer-Editor Citizen Reading Series and Other Literary Events Creating Writing Opportunities for Everyone Collaborative Work with Other Student Artists Community Outreach: Getting Writers from the Community Involved University engagement (with Admissions, Alumni Relations, Development) 5. Networking and Professionalization State and Local Writing Groups AWP & FUSE National and International Writing Conferences Internships Graduate School Index Appendix A: List of undergraduate literary magazines, print and online Appendix B: List of helpful literary organizations

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fascinating exploration of how to use the power of storytelling to create irresistible pitches, build passionate brand loyalty, motivate teams and lead with charisma. ''Will Storr is a genius'' Rory Sutherland''A captivating and enlightening read . . Will Storr is an unusually talented and insightful writer'' Adam Grant''Storr shares profound insights'' Seth Godin''Whip smart, insightful and ridiculously entertaining'' Jimmy Carr____________________________________________________ Using the latest findings from social psychology, evolutionary psychology, organisational psychology and neuroscience, A Story is a Deal argues that we won''t unlock the true power of story if we treat it merely as something we read on a page, see on a screen or hear in a speech. Storr shows how successful stories shape identities, which changes beliefs, drives action and achieves extraordinary results. With examples ranging from Aztec rituals to Apple''s legendary advertising successes (and long-forgotten fails), A Story is a Deal lays out a revolutionary new method for creating the most persuasive messaging: by harnessing the power of our storytelling brains._____________________________________________________''Intensely original and powerfully practical'' Jonah Berger''A fascinating insight into the human mind'' Levinson Wood''A very clever book that makes the reader feel cleverer with every page'' Daniel Finkelstein''Powerfully persuasive and urgently practical'' Bruce Daisley''Will Storr has a unique ability to explain our social world in ways that would never otherwise occur'' Jack Dee

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisCatering to the specific needs of science students, this award-winning guide equips students of all scientific disciplines with the skills they need to communicate effectively in written assignments. The book guides students through each of the key stages involved in producing a piece of scientific writing. It begins by developing students'' understanding of the different types of scientific writing, including lab reports, essays and abstracts. Students are then taken through the writing process, from the initial stages of interpreting the question and conducting research through to writing a draft and responding to feedback. The second edition includes new material on criticality in scientific communication and the difference between descriptive and analytic writing. There is also a new section on building arguments using several sources, and new and extended examples of writing that will help students digest the material.This is an essential resource for alTable of ContentsPART I: UNDERSTANDING SCIENTIFIC WRITING Introduction 1. Scientific Writing: What Makes it Different? PART II: PREPARING TO WRITE 2. Understanding the Different Types of Academic Writing 3. Interpreting the Question 4. Researching the Topic and Gathering Materials 5. Evaluating and Refining Your Materials 6. Incorporating and Referencing Other People's Work 7. Working with Data 8. Being Critical PART III: GETTING DOWN TO WRITING 9. Producing a Draft 10. Making Sure Your Work Looks Its Best PART IV: REFLECTING ON YOUR WORK AND MOVING FORWARD 11. Making the Most of Feedback Appendix 1: Exercises Appendix 2: Answers to Exercises Appendix 3: Annotated Further Reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a well-organized, easy-to-read guide full of images and graphics for scientists in any discipline at any level of their careers. Whether you are a student who needs to present your research to your lab for the first time or a seasoned professor who has made several PowerPoint lectures, this guide provides useful examples for people to brainstorm and rethink how they want to communicate their ideas in a clear way. I have definitely been guilty of creating some of the "bad examples" (sometimes unknowingly), but the book gives many "good examples" that I hope to follow for future science presentations. Following this guide will definitely help people in the science and healthcare fields communicate their ideas to their target audiences more effectively." --© Doody’s Review Service, 2020, Lisa Lian, DMD, reviewer, expert opinionTable of ContentsPart 1: Designing Exceptional Science Presentations1. Scientists as Designers2. Design Goals for Different Presentation Formats3. Twenty-One Strategies Shared by Exceptional Presenters Part 2: Visual Elements in Science Presentations4. Color5. Typography6. Words7. Tables8. Charts9. Diagrams10. Photographs Part 3: Written Presentations11. Ten Techniques for Improving Scientific Writing12. Research Articles13. Review Articles14. Research Proposals Part 4: Slide Presentations15. The Use of Slides in Oral Presentations16. The Structure of a Slide Presentation17. Visual Elements in Slide Presentations18. Slide Layout19. Slide Animations and Transitions20. Delivering a Slide Presentation21. Using Technology to Present like a Professional22. Considerations for Different Categories of Slide Presentations Part 5: Oral Presentations Without Slides23. Presenting Without Slides24. Considerations for Different Categories of Oral Presentations without Slides Part 6: Poster Presentations25. The Structure of a Scientific Poster26. The Design and Layout of a Poster27. Presenting at a Poster Session AppendicesA. Recommendations for Further ReadingB. Learning to Use Illustration and Presentation SoftwareC. Thoughts on How to Design a Presentation from ScratchD. Thoughts on Using Design Principles to Market Yourself

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom one of America''s most influential writing teachers, a collection of 50 of the best writing strategies distilled from 50 writing and language books -- from Aristotle to Strunk and White.With so many excellent writing guides lining bookstore shelves, it can be hard to know where to look for the best advice. Should you go with Natalie Goldberg or Anne Lamott? Maybe William Zinsser or Donald Murray would be more appropriate. Then again, what about the classics -- Strunk and White, or even Aristotle himself?Thankfully, your search is over. In Murder Your Darlings, Roy Peter Clark, who for more than 30 years has been a beloved and revered writing teacher to children and Pulitzer prize-winners alike, has compiled a remarkable collection of 50 of the best writing tips from 50 of the best writing books of all time. With a chapter devoted to each piece of advice, Clark expands and contextualizes the original author''s suggestions, and offers anecdotes about

Read more less

Book SynopsisA deft analysis and appreciation of fiction—what makes it work and what can make it fail.Trade Review"Useful on the most practical level.... [Stern] plunges his readers into the middle of things." -- New York Times"Offers a raft of examples that explain the techniques used by novelists from Flaubert to Updike—an eminently helpful and engaging writer's guide." -- Booklist"A complete original. The warm, witty, wise voice draws you in, and you leave the book wanting to write—and knowing how." -- Jesse Lee Kercheval, director, Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, University of Wisconsin"Jerome Stern has done us all a favor with this canny little book. If you are interested in writing, read it now. This is an expert writer and teacher sending his notes from the trenches. Never has caution been so exhilarating, advice so wry. I will use this book." -- Ron Carlson, author of The Hotel Eden"Clarifies the mumbo-jumbo. For serious students of fiction, Jerome Stern is the Alpha crow. Follow him and shave the miles off your flying time." -- Bob Shacochis, author of Swimming in the Volcano

Read more less

Book SynopsisTransforming Texts: considers why language changes, and how we transform it covers the key factors we need to take into account when transforming texts, including audience, register, mode, historical period, source and genre explores a wide variety of texts from a range of genres and periods, from Macbeth and Sense and Sensibility to Fever Pitch and The Bill offers a step-by-step guide to re-writing text; can be used as both a course text and a revision tool. Written by an experienced teacher, author and AS and A2 examiner, Transforming Texts is an essential resource for all students of AS and A2 level English Language and English Language and Literature.Trade Review'Shaun O'Toole's text is a gift ... this should be a comfort to teachers everywhere.' - EnglishDramaMediaTable of ContentsPreface 1. Language the Social Chameleon 2. Transforming Texts for Different Audiences and Purposes 3. Changing Modes: Transforming Speech and Writing 4. Transforming texts from Different Times 5. Transforming Literary Genre 6. Using Sources and Combining Texts Suggested Answers to Exercises. Glossary

Read more less

Book SynopsisWriting Built Environment Dissertations and Projects will help you to write a good dissertation or project by giving you a good understanding of what should be included, and showing you how to use data collection and analysis tools in the course of your research.Table of ContentsAuthor biographies ixPreface xAbout the companion website xii1 Introduction 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Terminology; nomenclature 21.3 Document structure 31.4 Possible subject areas for your research 71.5 Professional bodies and the non]technical or technical dissertation or project 81.6 Qualitative or quantitative analysis? 101.7 The student/supervisor relationship and time management 141.8 Ethical compliance and risk assessments 171.9 House style or style guide 221.10 Writing style 231.11 Proofreading 271.12 Extra support? 291.13 A research proposal 291.14 A viva or viva voce 30Summary 31References 312 The introduction chapter to the dissertation or project 332.1 Introduction contents 332.2 Articulation or description of the problem and provisional objectives 35Summary of this chapter 37References 383 Review of theory and the literature 393.1 Introduction 393.2 Style and contents of a literature review 413.3 Judgements or opinions? 433.4 Sources of data 443.5 Methods of finding the literature 483.6 Embedding theory in dissertations and projects 493.7 Referencing as evidence of reading 533.8 Citing literature sources in the narrative of your work 543.9 References or bibliography or both? 583.10 Common mistakes by students 593.11 Using software to help with references 603.12 Avoiding the charge of plagiarism 62Summary of this chapter 64References 644 Research goals and their measurement 674.1 Introduction 684.2 Aim 704.3 Research questions 714.4 Objectives 714.5 Variables 744.6 A hypothesis with one variable 754.7 A hypothesis with two variables: independent and dependent 774.8 Writing the hypothesis: nulls and tails – a matter of semantics 814.9 ‘Lots’ of variables at large, intervening variables 834.10 Ancillary or subject variables 834.11 No relationship between the IV and the DV 884.12 Designing measurement instruments; use authoritative tools and adapt the work of others 894.13 Levels of measurement 934.14 Examples of categorical or nominal data in construction 954.15 Examples of ordinal data in construction 964.16 Examples of interval and ratio data in construction 974.17 Types of data 984.18 Money and CO2 as variables 1024.19 Three objectives, each with an IV and DV: four variables to measure 1034.20 Summarising research goals; variables and their definition 104Summary of this chapter 105References 1055 The Methodology chapter; analysis, results and findings 1075.1 Introduction 1075.2 Approaches to collecting data 1105.3 Data measuring and collection 1125.4 Issues mostly relevant to just questionnaires 1205.5 Ranking studies 1295.6 Other analytical tools 1315.7 Incorporating reliability and validity 1325.8 Analysis, results and findings 137Summary of this chapter 138References 1396 Laboratory experiments 1406.1 Introduction 1416.2 Test methodology 1426.3 Sourcing test materials 1436.4 Reliability and validity of findings 1436.5 Sample size 1456.6 Laboratory recording procedures 1456.7 Dissertation/project writing (introduction, methodology and results) 1466.8 Health and safety in the laboratory; COSHH and risk assessments 1496.9 Role of the supervisor 1516.10 Possible research topics for technical dissertations or projects, construction and civil engineering 1536.11 Examples of research proposals 1536.12 Research objectives and sample findings by the author 154Bibliography 1637 Qualitative data analysis 1657.1 Introduction 1657.2 The process of qualitative data collection 1667.3 Steps in the analytical process 168Summary of this chapter 175References 1768 Quantitative data analysis; descriptive statistics 1778.1 Introduction 1778.2 Examples of the use of descriptive statistical tools 1788.3 Ancillary variables 1868.4 Illustration of relevant descriptive statistics in charts 1908.5 Normal distributions; Z scores 1918.6 A second variable for descriptive analysis; an IV and a DV 197Summary of this chapter 201References 2029 Quantitative data analysis; inferential statistics 2039.1 Introduction 2049.2 Probability values and three key tests: chi]square, difference in means and correlation 2069.3 The chi]square test 2109.4 Determining whether the dataset is parametric or non]parametric 2209.5 Difference in mean tests; the t]test 2239.6 Difference in means; the unrelated Mann–Whitney test 2259.7 Difference in means; the related Wilcoxon t]test 2309.8 Difference in means; the parametric related t]test 2329.9 Correlations 2369.10 Using correlation coefficients to measure internal reliability and validity in questionnaires 2439.11 Which test? 2439.12 Confidence intervals 2479.13 Summarising results 250Summary of this chapter 250References 25010 Discussion, conclusions, recommendations and appendices 25110.1 Introduction 25110.2 Discussion 25210.3 Conclusions and recommendations 25310.4 Appendices 25510.5 The examiner’s perspective 25610.6 Summary of the dissertation or project process 258Summary of this chapter 259References 259List of appendices 260Appendix A: Glossary to demystify research terms 261Appendix B: Research ethics and health and safety examples 268Appendix C: An abstract, problem description and literature review 272Appendix D: Eight research proposals 279Appendix E: Raw data for a qualitative study 309Appendix F: Statistical tables 340Index 350

Read more less

Book SynopsisShortlisted for the STR Theatre Book Prize 2023A manifesto for the future of playwriting, this book challenges you to be a part of that future in the belief that it is fundamentally important to write plays. Plays help us understand ourselves, others, and the world around us. Reading this book, you will be challenged to learn your craft, explode what you know, prioritise what is important to you, and write in the way that only you can write.Most books on playwriting explain how to create a believable character in a story driven by plot. This book, however, goes even further in its exploration of the playwright's most valuable tool: theatricality. By learning from the past, and the present, the playwrights of tomorrow can create new, vivid, theatrical drama for the future.This manifesto also examines the process of writing, the art of collaboration, and the impact of writing on a playwright's mental health. It identifies the highs and lows, as well as the trials and tribulations,Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface by Jenny Sealey, MBE Prologue PART ONE 1.1 Write Plays 1.2 Write What is Important to You 1.3 Write like Only You can Write 1.4 Stand on the Shoulders of Giants PART TWO 2.1 It isn’t Natural(ism) 2.2 Tear Down the Fourth Wall 2.3 Dramatic Structure is not a Scientific Law 2.4 You do Not Need to Know Everything About your Characters 2.5 You are a Dramatic Poet 2.6 Get Musical 2.7 Get Physical 2.8 Think Big 2.9 Shock, Break and Provoke 2.10 Write a Postdramatic Play 2.11 Write Accessibly PART THREE 3.1 How to Write 3.2 Theatre is Collaboration 3.3 Take the business of Being a Playwright Seriously 3.4 Look After your Mental Health 3.5 You are the Future of Playwriting Epilogue Reasons to be a Playwright Notes 253 Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part 1: Do It Yourself: Getting Started with Self-Publishing 7 Chapter 1: Welcome to Self-Publishing! 9 Chapter 2: Understanding the Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing 23 Chapter 3: Determining Who You’re Writing for and Why 41 Chapter 4: Equipping Yourself with the Write Stuff 53 Chapter 5: Creating a Winning Manuscript 69 Chapter 6: Fine-Tuning Your Work with Careful Editing 91 Part 2: Pulling Together the Details: Administration and Design 101 Chapter 7: Setting Up Your Self-Publishing Business 103 Chapter 8: Tackling Book-Specific Tasks 117 Chapter 9: Coming Up with Creative Page Design and Layout 135 Chapter 10: Crafting (and Judging) Your Book’s Cover 155 Part 3: Start the Presses! Examining Printing Choices 171 Chapter 11: Creating and Publishing E-Books That Sell 173 Chapter 12: Trying Out Short Run Printing 199 Chapter 13: Print-on-Demand for Demanding Self-Publishers 215 Part 4: Making Your Book a Bestseller: Distribution Methods 235 Chapter 14: Selling Your Book through Popular Online Booksellers 237 Chapter 15: Distributing Your Book through Traditional Channels 249 Chapter 16: Getting a Grip on Warehousing, Order Fulfillment, and Shipping 259 Part 5: Creating a Buzz: Publicity and Marketing 269 Chapter 17: Creating a Website and Social Media Accounts for Your Book 271 Chapter 18: Crafting and Distributing Publicity Materials 291 Chapter 19: Publicizing Your Book for Free with the Media’s Help 313 Chapter 20: Marketing Your Book with Paid Advertising and Promotional Tools 329 Chapter 21: Expanding Your Income with Spin-Off Merchandise and Services 347 Part 6: The Part of Tens 359 Chapter 22: Ten Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid 361 Chapter 23: Ten E-Book Publishing Mistakes to Avoid 367 Index 373

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhether you're an agency writer in need of inspiration, a one-woman-band drumming up work from new clients, an established business trying to get more from that mysterious thing called 'content', or you simply want to persuade your colleagues to adopt your point of view, How To Write better Copy by Steve Harrison will help you write better copy.It starts with the thinking before the writing, and how to create the all-important Brief. Then it takes you step-by-step from how to write a headline to how to get the response you want from your reader. With examples at every stage, and explanations based on both the author's twenty-five years' experience and recent scientific research, this book will help hone your skills - whether you're writing websites or press ads, e-zines or direct mail, brochures or blogs, posters or landing pages, emails or white papers.Table of ContentsChapter - 1: What You Really Want is 'Effective' Copy Chapter - 2: The Thinking Before the Writing Chapter - 3: How to Write Your Brief Chapter - 4: Getting Your Message in the Right Order Chapter - 5: How to Write Your Headline Chapter - 6: How to Write Your Body Copy Chapter - 7: Your Second Draft: Put These Things In Chapter - 8: Your Third Draft: Cut These Things Out Chapter - 9: Rewrite Chapter - 10: How to Lay Your Copy Out Section - i: P.S. That was the theory: But what about the practice? Section - ii: Notes Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements Index - iv: Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis'What a lovely, friendly book. Made me feel cheerful, buoyant, less alone and keen to get on with my writing. Highly recommended.' Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Write It All Down'If you want to go from "writing" to "written", then you need this book.' Graham Allcott, author of How to be a Productivity Ninja**With a Foreword by OLIVER BURKEMAN, author of the Sunday Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks**Do you ever wish you could find more time to write? Do you ever feel frustrated that other things get in the way? Perhaps you're stuck at the start, mired in the middle or just can't get back into the writing groove?Writing is important to many of us - for our careers, studies, businesses or creative fulfilment - but sitting down and doing it can feel impossible. We often struggle to give it the attention it deserves. We can't find time. Our focus is torn. Distractions are everywhere. Our inner critic keeps telling us we're no good.But what if you could find a highly effective writing habit that was perfect for you?Bec Evans and Chris Smith have helped thousands of people stop procrastinating, overcome their blocks and reach their writing goals. Now, they've turned their successful approach into this life-changing book that anyone can use to write more productively and with less stress.Packed full of tried and tested advice, stories you can relate to and the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, Written gives you the tools you need to start writing, keep going - and finish.Trade ReviewThis book collects some of the best advice I've ever encountered for constructing a writing habit that actually works. * Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks *This is a fascinating and extremely useful book. I recommend it! * David Quantick, novelist and Emmy Award-winning scriptwriter of Veep, The Thick of It and Avenue 5 *An invaluable guidebook for writers at all stages. Evans and Smith understand that process is deeply personal, and they provide a wealth of wise, compassionate advice for breaking unhelpful patterns and creating a flexible, realistic plan for sustainable long-term productivity. * Mason Currey, author of Daily Rituals: How Artists Work *This well-written book on writing well is enormously valuable for anyone wishing to write productively. If you're a writer, first be a reader of this book. * Robert Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-Suasion *A fun to read and highly informative guide to overcome the most difficult obstacles in writing. * Gabriele Oettingen, author of Rethinking Positive Thinking *What a lovely, friendly book. Made me feel cheerful, buoyant, less alone and keen to get on with my writing. Highly recommended. * Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Write It All Down *Written lays out the challenges that almost every writer faces and provides real-world antidotes to many of the myths and stories we believe about ourselves and why we can't seem to get our projects finished. This book will help you structure your writing life and how you approach the craft of writing. * Rennie Saunders, founder and CEO of ShutUp&Write! *Two things that I love about this book. First, Bec and Chris don't assume that what works for one famous writer will work for you. Their emphasis is on discovering the best way for each writer to get their writing done. And secondly, this isn't just based on hunches - but on extensive study of how writers write. Highly recommended. * Nigel Warburton, author of A Little History of Philosophy *There's nothing scarier in my work than a blank page, yet nothing more satisfying and exciting than finishing and launching a book. Written holds your hand throughout that entire process. Bec and Chris keep things practical, with an admirable focus on the habit-changes needed to get your words "out there". If you want to go from "writing" to "written", then you need this book. * Graham Allcott, founder of Think Productive and author of How to be a Productivity Ninja *This isn't just another productivity book. Most writers have lots of those, but none of them speak to the real causes of why getting on with writing is so hard to do. Written is different: it's rooted not just in the authors' own experience but also in that of the thousands of writers they've worked with over the years. Whatever you write, whatever you struggle with, you'll find real-world solutions here. Warm, wise and practical, it deserves pride of place on your bookshelf. * Alison Jones, host of The Extraordinary Business Book Club podcast and author of Exploratory Writing *Engaging and authoritative - full of tried-and-tested advice for all writers, wherever they are in their writing careers. * Debbie Taylor, founder and editor of Mslexia *Bec and Chris' course on combatting procrastination is one of our most popular Reedsy Learning courses, so I'm delighted to see they've turned their practical and inspirational advice for writers into a book - it works. * Ricardo Fayet, co-founder of Reedsy *I've been looking through my library of self-help books for writers and there's nothing quite like this book out there. To me, it seems that it might mean the difference between a half-written manuscript abandoned in a drawer and a finished book on the shelf. I know so many writers who will benefit from it - me included. * Wyl Menmuir, Booker-nominated novelist, writing tutor and author of The Draw of the Sea *This book is an indispensable companion for anyone struggling to start and build a writing habit (most of us!). The writers' journey is a lot less lonely and much more doable with Bec and Chris by your side. We'll be sharing this one widely with our writing community for years to come. There's no magic potion to becoming a writer, but this book comes close. Pick it up to get started - then put it down and get to work. * Matthew Trinetti, co-founder of London Writers' Salon *Refreshingly human and immensely useful. It's so freeing to know there's not just one right way to write! I love the breadth and depth of this book - the curated insights into seasoned writers' heads and processes combined with the super practical tips and exercises on what to actually do next. This deserves to be a well-thumbed handbook on every writer's shelf. * Grace Marshall, author of Struggle and How to be Really Productive *Bec and Chris really helped me on my way to publication. Their insights and encyclopaedic knowledge about creative productivity gave me inspiration, support and practical tools to persevere and establish a more mindful writing practice. I'm excited about their book, as it will help so many writers. * Louise Bassett, author of The Hidden Girl *An invaluable guide to those looking to find new ways to approach their own academic writing and to help others. * London School of Economics Book Review *A refreshingly honest approach to writing- the authors' upbeat tone will cheer on readers. Writing pros and amateurs alike will be eager to start typing. * Publishers Weekly *The beauty of this book is that it guides you into finding the best writing process for you. * Forbes *This book is wise, sympathetic, encouraging and incredibly helpful. It will be a game-changer for so many writers. * Sophie Hannah, bestselling writer *An empowering guide to creating a writing habit that lasts. And a must-read for anyone fascinated by the psychology of performance and mastery. * Tanya Shadrick, author of The Cure for Sleep *The compassion for writers and our strangeness just bubbles off the page. * Leonie Ross, novelist, short story writer, teacher and editor *This is an indispensable addition to the creative bookshelf. It delves deep into blocks, miss-steps and confidence issues, and offers practical and effective coaching. I'll be recommending this to all my students. * Julia Bell *This 'how to' book is a joy and inspiration. Their advice is really friendly and encouraging, and draws on lots of writers' experiences of what works - and crucially - what doesn't work. There's no 'one size fits all' approach either. I'm a fan. * Katrina Naomi, Poet *Editor's Choice - Unsettling our tendencies to fall into fixed patterns of thinking of how we should write, the pair offer a variety of methods taken from the working lives of writers to shift us from unhelpful mindsets and empower us to find what might work. * The Bookseller *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book enables STEMM researchers to write effective papers for publication as well as other research-related texts such as a doctoral thesis, technical report, or conference abstract.Science Research Writing uses a reverse-engineering approach to writing developed from extensive work with STEMM researchers at Imperial College London. This approach unpacks current models of STEMM research writing and helps writers to generate the writing tools needed to operate those models effectively in their own field. The reverse-engineering approach also ensures that writers develop future-proof strategies that will evolve alongside the coming changes in research communication platforms.The Second Edition has been extensively revised and updated to represent current practice and focuses on the writing needs of both early-stage doctoral STEMM researchers and experienced professional researchers at the highest level, whether or not they are native speakers of English. The book retains the practical, user-friendly format of the First Edition, and now contains seven units that deal separately with the components of written STEMM research communication: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Abstract and Title, as well as extensive FAQ responses and a new Checklist and Tips section. Each unit analyses extracts from recent published STEMM journal papers to enable researchers to discover not only what to write, but, crucially, how to write it.The global nature of science research requires fast, accurate communication of highly complex information that can be understood by all participants. Like the First Edition, the Second Edition is intended as a fast, do-it-yourself guide to make both the process and the product of STEMM research writing more effective.Related Link(s)

Read more less

Science communication is a rapidly expanding area, and a key component of many final year undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Authored by a highly regarded chemist and science communicator, this textbook pulls together all aspects of science communication. Complete Science Communication focusses on four major aspects of science communication: writing for non-technical audiences and science journalism; writing for technical audiences and peer-reviewed journal writing; public speaking of science; and public relations. It first showcases how writing in a journalistic style is done and provides a guide for colloquially communicating science. Then, the art of writing scientific papers is conjoined to this idea to make technical manuscripts more digestible, readable, and, hence, citable. These ideas are next taken into the spoken word so that the scientist can engage in telling their science like that natural human art of campfire stories. Finally, all of these communication concepts are wrapped together in a discussion of public relations, providing the scientist with an appreciation for the marketing directors and news disseminators with whom they will work. Written in an accessible way, this textbook will provide science students with an appreciative understanding of communication, marketing, journalism, and public relations. They can incorporate these aspects into their own practices as scientists, allowing them to liaise with practitioners in the communication field.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf you're in business, you probably do quite a bit of writing. You write emails, sales copy, reports, executive summaries, blog posts, operations documents, memos and more. And each time you write, you're seeking to inform and/or influence your reader. You are, in effect, performing. Alison Jones wants to get you thinking about writing in a completely different way. Rather than a stage, she wants you to see the blank page as uncharted terrain, as an opportunity for you to explore what you DON'T know, rather than simply expressing what you DO. Discover simple techniques that will supercharge your creativity, problem-solving skills and resourcefulness, in just 6 minutes!

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawing on his extensive experience of poetry workshops and courses, Peter Sansom shows you not how to write but how to write better, how to write authentically, how to say genuinely what you genuinely mean to say. This practical guide is illustrated with many examples. Peter Sansom covers such areas as submitting to magazines; the small presses; analysing poems; writing techniques and procedures; and drafting. He includes brief resumes and discussions of literary history and literary fashions, the spirit of the age, and the creative process itself. Above all, his book helps you learn discrimination in your reading and writing - so that you can decide for yourself how you want your work to develop, whether that magazine was right in returning it or if they simply don't know their poetic arse from their elbow. Writing Poems includes sections on: Metre, rhyme, half-rhyme and free verse. Fixed forms and how to use them. Workshops and writing groups. Writing games and exercises. A detailed, annotated reading list. Where to go from here. Glossary of technical terms. Writing Poems has become an essential handbook for many poets and teachers: invaluable to writers just starting out, helpful to poets who need a nuts-and-bolts handbook, a godsend to anyone running poetry courses and workshops, and an inspiration to all readers and writers who want a book which re-examines the writing of poems.Trade Review'I would recommend this book to any student - It's funny, honest, thoughtful, realistic' - Gillian Allnutt, Northern Echo. 'Peter Sansom's handbook is The Haynes Manual for Poetry' - Cliff Yates. 'Peter Sansom is the best poetry teacher in the world' - Sian Hughes, Guardian. 'The classic Writing Poems - indispensable' - Naomi Jaffa, Poetry Trust.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsishe first comprehensive work on nonfiction as an art form • Shows how nonfiction, especially how-to and self-help, can take on the same power and luminosity as great fiction • Develops processes to reliably induce the dreaming state from which all writing comes • Teaches the skill of analogical thinking that is the core perceptual tool for writers • Explores the subtle techniques of powerful writing, from inducing associational dreaming in the reader, to language symmetry, sound patterning, foreshadowing, feeling flow, and more Approaching writing as a sacred art, Stephen Buhner explores the core of the craft: the communication of deep meaning that feeds not just the mind but also the soul of the reader. Tapping into the powerful archetypes within language, he shows how to enrich your writing by following “golden threads” of inspiration while understanding the crucial invisibles essential to the art of both fiction and nonfiction: how to craft language with feeling and vision, employ altered states of mind to access the writing trance, clear your work by recognizing the powerful sway of clichéd thinking and hidden baggage, and intentionally generate duende--that physical/emotional response to art that gives you chills, opens up unrecognized aspects of reality, or simply resonates in your soul. Covering some very practical aspects of writing such as layering and word symmetry, the author also explores the inner world of publishing--what you really will encounter when you become a writer. He then shows how to develop a powerful and engaging book proposal based on understanding the proposal as a work of fiction--the map is never the territory, nor is the proposal the book that it will become. This book, written using all the techniques discussed within it, offers a powerful, experiential journey into the heart of writing. It does for nonfiction what John Gardner’s books on writing did for fiction. It is one of the most significant works on writing published in our time.Trade Review"Ensouling Language is Stephen Harrod Buhner at his most spellbinding and enchanted. Every sentence is infused with a livingness that is rare in today's nonfiction. More than simply a book about writing, it is about wielding power--and responsibility--of language itself. Stephen encourages us to breathe the Breath of Life into the words we write, to call forth such a deep richness of meaning that it transmits feeling from the writer to the reader like some otherworldly telepathy. If you can feel you can write, write in this way, turning otherwise empty leaden words into golden Ensouling Language." * Daniel Vitalis, June 2010 *"Buhner's book describes how any writer, even one writing about, say, adobe walls, can achieve the sense of expansion--of traveling into larger worlds--that has always marked the best art. And although the subject is nonfiction, what Buhner has to say applies to serious writing of any kind." * Akshay Ahuja, The Occasional Review, May 2010 *“The most subversive book on writing I have ever encountered--and the most important.” * Herbie Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Faerie Wars *“If Lao-tzu and Emerson could have a dialogue on writing, they would welcome the company of this remarkable book.” * William Howarth, author of Walking with Thoreau *“Stephen Harrod Buhner has produced a manifesto and guide to bring American writing back from the cages of the academy and release the power of language into the streets and wildernesses where the wild things live. If you love to read, if you like to write, you have finally come to the right place.” * Charles Bowden, author of Murder City, recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction and the *“Stephen Buhner’s Ensouling Language invites you to sit down for 23 cups of coffee and talk about the mystic journey of the writer, the solitary pilgrim, the witness yearning to tell the world indelible stories that cannot be known by any other voice than yours. If you are a teacher, a writer, a friend of a writer, this book will offer companionship in this life quest. This book harvests lessons from a writer and helpless lover of books who is old in experience but young in perennial devotion.” * Kim Stafford, director of Northwest Writing Institute and William Stafford Center, Lewis & Clark Col *“Ensouling Language is a fierce and generous meditation on the writer’s life. Fierce, because Stephen Buhner goes right at prevailing commercial and academic assumptions about literature. For him, writing is above all a portal into vividness, compassion, and discovery. Generous, because he weaves his own quest as a writer into his reflections about the art of nonfiction. Books, in both the reading and the writing, have absorbed him for a lifetime. And the connections he conveys here are always arresting, sometimes extravagant in their intensity, and very often funny. As a writer and a teacher, I’ve learned more from Buhner’s book than from anything I’ve read about writing since the works of John Gardner and William Stafford. I’m truly grateful to him for having written it.” * John Elder, Professor and Director of Breadloaf School of English, Middlebury College, and author of *“I can’t easily imagine a more useful book on the craft of writing. Covering all the steps--from glimpsing a first, furtive idea foraging in the mind’s brambles to tracking that idea and coaxing it to unfurl on the page, from finding the right words to securing the right publisher--this volume also, in the process, transforms your take on the universe. For Buhner brings all his inspired lunacy to bear, illustrating his passionate insights with lively stories and poems and with glimmering nuggets from other authors, fashioning this instructive, how-to book into a breathing compendium of word magic.” * David Abram, author of Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology and The Spell of the Sensuous, winner o *"Provocation is Buhner's mission in this unusually passionate and delving writer's guide. The author of books about plants, healing, indigenous culture, and the environment, Buhner not only tackles the art of writing with conviction, vigor, expertise, and a touch of devilry but also outspokenly advocates for the maligned form of "genre nonfiction.". . . Buhner sagely covers technical matters and the pragmatic business of book proposals and such, albeit not without lambasting corporate publishing. But his is a heroic view of writing." * Donna Seaman, Booklist, September 2010 *“Stephen Buhner writes with passion and perception about the entire range of the writer’s experience. He shows us in detail how to write, issues of craft and art, but also how a writer lives--the commitment, the dreaming, the business, the way a writer uncovers secrets on many levels, even how a writer loves and hates.” * Rachel Pollack, author of Godmother Night, recipient of the World Fantasy and the Arthur C. Clarke a *“Stephen Harrod Buhner has counted ‘beacoup coups’ in penning Ensouling Language. As history almost unanimously attests, writing well about writing is at best a rarity, perhaps mythic, a yeti of sorts. But Buhner’s flair, sage advice, and most of all his passion for writing touches every sentence. The book brings writing to life and will add life to any author’s own words.” * David Cremean, past president, Western Literature Association *“If you want a kind of deep ecology for nonfiction writing, a practical guide ingrained with the spirits of William Stafford and Federico García Lorca too, Ensouling Language is your book. Its pages, studded with samples and suggestions, come via the author’s fresh and liberating voice, opening up the ‘imaginal world’ we cannot do without.” * John Felstiner, professor of English, Stanford University, and author of Can Poetry Save the Earth? *"For readers and writers who are tired of hearing the same advice that writing instructors and editors have been handing down through the ages, however, Buhner's mystical (some might say touchy-feely) approach to writing may well be what the doctor ordered." * Small Press Review, September 2010 *" . . . Ensouling Language is an important book that encourages inner reflection before and during writing as well as focusing on the feelings of the reader. The technical proponents of publishing are addressed and intertwined throughout giving the writer a glimpse into the 'heart of writing'." * Irene Watson, Reader Views, October 2010 *“Ensouling Language is a richly engaging book written for everyone who has been deeply touched by something they have read and wishes to write like that too.” * East West Bookshop, April 2011 *“The American writer, Stephen Harrod Buhner, author of the iconic Ensouling Language: On the Art of Non-fiction and the Writer’s Life - and an inspiration to our editors - also appeals for openness to these wellsprings of creativity. He challenges the arid and mechanical quality of much non-fiction writing, and the danger of much creative writing being afflicted in the same way, because of the formulaic teaching on American MFAs in particular. For Buhner, as for Edward Bond, there is urgent need in our time of writing, in any genre, that - to adapt Buhner’s own words - attempts to extend awareness “further than society wants it to go” - a view strongly endorsed by our editors.” * The Lampeter Review, May 2011 *“Writing as a mystical experience, a transcendent art-form, is presented by Buhner with all the mystery and inspiration of a personal passion. As he writes about the ability of language to take life on the page, so his own writing quickens, transporting the reader to the realms of poetic spirit. This book is both a tribute to the craft of language and example of the same at its most delicate level. Buhner guides the reader through the process of accessing the necessary mind to write from the heart, and he does so from his own heart-felt devotion to the art. It is both a practical hand-book and mystical treatise, instilled with the spirit of many of the subtlest writers, poets and critics whose approach to writing and life brings to mind the faint scent of incense on the still desert plain” * Jonathan Dawson, Holisitc Network Ireland *“This is a book I can highly recommend, not only for aspiring writers, but for anyone who wants to engage the world deeply and recognizes the value of words in the exchange.” * Karl Schlotterbeck, The Henge of Keltria *“The point Buhner is making is vital: that whatever genre we’re writing, whether we’re a graduate from an MFA program or not, writers must never dissociate from their feelings or the feeling of their words. Given the passionate spirit in which Ensouling Language was written, it is sure to resonate with many readers, and is certainly worth a read by anyone who wishes to become a published author.” * Lisa McSherry, Facing North, October 2013 *Table of ContentsBefore Buying This Book I--The Touch of a Golden Thread 1. The Bookman 2. The Secret All Beginning Writers Want to Know II--Inhabiting the Word 3. On the Art of Nonfiction 4. You Must Begin with Something Deeper in the Self 5. “The Road of Feeling” 6. “It Burns the Blood Like Powdered Glass” 7. The Skill of Duende 8. Following Golden Threads III--Dreaming and the Journey to the Imaginal 9. “A Certain Adjustment of Consciousness” 10. “The Secret Kinesis of Things” 11. Aisthesis 12. Synaesthetic Writing and the Beginnings of Analogical Thought 13. Analogical Thinking 14. The Dreamer and the “Secret Room where Dreams Prowl” 15. The Imaginal Realm 16. Poesis IV--On Technique The First Draft, Revision, Clarity, and Refinement 17. The First Draft and the Beginnings of Revision 18. Problems and Further Revisioning 19. Clichéd Thinking and Killing the Genuine 20. Hidden Baggage 21. Some Subtle Refinements of the Art 22. Grammar Nazis and Editors-from-Hell 23. Some Final Words on the Writing Life Epilogue The Appendices--On the Business of Writing Appendix A. The People in Publishing and the Business End of the Profession Appendix B. The Art of the Book Proposal (Training in the Big Lie) Appendix C. Further Reading, Resources, and Recommendations Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisElegant ideas deserve elegant expression. Sword dispels the myth that you can’t get published without writing wordy, impersonal prose. For scholars frustrated with disciplinary conventions or eager to write for a larger audience, here are imaginative, practical, witty pointers that show how to make articles and books enjoyable to read—and to write.Trade ReviewSword has produced a sleek and, yes, nicely written guide based on the principle that ‘elegant ideas deserve elegant expression.’ Aiming to be useful to writers in almost any discipline, Sword defines stylish academic writing in the broadest terms. -- Jennifer Howard * Times Literary Supplement *[Sword’s] counsel is wise, efficiently written, and infectiously winsome. She advises academic writers to use anecdotes and carefully chosen metaphors, and to write opening sentences that encourage readers to keep reading. She has drawn from a massive array of academic articles (more than a thousand) and given particular attention to authors known for writing readable material… Helen Sword’s book contains much wisdom… Stylish Academic Writing contains superb counsel for academics who want to write with greater clarity and skill. -- Barton Swaim * Weekly Standard *Stylish Academic Writing offers pithy, thoughtful, and concrete guidance on ways to improve writing about scholarly research (or anything else for that matter) so that it is engaging to others… Teachers of writing at the college level will want to read the book so as to help stem the tide of overly formal, dry-as-dust term papers that are still standard fare in many classes. -- Dana S. Dunn * Psychology Today *Helen Sword’s brilliant little volume is in many respects the ideal companion to Stephen J. Pyne’s equally brilliant Voice and Vision: A Guide to Writing History and Other Serious Non-Fiction (Harvard) and equally deserving of a wider audience than its target group, which in this case comprises those academics who either write or have to put up with ‘impersonal, stodgy, jargon-laden, abstract prose.’ As Sword writes: ‘Elegant data and ideas deserve elegant expression.’ Featuring oodles of ideas and tips backed up by lashings of original research and bursting to the seams with case studies exemplifying the good, the bad and the ugly of academic writing (‘via a symbolic interactionist lens’ is one such monster), this is a must for writers in any discipline. -- William Yeoman * West Australian *[A] practical and useful book. -- Colin Steele * Australian Book Review *Surely it’s time to declare war on terms such as postsemioticist, flip-flop gates and feature theory, terms Orwell would surely have included under his definition of obscurity as a cuttlefish defensively spurting out ink. Anyway, let’s hope this excellent new book is a sign that things are about to change. -- Bradley Winterton * Taipei Times *Stylish Academic Writing challenges academics to make their work more consequential by communicating more clearly—and provides helpful hints and models for doing so. This is a well-crafted and valuable contribution that combines substance with style. -- Arne L. Kalleberg, Editor, Social ForcesAs an academic—staff or student—wouldn’t you like people to enjoy reading your work? In Stylish Academic Writing, Helen Sword offers dozens of suggestions as to how you might improve your work, get your argument across in a more appealing manner, and attract more readers. We can all learn something useful from this book, and it won’t involve a lot of effort. -- Malcolm Tight, Editor, Studies in Higher EducationOccasionally the tedium of reading an unending supply of poorly written manuscripts is upended by a cogent, well-written, piece. Helen Sword details why this is so prevalent and offers sage advice to beginning—and even senior—researchers on how to avoid dulling academic prose. I take her advice to heart. I hope to change my numerous bad habits and I dearly wish those submitting manuscripts would read this book. -- Rick K. Wilson, Editor, American Journal of Political ScienceIt’s a weird and complicated experience, picking up a book that covers familiar territory and realizing it’s better than what you might have written. That was the case when I first read Helen Sword’s Stylish Academic Writing. -- Rachel Toor * Chronicle of Higher Education *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDiscover insightful guidance, tools and techniques to become a skilled writer and learn how to share your work with the world.How do you sustain your ideas and overcome self-doubt in your talents? How do you transmit your ideas so that the world will take notice? What techniques can you use to create discipline and make your writing sessions a joy?We live in exciting times: anyone with an idea can reach a worldwide audience, but how do you separate yourself from the thousands competing to be heard? This is a warm, comforting guide to stepping into your new life as an empowered author. You'll learn how to generate more ideas, build confidence in your writing and take your manuscript to completion.Studies have shown it takes just 21 days to establish a new habit. If there's a skill you've always wanted to take advantage of, the answer is only a few weeks away with Hay House’s 21 Days series.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Ted Kooser could be mistaken for an average guy except for one thing: He writes poetry. That activity sets him apart from most of his neighbors, since they, like most Americans, have very little time for the stuff. A resident of Nebraska and the first U.S. poet laureate from the Great Plains, Mr. Kooser takes a broadly inclusive approach to promoting poetry; even so, he harbors no illusions about its becoming the national pastime anytime soon. Mr. Kooser captures this outsider-status neatly in The Poetry Home Repair Manual, his guide to aspiring poets and aspiring readers of verse. . . . [P]oetry is a tough sell these days. . . . But that only makes a smart and readable poetry guide all the more welcome, and needed."—David Yezzi, The Wall Street Journal"With The Poetry Home Repair Manual, he turns to teaching us what poetry is about, Kooser-style. Much of it appeals. His attitude that 'poetry is communication' is refreshing in an era when so many poets seem to be babbling to themselves, giving us pages ripped out of their narcissistic diaries. . . . As might be expected, Kooser's advice is practical, down-home. . . . Kooser is a fine free-verser, and the biases of his book show it."—Cynthia Haven, San Francisco Chronicle"When Nebraska's Ted Kooser was named poet laureate for the Library of Congress last fall, certain quarters of the literary establishment responded with a resounding, Huh? Poets on both coasts scratched their heads, admitting they had never heard of Kooser. It is to be hoped they now have. With Kooser, the middle of the country and Nebraska have triumphed over the self-concerned coasts. Many of his poems involve closely observed Midwestern scenes, their artistry a way of surviving and even enjoying the world. Though Kooser eschews the egotism of many contemporary poets, he is as distinctive a voice as any now at work, a master of metaphor and the short poem. . . . Kooser's book is quietly witty and iconoclastic, with valuable advice. . . . He presents a whole stance toward writing in the context of living one's life. The Poetry Home Repair Manual is brief, lucid, and often remarkably wise."—David Mason, The Weekly Standard"Comings and goings, what is there and what isn't, and the possibilities drawn from personal exploration shape the landscapes in Kooser's poetry. This is not an extended, complex, or experimental kind of writing, but a poetry that rings true, allowing the human sound of being to exist on the page. Its brevity is a launching pad for a simplicity that contains mortal lessons whose language changes the reader. This sense of transformation could be the theme of The Poetry Home Repair Manual. It is not a how-to book or a grand manifesto about poetic tradition. This lively and trim book is Kooser's gift to readers and writers of poetry. . . . The value of this book lies in the way Kooser encourages writers to be real about their expectations, their work, and the fact that the world is not waiting for their poems. . . . Kooser is a poet whose triumphs and tragedies become our own, not to shed their weight upon us but to allow us to revel in the process by which the imagination and the mysteries of poetry make our humanity everyone's horizon."—Bloomsbury Review"The work of Kooser, America's new poet laureate, will be receiving more attention now, attention that is amply deserved"—Booklist"Get your hands on this book. Ask your librarian for it—or better yet buy it, along with a highlighter. You're going to need the latter because this book is brimming with good counsel."—John Eberhart, Kansas City Star"A beginning poet would be well advised to read and take to heart the plain-spoken wisdom offered in . . . Ted Kooser's poetry writing 'manual.' . . . By poking fun at himself, he encourages the fledgling poet to see past the pose of being a poet to the devotion to craft and love of poetry that this book celebrates."—Judith Sornberger, Great Plains Quarterly"No other poet seems better suited to represent the United States as its Laureate in this era than Ted Kooser, and The Poetry Home Repair Manual should enhance his grip on our slumbering Republic."—Larry Woiwode, Poet Laureate of North Dakota, in North Dakota Quarterly"[Kooser] is a major poetic voice for rural and small-town America and the first Poet Laureate chosen from the Great Plains. His verse reaches beyond his native region to touch on universal themes in accessible ways."—James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress"Ted Kooser demonstrates that you can be both accessible and truly excellent. . . . He's the sort of poet people love to read.”—Dana Gioia, poet and author of Can Poetry Matter?

Read more less

Book Synopsis8 books condensed into one, this compendium writing guide is for everyone looking to improve their writing skills, grammar, spelling and punctuation in one easy step.Whether you want to write a novel, draft a report, create a compelling CV, write a letter of protest to the council, or sign off an email, this book is for you and all the family. This latest edition of the Writing Guide is the essential desk companion for anyone requiring a friendly guide to modern communication.Trade Review‘a master class…This is more than a quick reference book. This is a delight for anyone interested in words.’ – Writers’ Forum

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Moving Image is an authoritative guide for how to use video in modern communication. It explains what video - television, film, and moving images generally - is and how it has become the most important information medium of the 21st century. It describes how best to produce it, find it, cite it, archive it, and clear the rights to it - and how to make room for its continued ascendance in education, publishing, and knowledge dissemination in the decades to come--

Read more less