The Writer's Way - Softcover

Rawlins, Jack

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0618133895 ISBN 13: 9780618133895

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2002

Synopsis

Recognizing that people learn best by doing—and writers learn best when inspired by compelling reasons to write—this process-centered paperback rhetoric with readings provides strong examples and immediate personal rewards. With frank advice offered in a supportive, encouraging tone, this text leads students through the writing process, from pre-writing to polishing the final draft.

Students will appreciate the focus on personal motivation and detailed help on overcoming writers' most common problems. The text's flexible organization permits a variety of teaching emphases, from invention, arrangement, and style to modes of writing. The book illustrates all its principles with student essays—52 complete essays, plus many excerpts—providing achievable models for student writers as well as realistic opportunities for editing. A Writer's Workshop at the end of many chapters shows student writing in progress and discusses practical writing issues.

About this title

About the Author:

Jack P. Rawlins (Ph.D., Yale University) is Professor of English at the California State University in Chico, where he has taught courses in composition, language education, linguistics, and literature. Writing in the areas of composition pedagogy, Victorian literature, science fiction, and university governance, he has been published by the University of California Press, the Southern Illinois University Press, College English, Studies in English Literature, and Newsweek.

Review:

Note: Each chapter concludes with Exercises. Prologue: How to Go to School How to Get a Good Grade How to (Re)Learn in School: A Guide to Studying I. Introduction to Writing 1. Learning to Write Learn Like a Baby The Four Basics What Good Is a Composition Class? How Can I Write Well Right Now? Writer's Workshop: What Helps, What Doesn't 2. What Makes Writing Good? What Good Writing Isn't What Good Writing Is: The Sense of Audience It Really Works: Two Proofs Writer's Workshop: The Reader's Dialogue II. Planning and Drafting 3. Finding Something to Write About Where Do Good Essays Come From? Five Principles for Getting Good Ideas Writing from Rage Writer's Workshop: Finding Essays in Your Life 4. From First Thoughts to Drafts Defeating Writer's Block III. Revising and Editing 5. Thesis, Purpose, Audience, and Tone The Spirit of Revising How to Feel About Rules Revision Tools Revision in Five Giant Steps Thesis, Purpose, Audience, and Tone Purpose and Audience Tell You How to Write Writer's Workshop: Revising for Thesis, Audience, and Purpose 6. Organization, Part 1: Mapping and Outlining The Organizing Attitude Mapping Outlining 7. Organization, Part 2: Abstracting Transition and Readers Transition and Connectors Abstracting Diagnosing Transition by the Numbers Structural Templates Paragraphing 8. Beginning, Ending, and Titling Beginnings Conclusions Titles 9. Making the Draft Longer or Shorter Making It Shorter Making It Longer Writer's Workshop: Expanding Essays 10. Peer Feedback Rules for Readers Rules for Writers Peer Editing in Groups Peer Editing for Mechanics and Grammar Writer's Workshop: Peer Editing a Peer-Editing Session 11. Rewriting for Style Style as Clothing How to Master a Style: Three Steps Sentence Length Latinate Diction Concretion 12. Editing Getting the Editing Attitude "Grammar" Punctuation Spelling The Worst That Can Happen to You Following Format Proofreading 13. Publishing What, Me Publish? Ways to Go Public Preparing a Manuscript for Submission IV. Modes of Writing 14. Personal Writing Show, Don't Tell Choosing an Effect Does Personal Writing Have a Thesis? Writer's Workshop: Concretizing Abstract Generalizations 15. Writing to Inform What's Informative Writing? The Three Challenges Eight Teaching Tips Writer's Workshop: The Eight in Action 16. Writing an Argument, Part 1: Thinking It Through What's an Argument? Finding an Argumentative Prompt Thinking It Through vs. Selling the Case Why Thinking Is Hard How to Think: A Template Writer's Workshop: Using the Tools 17. Writing an Argument, Part 2: Selling the Case Define Your Objectives Realistically Establish a Positive Relationship with Your Audience Find a Dramatic Structure Writer's Workshop: Using Models V. Academic Writing 18. Writing in School: An Introduction What's New? Nuthin' 19. Writing on Literature Purpose and Audience What to Write About Thesis and Topic Critical Approaches The Opening Paragraph Quotations Page References Tense 20. Writing in the Sciences Audience and Purpose Structure: The Lab Report 21. Essay Tests The Universals Subject Tests Literacy Tests 22. Collaborative Writing How to Make the Collaborative Experience Work for You Typical Collaborative Work Schedule 23. Research Using the Library Researching from a Terminal 24. Using Sources Summary and Paraphrase Quotation Documentation Model Citations 25. The Research Paper Setting Yourself a Good Task Getting Things Organized Format Graphics A Model Research Paper VI. A Treasury of Essays Personal Essays Informative Essays Argumentative Essays Academic Essays Four Essays on Dieting Author/Title Index Subject Index

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0618133895
• ISBN 13: 9780618133895
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 426