The Nonfictionist's Guide


Book Description

Nonfiction_the 'fourth genre' (along with poetry, fiction, and drama)_is a literary field affecting bestseller lists, writing programs, writers' workshops, and conferences on the study of creative writing, composition/rhetoric, and literature. It is often labeled and/or limited as 'creative' or 'literary' nonfiction and subdivided into essay, memoir, literary journalism, personal cultural criticism, and narratives of nature and travel. A vital and growing form, nonfiction has, until now, needed a sustained discussion about its poetics_both the theory and the craft of this genre. The Nonfictionist's Guide offers a lively exploration of the elements of contemporary nonfiction and suggests imaginative approaches to writing it. Each chapter on a vital aspect of contemporary nonfiction concludes with a separate section of relevant 'notes for nonfictionists.' Beginning with a new definition of nonfiction and explanation of the nonfiction motive, Robert Root discusses the use of experimental forms, the effects of present and past tense and experiential and reflective voices, and the issue of truth. He provides groundbreaking explorations of the segmented essay and the role of spaces as an essential literary device, guiding both readers and writers through the innovative and stimulating ways we write nonfiction now.




Non-fiction


Book Description







The Fourth Genre


Book Description

An anthology of personal essays and memoirs, literary journalism, and academic/cultural criticism. Designed for use in a classroom, the first half of the 62 essays is a sampler of contemporary creative nonfiction, while the second part discusses theories about the nature of creative nonfiction and t




College Writing Skills


Book Description

College Writing Skills uses explanation, demonstration, and practice to teach skills essential to success in college writing. For this course Peder Jones and Jay Farness have constructed a framework of rhetoric--work in composing paragraphs and essays--around disciplined study of sentences and words. The authors have sought in each section of the book to combine the most useful features of contemporary and traditional approaches to college English. Their overall aim is to enable the beginning college writer to compose clear and effective sentences, paragraphs, and compositions. This new edition of College Writing Skills is a refinement of the four previous editions; it has been shaped by helpful comments from students and instructors who have used the course. Exercises have been updated, and many minor changes for clarity have been made. Basic features of this text have not changed, however. As a hybrid of textbook and workbook, it continues to stress focused practice leading to directed independent composing activities; it emphasizes student writing rather than students reading about writing. This emphasis translates into more than 500 sets of exercises, more than 100 optional workshop activities, and an Appendix covering special problems in the acquisition of English. The exercises in this textbook embody our belief that practice is crucial to improving one's writing skills. Accordingly, this text provides practice in forming ideas, in getting ideas our one's head and onto paper, in experimenting with various sentence structures in order to achieve clarity, in following models of correct grammar and effective style, and in making the writing process pay off through effective revision and editing. A Collegiate Press book




The Psychology Student Writer's Manual and Reader's Guide


Book Description

The Psychology Student Writer's Manual 3/E is a practical guide to research, reading, and writing in the discipline. Ideal as either a companion or stand-alone text for any psychology course that requires students to write papers. This clear and functional handbook shows how to research and write in psychology as well as improve one's overall writing ability. Covering every fundamental aspect of writing (from content to form, grammar, tracking sources of information, and citing sources), it assists students in preparing two specific types of papers: research reports and term papers. Comprehensive source—Contains all the information needed to write most types of papers typically assigned in the discipline of psychology. Provides students with a complete, one-stop, easy-to-follow reference source on how to research and write papers—including how to conduct research in psychology, how to find information on topics related to psychology, how to incorporate citations, and more. Thorough review of writing basics and formatting instructions—Addresses fundamental concerns of all writers, exploring the reasons why we write, describing the writing process itself, and examining those elements of grammar, style, and punctuation that cause the most confusion among writers in general. Shows students the key elements of good writing and effective communication, gives students a quick and handy grammar reference source, and provides them with a detailed, easy-to-follow guide to preparing papers according to accepted formats. Creative writing assignments—Offers practical writing exercises with step-by-step instructions. Heightens students' interest in the study of psychology, and frees professors from the duty of teaching students to write the papers most often assigned in psychology classes. APA standards—Complies with all APA style requirements, displays formats for text, title pages, reference pages, tables of contents in APA format, details the APA citation system, and discusses the crucial responsibility of every psychology writer to use source material ethically. General analysis of psychology -◦Helps students obtain a deeper understanding of what constitutes the discipline of psychology so that they will become better and more educated writers on the subject.




A Writer's Guide to Nonfiction


Book Description

A WRITER’S COMPASSDirection for your writing career Don’t get lost on the publishing path. Just forge ahead with the Writer’s Compass. Drawing on decades of professional experience as an author, editor, writing instructor, mentor, and marketing consultant, Elizabeth Lyon helps you navigate the art and craft of writing—with clear, easy-to-follow directions: NORTH Getting Your Bearings Understand your purpose and your audience; learn to refine your ideas, select effective titles, and find the best method of organization for any piece SOUTH Troubleshooting Use checklists and guidelines to spot weaknesses and problems in leads, organization, conclusions, and style—and find out how to correct them EAST Learning to Market Map a successful cover letter, query letter, or proposal, and discover a four-step process to facilitate publication and sales WEST Refining Your Vision Brainstorm to gain perspective on your writing—and how it fits with your values, goals, and dreams




Non-fiction Books


Book Description

This manual for would-be authors includes advice on what to write about, how to choose subjects which are likely to interest publishers, how to organize your material, how to undertake any necessary research, and what to do about such matters as illustrations, permissions and an index.




Writing Creative Nonfiction


Book Description

Experience the power and the promise of working in today' most exciting literary form: Creative Nonfiction Writing Creative Nonfiction presents more than thirty essays examining every key element of the craft, from researching ideas and structuring the story, to reportage and personal reflection. You'll learn from some of today's top creative nonfiction writers, including: • Terry Tempest Williams - Analyze your motivation for writing, its value, and its strength. • Alan Cheuse - Discover how interesting, compelling essays can be drawn from every corner of your life and the world in which you live. • Phillip Lopate - Build your narrator–yourself–into a fully fleshed-out character, giving your readers a clearer, more compelling idea of who is speaking and why they should listen. • Robin Hemley - Develop a narrative strategy for structuring your story and making it cohesive. • Carolyn Forche - Master the journalistic ethics of creative nonfiction. • Dinty W. Moore - Use satire, exaggeration, juxtaposition, and other forms of humor in creative nonfiction. • Philip Gerard - Understand the narrative stance–why and how an author should, or should not, enter into the story. Through insightful prompts and exercises, these contributors help make the challenge of writing creative nonfiction–whether biography, true-life adventure, memoir, or narrative history–a welcome, rewarding endeavor. You'll also find an exciting, creative nonfiction "reader" comprising the final third of the book, featuring pieces from Barry Lopez, Annie Dillard, Beverly Lowry, Phillip Lopate, and more–selections so extraordinary, they will teach, delight, inspire, and entertain you for years to come!




The Fourth Genre


Book Description

This best-selling anthology is a comprehensive and indispensable introduction to the way creative nonfiction is written today. The Fourth Genre offers the most comprehensive, teachable, and current introduction available today to the cutting-edge, evolving genre of creative nonfiction. While acknowledging the literary impulse of nonfiction to be a fourth genre equivalent to poetry, fiction, and drama, this text focuses on subgenres of the nonfiction form, including memoir, nature writing, personal essays, literary journalism, cultural criticism, and travel writing. This anthology was the first to draw on the common ground of the practicing writer and the practical scholar and to make the pedagogical connections between creative writing practice and composition theory, bridging some of the gaps between the teaching of composition, creative writing, and literature in English departments.