The Art and Craft of Case Writing


Book Description

A practical, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary guide that blends an informal, workshop style with solid theory and practice. It is suitable for those conducting case research in business or the social sciences - whether experienced or novice. It also includes skills for writing both teaching cases and research cases.




The Art and Craft of Case Writing


Book Description

Filled with helpful checklists, charts, and suggestions for further reading, this practical, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary guide takes readers through the entire case-writing process, including skills for writing both teaching cases and research cases. This edition includes new discussions of students as case writers, and how to interpret and respond to reviews, as well as updated and expanded material on video, multimedia and Internet cases.




The Art and Craft of Feature Writing


Book Description

Storytelling—how to catch and hold a reader’s interest through artful narration of factual material William E. Blundell, one of the best writers on one of America's best-written papers—The Wall Street Journal—has put his famous Journal Feature-Writing Seminars into this step-by-step guide for turning out great articles. Filled with expert instruction on a complex art, it provides beginners with a systematic approach to feature writing and deftly teaches old pros some new tricks about: · How and where to get ideas · What readers like and don’t like · Adding energy and interest to tired topics · Getting from first ideas to finish article · The rules of organization · How—and whom—to quote and paraphrase · Wordcraft, leads, and narrative flow · Self-editing and notes on style … plus many sample feature articles.




The Shape of Craft


Book Description

Today when we hear the word “craft,” a whole host of things come immediately to mind: microbreweries, artisanal cheeses, and an array of handmade objects. Craft has become so overused, that it can grate on our ears as pretentious and strain our credulity. But its overuse also reveals just how compelling craft has become in modern life. In The Shape of Craft, Ezra Shales explores some of the key questions of craft: who makes it, what do we mean when we think about a crafted object, where and when crafted objects are made, and what this all means to our understanding of craft. He argues that, beyond the clichés, craft still adds texture to sterile modern homes and it provides many people with a livelihood, not just a hobby. Along the way, Shales upends our definition of what is handcrafted or authentic, revealing the contradictions in our expectations of craft. Craft is—and isn’t—what we think.




What Editors Do


Book Description

Essays from twenty-seven leading book editors: “Honest and unflinching accounts from publishing insiders . . . a valuable primer on the field.” —Publishers Weekly Editing is an invisible art in which the very best work goes undetected. Editors strive to create books that are enlightening, seamless, and pleasurable to read, all while giving credit to the author. This makes it all the more difficult to truly understand the range of roles they inhabit while shepherding a project from concept to publication. What Editors Do gathers essays from twenty-seven leading figures in book publishing about their work. Representing both large houses and small, and encompassing trade, textbook, academic, and children’s publishing, the contributors make the case for why editing remains a vital function to writers—and readers—everywhere. Ironically for an industry built on words, there has been a scarcity of written guidance on how to approach the work of editing. Serving as a compendium of professional advice and a portrait of what goes on behind the scenes, this book sheds light on how editors acquire books, what constitutes a strong author-editor relationship, and the editor’s vital role at each stage of the publishing process—a role that extends far beyond marking up the author’s text. This collection treats editing as both art and craft, and also as a career. It explores how editors balance passion against the economic realities of publishing—and shows why, in the face of a rapidly changing publishing landscape, editors are more important than ever. “Authoritative, entertaining, and informative.” —Copyediting




Book Craft


Book Description

Everybody wants to write a book, but most authors fall short. If only there was a clear, systematic, structured approach to crafting bestsellers that would... help you organize your creative ideas unravel the messy writing process save months of editing and revision increase engagement and get more book reviews keep readers glued to each page with dramatic tension impress your mom (and everyone else) with your genius When I started out as an author, I read every book on craft, plotting and writing techniques I could find - but they left me more confused than ever. I ended up quitting, and spent a decade as a developmental editor while earning my PhD in literature. I was terrified to publish. What if nobody likes it? What if I'm a failure? How do I know a book is good before I publish? I needed a way to identify weak, amateur writing, and replace it with prose that enthralled readers. I wanted to take a good story, and turn it into a riveting manuscript. Rather than give up the quest forever, positing Great Writing up to some mysterious, invisible source I could never achieve, I developed my own framework for writing, which has allowed me to write and publish several dozen books over the past few years. What began as a simple guide to plotting became a detailed, chapter-by-chapter cheatsheet, and some brand new techniques on adding intrigue, suspense and conflict to cast a spell over readers. The truth is, there are things that great books have in common - and even more informative, there are definitely signs of weak or bad writing, which can be easily identified and avoided. Based on the lessons I've learned from editing over a hundred books and studying nearly universal writing mistakes, as well as feedback on my writing tutorials (with over 2 million views), I've reverse-engineered a structured approach to writing that will help you quickly map out your book, write it well the first time, and avoid months of painful revision. These simple, easy to follow rules, tactics and cheatsheets to help you easly improve your writing craft and unleash your inner genius, without a nervous breakdown or a drinking problem. You'll end up with a deeper understanding of the craft, and a more marketable book that readers can't put down. This book will help you to... Write compelling books readers love Create dynamic characters readers will root for Plot your book without stifling your creativity Hit crucial turning points to keep readers engaged Improve pacing & backstory without info-dumps Increase stakes, drama and conflict Double your word count and stay motivated Avoid common amateur mistakes & lazy writing Heighten intrigue & suspense to keep readers invested How to know your book will sell before you write it 3 types of conflict you need in every scene Why readers stop reading and how to fix it Simple plotting and outlining strategies so you can write faster with less procrastination Revise and edit your first draft and identify problems fast Save thousands of dollars on editing and increase book sales Ready to move from the slush pile to the bookshelf? Take your writing... ✓ from contrived to compelling ✓ from rubbish to riveting ✓ from mediocre to masterful Scroll up and improve your writing today! ★ BONUSES INCLUDED: a guided 12-week plan to writing your best book yet!




The Art of Slow Writing


Book Description

In a series of conversational observations and meditations on the writing process, The Art of Slow Writing examines the benefits of writing slowly. DeSalvo advises her readers to explore their creative process on deeper levels by getting to know themselves and their stories more fully over a longer period of time. She writes in the same supportive manner that encourages her students, using the slow writing process to help them explore the complexities of craft. The Art of Slow Writing is the antidote to self-help books that preach the idea of fast-writing, finishing a novel a year, and quick revisions. DeSalvo makes a case that more mature writing often develops over a longer period of time and offers tips and techniques to train the creative process in this new experience. DeSalvo describes the work habits of successful writers (among them, Nobel Prize laureates) so that readers can use the information provided to develop their identity as writers and transform their writing lives. It includes anecdotes from classic American and international writers such as John Steinbeck, Henry Miller, Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence as well as contemporary authors such as Michael Chabon, Junot Diaz, Jeffrey Eugenides, Ian McEwan, and Salman Rushdie. DeSalvo skillfully and gently guides writers to not only start their work, but immerse themselves fully in the process and create texts they will treasure.




Teaching with Cases


Book Description

Case method teaching immerses students in realistic business situations--which include incomplete information, time constraints, and conflicting goals. The class discussion inherent in case teaching is well known for stimulating the development of students' critical thinking skills, yet instructors often need guidance on managing that class discussion to maximize learning. Teaching with Cases focuses on practical advice for instructors that can be easily implemented. It covers how to plan a course, how to teach it, and how to evaluate it. The book is organized by the three elements required for a great case-based course: 1) advance planning by the instructor, including implementation of a student contract; 2) how to make leading a vibrant case discussion easier and more systematic; and 3) planning for student evaluation after the course is complete. Teaching with Cases is ideal for anyone interested in case teaching, whether basing an entire course on cases, using cases as a supplement, or simply using discussion facilitation techniques. To learn more about the book, and to see resources available, visit teachingwithcases.hbsp.harvard.edu.




The Art & Craft of Case Writing


Book Description

Whether an experienced case writer or a novice, anyone conducting case research in business and the social sciences should pick up a copy of The Art and Craft of Case Writing.




Craft in the Real World


Book Description

This national bestseller is "a significant contribution to discussions of the art of fiction and a necessary challenge to received views about whose stories are told, how they are told and for whom they are intended" (Laila Lalami, The New York Times Book Review). The traditional writing workshop was established with white male writers in mind; what we call craft is informed by their cultural values. In this bold and original examination of elements of writing—including plot, character, conflict, structure, and believability—and aspects of workshop—including the silenced writer and the imagined reader—Matthew Salesses asks questions to invigorate these familiar concepts. He upends Western notions of how a story must progress. How can we rethink craft, and the teaching of it, to better reach writers with diverse backgrounds? How can we invite diverse storytelling traditions into literary spaces? Drawing from examples including One Thousand and One Nights, Curious George, Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, and the Asian American classic No-No Boy, Salesses asks us to reimagine craft and the workshop. In the pages of exercises included here, teachers will find suggestions for building syllabi, grading, and introducing new methods to the classroom; students will find revision and editing guidance, as well as a new lens for reading their work. Salesses shows that we need to interrogate the lack of diversity at the core of published fiction: how we teach and write it. After all, as he reminds us, "When we write fiction, we write the world."