Award winning essayist Scott Russell Sanders once compared the art of essay writing to "the pursuit of mental rabbits"-a rambling through thickets of thought in search of some brief glimmer of fuzzy truth. While some people persist in the belief that essays are stuffy and antiquated, the truth is that the personal essay is an ever-changing creative medium that provides an ideal vehicle for satisfying the human urge to document truths as we experience them and share them with others-to capture a bit of life on paper. Crafting the Personal Essay is designed to help you explore the flexibility and power of the personal essay in your own writing. This hands-on, creativity-expanding guide will help you infuse your nonfiction with honesty, personality, and energy. You'll discover: An exploration of the basics of essay writing Ways to step back and scrutinize your experiences in order to separate out what may be fresh, powerful, surprising or fascinating to a reader How to move past private "journaling" and write for an audience How to write eight different types of essays including memoir, travel, humor, and nature essays among others Instruction for revision and strategies for getting published Brimming with helpful examples, exercises, and sample essays, this indispensable guide will help your personal essays transcend the merely private to become powerfully universal.

In the early 1900s, three small-town midwestern playwrights helped shepherd American theatre into the modern era. Together, they created the renowned Provincetown Players collective, which not only launched many careers but also had the power to affect US social, cultural, and political beliefs. The philosophical and political orientations of Floyd Dell, George Cram Cook, and Susan Glaspell generated a theatre practice marked by experimentalism, collaboration, leftist cultural critique, rebellion, liberation, and community engagement. In Three Midwestern Playwrights, Marcia Noe situates the origin of the Provincetown aesthetic in Davenport, Iowa, a Mississippi River town. All three playwrights recognized that radical politics sometimes begat radical chic, and several of their plays satirize the faddish elements of the progressive political, social, and cultural movements they were active in. Three Midwestern Playwrights brings the players to life and deftly illustrates how Dell, Cook, and Glaspell joined early 20th-century midwestern radicalism with East Coast avant-garde drama, resulting in a fresh and energetic contribution to American theatre.

Ever struggled to write a critical essay? Ever wondered what critical thinking actually is and how you can apply it in your academic work and practice?This bestselling guide takes you through every stage of becoming a critical thinker, from approaching your subject to writing your essays or dissertation in health and social care. Each chapter tackles a different aspect of critical thinking and shows you how it's done using examples and simple language. Beginning with an overview of the importance of critical thinking, the book goes on to cover: How to think critically about different types of information as potential evidence, including books, journals, articles, websites, and, new to this edition, social mediaHow to demonstrate critical thinking in written work and presentations How to adopt critical thinking in practice Updated with more references to online resources and critical appraisal tools, this fully revised second edition includes: The key tool 'Six questions for critical thinking' which will assist you in developing your skills for academic work and practice - updated for this edition in response to student evaluation An expanded worked example of critical analysis New exploration of the connection between theory and practice This book is an essential purchase for students and qualified healthcare staff alike and was highly commended in the BMA Medical Book Awards 2012."This is an amazing book that I recommend to all levels of students as there is something in it for all. It is written in an easy to understand and friendly style that is accessible to anyone has an interest in critical thinking whether they are studying or not. It puts a different perspective on one's thinking and has even turned it on its head for some students. I love this book and the sound of the penny dropping for my learners!" Liz Rockingham, Adult Field Lead / Teaching Fellow, University of Surrey, UK"In my estimation this is the definitive beginner's guide to critical thinking and writing in health and social care. After reading this book any student should understand why and how critical thinking underpins professional practice and the highest endeavours in academic work and research. Within the book are three invaluable checklists: 1) 'Six questions for critical thinking',2) 'Critical thinking skills in your written work' and 3) 'Critical thinking, or relying on routine'. A wonderful book for both Undergraduate and Masters' students and a must for hard-pressed academics who wish to encourage and endorse the need for critical thinking at all levels in all of their students". Dr Ruth Davies, Associate Professor Child and Family Health, Swansea University, UK"I did not intend to read this book cover to cover but it was such a pleasure I did. The book by Aveyard, Sharp and Woolliams achieves exactly what it sets out to do and is a comprehensive and highly readable guide. In this little gem the mysteries of critical thinking and writing are unpacked. Useful tools, resources, activities and worked examples are included and the reader is guided to develop their own skills. From the initial challenge to explore their personal values, beliefs and assumptions, through to how to adopt critical thinking in practice, the reader is left in no doubt as to the valuable contribution this book will make to developing their skills of critical thinking and writing for professional practice." Ailsa Espie, Senior Lecturer, Division of Nursing, Queen Margaret University, UK "Health and social care professionals navigate through extensive quantities of information in the course of their work. The ability to think clearly and critically is fundamental for appraising and implementing evidence and knowledge in practice. This book is an excellent place to start learning these vital skills and I recommend it to my students and to you." Dr Martin Webber, Anniversary Reader in Social Work, University of York, UK"I would recommend this book to any health care student, not just nurses, that require help in starting out how to write critically in essays, presentations, literature reviews and dissertations." Jade Day, Student Nurse at Anglia Ruskin University, UK

Completed just weeks before his death, the lectures in this volume mark a critical juncture in the career of Roland Barthes, in which he declared the intention, deeply felt, to write a novel. Unfolding over the course of two years, Barthes engaged in a unique pedagogical experiment: he combined teaching and writing to "simulate" the trial of novel-writing, exploring every step of the creative process along the way. Barthes's lectures move from the desire to write to the actual decision making, planning, and material act of producing a novel. He meets the difficulty of transitioning from short, concise notations (exemplified by his favorite literary form, haiku) to longer, uninterrupted flows of narrative, and he encounters a number of setbacks. Barthes takes solace in a diverse group of writers, including Dante, whose La Vita Nuova was similarly inspired by the death of a loved one, and he turns to classical philosophy, Taoism, and the works of Francois-Rene Chateaubriand, Gustave Flaubert, Franz Kafka, and Marcel Proust. This book uniquely includes eight elliptical plans for Barthes's unwritten novel, which he titled Vita Nova, and lecture notes that sketch the critic's views on photography. Following on The Neutral: Lecture Course at the College de France (1977-1978) and a third forthcoming collection of Barthes lectures, this volume provides an intensely personal account of the labor and love of writing.

The buzz word in publishing houses and at writer's conferences these days is platform. As in, What is the author' s platform?
With more than 175,000 new titles published each year, publishers want to sign authors who are capable of helping to sell their book. The platform may be that the author is a widely syndicated columnist, is the internationally acclaimed expert in his field, or is a highly sought-after motivational speaker. Or perhaps the author is a New York City television news anchor. These types of platforms make a publisher's mouth water. But what about authors who aren t widely known or acclaimed? How does the ordinary guy build a credible platform? The answer: the Internet. Today you can build an international platform right from your kitchen table even if your kitchen table is in Manhattan . . . Kansas.

Ian McEwan, Margaret Drabble, Martin Amis, Rita Dove, Andrew Motion and Anthony Thwaite are among the twenty-two distinguished contributors of original essays to this landmark volume on the profound and frequently perplexing bond between writer and mother. In compelling detail they bring to life the thoughts, work, loves, friendships, passions and, above all, the influence of mothers upon their literary offspring from Shakespeare to the present. Many of the contributors evoke the ideal with fond and loving memories: understanding, selfless, spiritual, tender, protective, reassuring and self-assured mothers who created environments favorable to the development of their children's gifts. At the opposite end of the parenting spectrum, however, we also see tortured mothers who ignored, interfered with, smothered or abandoned their children. Their early years were times of traumatic loss, unhappily dominated by death and human frailty. Elegantly assembled and presented, Writers and Their Mothers will appeal to everyone interested in biography, literature, and creativity in general.

Who is telling the story to whom is the single most important question about any work of fiction; the answer is central to everything from style and tone to plot and pacing. Using hundreds of examples from Jane Austen to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Leo Tolstoy to Stephen King, novelist and longtime MFA professor Lisa Zeidner dives deep into the points of view we are most familiar with-first and third person-and moves beyond to second-person narration, frame tales, and even animal points of view. Engaging and accessible, Who Says? presents any practicing writer with a new system for choosing a point of view, experimenting with how it determines the narrative, and applying these ideas to revision.

Short-Form Creative Writing: A Writer's Guide and Anthology is a complete introduction to the art and craft of extremely compressed works of imaginative literature. H. K. Hummel and Stephanie Lenox introduce both traditional and innovative approaches to the short form and demonstrate how it possesses structure, logic, and coherence while simultaneously resisting expectations. With discussion questions, writing prompts, flash interviews, and illustrated key concepts, the book covers: - Prose poetry - Flash fiction - Micro memoir - Lyric essay - Cross-genre/hybrid writing . . . and much more. Short-Form Creative Writing also includes an anthology, offering inspiring examples of short-form writing in all of the styles covered by the book, including work by Charles Baudelaire, Italo Calvino, Lydia Davis, Grant Faulkner, Ilya Kaminsky, Jamaica Kinkaid , and many others.

More than 45 agent, editor, and author-written chapters--called workshops in the book--provide instruction on the writing craft and the business of getting published.

In this concise book, Professor Anderson offers 52 useful, practical, and easy tips and exercises to improve your writing incollege and in your life. Written in a clear, understandable style, this book takes the mystery out of writing and gives specific advice about what professors are looking for in basic composition classes. Written by a university professor who is also a professional writer, this book is a must have for college students.

No other description available.

Have you ever wanted to be a writer? Sherri always wanted to be a writer. Problem is, every one she knows tells her it can't be done. Instead she slogs to work every day, ignoring her dream. One day, at her favorite coffee shop, she meets Daniel. He'll soon teach her how to become the author she's always dreamed of being. This parable is fictional, but seven out of nine chapters include practical exercises for readers. If you're looking to become a writer or just struggling to find a better way, this short novel is for you. If you're ready, here's the first step. Start by reading the following statement: My Name is (state your name), and I am a Writer.

Finish The Script is a screenwriting book for anyone who wants to be a writer. It takes a step-by-step approach and focuses not only on theory but also on the actual writing process. It's a full college course squeezed into book form that will take novice writers from concept through rewrite. Based on actual class lectures and assignments, Finish the Script is for any writer looking for that extra push and guidance.

David Foster Wallace was at the center of late-20th-century American literature, Bryan A. Garner at that of legal scholarship and lexicography. It was language that drew them together. The wide-ranging interview reproduced here memorializes 67 minutes of their second and final evening together, in February 2006. It was DFW's last long interview, and the only one devoted exclusively to language and writing.

(Applause Books). The Film Scripts Series is a new printing of some of the greatest screenplays ever written. Each of the four volumes in the series edited by George P. Garrett, O. B. Hardison, Jr., and Jane R. Gelfman contains three classic shooting scripts written by some of the finest writers to ever work in Hollywood. Every volume also features a highly informative introduction, a glossary of technical terms, an extensive bibliography, and the credits for each film. These enduring screenplays will be of great interest to the general film buff, the aspiring screenwriter, and the professional filmmaker. Of particular value to the screenwriter and filmmaker is the fact that all scripts are printed in standard screenplay format. Film Scripts One features: Henry V (1946, United Artists, reissue 2007, Park Circus-UK): Script by Laurence Olivier and Reginald Beck; Directed and produced by Laurence Olivier; Academy Award for Laurence Olivier (honorary award for his outstanding achievement as actor, producer, and director); Academy Award nominations for best picture, best actor (Laurence Olivier), best art direction, and best score. The Big Sleep (1946, Warner Bros. Pictures): Script by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett, and Jules Furthman, based on the novel by Raymond Chandler; Directed by Howard Hawks; Starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951, Warner Bros. Pictures): Script by Tennessee Williams, adaptation by Oscar Saul; Directed by Elia Kazan; Starring Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Vivien Leigh, and Karl Malden; Academy Awards for Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, and best art direction; Academy Award nomination for Marlon Brando.

Want to write more powerfully? You've come to the right book. "Word Up "--an eclectic collection of essays, more inspiration guide than style guide--serves up tips and insights for anyone who wants to write with more umph. "Word Up "does what too few writing books do: it practices while preaching, shows while telling, uses powerful writing to talk about powerful writing. "Word Up " explores the perplexities and celebrates the pleasures of the English language. It leaves you smiling--and ready to conquer your next blank (or blah) page.

This concise guide offers Wolf's writing techniques from his Free River Press workshops across the country. Rooted in the oral tradition, Wolf's methods include storytelling, visualization, spontaneous prose composition, and sketching. Besides strategies for individual writers, the book will include group activities, exercises and samples by workshop participants.