As the field of composition studies became more sophisticated in its understanding of research, the designs and assumptions underlying the early work were called into question. Researchers were challenged to design studies that were sensitive to the varying contexts in which writers write and to the ways their own roles shaped their investigations. The more comprehensive studies called for by these critiques are only now beginning to appear.
This volume presents some articles in which writers and what they do are at the center of inquiry. The focus is on what actually occurs as people write and how they make sense of what they are doing. Choosing such a focus grants human action central importance and enacts the belief that looking closely at individuals can be a primary starting point for understanding them and their worlds. Other papers take the researcher's shaping role into account. The integrity of such work rests not so much on a lifeless detachment from the phenomena being studied as on the author's vital engagement, and on a faithful rendering of what has been observed. This includes the author revealing his or her own impact of what has been seen and said.
In the broadest sense, composing is something we all do: the students and parents and writers and teachers who serve as subjects of research and those who write the research itself. It is what each of us is engaged in when we shape our understanding of life through the writing we do. And it is what can continue to light the way in composition studies for it illuminates what still makes this inquiry so intriguing and so rich -- that only human beings have this capacity tolook and see more, to create new texts and new work, and in the creating compose their way to new understandings and new selves.

This collection introduces the reader to the ideas that have shaped writing center theory and practice. The essays have been selected not only for the insight they offer into issues but also for their contributions to writing center scholarship. These papers help to chart the legitimation of writing centers by providing both a history and an examination of the philosophies, praxis, and politics that have defined this emerging field. They demonstrate the ways a clearer profile of the discipline has emerged from the research and reflection of writers, like those represented here. This volume charts the emergence of writing centers and the growing recognition of their contributions, roles, and importance. As a nascent discipline, writing centers reflect the concerns with marginality and with finding a respected place in the academy that characterize any new field of academic inquiry, practice, and research. Concomitantly, professionals in these fields seek standing within the academy and a way of defining and validating their contributions to the educational process. Contemporary writing center theorists look to interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary investigations to interpret the work they do and to clarify their aims to the academy at large. Their work employs a variety of philosophical perspectives -- ranging from sociolinguistics to psychoanalytic theory -- to show the complex nature and potential of writing center interactions. The idea has now become the multidimensional realities of the writing center within the academy and within society as a whole. What its role will be in future redefinitions of the educational process, how that role will be negotiated and evaluated, and how professionals will shape educational values will constitute the future landmark directions and essays on writing center theory and practice.

Section 1 of this volume describes three major debates about voice. They include:
* the overarching debate: discourse as text vs. discourse as voice;
* the traditional debate in rhetoric: ethos as real virtue in the real person vs. ethos as the appearance of virtue; and
* the modern debate: voice as self vs. voice as role.
These debates involve large, ideological questions about the nature of self or identity and about the relation of the text to the writer. They are all the more troublesome and unresolvable because they tend to be cast in binary, either/or terms.
Section 2 responds to these debates by showing that they don't need to be resolved in either/or terms. Looking carefully at the term "voice" shows that it has some fairly noncontroversial meanings when applied to writing. Thus, most of this section is devoted to an extended exploration of a family of five meanings for the term "voice" in writing -- audible voice or information, dramatic voice, recognizable or distinctive voice, voice with authority, and resonant voice or presence. These meanings make the concept of voice solid and usable apart from the theoretical debates.
The two theoretical debates only come up in relatively circumscribed arenas and so don't muddy most uses of the concept of voice in writing. In short, Elbow's hope is that he can make descriptive "claims" about the meanings of voice in writing about which people from various ideological camps will be able to agree.

Memory has long been ignored by rhetoricians because the written word has made memorization virtually obsolete. Recently however, as part of a revival of interest in classical rhetoric, scholars have begun to realize that memory offers vast possibilities for today's writers. Synthesizing research from rhetoric, psychology, philosophy, and literary and composition studies, this volume brings together many historical and contemporary theories of memory. Yet its focus is clear: memory is a generator of knowledge and a creative force which deserves attention at the beginning of and throughout the writing process.
This volume emphasizes the importance of recognizing memory's powers in an age in which mass media influence us all and electronic communication changes the way we think and write. It also addresses the importance of the individual memory and voice in an age which promotes conformity. Written in a strong, lively personal manner, the book covers a great deal of scholarly material. It is never overbearing, and the extensive bibliography offers rich vistas for further study.

This volume explores adult work-world writing issues from the perspectives of five seasoned professionals who have logged hundreds of hours working with adults on complicated written communication problems. It examines the gap between school-world instructional practices and real-world problems and situations. After describing the five major economic sectors which are writing intensive, the text suggests curricular reforms which might better prepare college-educated writers for these worlds. Because the volume is based on the extensive work-world experiences of the authors, it offers numerous examples of real-world writing problems and strategies which illustrate concretely what goes wrong and what needs to be done about it.

This helpful guidebook makes it easy for librarians to select the most appropriate periodical or serial for their proposed articles. A subject index with cross references ensures quick access to the alphabetically listed titles. The Guide to Publishing Opportunities for Librarians provides the following comprehensive information for each publication listed: bibliographic entry name and address of editor to whom manuscripts should besubmitted names of indexing and abstracting services which include the publication editorial aim/policy scope and content intended audience manuscript style requirements acceptance rate review procedures for submitted articles Both novice and experienced authors will be able to quickly select the most appropriate periodical or serial for proposed articles from a wide variety of publications. In addition to the more familiar organs of national library associations, societies, and library schools, the guide also includes regional publications, newsletters, bulletins, scholarly journals, interdisciplinary and general periodicals, subject-specific publications, and electronic journals. Public, academic, special, and school librarians, as well as other information specialists seeking to publish in the library science field, will find the Guide to Publishing Opportunities for Librarians a valuable tool for promoting professional development.

Anna: Sexually abused by her father beginning at age one. Tanya: Raped by her father at age five. Lisa: Neglected by her mother and put into a foster home, she suffered severe and prolonged Satanic ritual abuse at her mother's hand. And Amy...Krista...Shawna...Linda...Virginia... All victims of severe emotional, physical, and sexual abuse as children. These eight women together made a treacherous journey up through the depths of pain, despair, anger, and fear toward newfound self-awareness and inner strength. This poignant odyssey is depicted in Ending the Cycle of Abuse, a volume about a highly promising method of group treatment for adults who have been severely abused as children. Accessible to both therapist and patient, this book is extraordinary because it offers the dual perspectives of both therapist and abuse victims in the group endeavor. This extremely compelling book is composed of the measured words of therapist Dr. Ney and the lucid prose of Anna Petersone of his patients in the group. It is enhanced by moving contributions from other group members as well. The volume traces a carefully evolved process of therapy developed by Dr. Ney over a lifetime of clinical practice and research into child abuse and neglect. Dr. Ney bases his therapeutic technique on the theory of the triangle of abuse involving perpetrator, victim, and observer: transgenerational in nature and changeable under varied circumstances. Realistic and pragmatic, Ending the Cycle of Abuse describes a process that requires abuse victims to accept that they have been forever changed as a result of the abuse they endured. Group members are taught to constructively deal with the guilt, the anger, the rage, thefear, and the despair stemming from their early experiences, and the majority make remarkably good progress. This exceptional volume will give its readers a deeper understanding of child abuse and its effects on the developing child. For therapists who work with abuse victims, it sets forth a time-tested technique for providing significant help to a severely disturbed and growing population. For victims of abuse, it offers the immense relief of self-recognition and the gift of hope.

Turn lackluster plots into irresistible stories! When it comes to writing bestsellers, it's all about the plot. But creating a captivating storyline that mesmerizes your audience until the very end is easier said than done. With thousands of engaging books on the shelf, you'll need to set yours apart by developing unique scenarios that leave readers wondering what happens next. In this writing workbook, celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson covers everything from constructing spirited action and compelling characters to establishing an unforgettable ending. She also walks you through the development of a successful narrative with exercises that: Help build suspense Incorporate effective subplots Tie up all the loose ends Keep the reader turning pages Filled with essential advice and writing exercises, /The Plot Whisperer Workbook will quickly become your go-to guide for crafting a tale worthy of the bestseller list!

Someday computers will be artists. They'll be able to write amusing and original stories, invent and play games of unsurpassed complexity and inventiveness, tell jokes and suffer writer's block. But these things will require computers that can both achieve artistic goals and be creative. Both capabilities are far from accomplished.
This book presents a theory of creativity that addresses some of the many hard problems which must be solved to build a creative computer. It also presents an exploration of the kinds of goals and plans needed to write simple short stories. These theories have been implemented in a computer program called MINSTREL which tells stories about King Arthur and his knights. While far from being the silicon author of the future, MINSTREL does illuminate many of the interesting and difficult issues involved in constructing a creative computer.
The results presented here should be of interest to at least three different groups of people. Artificial intelligence researchers should find this work an interesting application of symbolic AI to the problems of story-telling and creativity. Psychologists interested in creativity and imagination should benefit from the attempt to build a detailed, explicit model of the creative process. Finally, authors and others interested in how people write should find MINSTREL's model of the author-level writing process thought-provoking.

Embodied Playwriting: Improv and Acting Exercises for Writing and Devising is the first book to compile new and adapted exercises for teaching playwriting in the classroom, workshop, or studio through the lens of acting and improvisation. The book provides access to the innovative practices developed by seasoned playwriting teachers from around the world who are also actors, improv performers, and theatre directors. Borrowing from the embodied art of acting and the inventive practice of improvisation, the exercises in this book will engage readers in performance-based methods that lead to the creation of fully imagined characters, dynamic relationships, and vivid drama. Step-by-step guidelines for exercises, as well as application and coaching advice, will support successful lesson planning and classroom implementation for playwriting students at all levels, as well as individual study. Readers will also benefit from curation by editors who have experience with high-impact educational practices and are advocates for the use of varied teaching strategies to increase accessibility, inclusion, skill-building, and student success. Embodied Playwriting offers a wealth of material for teachers and students of playwriting courses, as well as playwrights who look forward to experimenting with dynamic, embodied writing practices.

Exploring the relationship between the writer and what he/she happens to be writing, this text by one of the foremost scholars in the field of literacy and cognition is a unique and original examination of writing--as a craft and as a cognitive activity. The book is concerned with the physical activity of writing, the way the nervous system recruits the muscles to move the pen or manipulate the typewriter. It considers the necessary disciplines of writing, such as knowledge of the conventions of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. In particular, there is a concern with how the skills underlying all these aspects of writing are learned and orchestrated.
This second edition includes many new insights from the author's significant experience and from recent research, providing a framework for thinking about the act of writing in both theoretical and practical ways. A completely new chapter on computers and writing is included, as well as more about the role of reading in learning to write, about learning to write at all ages, and about such controversial issues as whether and how genre theory should be taught.
Written in nontechnical language, this text will continue to be accessible and stimulating to a wide range of readers concerned with writing, literacy, thinking, and education. Furthermore, it has an educational orientation, therefore proving relevant and useful to anyone who teaches about writing or endeavors to teach writing.

Academic Writing is emerging as a distinct subject for teaching and research in higher education in the UK and elsewhere. Teaching Academic Writing in UK Higher Education introduces this growing field and is a resource for university teachers, researchers and administrators interested in developing students' writing. The book highlights a lively transnational culture of teaching and research in Academic Writing, and will have both immediate and lasting influence on how university writing programmes and initiatives are shaped in the years ahead.

Because reporting is changing, this volume offers readers a thorough introduction to the rapidly evolving world of gathering information for local news organizations. This easy-to-read text is filled with contemporary examples and solid advice for the beginning reporting student. Designed for students with a foundation in news writing, it provides chapters on such basics as news research, interviewing, and observation skills. It further offers a chapter on the use of personal computers as research and reporting tools. Readers will find useful tips and examples written by award-winning professional journalists that reflect the numerous changes in the art and science of information gathering in the past decade.

Plunging into the verbal quagmire of official language used by bureaucrats in both government and business, distinguished linguist Roger W. Shuy develops new techniques based on linguistic principles to improve their communication with the public.

Shuy presents nine case studies that reveal representative problems with bureaucratic language. He characterizes the traits of bureaucratic language candidly, though somewhat sympathetically, and he describes how linguists can provide bureaucrats with both the tools for communicating more clearly and also the authority to implement these changes.

Drawing on documents cited in class action lawsuits brought against the Social Security Administration and Medicare, Shuy offers a detailed linguistic analysis of these agencies' problems with written and oral communication, and he outlines a training program he developed for government writers to solve them. Moving on to the private sector, Shuy analyzes examples of the ways that businesses such as car dealerships, real estate and insurance companies, and commercial manufacturers sometimes fail to communicate effectively. Although typically bureaucracies change their use of language only when a lawsuit threatens, Shuy argues that clarity in communication is a cost effective strategy for preventing or at least reducing litigation.

"Bureaucratic Language in Government and Business" explains why bureaucratic language can be so hard to understand and what can be done about it.

This innovative book is the first to identify and describe the systematic process that drives the day-to-day work of writers in the real world of print and broadcast journalism, public relations, and advertising. The key to creative problem solution for both simple and complex assignments in media work is engagingly detailed in this thought-provoking guide. Users of this book will learn how to fulfill assignments and write copy that meets an editor's or client's expectations, speaks to the intended audience, stands up to question, and remains in memory.
The author skillfully blends tested processes from science and art to equip the student with the tools of self-management and the techniques of disciplined creativity that defend against erroneous judgment. Recognizing the role of problem solving in media and the primacy of critical thinking at all stages of the writing process -- from preparatory measures to final writing -- the author challenges the assumption that discipline and creativity areincompatible partners. That partnership is described in detail, then dramatized with absorbing examples and illustrations drawn from interviews with experienced practitioners in print and broadcast journalism, public relations, and advertising. Each chapter is a discovery of how this reliable partnership for solving writing problems in media applies to both anticipated and unexpected communication situations. Making known what media professionals have learned through trial and error on the job, here is a thinking and writing dynamic that students, new hires, and aspiring free-lancers can now acquire before entering the world of print or broadcast journalism, public relations, or advertising.

A 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 putting your heart and soul into your writing practice. Do the prompts and exercises. Reflect. This Journal Workbook will help you find that spark. This is your writing life, write it your way.