With more than 65,000 copies sold in two editions and recommended by "Forbes "and "U.S. News & World Report, " this newly updated guide offers sound advice on every aspect of researching, writing, and delivering an effective speech. Filled with anecdotes, examples, and practical advice, this accessible guide makes one of the most daunting tasks manageable--and even fun.
Speaking coach Joan Detz covers everything from the basics to the finer points of writing and delivering a speech with persuasion, style, and humor.
Topics include:

• Assessing your audience
• Researching your subject--and deciding what to leave out
• Keeping it simple
• Using imagery, quotations, repetition, and humor
• Special-occasion speeches
• Speaking to international audiences
• Using Power Point and other visual aids
• And many more

Updated to include new examples and the latest technology, as well as a section on social media, this is a must-have for anyone who writes and delivers speeches, whether novices or experienced veterans at the podium.

One of the most puzzling lapses in accounts of the rise of the West following the decline of the Roman Empire is the casual way historians have dealt with Gutenberg's invention of printing. The cultural achievements that followed the fifteenth century, when the West moved from relative backwardness to remarkable, robust cultural achievement, would have been impossible without Gutenberg's gift and its subsequent widespread adoption across most of the world.

Richard Abel follows the radical cultural impact of the printing revolution from the eighth century to the Renaissance, addressing the viability of the new Christian/Classical culture. Although this culture proved too fragile to endure, those who salvaged it managed to preserve elements of the Classical substance together with the Bible and all the writings of the Church Fathers. The cultural upsurge of the Renaissance (fourteenth to seventeenth centuries), which resulted in part from Gutenberg's invention, is a major focus of this book.

Abel aims to delineate how the cultural revolution was shaped by the invention of printing. He evaluates its impact on the rapid reorientation and acceleration of the cultural evolution in the West. This book provides insight into the history of the printed word, the roots of modern-day mass book production, and the promise of the electronic revolution. It is an essential work in the history of ideas.

Attitudes and methods derived from the hard sciences have become increasingly commonplace in the human and social sciences. Whilst this 'scientifization' process has undoubtedly fostered the growth of knowledge within history and economics, these are disciplines where verification, as practised in the pure sciences, is not appropriate. This book, first published in 1991, argues constructively for a new interpretation of scientific verification within economics and history.

This book explores the art of poetry writing from a practice-based perspective, showing how form, trope and theory inform the practical craft of writing poems. It is divided into three key sections: - Form and structure, covering sonnets, ballads, blank verse and more - Trope and device, introducing topics such as irony, imagery and voice - Poetics and practice, which discusses the writing of poets such as Robert Frost, Amy Lowell and Frank O'Hara Each chapter unpacks a particular concept or form, using examples to display it in practice. The book is filled with exercises to get you writing, and hints and tips for effective re-writing and for avoiding common pitfalls. Written by published poets, many of whom teach writing or literature, The Portable Poetry Workshop will push you to explore beyond your creative writing boundaries.

Writing high-quality papers suitable for publication within international scientific journals is now an essential skill for all early-career researchers; their career progression and the reputation of the department in which they work depends upon it. However, many manuscripts are rejected or sent back for major re-working not because the science they contain is in any way 'bad', but because the same problems keep occurring in the way that the material is presented. It is one thing to write a good scientific paper, however it is quite another thing to get it published. This requires some additional nous. In writing this book Don Harris draws upon nearly a quarter of a century of experience as an author and reviewer of research papers, and ultimately as a journal editor. By his own admission, it contains all the things he wished that his mentors had told him 25 years ago, but didn't. The material in the book is drawn from many years of finding all these things out for himself, usually by trial and error (but mostly error!). The text adopts a much lighter touch than is normally found in books of this type - after all, who really wants to read a book about writing research papers? The author describes his own unique approach to writing journal papers (which, in his own words, has proved to be extremely successful). All major points are illustrated with examples from his own, published works. The book is written in the form of a manual for constructing a journal manuscript: read a chapter, write a section. However, the material it contains goes beyond just this and also describes how to select a target journal, the manuscript submission process, what referees are looking for in a good journal paper, and how to deal with the referees' comments. Each chapter concludes with a checklist to ensure all the key elements have been addressed.

This best-selling collection of readings explores the theme of dreams, the imagination, and the reasoning mind. Supporting a creative approach to the teaching of writing, "Dreams and Inward Journeys" presents a rich mixture of personal and academic essays, stories, and poems. The readings touch on such topics as memory, myths and fairy tales, obsessions, sexuality, gender roles, technology, popular culture, nature, and spirituality. Readings encourage the investigation of new ways of seeing and understanding self and the relationship to important social issues and universal human concerns. Featuring a dual thematic and rhetorical organization, each chapter also provides practical writing advice on a specific rhetorical pattern, a range of writing assignments, and sample papers. Beautiful, stimulating art opens each chapter to support the theme and provide prompts for prewriting.

Moving beyond ecocomposition, this book galvanizes conversations in ecology and writing not with an eye toward homogenization, but with an agenda of firmly establishing the significance of writing research that intersects with ecology. It looks to establish ecological writing studies not just as a legitimate or important form of writing research, but as paramount to the future of writing studies and writing theory. Complex ecologies, writing studies, and new-media/post-media converge to highlight network theories, systems theories, and posthumanist theories as central in the shaping of writing theory, and this study embraces work in these areas as essential to the development of ecological theories of writing. Contributors address ecological theories of writing by way of diverse and promising avenues, united by the underlying commitment to better understand how ecological methodologies might help better inform our understanding of writing and might provoke new theories of writing. Ecology, Writing Theory, and New Media fuels future theoretical conversations about ecology and writing and will be of interest to those who are interested in theories of writing and the function of writing.

This rhetoric/anthology instructs college students in how to read academic texts with understanding and how to use them as sources for papers in a variety of disciplines. In Writing in the Disciplines, Mary Kennedy and William Kennedy emphasize academic writing as ongoing conversations in multiple genres, and do so in the context of WPA Outcomes. The rhetoric chapters teach critical reading, paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, writing process, synthesizing, analyzing, researching, and developing arguments. The anthology balances journal articles with works by public intellectuals in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Whether writing a blog entry or a high-stakes test essay, fiction or nonfiction, short story or argumentation, students need to know certain things in order to write effectively. In 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know, Jeff Anderson focuses on developing the concepts and application of ten essential aspects of good writing - motion, models, focus, detail, form, frames, cohesion, energy, words, and clutter. Throughout the book, Jeff provides dozens of model texts, both fiction and nonfiction, that bring alive the ten things every writer needs to know. By analysing strong mentor texts, young writers learn what is possible and experiment with the strategies professional writers use. Students explore, discover, and apply what makes good writing work. Jeff dedicates a chapter to each of the ten things every writer needs to know and provides mini-lessons, mentor texts, writing process strategies, and classroom tips that will motivate students to confidently and competently take on any writing task. With standardised tests and Common Core Curriculum influencing classrooms nationwide, educators must stay true to what works in writing instruction. 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know keeps teachers on track - encouraging, discovering, inspiring, reminding, and improving writing through conversation, inquiry, and the support of good writing behaviours.

This book helps scientists write papers for scientific journals. Using the key parts of typical scientific papers (Title, Abstract, Introduction, Visuals, Structure, and Conclusions), it shows through numerous examples, how to achieve the essential qualities required in scientific writing, namely being clear, concise, convincing, fluid, interesting, and organized. To enable the writer to assess whether these parts are well written from a reader's perspective, this book also offers practical metrics in the form of six checklists, and even an original Java application to assist in the evaluation. The focus of the book is on self- and reader-assisted assessment of the scientific journal article. It is also the first time that a book on scientific writing takes a human factor view of the reading task and the reader scientist. By revealing and addressing the physiological causes that create substantial reading difficulties, namely limited reader memory, attention span, and patience, the book guarantees that writing will gain the much coveted reader-centered quality.

This book helps scientists write papers for scientific journals. Using the key parts of typical scientific papers (Title, Abstract, Introduction, Visuals, Structure, and Conclusions), it shows through numerous examples, how to achieve the essential qualities required in scientific writing, namely being clear, concise, convincing, fluid, interesting, and organized. To enable the writer to assess whether these parts are well written from a reader's perspective, this book also offers practical metrics in the form of six checklists, and even an original Java application to assist in the evaluation. The focus of this book is on self- and reader-assisted assessment of the scientific journal article. It is also the first time that a book on scientific writing takes a human factor view of the reading task and the reader scientist. By revealing and addressing the physiological causes that create substantial reading difficulties, namely limited reader memory, attention span, and patience, this book guarantees that writing will gain the much coveted reader-centered quality.

Have you ever wanted to write a novel or short story but didn't know where to start? If so, this is the book for you. It's the book for anyone, in fact, who wants to write to their full potential. Practical and jargon-free, rejecting prescriptive templates and formulae, it's a storehouse of ideas and advice on a range of relevant subjects, from boosting self-motivation and confidence to approaching agents and publishers. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience as successful writers and inspiring teachers, it will guide you through such essentials as the interplay of memory and imagination; plotting your story; the creation of convincing characters; the uses of description; the pleasures and pitfalls of research; and the editing process. The book's primary aim is simple: to help its readers to become better writers.

"Rhetorical Analysis: A Brief Guide for Writers, " walk students through the process for doing different kinds of analyses -- argument analysis, structure analysis, style analysis, and more. Shows how to analyze a range of texts, print, visual, and multimedia. Includes authors' own analyses as models for students, as well as 4 complete student model papers. Introduces students to rhetorical concepts (both classical and modern) that are relevant to rhetorical analysis.

Attitudes and methods derived from the hard sciences have become increasingly commonplace in the human and social sciences. Whilst this 'scientifization' process has undoubtedly fostered the growth of knowledge within history and economics, these are disciplines where verification, as practised in the pure sciences, is not appropriate. This book, first published in 1991, argues constructively for a new interpretation of scientific verification within economics and history.

The only research writing guide to focus on equipping aquaculture students and early career scientists with the tools required to write high-quality scientific documents in their field. Examples are taken from the aquaculture field, covering all the relevant key research areas. Takes the reader logically though the process, following a chronological order i.e., upon completion of an experiment, the writing steps are usually research report, working paper, peer-review article or conference proceeding.

Many scientists encounter difficulties in writing papers for publication, perhaps because they have never previously done so, are out of practice or are not confident in their ability to write English as a second language. Whatever their dicipline, nationality or level of successful experience, Writing Successfully in Science will ease the task of documenting work by gently guiding readers through the necessary steps to successful publication-from planning the initial framework of an article, preparing references and illustrative material and writing a first draft, to choosing suitable journals, writing to the editor and dealing with the proofs of the final draft. Althought the examples and orientation are mainly biological, the principles described apply to every branch of science. Practical tips for the first-time writer are combined with useful advise for more experienced contributors wishing to improve their technique. The text also covers the preparation of theses, short talks and posters, review articles, book reviews, grant proposals and curriculum vitae.
Writing Successfully in Science pays particular attention to the needs of scientists whose first language is not English, explaining how to avoid the main pitfalls of English grammar and how to present work in a clear and logical fashion. Also included are details on the presentation of effective figures and tables, both in a traditional manner and with the aid of computer graphics packages.
Postgraduate and postdoctoral research workers should find Writing Successfully in Science an invaluable guide to the preparation of scientific documents; it is also suitable for use in seminars on scientific writing.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203478681

Just as a distinctive literary voice or style is marked by the ease with which it can be parodied, so too can specific aspects of humor be unique. Playwrights, television writers, novelists, cartoonists, and film scriptwriters use many special technical devices to create humor. Just as dramatic writers and novelists use specific devices to craft their work, creators of humorous materials--from the ancient Greeks to today's stand-up comics--have continued to use certain techniques in order to generate humor.

In The Art of Comedy Writing, Arthur Asa Berger argues that there are a relatively limited number of techniques--forty-five in all--that humorists employ. Elaborating upon his prior, in-depth study of humor, An Anatomy of Humor, in which Berger provides a content analysis of humor in all forms--joke books, plays, comic books, novels, short stories, comic verse, and essays--The Art of Comedy Writing goes further. Berger groups each technique into four basic categories: humor involving identity such as burlesque, caricature, mimicry, and stereotype; humor involving logic such as analogy, comparison, and reversal; humor involving language such as puns, wordplay, sarcasm, and satire; and finally, chase, slapstick, and speed, or humor involving action.

Berger claims that if you want to know how writers or comedians create humor study and analysis of their humorous works can be immensely insightful. This book is a unique analytical offering for those interested in humor. It provides writers and critics with a sizable repertoire of techniques for use in their own future comic creations. As such, this book will be of interest to people inspired by humor and the creative process--professionals in the comedy field and students of creative writing, comedy, literary humor, communications, broadcast/media, and the humanities.

Hone Your Writing Skills for Success in College and in Life! Every student knows that writing a successful college paper is no small undertaking. To make the grade, you need to express your ideas clearly and concisely. So how do you do it? In Essential Writing Skills for College and Beyond, you'll learn down-to-earth strategies for organizing your thoughts, researching the right sources, getting it down on paper...and earning an A. Write any type of college paper: Techniques for writing term papers, essays, creative assignments, and more. Improve your writing: Brainstorm ideas, research like a pro, draft and structure your paper, and polish your writing. Master the nuts and bolts: Avoid common mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Turn it in on time: Stay organized with timelines tailored for a variety of papers. Take it to the next level: Get advice for writing effectively after graduation and on the job. College writing may seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. No matter what your major or field of study, Essential Writing Skills for College and Beyond will help you take charge of your writing, your grades, and your path to success.

The post-modern conviction that meaning is indeterminate and self is an illusion, though fascinating and defensible in theory, leaves a number of scholarly and pedagogical questions unsatisfied. Authoring the phenomenological act or felt sense of creating a text is "a remarkably black box," say Haswell and Haswell, yet it should be one of the central preoccupations of scholars in English studies. Not only can the study of authoring accommodate the "social turn" since post-modernism, they argue, but it accommodates as well conceptions of, and the lived experience of, personal potentiality and singularity.

What If? is the first handbook for writers based on the idea that specific exercises are one of the most useful and provocative methods for mastering the art of writing fiction.

With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching creative writing between them, Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter offer more than seventy-five exercises for both beginners and more experienced writers.

These exercises are designed to develop and refine two basic skills: writing like a writer and, just as important, "thinking "like a writer. They deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely.

What If? will be an essential addition to every writer's library, a welcome and much-used companion, a book that gracefully borrows a whisper from the muse.

Help Spanish-speaking fourth graders improve their writing skills with fun and effective daily practice activities. Engage students while guiding them through the five steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. This easy-to-use first grade workbook is great for at-home learning or in the classroom. The engaging standards-based writing activities cover grade-level skills with easy to follow instructions and an answer key to quickly assess student understanding. Watch student confidence grow while building important writing, grammar, and language skills with independent learning. Parents appreciate the teacher-approved activity books that keep their child engaged and learning. Great for homeschooling, to reinforce learning at school, or prevent learning loss over summer. Teachers rely on the daily practice workbooks to save them valuable time. The ready to implement activities are perfect for daily morning review or homework. The activities can also be used for intervention skill building to address learning gaps.

This volume is aimed both at more experienced editors, who may wish to skip over the advice offered in the introduction, as well as at those who are new to the craft and want to know how to begin work on publishing historical documents of interest to them.

Feature Writing for Journalists considers both newspapers and magazines and helps the new or aspiring journalist to become a successful feature writer.

Using examples from a wide range of papers, specialist and trade magazines and 'alternative' publications, Sharon Wheeler considers the different types of material that come under the term 'feature' including human interest pieces, restaurant reviews and advice columns.

With relevant case studies as well as interviews with practitioners, Feature Writing for Journalists is exactly what you need to understand and create exciting and informative features.

Feature Writing for Journalists considers both newspapers and magazines and helps the new or aspiring journalist to become a successful feature writer.

Using examples from a wide range of papers, specialist and trade magazines and 'alternative' publications, Sharon Wheeler considers the different types of material that come under the term 'feature' including human interest pieces, restaurant reviews and advice columns.

With relevant case studies as well as interviews with practitioners, Feature Writing for Journalists is exactly what you need to understand and create exciting and informative features.