Written for busy professionals who want to improve the quality and clarity of their own (or their staff's) writing style, this is an essential guide for anyone who has ever fallen prey to businessese, academese, legalese, or any other `ese' when faced with a blank memo pad.

Pithy and entertaining, Bailey points out all the dos and don'ts of plain English. He then illustrates them with examples drawn from a wide array of sources, including business documents, technical manuals, trade publications, and the works of writers such as Russell Baker and John D. MacDonald. From the basics to the fine tuning, he offers practical advice on clarity and precision, organization, layout, and a host of other important writing topics.

How To Be A Writer is a collection of interviews with famous writers, performers and industry insiders that takes the reader through a writer's day, from getting up to giving in. And, along the way, asks: When do you get ideas? When should you write? How do you deal with your money? Who do you have lunch with? And how do you keep going? Featuring JON RONSON, EMMA DONOGHUE, DENNIS KELLY, CAITLIN MORAN, JASON HAZELEY, JOEL MORRIS, SUZANNE MOORE, CATHERINE ROSENTHAL, MARK ELLEN, JOHN PANTON, JO UNWIN, MARTYN WAITES, MARK BILLINGHAM, ISZI LAWRENCE David Quantick is an Emmy-winning television writer and the author of the best-selling writing manual How To Write Everything. He has written for television in the USA (Veep) and the UK (The Thick Of It, Brass Eye, Harry Hill's TV Burp), and is also a radio broadcaster (The Blagger's Guide, 52 First Impressions), author (The Mule, Sparks) and a journalist who's written for over 50 different publications, from the Daily Telegraph to The Dandy.

Problem plot lines? Character chaos? Ask Ally! The definitive guide to writing from one of teen fiction's best-loved authors.

Writing finally has its own agony aunt in bestselling author, Ally Carter.

Always wanted to write? Not sure how to begin, or what to do with tricky characters or pesky plotlines? Ask Ally! Ally Carter is the internationally bestselling author of Gallagher Girls, Embassy Row and Heist Society. Known for her gripping plots and adventures that combine danger and glamour in equal measure, Ally knows how to write brilliant books for teen and YA readers.

Now Ally and her author friends want to help YOU write the book you've always dreamed of. Part agony aunt, part writing guru, this writing guide is thoughtful, witty and best of all, useful.

With advice from some of children's fiction's brightest stars including Holly Black, Cassandra Clare and Kody Keplinger.

Since the 1970s, writing workshop has been a go-to method for teaching writing. It's helped students of all ages find their voices and stories while developing skills and craft. In The Writing Shop, the author reimagines what writing workshop can be. By studying workshops of different kinds-carpentry, textile, machine-she pushes us to see writing workshop the way other makers see their own shops, as places where creativity is fueled by the sensory experience. When the essential elements of all workshops are adopted in writing workshop, the author argues, writers will flourish. The author builds on writing workshop literature to introduce the model to newcomers, while offering practical advice for those looking to strengthen their writing instruction. The Writing Shop illustrates what happens when writing is taught in an authentic shop: play is prioritized, all types of learners are included, and a host of skills beyond the mechanics of composition are embedded in the process of learning to write. With its stories from diverse workshops and emphasis on exploration and experimentation, The Writing Shop shows us that learning to write can be, above all things, fun.

Revised and updated throughout, this 10th-anniversary edition of Can Creative Writing Really Be Taught? is a significantly expanded guide to key issues and practices in creative writing teaching today. Challenging the myths of creative writing teaching, experienced and up-and-coming teachers explore what works in the classroom and workshop and what does not. Now brought up-to-date with new issues that have emerged with the explosion of creative writing courses in higher education, the new edition includes: * Guides to and case studies of workshop practice * Discussions on grading and the myth of "the easy A" * Explorations of the relationship between reading and writing * A new chapter on creative writing research * A new chapter on games, fan-fiction and genre writing * New chapters on identity and activism

A completely new guide to writing Latin from scratch, this user-friendly book includes key features such as: broad coverage - all the major grammatical constructions of the Latin language are covered, reinforcing what students have learnt from reading Latin; thorough accessible explanations - no previous experience of writing in Latin assumed; hundreds of examples - clear accurate illustrations of the constructions described, all with full translations; over six hundred practice sentences - graduated exercises leading students through three levels of difficulty from elementary to advanced level; introduction to Latin word order - a brief guide to some of the most important principles; and, longer passages for practising continuous prose composition - more challenging passages to stretch the most able students.It also includes features such as: commentaries on examples of Latin prose style - passages from great Latin prose writers focus attention on imitating real Latin usage; and, complete list of vocabulary - all the words needed for the exercises and a valuable reference for English-Latin work in general.

This book contains 30 activities at elementary level, complete with ideas for boardwork and pictures teachers can copy. All the activities are simple and adaptable. They are particularly well-suited to classrooms where there are few resources apart from a board, paper, and pens - and of course the teacher and the learners themselves.

Both autobiography and primer, Escaping into the Open is an inspiring, practical handbook on the joys and challenges of the writing life. Renowned author and writing instructor Elizabeth Berg interweaves the story of her own journey from working mother to bestselling novelist with encouraging advice on how to create stories that spring from the heart. Continually in print since its original 1999 publication, this invaluable resource is a true and constant friend to all writers, no matter their stage of development.

With wit and honesty, Berg provides numerous exercises that will unleash individual creativity and utilize all five senses. Most important, she tells how to fire passion--emotion--into writing itself; to break through personal barriers and reach one's own outer limits and beyond.

Wie schreiben professionelle Schreiber*innen? Wie passen sie ihre Strategien, Routinen und sprachlichen Ressourcen situativ an? In 17 Fallstudien wird Mustern und Zusammenhangen in Schreibprozessverlaufen mehrsprachiger Schreiber*innen nachgegangen: 13 Studierende und 4 Wissenschaftler*innen haben Schreibsessions im Real life writing mit Screen-Capturing-Software aufgezeichnet und in Interviews uber ihre Sprach(en)- und Schreibbiographien Auskunft gegeben. Auf der Cross-Case-Analyse dieser 17 Fallstudien basiert das PROSIMS-Schreibprozessmodell, das die spezifischen Einflussfaktoren und dynamischen Wechselbeziehungen in Schreibsituationen konzipiert und visualisiert. Es wird durch eine umfassende interdisziplinare Diskussion einschlagiger Fachdiskurslinien kontextualisiert.

Most writing books dwell on common issues of style and grammar. Yet most writers also confront complex problems of story design. This fifty-rule guide by Francis Flaherty, a New York Times editor, offers much-needed solutions and sage advice to address these concerns.

"Sometimes, say things sideways," Flaherty writes. "The reader will be grateful." "White is whitest on black," he observes. "Let contrast work for you." Through such hard-won, story-level insights, sprinkled with examples from real stories and leavened with a good dose of newsroom memoir, The Elements of Story merits a spot on every writer's shelf.

For more than a quarter of a century, Pat Schneider has helped writers find and liberate their true voices. She has taught all kinds--the award winning, the struggling, and those who have been silenced by poverty and hardship. Her innovative methods have worked in classrooms from elementary to graduate level, in jail cells and public housing projects, in convents and seminaries, in youth at-risk programs, and with groups of the terminally ill.

Now, in Writing Alone and with Others, Schneider's acclaimed methods are available in a single well-organized and highly readable volume. The first part of the book guides the reader through the perils of the solitary writing life: fear, writer's block, and the bad habits of the internal critic. In the second section, Schneider describes the Amherst Writers and Artists workshop method, widely used across the U.S. and abroad. Chapters on fiction and poetry address matters of technique and point to further resources, while more than a hundred writing exercises offer specific ways to jumpstart the blocked and budge the rut-stuck. Schneider's innovative teaching method will refresh the experienced writer and encourage the beginner. Her book is the essential owner's manual for the writer's voice.

Bringing together thirty-two landmark essays, Central Works in Technical Communication provides a broad and representative overview of the field. It introduces students, new teachers, and new practitioners to the community of technical communication as an intellectual and communal endeavor that encompasses such complex theoretical topics as research methods, social issues, and ethics. Editors Johndan Johnson-Eilola and Stuart A. Selber engaged in a comprehensive selection process--including the consultation of a review board of leading teachers and scholars--and have included some of the most influential articles and book chapters published in technical communication over the last twenty-five years. Each essay is accompanied by a reflective piece written by its author specifically for this volume. These commentaries provide context for the essays and allow the authors to add to or challenge their original ideas and resituate them in a contemporary environment. The book also features section introductions written by the editors that offer historical and conceptual approaches to understanding the contributions each work makes to the field of technical communication.
Central Works in Technical Communication is organized around eight major conceptual categories: histories, rhetorical perspectives, philosophies and theories, ethical and power issues, research methods, workplace studies, online environments, and pedagogical directions. An alternative table of contents groups the essays into additional categories including collaboration, gender, genre, usability, and visual theory and practice. Ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in technical communication, this collection is also a compact and convenient resource for practicing professionals and academics new to the field.

Legacy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Personal History is animated by the belief that every life has value and knowledge for others. A personal history is a gift to share. It can restore the connection between generations. What did another time feel like, what did you do to pass the time - or to survive - and how did you feel about your choices? The small joys, triumphs, and turning points in a life have special meaning when shared with those who know the writer and who themselves are trying to respond appropriately when life graces them with blessings or seems to come up against a brick wall. Through supportive coaching, stimulating questions, shared memories, and evocative photographs, the process of producing a personal history becomes intriguing and engaging. With Legacy the possibilities expand, and our present and future find nourishment and knowledge in the past.

Responding to a growing pedagogical paralysis in debates over the nature and status of composition studies as an academic discipline, Lisa Ede offers a provocative inquiry into the politics of composition's place in the academy. The result is a timely and engaging reflection on the rhetoric, ideology, and ethics of scholarship and instruction in composition studies today.
"Situating Composition: Composition Studies and the Politics of Location" delves into some of the most vexing issues presently facing the field: its status in relation to English studies, the nature and consequences of the writing process movement, the uneven professionalization of composition teachers, and the widening chasm between theory and practice. Ede interrogates key moments and texts in composition's evolution, from the writing process movement to Susan Miller's "Textual Carnivals," through the interpretive lenses of historical analysis, theoretical critique, feminist and cultural theory, and Ede's own two decades of experiences as a teacher and writing program administrator.
Questioning the narratives of progress and paradigm shifts that inform the field's highly regarded recent theoretical studies, Ede urges scholars to carefully reconsider these claims, to honor the roles of teachers and students as more than dupes of ideology, and to more fully acknowledge--and utilize--the differences between the practice of theory and the practice of teaching. As academic hierarchies of knowledge increasingly privilege scholarship over instruction, Ede warns researchers to be cognizant of the politics and power inherent in their own location in the academy, particularly when professing to speak forteachers and students. To that end, the volume's conclusion advocates pragmatic avenues for change and proffers topics for future discussion and debate.

“Make [your] characters want something right away—even if it’s only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.” —Kurt Vonnegut

“‘The cat sat on the mat’ is not the beginning of a story, but ‘the cat sat on the dog’s mat’ is.” —John Le Carré

Nothing is more inspiring for a beginning writer than listening to masters of the craft talk about the writing life. But if you can’t get Vladimir Nabokov, Virginia Woolf, and Gabriel García Márquez together at the Algonquin, The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop gives you the next best thing. Stephen Koch, former chair of Columbia University’s graduate creative writing program, presents a unique guide to the craft of fiction. Along with his own lucid observations and commonsense techniques, he weaves together wisdom, advice, and inspiring commentary from some of our greatest writers. Taking you from the moment of inspiration (keep a notebook with you at all times), to writing a first draft (do it quickly! you can always revise later), to figuring out a plot (plot always serves the story, not vice versa), Koch is a benevolent mentor, glad to dispense sound advice when you need it most. The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop belongs on every writer’s shelf, to be picked up and pored over for those moments when the muse needs a little help finding her way.

Master Urdu script with this straightforward guide from Teach Yourself - the No. 1 brand in language learning. Read and write Urdu script is a clear step-by-step guide to the written language, with plenty of examples from real-life texts to show how it works in context and lots of exercises to reinforce your learning. This new edition has an easy-to-read page design. Now fully updated to make your language learning experience fun and interactive. You can still rely on the benefits of a top language teacher and our years of teaching experience, but now with added learning features within the course. Learn effortlessly with new, easy-to-read page design: AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. USEFUL VOCABULARY Easy to find and learn, to build a solid foundation for speaking. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book to keep track of your progress. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

Lauded by Calvin Trillin as a man who "does not have to make to with translations like 'Shredded Three Kinds' in Chinese restaurants," in "The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters," James D. McCawley offers everyone a guide to deciphering the mysteries of Chinese menus and the opportunity to enjoy new eating experiences. An accessible primer as well as a handy reference, this book shows how Chinese characters are written and referred to, both in script and in type. McCawley provides a guide to pronunciation and includes helpful exercises so users can practice ordering. His novel system of arranging the extensive glossary--which ranges from basics such as "rice" and "fish" to exotica like "Buddha Jumps Wall"--enables even the beginner to find characters quickly and surely. He also includes the nonstandard forms of characters that often turn up on menus.
With this guide in hand, English speakers hold the key to a world of tantalizing--and otherwise unavailable--Chinese dishes.

Using a process-writing approach, Krueger/Fauvel's TACHES D'ENCRE: FRENCH COMPOSITION, 5th edition, helps you master your writing skills, find your voice in written French and -- ultimately -- become a confident author. Organized in a workbook format, this third-year composition text is written entirely in French, except for the introductory chapter. Each chapter begins and ends with a creative writing exercise. In between these, you will broaden your repertoire of related speech acts, vocabulary, grammatical structures and stylistic elements as illustrated in a rich assortment of specially chosen literary excerpts, journalistic selections and informal writings. In addition, timely new readings and activities promote diversity throughout.