The Concise St. Martin's Guide to Writing

Get a guided tour through the writing process as the Concise St. Martin's Guide to Writing teaches you the skills you need to meet your own writing goals.

1. Composing Literacy
Understanding the Rhetorical Situation
Reflecting on Your Own Literacy
Composing Your Own Literacy Narrative

PART ONE: WRITING ACTIVITIES

2. Remembering an Event
Practicing the Genre: Telling a Story
GUIDE TO READING
Analyzing Remembered Event Essays
Determine the writer’s purpose and audience.
Assess the genre’s basic features.
Readings
Jean Brandt, Calling Home
Annie Dillard, From An American Childhood
Jenée Desmond-Harris, Tupac and My Non-thug Life
GUIDE TO WRITING
The Writing Assignment
Starting Points: Remembering an Event
Writing a Draft: Invention, Research, Planning, and Composing
Choose an event to write about.
Test Your Topic: Considering Your Purpose and Audience
Shape your story.
Ways In: Developing a Dramatic Arc
Test Your Story: Facing an Audience
Clarify the sequence of actions.
Describe key people and places vividly, and show their significance.
Use dialogue to portray people and dramatize relationships.
Clarify your story’s significance.
Ways In: Helping Readers Understand the Significance of My Story
Write the opening sentences.
Draft your story.
Evaluating the Draft: Using Peer Review
A Peer Review Guide
Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
Revise your draft.
A Troubleshooting Guide
Edit and proofread your draft.
REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

3. Writing Profiles
Practicing the Genre: Conducting an Interview
GUIDE TO READING
Analyzing Profiles
Determine the writer’s purpose and audience.
Assess the genre’s basic features.
Readings
Brian Cable, The Last Stop
Amanda Coyne, The Long Good-Bye: Mother’s Day in Federal Prison
Gabriel Thompson, A Gringo in the Lettuce Fields
GUIDE TO WRITING
The Writing Assignment
Starting Points: Writing a Profile
Writing a Draft: Invention, Research, Planning, and Composing
Choose a subject to profile.
Test Your Choice: Considering Your Purpose and Audience
Conduct your field research.
Ways In: Managing Your Time
Ways In: Preparing for Interviews and Observations
Ways In: Conducting Interviews and Observations
Ways In: Presenting Information from Interviews and Observations
Use quotations that provide information and reveal character.
Consider adding visual or audio elements.
Create an outline that will organize your profile effectively for your readers.
Determine your role in the profile.
Ways In: Determining Your Role
Develop your perspective on the subject.
Ways In: Developing Your Perspective
Clarify the dominant impression.
Ways In: Fine-Tuning Your Dominant Impression
Write the opening sentences.
Draft your profile.
Evaluating the Draft: Using Peer Review
A Peer Review Guide
Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
Revise your draft.
A Troubleshooting Guide
Edit and proofread your draft.
REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

4. Explaining a Concept
Practicing the Genre: Explaining an Academic Concept
GUIDE TO READING
Analyzing Concept Explanations
Determine the writer’s purpose and audience.
Assess the genre’s basic features.
Readings
*Jonathan Potthast, Supervolcanoes: A Catastrophe of Ice and Fire
Anastasia Toufexis, Love: The Right Chemistry
*John Tierney, Do You Suffer from Decision Fatigue?
GUIDE TO WRITING
The Writing Assignment
Starting Points: Explaining a Concept
Writing a Draft: Invention, Research, Planning, and Composing
Choose a concept to write about.Test Your Choice: Considering Your Purpose and Audience
Conduct initial research on the concept.
Ways In: Determining What You Already Know about the Concept
Focus your explanation of the concept.
Ways In: Making the Concept Interesting to You and Your Readers
Test Your Choice: Evaluating Your Focus
Conduct further research on your focused concept.
Draft your working thesis.
Create an outline that will organize your concept explanation effectively for your readers.
Design your writing project.
Consider the explanatory strategies you should use.
Ways In: Choosing Writing Strategies to Explain the Focused Concept
Use summaries, paraphrases, and quotations from sources to support your points.
Ways In: Choosing When to Summarize, Paraphrase, and Quote
Use visuals or multimedia illustrations.
Use appositives to integrate sources.
Use descriptive verbs in signal phrases to introduce information from sources.
Write the opening sentences.
Draft your explanation.
Evaluating the Draft: Using Peer Review
A Peer Review Guide
Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
Revise your draft.
A Troubleshooting Guide
Edit and proofread your draft.
REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

5. Analyzing and Synthesizing Opposing Arguments
Practicing a Genre: Analyzing Opposing Arguments
GUIDE TO READING
Analyzing Four Genres
Determine the writer’s purpose and audience.
Assess the genre’s basic features.
Readings
*Maya Gomez, Summary: "A Moral Market"
*Maya Gomez, Annotated Bibliography: Compensating Kidney Donors
*Maya Gomez, Report: Possible Solutions to the Kidney Shortage
*Maya Gomez, Analysis: Satel vs. the National Kidney Foundation: Should Kidney Donors Be Compensated?
GUIDE TO WRITING
The Writing Assignment
Starting Points: Composing a Summary, Annotated Bibliography, Report, or Analysis
Writing a Draft: Invention, Research, Planning, and Composing
Choose a controversial topic to write about.
Test Your Choice: Choosing a Topic
Conduct research to find sources.
Summarize sources and annotate your working bibliography.
Ways In: Writing a Summary
Ways In: Drafting a Commentary for an Annotated Bibliography
Analyze your audience.
Ways In: Making Your Report or Analysis Interesting to Your Readers
Brainstorm subtopics for a report.
Choose opposing argument essays to analyze.
Synthesize sources for a report or analysis.
Analyze and compare the opposing argument essays.
Ways In: Analyzing and Comparing the Opposing Arguments
Test Your Choice: Evaluating Your Analysis
Draft a working thesis for your report or analysis.
Create an outline to organize your report or analysis effectively for your readers.
Develop your report or analysis.
Ways In: Presenting Your Analysis of the Opposing Arguments
Ways In: Choosing Appropriate Explanatory Strategies
Use visuals or multimedia illustrations to enhance your explanation.
Write the opening sentences.
Draft your report or analysis.
Evaluating the Draft: Using Peer Review
A Peer Review Guide
Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
Revise your draft.
A Troubleshooting Guide
Edit and proofread your draft.
REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

6. Arguing a Position
Practicing the Genre: Debating a Position
GUIDE TO READING
Analyzing Position Arguments
Determine the writer’s purpose and audience.
Assess the genre’s basic features.
Readings
Jessica Statsky, Children Need to Play, Not Compete
Amitai Etzioni, Working at McDonald’s
Daniel J. Solove, Why Privacy Matters Even If You Have "Nothing to Hide" ?
GUIDE TO WRITING
The Writing Assignment
Starting Points: Arguing a Position
Writing a Draft: Invention, Research, Planning, and Composing
Choose a controversial issue on which to take a position.
Test Your Choice: Choosing an Issue
Frame the issue for your readers.
Ways In: Exploring and Framing the Issue and Determining What Your Readers Think
Test Your Choice: Framing Your Issue
Formulate a working thesis stating your position.
Ways In: Devising an Arguable Thesis
Develop the reasons supporting your position.
Ways In: Coming Up with Reasons That Support Your Position
Research your position.
Use sources to reinforce your credibility.
Identify and respond to your readers’ likely reasons and objections.
Ways In: Identifying and Responding to Readers’ Concerns
Create an outline that will organize your argument effectively for your readers.
Consider document design.
Write the opening sentences.
Draft your position argument.
Evaluating the Draft: Using Peer Review
A Peer Review Guide
Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
Revise your draft.
A Troubleshooting Guide
Edit and proofread your draft.
REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

7. Proposing a Solution
Practicing the Genre: Arguing That a Solution Is Feasible
GUIDE TO READING
Analyzing Proposals
Determine the writer’s purpose and audience.
Readings
Patrick O’Malley, More Testing, More Learning
*Eric Posner, A Moral Market
Kelly D. Brownell and Thomas R. Frieden, Ounces of Prevention – The Public Policy Case for Taxes on Sugared Beverages ?
GUIDE TO WRITING
The Writing Assignment
Starting Points: Proposing a Solution
Writing a Draft: Invention, Research, Planning, and Composing
Choose a problem for which you can propose a solution.
Frame the problem for your readers.
Ways In: Identifying the Problem and Figuring Out Why Readers Should Care
Test Your Choice: Defining the Problem
Assess how the problem has been framed, and reframe it for your readers.
Ways In: Framing and Reframing the Problem
Develop a possible solution.
Ways In: Solving the Problem
Explain your solution.
Ways In: Explaining the Solution and Showing Its Feasibility
Research your proposal.
Develop a response to objections or alternative solutions.
Ways In: Drafting a Refutation or Concession
Create an outline that will organize your proposal effectively for your readers.
Write the opening sentences.
Draft your proposal.
Evaluating the Draft: Using Peer Review
A Peer Review Guide
Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
Revise your draft.
A Troubleshooting Guide
Edit and proofread your draft.
REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

8. Justifying an Evaluation
Practicing the Genre: Choosing Appropriate Criteria
GUIDE TO READING
Analyzing Evaluations
Determine the writer’s purpose and audience.
Assess the genre’s basic features.
Readings
William Akana, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: A Hell of a Ride
*Emily Nussbaum, The Aristocrats: The Graphic Arts of Game of Thrones ?
Malcolm Gladwell, What College Rankings Really Tell Us ?
GUIDE TO WRITING
The Writing Assignment
Starting Points: Justifying an Evaluation
Writing a Draft: Invention, Research, Planning, and Composing
Choose a subject to evaluate.
Test Your Choice: Choosing a Subject
Assess your subject, and consider how to present it to your readers.
Ways In: Determining What You and Your Readers Think
Formulate a working thesis stating your overall judgment.
Ways In: Asserting a Tentative Overall Judgment
Develop the reasons and evidence supporting your judgment.
Ways In: Devising Reasons and Evidence to Support Your Judgment
Research your evaluation.
Respond to a likely objection or alternative judgment.
Ways In: Responding Effectively to Your Readers ?
Organize your draft to appeal to your readers.
Consider document design.
Write the opening sentences.
Draft your evaluation. ?
Evaluating the Draft: Using Peer Review
A Peer Review Guide
Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
Revise your draft.
A Troubleshooting Guide
Edit and proofread your draft.
REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

9. A Catalog of Invention and Inquiry Strategies
Mapping
Create a cluster diagram to reveal relationships among ideas.
Make a list to generate a plan quickly.
Create an outline to invent and organize.
Writing
Use cubing to explore a topic from six perspectives.
Construct a dialogue to explore an experience or alternative view.
Use dramatizing to analyze behavior.
Freewrite to generate ideas freely and creatively.
Take notes in a journal.
Use looping to explore aspects of a topic.
Ask questions to explore a subject systematically.

10. A Catalog of Reading Strategies
Annotating
Martin Luther King Jr., An Annotated Sample from "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
Taking Inventory
Outlining
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Synthesizing
Contextualizing
Exploring the Significance of Figurative Language
Looking for Patterns of Opposition
Reflecting on Challenges to Your Beliefs and Values
Evaluating the Logic of an Argument
Test for appropriateness.
Test for believability.
Test for consistency and completeness.
Recognizing Emotional Manipulation
Judging the Writer’s Credibility
Test for knowledge.
Test for common ground.
Test for fairness. ?

11. Cueing the Reader
Orienting Statements
Use thesis statements to announce the main idea.
Use forecasting statements to preview topics.
Paragraphing
Paragraph indents signal related ideas.
Topic sentences announce the paragraph’s focus.
Cohesive Devices
Pronouns connect phrases or sentences.
Word repetition aids cohesion.
Synonyms connect ideas.
Repetition of sentence structure emphasizes connections.
Collocation creates networks of meaning.
Transitions
Transitions can emphasize logical relationships.
Transitions can indicate a sequence in time.
Transitions can indicate relationships in space.
Headings and Subheadings
Headings indicate sections and levels.
Headings are not common in all genres.
At least two headings are needed at each level.

12. Arguing
Asserting a Thesis
Make arguable assertions.
Use clear and precise wording.
Qualify the thesis appropriately.
Giving Reasons and Support
Use representative examples for support.
Use up-to-date, relevant, and accurate statistics.
Cite reputable authorities on relevant topics.
Use vivid, relevant anecdotes.
Use relevant textual evidence.
Responding to Objections and Alternatives
Acknowledge readers’ concerns.
Concede readers’ concerns.
Refute readers’ objections.
Logical Fallacies
Sentence Strategies for Argument

13. Analyzing and Composing Multimodal Texts
Understanding Multimodality
Analyzing Multimodal Texts
CRITERIA FOR ANALYZING MULTIMODAL TEXTS
Composing Multimodal Texts
Reimagine your writing in a new genre or medium.
Design a multimodal text.
Embed visuals and media in texts.
CRITERIA FOR ANALYZING DOCUMENT DESIGN
Creating a Multimodal Presentation
Assess your rhetorical situation.
Determine how much information you can present in the allotted time.
Use cues to orient audience members.
Design your presentation effectively.

PART THREE: RESEARCH STRATEGIES

14. Planning a Research Project and Selecting Sources
Analyzing Your Rhetorical Situation and Setting a Schedule
Choosing a Topic and Getting an Overview
Focusing Your Topic and Drafting Research Questions
Developing a List of Keywords
Creating a Working Bibliography
Annotating Your Working Bibliography
Taking Notes on Your Sources
Finding Sources
Search Library Catalogs and Databases.
Find books (and other sources).
Find articles in periodicals.
Find government documents and statistical information.
Find Web sites and interactive sources.
Conducting Field Research
Conduct observational studies.
Conduct interviews.
Conduct surveys.

15. Evaluating and Using Sources
Choosing Sources
Who wrote it?
How recently was it published?
Is the source scholarly or popular?
Who published it?
How is the source written?
What does the source say?
Acknowledging Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
What does and does not need to be acknowledged?
Avoid plagiarism by acknowledging sources and quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing carefully.
Using Sources to Support Your Ideas
Synthesize information and ideas from sources with your own ideas.
Use information from sources to support your claims
Decide whether to quote, paraphrase, or summarize.
Copy quotations exactly, or use italics, ellipses, and brackets to indicate changes.
Use in-text of block quotations.
Use punctuation to integrate quotations into your writing.
Paraphrase sources carefully.
Write summaries that present the source’s main ideas in a balanced and readable way.

16. Citing and Documenting Sources in MLA Style
Citing Sources in the Text
DIRECTORY TO IN-TEXT-CITATION MODELS
Creating a List of Works Cited
To cite a source without a model, use a similar model, or devise your own using the general principles.
Format your list of works cited.
DIRECTORY TO WORKS-CITED-LIST MODELS
Student Research Project in MLA Style

17. Citing and Documenting Sources in APA Style
Citing Sources in the Text
DIRECTORY TO IN-TEXT-CITATION MODELS
Creating a List of References
To cite a source without a model, use a similar model, or devise your own using the general principles.
Format your list of works cited.
DIRECTORY TO REFERENCE-LIST MODELS
A Sample Reference List in APA Style

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