Thinking Writing

Many writers, even experienced ones, admit that one of the most frightening objects in their world is a blank piece of paper. Susan Horton feels that too many teachers, students, and writers themselves make writing harder than it needs to be. So much emphasis is placed on form and grammar—the "rules of the game," so to speak—that the essence of the writing process, the sheer joy of saying something new, is lost. Thinking Through Writing is, in Horton's words, "a 'Back-to-Basics' book"—but one with a twist. "I'm talking about the real basics," she says. "Not grammar, but basics like what writing is and is for, how you get an idea, and how and why each idea demands its own kind of organization, and how ideas turn into essays, and, even more basic, about how your mind forms ideas in the first place. You can use this book with or without a teacher in front of you. It is put together not to tell you what to do or how to write as much as it is designed to set things up so you can discover for yourself how writing works (yours and everybody else's), and, in the process, how your mind works as well. It's a kind of 'watch yourself think' book. There aren't many answers in it, but there are lots of questions: lots of things to try to explore and discover and play with. Even more than that, this is a book that tries to teach you not just how to answer questions, but how to find questions to ask." As a writer and teacher of writing for more than a decade, Horton knows firsthand the anxieties, frustrations, challenges, and rewards that are an integral part of that exciting craft. She also has extraordinary insight into the writing process itself, and it is that insight that she attempts to communicate in Thinking Through Writing. Sharp declines in standardized composition test scores and classroom performance during the past decade have created a "literacy panic" among educators and parents alike. As a result, composition is gaining a new prominence as an academic discipline. Horton's approach to the subject, emphasizing understanding oneself and one's craft rather than fear of error, is distinctive, original, and most of all, effective. Anyone who wants to learn how to write, how to think, and how thinking and writing are related will want to read this book.

George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times

Telling people about research is just as important as doing it. But many competent researchers are wary of scientific writing, despite its importance for sharpening scientific thinking, advancing their career, obtaining funding for their work and growing the prestige of their institution. This second edition of David Lindsay’s popular book Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words presents a way of thinking about writing that builds on the way good scientists think about research. The simple principles in this book will help you to clarify the objectives of your work and present your results with impact. Fully updated throughout, with practical examples of good and bad writing, an expanded chapter on writing for non-scientists and a new chapter on writing grant applications, this book makes communicating research easier and encourages researchers to write confidently. It is an ideal reference for researchers preparing journal articles, posters, conference presentations, reviews and popular articles; for students preparing theses; and for researchers whose first language is not English.

A STYLE GUIDE BY STEALTH - HOW ANYONE CAN WRITE WELL (AND FULLY ENJOY GOOD WRITING) 'Joe Moran is a wonderfully sharp writer, calm, precise and quietly comical' Craig Brown Advanced maths has no practical use, and is understood by few. A symphony can be enjoyed, but created only by a genius. Good writing, however, can be written (and read) by anyone if we give it the gift of our time. Enter universally praised historian Professor Joe Moran. From the Bible and Shakespeare to Orwell and Diana Athill, First You Write a Sentence.show us how the most ordinary words can be turned into verbal constellations, sharing: - The tools of the trade; from typewriters to texting and the impact this has on the craft - Writing and the senses; how to make the world visible and touchable - How to find the ideal word, build a sentence, and construct a paragraph Good writing can ignite the hearts and minds of readers, help us notice the world better and live more meaningful lives. And it's a power we all can wield. 'What a lovely thing this is: a book that delights in the sheer textural joy of good sentences . . . Any writer should read it' Bee Wilson 'Thoughtful, engaging, and lively . . . when you've read it, you realise you've changed your attitude to writing (and reading)' John Simpson, formerly Chief Editor of the OED and author of The Word Detective 'Moran is a past master at producing fine, accessible non-fiction' Helen Davies, Sunday Times

For the creative fulfillment of writers who identify as runners, walkers, or movers, Running, Thinking, Writing: Embodied Cognition in Composition unveils the varied understandings of the relationship between writing activity and physical activity. Jackie Hoermann-Elliott provides an interdisciplinary overview of relevant research from the fields of composition studies, cognitive science, neuroscience, and sports psychology before proposing a new theoretical framework for explaining what happens to writers when they are moved to develop their writing while their bodies are in motion. She shares illuminating accounts from runner-writers working in the industries of journalism, academia, and youth literature. She also provides pedagogical insights from working with student writers on embodied writing assignments as well as introductory activities for instructors to try in their own classrooms. With a running metaphor guiding the chapters in this book, readers will be challenged to view writing as embodied cognition and to realize the benefits of embodiment for all writers.

“Charming and erudite," from the author of Rationality and Enlightenment Now, "The wit and insight and clarity he brings . . . is what makes this book such a gem.” —Time.com Why is so much writing so bad, and how can we make it better? Is the English language being corrupted by texting and social media? Do the kids today even care about good writing—and why should we care? From the author of The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now. In this entertaining and eminently practical book, the cognitive scientist, dictionary consultant, and New York Times–bestselling author Steven Pinker rethinks the usage guide for the twenty-first century. Using examples of great and gruesome modern prose while avoiding the scolding tone and Spartan tastes of the classic manuals, he shows how the art of writing can be a form of pleasurable mastery and a fascinating intellectual topic in its own right. The Sense of Style is for writers of all kinds, and for readers who are interested in letters and literature and are curious about the ways in which the sciences of mind can illuminate how language works at its best.

Based on the successful text, The College Writer, Writing Life: A Canadian Student’s Guide to Thinking, Writing, and Researching is built upon the belief that good writing is an important skill, not just for academic success, but beyond into life as well. Bringing together a rhetoric that introduces the writing process, a selection of readings, guide to doing quality research in the internet age and a handbook, these four sections offer students a comprehensive guide to writing. This edition incorporates Canadian essays, by students and professionals, critical thinking and an overall emphasis on reading as a foundation to improving one’s writing skills. Between two covers Writing Life offers students a comprehensive guide to writing for postsecondary and beyond.

Foundations: Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing is a broad- based post-secondary survival guide, which includes material on how to function effectively in a university setting and how to develop a critical frame of mind. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking skills, tips and procedures for essay writing, grammar, preparing for an exam, logic in argument and writing, different levels of reading, different strategic paths for undertaking research, and basic computer skills as they relate to academic activities. Its practical approach will help students succeed at their studies as well as develop more advanced skills that can be carried into a lifetime of learning.