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Writing Now with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA Updates
First EditionLee Odell; Susan M. Katz
©2011Writing Now helps students connect the visually rich texts they read every day with strategies for college writing. Focusing on six real-world genres — memoirs, profiles, reports, position papers, evaluations, and proposals — students learn to read words, images, and design with a critical eye, decoding the writer’s choices about audience and purpose. To highlight the visual elements, many of the 39 contemporary readings are laid out as they originally appeared when published. Within the writing guide for each genre-based assignment, friendly advice in an innovative visual format gives students practical strategies for tackling each task in the writing process. Extensive guidance on research and design, along with coverage of portfolios, oral presentations, and other writing situations make this the one textbook students need, when they need more than words.
Introducing Author Talk: Watch our video interview with Lee Odell.
Table of Contents
1. Reading Words and Images
Becoming a Reflective Reader
Reading Critically
Reading Like a Writer
Part I Writing Assignments
Each chapter in Part I includes support for the
writing process (as in Ch. 2) omitted here for brevity.
2. Memoirs
Reading Memoirs
Reading to Write
Sarah Vowell, Shooting Dad
Jennifer Kahn, Stripped for Parts
Matthew Currier Burden, Ahmed, from The Blog of War
Bill Buford, Sweat Is Good
Annie Dillard, Total Eclipse
David Perry [student], Theatre Geek
Guide to Writing a Memoir
Getting Started
Selecting a Topic
Understanding Your Audience and Purpose
Creating a Draft
Exploring Your Topic
Engaging Your Audience: Writing an Introduction
Creating an Appropriate Voice
Organizing
Concluding
Designing Your Memoir and Integrating Visual Information
Creating a Review Draft
Reviewing and Revising
Getting a Final Review
Revising Your Work
Taking Stock of Where You Are
3. Profiles
Reading Profiles
Reading to Write
Ellen McGirt, Hacker. Dropout. CEO.
Timothy Egan, No Degree, and No Way Back to the Middle
Jim McLauchlin, My Cancer Year
Robert Mackey and Naomi Harris, E.R. Unscripted
Sam Quinones, Diez in the Desert
Stephanie Guzik [student], Behind a Plain White Lab Coat
Guide to Writing a Profile
Getting Started
Creating a Draft
Reviewing and Revising
Taking Stock of Where You Are
4. Reports
Reading Reports
Reading to Write
Steven Kotler, The Perils of Higher Education
Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick, The Record Industry’s Slow Fade
Steve Casimiro, Seeing Is Not Believing
Carl Zimmer, Whose Life Would You Save?
Malcolm Gladwell, The Art of Failure: Why Some People Choke and Others Panic
Margaret Tomeo [student], ACL: The Curse of Women Athletes
Guide to Writing a Report
Getting Started
Creating a Draft
Reviewing and Revising
Taking Stock of Where You Are
5. Position Papers
Reading Position Papers
Reading to Write
Ellen Goodman, SUVs Belong in Car Ads Only
Steve Sack, SUVs
Eric Schlosser, Cheap Food Nation
Karrie Jacobs, Drop in the Bucket
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Where Have All the Criminals Gone?
John R. Lott Jr., What Decreased Crime?
Charles Fishman, Message in a Bottle
Ashley B. Roberts [student], Considered Living Car-Free?
Guide to Writing a Position Paper
Getting Started
Creating a Draft
Reviewing and Revising
Taking Stock of Where You Are
6. Evaluations
Reading Evaluations
Reading to Write
Jim Giles, Internet Encyclopedias Go Head to Head
Consumer Reports, Popcorn: Which Kernels Are King?
Seth Shostak, You Call This Progress?
Patrick Vitarius, Breakfast at Manory’s
A. O. Scott, We’ll Always Have Springfield: The Simpsons Movie
McKenzie Funk, Is America Ready to Get Smart?
Zane Van Dusen [student], Ground Zero at RPI: A Great New Venue in the Northeast
Guide to Writing an Evaluation
Getting Started
Creating a Draft
Reviewing and Revising
Taking Stock of Where You Are
7. Proposals
Reading Proposals
Reading to Write
Lawrence Epstein and Steven Mardon, Homeroom Zombies
Richard Louv, Leave No Child Inside
Al Gore, from An Inconvenient Truth
Leon Botstein, Let Teenagers Try Adulthood
Richard D. Emery, Cameras in the Station House
Melanie Markham and Jonathan Quimby [students], Ticket to the Top
Guide to Writing a Proposal
Getting Started
Creating a Draft
Reviewing and Revising
Taking Stock of Where You Are
Part II Strategies for Design and Research
8. Reading and Writing About Visual Images
Strategies for Reading Visual Images
Examples of Student Visual Analyses
Jenna Gatsch [student], The Emotion of Nighthawks
Kyle Okaly [student], The Two Sides of Spider-Man: A Visual Analysis of Movie Posters
Michelle Pelersi [student], "Brandon": A Prospective Alcoholic
Visual Images for Analysis and Reflection
9. Designing Pages and Screens
Understanding Design Principles
Establishing Layout
Integrating Images
Creating Tables, Charts, and Graphs
Adding Color
Choosing Typefaces and Fonts
10. Starting Research and Finding Sources
Starting Your Research
Searching for Information Using Your Library’s Resources
Searching for Information on the Internet
Sorting through Your Sources
11. Conducting Field Research
Conducting Interviews
Making Observations
Conducting Surveys
12. Evaluating Sources and Taking Notes
Evaluating the Appropriateness of Sources
Evaluating the Trustworthiness of Sources
Taking Notes
Synthesizing Your Research
Avoiding Plagiarism
13. Documenting Sources: MLA and APA Style
Using MLA Style
Using APA Style
Part III Strategies for Special Writing Situations
14. Writing for Essay Exams
Responding to Essay Questions in Class
Responding to Essay Questions at Home
Analyzing the Question
Organizing Your Essay
Drafting Your Essay
Reviewing Your Work
Sample Student Essay Exams
15. Writing Portfolios
Portfolios in Context
Creating Your Portfolio
16. Writing for the Community
Writing Successfully for the Community
Sample Writing for the Community
Frequently Asked Questions about Writing for the Community
17. Writing in Online Environments
Using E-Mail
Participating in Online Discussions
18. Making Oral Presentations
Creating a Compelling Introduction
Forecasting Your Main Points
Using Visual Aids
Talking to Your Listeners
Finishing Strong
Frequently Asked Questions about Delivery
Group Presentations
Glossary of Visual and Rhetorical Terms