Real Writing : Paragraphs and Essays for College, Work, and Everyday Life

by Anker, Susan

• ISBN13: 9780312596323
• ISBN10: 0312596324
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-12-09
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

In 1998 Susan Anker set out to write a book that would help developmental students to see writing as vitally relevant to their lives beyond required English courses. The phenomenal success ofReal Writingand testimonials from many adopters confirm this core belief. Students are motivated to learn and improve when they connect the ability to write well with their larger goals with what they want to do in life and who they want to become. A range of features in the book shows writing to be an essential and achievable skill. In Profiles of Success, former students, now employed in a variety of professions, describe the academic, financial, and personal challenges they have overcome and the importance of good writing skills to their work. Presenting instruction in manageable increments,Real Writingfeatures the "Four Basics" of each type of writing and begins its full grammar coverage with the "Four Most Serious Errors." With abundant and lively practices, assignments, and activities,Real Writingsuccessfully motivates students to improve their writing as no other text does. In this edition Susan Anker continues to find new ways to help students, encouraging them to connect with their college communities and, as always, to connect their writing with their larger goals.

Author Biography

Susan Anker (B.A., M.Ed., Boston University) brings a unique perspective to the teaching of the developmental writing course. She taught English and developmental writing before entering college publishing, where she worked for 18 years: as a sales representative and English/ESL editor at Macmillan Publishing Company; as developmental English/ESL editor, executive editor, and editor in chief at St. Martin’s Press; and as vice president and editor in chief for humanities at Houghton Mifflin Company. In each of these positions, she worked with developmental writing instructors and students, maintaining her early interest in the field.

Since the publication of the first edition of Real Writing in 1998, Anker has traveled extensively to campuses across the country, continuing her conversations with instructors and students and giving workshops and presentations. She believes that the writing course is, for many students, their first, best opportunity to learn the skills they will need to succeed in college and achieve their goals.