Writing and Revising : A Portable Guide

by Kennedy, X. J.; Kennedy, Dorothy M.; Muth, Marcia F.

• ISBN13: 9780312454586
• ISBN10: 0312454589
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-19
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

In response to requests from instructors and students for a concise and affordable writing guide,Writing and Revisingoffers a true alternative to larger and more expensive texts. Adapted from the successfulThe Bedford Guide for College Writers, it's flexible enough to be used in a variety of courses, as a classroom text or as a quick reference. Whether students are writing brief papers or more complicated essays drawing on multiple sources,Writing and Revisingcan help.

Author Biography

X. J. KENNEDY is an acclaimed poet, children's writer, college teacher, and textbook author. He has taught freshman composition at the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Tufts University. Since 1966, more than two million students have treasured his introductory literature texts; The Bedford Guide for College Writers, coauthored with Dorothy M. Kennedy, Marcia F. Muth, and Sylvia A. Holladay, now in its seventh edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005); and The Bedford Reader, coedited with Dorothy M. Kennedy and Jane E. Aaron, now in its eighth edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006).

DOROTHY M. KENNEDY is a writer and editor whose articles and reviews have appeared in both professional and academic journals. She has taught composition at the University of Michigan and Ohio University and, with X. J. Kennedy, is the recipient of the NCTE Teacher's Choice Award for Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry.

MARCIA F. MUTH teaches, writes, and edits. She has taught first-year composition at The Ohio State University and now offers writing workshops through the School of Education at the University of Colorado at Denver. She is the author or coauthor of several composition textbooks and ancillaries, including The Bedford Guide for College Writers, Seventh Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005), Researching and Writing: A Portable Guide (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006), and Harold D. Lasswell: An Annotated Bibliography. Her various projects as a writer and editor have included many grant proposals, textbooks, reports, and other publications.

Table of Contents

  1. Writing Processes
    Writing, Reading, and Critical Thinking
    A Process of Writing
    A Spotlight on Audience and Purpose
    Remembering What Matters Most
    
  2. Reading Processes
    A Process of Critical Reading
    Preparing to Read
    Reading on Literal and Analytical Levels
    
  3. Critical Thinking Processes
    A Process of Critical Thinking
    A Spotlight on Evidence
    
  4. Strategies for Generating Ideas
    Discovering Ideas
    Getting Ready to Write
    
  5. Strategies for Planning
    Shaping Your Topic for Your Audience and Your Purpose
    Stating and Using a Thesis
    Organizing Your Ideas
    
  6. Strategies for Drafting
    Starting and Restarting
    Paragraphing
    Writing an Opening
    Writing a Conclusion
    Achieving Coherence
    
  7. Strategies for Developing
    Giving Examples
    Providing Details
    Drawing on Experience
    Observing a Scene
    Conversing and Interviewing
    Defining
    Reasoning Inductively and Deductively
    Analyzing a Subject
    Analyzing a Process
    Dividing and Classifying
    Comparing and Contrasting
    Identifying Causes and Effects
    Adding Visual Evidence
    
  8. Strategies for Revising
    Re-viewing and Revising
    Working with a Peer Editor
    Revising for Emphases, Conciseness, and Clarity
    A Sample Student Revision
    
  9. Strategies for Editing and Proofreading
    Editing
    Proofreading
    Quick Editing Guide
    
  10. Strategies for Arguing
    Developing an Argument
    Presenting Your Argument
    
  11. Strategies for Integrating Sources
    Selecting Supporting Evidence for Your Writing
    Capturing, Launching, and Citing Source material
    Citing and Listing Sources in MLA Style
    Citing and Listing Sources in APA Style