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Preface
This text promotes rhetorical awareness by treating the writing process as a set of deliberate and recursive decisions. It promotes rhetorical effectiveness by helping develop the problem-solving skills essential to reader-centred writing. Practical guidelines, accessible models, and case studies enable students to produce writing that works. |
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Organization of The Writing Process, Canadian Edition |
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| Section One, "The Process," covers planning, drafting, and revising. Students learn to invent, select, organize, and express their material recursively. They see how initial decisions about purpose and audience influence later decisions about what will be said and how it will be said. They see that writing is essentially a "thinking" process, and they also learn to work collaboratively. |
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| Section Two, "Specific Revision Strategies," focuses on top-down revision: content, organization, and style. Students learn to support their assertions; to organize for the reader; and to achieve prose maturity, precise diction, and appropriate tone. |
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| Section Three, "Essays for Various Goals," shows how the strategies (or modes) of discourse serve the particular goals of a discourse; that is, how description, narration, exposition, and argument are variously employed for expressive, referential, or persuasive ends. The opening chapter explains how reading and writing are linked and offers strategies for reading and responding to essays by others. Subsequent chapters cover each rhetorical mode, using a balance of student and professional writing samples to touch on current and lasting issues. Beyond studying the samples and case studies as models, students are asked to respond to the issues presented; that is, to write in response to a specific rhetorical situation. |
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| Section Four, "The Research Process," approaches research as a process of deliberate inquiry. Students learn to formulate significant research questions; to explore a selective range of primary and secondary sources; to record, summarize, and document their findings; and, most important, to evaluate sources and evidence and interpret findings
accurately.
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| Finally, for easy reference, Appendix A is a concise handbook, with exercises. Appendix B—an additional, brief appendix—offers advice on formatting a manuscript. Appendix C lists useful Web sites and electronic information resources for writing students. |
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The Foundations of The Writing Process |
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- Writers with no rhetorical awareness overlook the decisions
that are crucial for effective writing. Only by defining
their rhetorical problem and asking the important questions
can writers formulate an effective response to the problem.
- Although it follows no single, predictable sequence,
the writing process is not a collection of random activities;
rather it is a set of deliberate decisions in problem solving.
Beyond emulating this or that model essay, students need
to understand that effective writing requires critical thinking.
- Students write for audiences other than teachers and purposes
other than completing an assignment. To view the act of
writing as only a mere display of knowledge or fluency,
an exercise in which writer and reader (i.e., "the
teacher") have no higher stake or interest, is to ignore
the unique challenges and constraints posed by each writing
situation. In every forum beyond the classroom, we write
to forge a specific connection with a specific audience.
- Students at any level of ability can develop audience awareness and learn to incorporate within their writing the essential rhetorical features: worthwhile content, sensible organization, and readable style.
- As well as being a fluent communicator, today's educated person needs to be a discriminating consumer of information, skilled in the methods of inquiry, retrieval, evaluation, and interpretation that constitute the research process.
- As an alternative to reiterating the textbook material, classroom workshops apply textbook principles by focusing on the students' writing. These workshops call for an accessible, readable, and engaging book to serve as a comprehensive resource. (Suggestions for workshop design are in the Instructor's Manual.)
- Finally, writing classes typically contain students with all types of strengths and weaknesses. The Writing Process offers explanations that are thorough, examples and models that are broadly intelligible, and goals that are rigorous yet realistic. The textbook is flexible enough to allow for various course plans and customized assignments.
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| The Writing Process proceeds from writer-centred to reader-centred discourse. Beginning with personal topics and a basic essay structure, the focus shifts to increasingly complex rhetorical tasks, culminating in argument. Within this cumulative structure each chapter is self-contained for flexible course planning. The sample essays represent a balance of student and professional authorship. Exercises (or Applications) in each chapter offer various levels of challenge. (All material has been class-tested.) |
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Hallmarks of This Edition |
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- More student-written model essays. Although professional examples enhance skills in reading and responding, reviewers agree that students are more comfortable emulating essays written by other students.
- Case studies throughout. Concise case studies show student writers at work as they read, plan, draft, and revise.
- Expanded guidelines for writing and research. Boxed "Guidelines" help students synthesize and apply the information in each chapter.
- Increased coverage of collaboration. To reflect the increasing importance of collaborative activities, this edition features collaborative projects throughout the text, including guidelines for computer-mediated collaboration.
- Increased coverage of computers and the Internet. Fully integrated computing advice is supplemented by end-of-chapter applications and Appendix C, listing useful Web sites and electronic resources for student writers and researchers.
- Increased emphasis on information literacy. Information literate people are those who know how to organize information, how to find information and how to use information to influence others. Critical thinking—the basis of information literacy—is covered intensively in Section Four.
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Acknowledgments |
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| Much of the improvement in this edition was inspired by helpful reviews from Jan Coulson, Okmulgee State University; Marie Garrett, Patrick Henry Community College; Frederic Giacobazzi, Kirtland Community College; Jeanne Ann Graham, Ivy Tech State College; Lee Ann Hodges, Tri-County Community College; Kathleen Kelly, Northeastern University; Catherine Rahmes, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College; Denise M. Rogers, University of Southwestern Louisiana; Kathleen M. Sole, University of Phoenix; Esther A. Stinnett, Montana State University, Great Falls; Todd Travaille, Buena Vista University; John Wolff, West Shore Community College. Thanks also to Canadian reviewers Mary Keating, University College of Cape Breton; Pam Stimpson; Julia Denholm, Langara College; Jean Clifford, Capilano College; and Kent Walker, Humber College. |
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| I am also grateful to the reviewers of the last edition: Dan Damerville, Tallahassee Community College; Suzanne Forster, University of Alaska—Anchorage; Lynn Goya, Leeward Community College; Paula Guetschow, University of Alaska—Anchorage; Judith Hinman, College of the Redwoods; Edward Klein, University of Notre Dame. |
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| For examples, advice, and support, I thank colleagues and friends at the University of MassachusettsDartmouth, especially Tish Dace, Barbara Jacobskind, Louise Habicht, and Richard Larschan. As always, Raymond Dumont helped in countless ways. |
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| A special thanks to my students who allowed me to reproduce versions of their work: Al Andrade for "The Old Guy," Joe Bolton on toys of violence, Mike Creeden on physical fitness, Wendy Gianacoples for "Confessions of a Food Addict," Liz Gonzales on rap music, Shirley Haley for "Life in Full Colour," Cheryl Hebert on single-sex schools and standardized testing, Pam Hebert on summer beaches, Jeff Leonard for "Walk but Don't Run," John Manning for "Is Online Education Taking Us Anywhere?" Maureen Malloy for "Cars R Us," Cathie Nichols for "A First-Week Survival Guide for Commuters," and the rest of the student writers named in the text. |
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| At Lakehead University, a special thanks to my students who allowed me to reproduce versions of their work: Skye Lantinga for "Spring Bear Hunt," John K. Anthony for "Being A Mature Student," Brian Yantha for commentary on Muskoka, and Terry-Lynn Fero and Mike Dahlquist for their research essays. As well, a special thanks to Anne McCourt for "The Heart Of My Neighbourhood." and to Kim Fedderson for "‘Scutwork': The Marginalization of Writing within Canadian Universities." |
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| I thank my publisher for excellent editorial support. Lynn Huddon's and thoughtful suggestions inspired most of the improvements in this edition. Dave Munger's invaluable help at every stage has essentially redefined my notion of "developmental editor." I continue to enjoy the extreme good fortune of Janet Nuciforo's expertise in project management |
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| At Pearson Education Canada, I thank Marta Tomins and Marianne Minaker, especially Marta, my Developmental Editors who were with me throughout; Cheryl Jackson, Production Editor; and Paula Druzga, Assistant Editor, all who provided that guidance so important to creating an effective student-centred text. |
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| For Chega, Daniel, Sarah, and Patrick—without whom not. |
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John M. Lannon
David Parsons
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