writing myths and anxiety

I Need You to Say “I”: Why First Person Is Important in College Writing

Volume 1, writing myths and anxiety /

Kate McKinney Maddalena Volume 1 Chapter Description In this essay, I argue against the common misconception that “I” has no place in formal writing. I discuss many theoretical and rhetorical ways (objectivity and intellectual integrity, and clarity and organization, respectively) in which first person, used prudently, can improve written argument. I then show some examples […]

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Why Visit Your Campus Writing Center?

Volume 1, writing center and other resources, writing myths and anxiety /

Ben Rafoth Volume 1 Chapter Description In this chapter, a writing center director and author of books and articles about learning to write invites tutors to tell why writing centers help students become better writers. They explain how the power of conversation in collaborative learning environments helps to expand a writer’s ideas, and we see

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Taking Flight: Connecting Inner and Outer Realities during Invention

prewriting and invention, Volume 1, writing myths and anxiety /

Susan E. Antlitz Volume 1 Chapter Description One of the toughest challenges students face is figuring out what to write about. Connecting personal identity and purpose to more public contexts and subjects can play a significant role in helping students to write confidently. “Taking Flight” acknowledges the anxiety writers can feel when faced with the

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What is Academic Writing?

demystifying writing assignments, Volume 1, writing myths and anxiety /

Lennie L. Irvin Volume 1 Chapter Description This chapter explores the task of writing in college. It details common myths about academic writing and the importance of developing a “writer’s sense” within the writing situation. It identifies features of the complex “literacy task” college writing assignments require and decodes elements of the academic writing situation

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The Sixth Paragraph: A Re-Vision of the Essay

Volume 2, writing myths and anxiety /

Paul Lynch Volume 2 Chapter Description The English word “essay” comes from the French verb essai, which means something like “to try” or “to attempt.” Originally, essays were thought experiments, and an essay’s author did not worry about having a main point or a formal structure. This chapter explores this history and describes the difference

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Ten Ways to Think about Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Students

drafting and revising, Volume 2, writing myths and anxiety /

E. Shelley Reid Volume 2 Chapter Description Writing is hard. It’s harder if your students think of it as a collection of arbitrary rules than if they think of it as a human communication process they already understand a lot about. Using comparisons to familiar events (doing laundry, making fruit Jell-O, writing thank-you notes, and

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