On Writing: A Process Reader

by Wendy Bishop

Organized around different aspects of the writing process, these selections--by published authors, students, and instructors--illuminate the art and the craft of writing.

672 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2003

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having requested this from interlibrary loan, I was astonished by its bulk when it arrived. A good deal of these contents are actually sample readings, meant to supplement what is actually relatively scant discussion of various elements of the writing process. I won't lie; I would have liked the opposite better. And I wouldn't actually recommend adopting or using this volume as a textbook because I don't think students would respond well to all of the sample readings. Moreover, I found the classroom examples (penned by student writers) to be disappointing, and didn't think they would provide students with inspiration or models that would be very helpful. All of this being said, I came away with a heavily flagged copy of this book and intend to copy several chapters and adapt various sample assignments for my own use. In short, given this volume's length and breadth, there's probably a lot for any composition instructor to glean from it. But it will take time and patience to wade through the content that you won't find helpful or relevant.