The Writing Process: A Concise Rhetoric

by John M. Lannon

This practical and accessible writing guide unravels the complexities of writing by presenting the writing process as a series of critical thinking decisions. In addition to coverage of the traditional modes, the text offers practice in analyzing the unique rhetorical requirements of any writing situation by showing how audience and purpose influence writing. Student and professional readings throughout the text- including fiction, poetry, advertisements, memoirs and cartoons -illustrate various writing strategies. This book presents the writing process as a series of deliberate and recursive decisions with an emphasis on audience and purpose, taking readers step-by-step through the writing process, demystifying it along the way. Concise case studies have now been added to every chapter in Section 3. Here and throughout the text these case studies show writers at work as they read, plan, draft, and revise. This edition includes more than 20 new readings and examples, with new topics range from America's obsession with cars to online education. The new pieces reflect the interests of today's readers. Our integrated coverage of electronic and online composition strategies now includes computer exercises and access to our Companion Website. Revised section on research includes an improved sample research paper, and the most recent MLA and APA documentation guidelines. For anyone interested in practical and accessible writing guides.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

613 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such an uninspired book! Generic advice, mostly useless, along the lines "if you have to write, you have to write well" without even bothering to define what writing well would imply. The whole thing, including the teacher using this handbook, can be done for free with the help of blogs / videos who rehash the same dated information Lannon copied for his book.

[Christy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was forced to teach a freshman writing course from this book. It was awful (the course and the book). The book claims to be a reader, a rhetoric, and a handbook. What it really is? Unsatisfactory on all three parts. There's not enough in it for it to be an effective reader, and the selections are all very, very short, not demanding or challenging at all. The rhetoric portions are dull as dirt. Granted, it's hard to make rhetoric and argument theory interesting to freshmen, but it wasn't interesting to me, either, and I've chosen this as my profession. That should indicate a problem. The handbook information is clear enough, but only gets in the way of the other parts of the book. If you want your students to have a handbook, have them buy a handbook, or, as I do, point them to reliable online resources for the same information. (Purdue's online writing lab is wonderful for this very purpose.)

Maybe others have had better luck with it than I have, but it would require a LOT of outside materials to make up for the deficiencies of this text. Overall, this book deserves to be done away with.