A Practical Guide for Student Writers

A Practical Guide for Student Writers is a brief rhetoric/handbook designed for students one level below Freshman Composition. The text provides straightforward, no-nonsense advice on the writing process, time management, and the challenges that face student writers. Rather than follow a traditional modal approach to essay development, this book focuses on Essays That Tell a Story, Essays That Explain a Concept, Essays That Respond to a Text, Essays That Argue, and Essays That Use Outside Sources. In each of these sections, the emphasis is on writing analytically and paying attention to the needs of an academic audience; student-written essays are included in each section to provide readers with a clear understanding of the expectations their professors will have in asking them to write with these various goals in mind. The final section of the book provides students with advice on writing effective sentences, choosing words accurately and wisely, and avoiding common grammatical and punctuation errors. Useful exercises are found throughout the book for use in class or as out-of-class preparation.