Contents

  1. Message from the Author

  2. I. Getting Started

    1. 1. Finding Your Why

    2. 2. Introduction to Rhetoric

      1. Kinds of Writing
      2. Rhetoric
      3. The Rhetorical Situation
      4. Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
      5. Appeal to Logic (logos)
      6. Appeals to Emotion (Pathos)
      7. Appeal to Character (Ethos)
      8. Final Thoughts

    3. 3. The Writing Formula and Outlining

      1. The Writing Formula
      2. Writing an Outline

    4. 4. Drafting

      1. Start with Your Outline
      2. Tips for Writing Good Paragraphs
      3. Final Thoughts

    5. 5. Quick Tip: MLA Formatting

    6. 6. Peer Review, Revision, and Editing

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Reviewing Responsibly
      2. A Process for Reviewing Peer Papers
      3. Revision
      4. Editing
      5. A Note on AI
  3. II. Writing Narratives

    1. 7. Narrative Writing

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. What is Narrative?
      2. Using Narrative
      3. The “Who Am I Story” AKA The Memoir
      4. Components of a Narrative
      5. An Example: Mark Twain “A Cub Pilot on the Mississippi”

    2. 8. Choosing a Topic and Creating an Outline

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Brainstorming
      2. Freewriting
      3. Creating Your Outline

    3. 9. Drafting the Narrative

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Descriptive Writing
      2. Dialog
      3. Importance of the Introduction
      4. Double Check for Paper Elements
      5. Revision
  4. III. Analyzing Advertisements

    1. 10. Analyzing Visual Elements in Advertising

      1. Visual Arguments
      2. Analyzing Visual Elements
      3. Assignment: Choosing a Topic and Guided Brainstorming

    2. 11. Writing an Outline

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Writing an Outline

    3. 12. Drafting Your Ad Analysis

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Introduction
      2. Background
      3. Analysis
      4. Assignment: Draft
      5. Posting Your Paper for Peer Review
  5. IV. Writing an Evaluation

    1. 13. Basics of Evaluation Writing

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. What is an Evaluative Argument?
      2. Appropriate Criteria

    2. 14. Evaluation Topic and Outline

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Step 1: Choose a Topic
      2. Elements of an Evaluation
      3. Step 2. Create an Outline

    3. 15. Drafting Your Evaluation

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Supporting Your Argument
      2. Finding Evidence
      3. Step 3: Research
      4. Step 4: Drafting
  6. V. Writing an Argument

    1. 16. Social Problems: Choosing a Topic

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. What is a Social Problem?
      2. What is Social Problem Solving? 
      3. Ways to Solve Social Problems
      4. Choosing a Topic

    2. 17. Researching for an Argument

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Research Process
      2. Types of Sources
      3. Evaluating Sources
      4. Keeping a Research Journal
      5. Research Scavenger Hunt
      6. Annotated Bibliography

    3. 18. What is Argument?

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. What is Argument?
      2. Proposals
      3. Creating an Outline

    4. 19. Writing Your Draft

      Dr. Karen Palmer

  7. VI. Grammar Mini-Exercises

    1. 20. Plagiarism

      1. Writing Tip: Avoiding Plagiarism
      2. Avoiding Plagiarism
      3. Consequences of Plagiarism
      4. Note on AI

    2. 21. Grammar Mini-Review: Parts of Speech

    3. 22. MLA and APA Formatting

      1. MLA Formatting for Common Sources

    4. 23. Mini-Grammar Review: Parts of a Sentence

      1. Subject & Predicate
      2. Direct Object, Subject Complements, and Indirect Object
      3. Phrases and Clauses
      4. Active and Passive Voice
      5. Prepositional Phrases
      6. Appositives
      7. Overview

    5. 24. Mini-Grammar Review: Subject Verb Agreement

      1. Pairing Verbs with Singular and Plural Subjects
      2. Matching Subjects and Verbs That Are Separated by Other Words
      3. Joining Plural Verbs to Compound or Double Subjects
      4. Pairing Singular Verbs with Titles and Collective Subjects
      5. Teaming Singular Verbs with Indefinite Subjects
      6. Choosing Verbs When the Subject Comes after the Verb
      7. Deciding If Relative Pronouns Take a Singular or Plural Verb
      8. Matching Singular Subjects to Gerunds and Infinitives
      9. Recognizing Singular Subjects That Look Plural and Then Choosing a Verb

    6. 25. Mini-Grammar Review: Fragments, Run-ons, and Comma Splices

      1. Independent Clause
      2. Fragments
      3. Run-ons and Comma Splices

    7. 26. Mini-Grammar Review: Creating Clear, Complete, and Specific Sentences

    8. 27. Mini-Grammar Review: Confusing Shifts

    9. 28. Mini-Grammar Review: Commas

      1. Using Commas with Introductory Words, Phrases, and Clauses
      2. Using Commas in a Series
      3. Using Commas in Compound Sentences
      4. Using Commas to Isolate Nonessential Words within a Sentence
      5. Adjective Phrases and Clauses
      6. Words of Direct Address
      7. Interjections
      8. Appositives
      9. Using Commas with Coordinate Adjectives
      10. Using Commas with Dialogue and Direct Quotations
      11. Dates, Addresses, Geographic Names
      12. Company Names
      13. Titles That Go with Names
      14. Numbers
      15. Using Commas to Avoid Confusion

    10. 29. Fallacies

      1. What is a Fallacy?
      2. Avoiding Fallacies in Writing
  8. VII. Writing About Poetry

    1. 30. Introduction to Literature

      1. What is Literature?
      2. Some Misconceptions about Literature
      3. Why Reading Literature is Important
      4. How to Read Literature

    2. 31. Introduction to Poetry

      1. Why Write About Poetry?
      2. Steps to Writing About Poetry
      3. How to Read Poetry
      4. The Second Read: Elements of Poetry
      5. Making Connections with the Poem
      6. Assignment

    3. 32. Poetry Anthology

      1. Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
      2. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
      3. Robert Browning (1812-1889)
      4. Stephen Crane (1871-1900)
      5. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
      6. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965)
      7. Robert Frost (1874-1963)
      8. Joy Harjo (1951-)
      9. Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
      10. Marge Piercy (1936-)
      11. Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)
      12. Alberto Rios (1952-)
      13. Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)
      14. May Swenson (1913-1989)
      15. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)
      16. Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

    4. 33. Writing About Poetry

      1. Step 3: Research the Poem
      2. MLA Citation Review
      4. Step 4: Create a Thesis and Outline
      5. Step 5: Drafting Your Paper
  9. VIII. Writing About Short Fiction

    1. 34. Introduction to Short Fiction

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. How to Read and Analyze Short Fiction
      2. Elements of Fiction

    2. 35. Understanding Literary Theory

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Formalist Criticism
      2. Marxist Criticism
      3. Feminist Criticism
      4. Psychological Criticism
      5. New Historical Criticism
      6. Environmental/Eco Criticism

    3. 36. Short Fiction Anthology

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Kate Chopin (1851-1904)
      2. Sandra Cisneros
      3. William Faulkner
      4. Charlotte Perkins Gilman
      5. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
      6. O. Henry
      7. James Joyce
      8. Jamaica Kincaid (1949-)
      9. Guy de Maupassant
      10. Tim O’Brien
      11. Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964)
      12. Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980)
      13. Amy Tan
      14. Alice Walker
      15. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922-2007)

    4. 37. Writing About Short Fiction

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Step 5: Researching
      2. Step 6: Creating a Thesis and Outline
      3. Step 7: Drafting
  10. IX. Writing About Creative Non-Fiction: The Essay

    1. 38. Introduction to Creative Non-Fiction

      Dr. Karen Palmer

      1. Introduction to Creative Nonfiction
      2. Four Types of Essay
      3. Choosing a Topic & Reading the Essay: Steps 1 & 2
      4. For Further Reading

    2. 39. Creative Non-Fiction Anthology

      1. Creative Non-Fiction Anthology
      2. Buzz Bissinger
      3. Judith Ortiz Cofer
      4. Joan Didion
      5. Frederick Douglass
      6. Richard P Feynman
      7. Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
      8. Steve Mockensturm
      9. George Orwell
      10. Anna Quindlen
      11. Richard Rodriguez
      12. Philip Simmons
      13. Amy Tan
      14. Sojourner Truth
      15. E. B. White
      16. Virginia Woolf

    3. 40. Writing About Creative Non-Fiction: The Literary Comparison Essay

      1. Step 3: Choose a Second Piece for Comparison
      2. Step 4: Research
      3. Step 5: Thesis & Outline
      4. Step 6: Drafting Tips
  11. X. The Novel

    1. 41. Intro to the Novel

      1. Elements of Fiction
      2. Tips for Reading a Novel
      3. Special Notes for Reading a Digital Text

    2. 42. Novel Anthology

    3. 43. Intro to Film

      1. The History of Film
      2. How to Watch a Movie
      3. FORM, CONTENT AND THE POWER OF CINEMA

    4. 44. Writing about the Novel: Film Comparison

      1. Step 5: Thesis & Outline
      2. Step 6: Drafting Tips
  12. XI. Bonus: Website Creation

    1. 45. Websites and Portfolios