Contains a short review of Jane Yolen's work and a short interview with her about what poetry is and what some of her influences have been. (TB)

Explores emergent knowledge of genre-specific characteristics of 20 kindergartners and 20 first graders when composing three types of genre stories, personal letters, and shopping lists. Finds that stories and letters were associated with conventional writing systems--genre characteristics probably determined patterns of association. Highlights…

Presents an interview with Julienne Coleman discussing her memories of homeschooling, her protectiveness of her younger brother, her very first book "Bubbles," and her writing process. (SG)

Defines adaptations as translations of another's ideas to new or changed circumstances. Outlines the three main sources for adaptations: dramatic, non-dramatic, or literary material. Details challenges of adaptations, such as deciding what to keep and what to leave out, and the need to capture the essence of the original. (PM)

Represents a departure from the current trend against abstraction. Proposes a new formalism for the composition classroom. Argues that, when it comes to representing written arguments composed in response to multiple sources, existing schemes of argument are missing important abstractions about how authors use the arguments of others in the…

Explores the author's experiences with freewriting. Argues that freewriting has gradually given the author a profoundly different experience of and relationship to writing. Concludes that freewriting is at the root of the author's sense of his progress in writing. (RS)

Presents an edited transcript of a panel discussion on ghostwriting. Discusses the process of ghostwriting books and speeches; the relationship between writer and "client"; the ghostwriter's influence on policy; ethics and professionalism of ghostwriting; differences between ghostwriting and speech writing; the authenticity of…

A writing activity for business communications students--developing an instruction sheet to accompany a familiar product--teaches them that writing is a process that helps in achieving a product. (JOW)

Suggests that adult literacy workers, as producers or consumers of research, need to become more self-consciously aware of the effects of writing in the construction of knowledge. (SK)

Using a group method in a creative writing course, the facilitator ("consultant") learned about group process, writers and the writing process, and the appropriateness of the method in educational settings. (SK)

Considers story writing: beginnings of stories, a handful of perfect sentences, truisms about writers and writing, and the quintessential U.S. sentence. (SR)

Discusses writing with Calvin Trillin, journalist, humorist, and writer of fiction and nonfiction. (SR)

Describes the elements of an effective style guide. Presents methods and techniques required to develop a style guide tailored to the specific needs of an organization. Focuses on two critical steps in the development process that are often ignored or overlooked: (1) conducting the Requirements Analysis; and (2) promoting the style guide. (SR)

Discusses and illustrates how technical communicators can read and write complex documents dialogically by using a new/old strategy to help them in three activities: breaking down complex documents and data into components; solving problems by locating and describing causal components; and following and organizing sequences of components. (SR)

Discusses how too much caution can lead authors to simple verbosity or to the overgeneralization of simple concepts. (SR)