Writers talk about writing: an eclectic approach to teaching composition

Abstract

This study started upon the assumption that what practicing writers say about writing is a valuable resource for the teaching of composition. Quotations from writers of all kinds--novelists, poets, essayists, popular, serious--provide ideas, materials, and directions for use in composition classes. Some quotations are particularly useful as they fall into categories teachers are already familiar with: the craft, source, process, structure, audience, and attitudes. In the quotations supporting each of these categories teachers of composition can find guidance for what they do in the classroom and for writing assignments to be done both in and out of the classroom. Though this study uses what writers say about writing to provide examples of classroom work and writing examples, it does not suggest that there is only one way to use the rich possibilities found in what writers say about writing. Quotations from writers appear with each chapter where they are particularly germane; another gathering of quotations appears as an appendix.