Professor Selina Todd argues that you can be taught to write well, as demonstrated by American and Australian university students. Plus letters from Christopher Dodd and Anthony OrmsonIan Jack’s wariness towards writing manuals and classes is a peculiarly British response to teaching this craft (So you want to write better sentences than Jane Austen?, 27 May. While visiting Australian universities a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the fluency and clarity of the (history) students’ prose. It turned out they were taught to write – not by rote learning grammar, which is the only form of pedagogy recognised by the current British government, but in lively writing workshops that encouraged them to believe that anyone, given time and hard work, could write well. Conversations with American colleagues revealed a similar mindset and introduced me to the American writer William Zinsser, whose book On Writing Well I recommend to all my students. Zinsser’s democratic premise is that good writing is the result of hard work, not innate “talent”. That’s a radical realisation for many British students, brought up with the gentlemanly myth that talent is hereditary, effortless and looks a lot like a public schoolboy.It is no coincidence that Zinsser spent part of his career at the New School in New York, the self-declared “comprehensive university”. In Britain, the adult education movement, including the Workers’ Educational Association, and the Open University, has... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#women writers
#labour party
#modern history
The trustee overseeing the Chapter 7 proceedings of Good Enterprises has approved the sale of the publisher’s assets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#good enterprises
#trustee overseeing
German publisher Bastei Lubbe is the latest overseas publisher to use digital distribution to enter the U.S. market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#digital distribution
Simon & Schuster has won an auction for Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey. Clare Hey, senior... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#clare hey
#iona grey
#simon schuster
"Be generous to your characters: kill them, save them, break their hearts and then heal them." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#dinaw mengestu
Corvus has acquired two novels, including a “sweeping historical fiction”. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Guardian Faber has acquired a new book by actor and comedian David Mitchell. Commissioning... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#guardian faber
Boston-based Beacon Press, the area’s oldest small press, is marking its 160th anniversary this year with a new tag line, “Igniting Hearts and Minds,” and a new colophon that hearkens back to early last century. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#hearkens back
#independent presses
#good time
Since the demise of Noodle Kidoodle and Zany Brainy in the early 2000s, specialty “book-and-toy” stores have maintained a low profile. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#low profile
#early 2000s
Michael Smerconish's "Talk" is the first novel acquired by the Kennebunkport, Maine-based publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Abrams has bought world rights to make-up artist Lisa Eldridge's history of make-up,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
The biennial Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., featured high-profile authors and drew 2,000 attendees eager to explore the connections between faith and creative expression. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#creative expression
#grand rapids
The first standalone American Booksellers Association ABC Children’s Institute, held from April 6–7 at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Antonio, Tex., looked like it would be a success even before it began. In the weeks leading up to the institute, ABA was forced to cap attendance after nearly twice... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#cap attendance
#weeks leading
#san antonio
In one of his longest shareholder letters, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos gave readers a “tour” of 21 Amazon initiatives. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
For Cenveo Publisher Services, 2014 is the year digital strategies must deliver in terms of profits for its publisher clients. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#publisher clients
"Great British Bake Off" star Mary Berry rules the top of the charts for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Russell Brand is writing a series of books aimed at children, with illustrations by Chris Riddell... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#chris riddell
#russell brand
#books aimed
Imprisoned Chinese economist and writer Ilham Tohti, who was arrested in his Beijing home in January, is being honored with the 2014 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Reed Exhibitions has made no secret about its interest in drawing more members of the general reading public to BookExpo America and, today, released details about its new consumer-focused event at the trade show. BookCon is set for the final day of BEA and promises to be, Reed said, a "show... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#final day
#released details
#bookexpo america
#reed exhibitions
#trade show
One of the ongoing challenges for publishers is the sense of instability that arises from the never-ending changes in technology and audience behavior. From sales to marketing and even publishing’s most fundamental service—content creation—market dynamics are constantly evolving. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2014-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#constantly evolving