Overview

'The College Writer: A Guide to Thinking, Writing, and Researching,' 8th Edition, helps make writing easier by breaking it down into manageable steps. From brainstorming and organizing your thoughts to writing strong introductions and revising your work, this book walks you through the entire process. It combines everything you need in one place -- a writing guide, a collection of readings, a research manual and a complete grammar handbook -- so you can build your skills no matter where you're starting from. The book includes clear, step-by-step instructions for writing in different styles, like personal narratives, comparison essays, research papers,and literary analyses. Real examples from professional and student writers show you what good writing looks like. Understand how to use AI tools responsibly when researching and writing, so you can stay ethical and confident in your work.

Full Product Details

Author:   John Van Rys (Redeemer University) ,  Verne Meyer (Write Source, UpWrite Press, and Thoughtful Learning) ,  Randall VanderMey (Westmont College) ,  Patrick Sebranek (Write Source, UpWrite Press, and Thoughtful Learning)
Publisher:   Cengage Learning, Inc
Imprint:   Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc
Edition:   8th edition
ISBN:  

9798214155609

Pages:   650
Publication Date:   01 January 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Part I: THE WRITING PROCESS. 1. Getting Started. The Writing Process: An Outline. Aiming for Writing Excellence: Seven Traits. Understanding Your Project. Developing a Topic. Researching Your Topic. Writing with or without Artificial Intelligence. Getting Started: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 2. Reading Critically. Strategies for Critical Thinking. Using the SQ3R Reading Strategy. Active Reading Practices. Taking Notes Actively. Responding to a Text. Summarizing a Text. Engaging with Social Media. Reading Critically: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 3. Viewing Critically. Viewing an Image Actively. Interpreting an Image. Evaluating an Image. Critiquing a Video. Detecting Misinformation. Viewing Critically: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 4. Planning Your Piece. Forming Your Thesis Statement. Developing a Plan or an Outline. Experimenting with Mapping Methods. Planning the Design of Your Project. Planning Your Piece: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 5. Drafting: From Paragraphs to Essays. Basic Essay Structure: Major Moves. Drafting Strategies. Drafting Introductory Paragraphs. Drafting Body Paragraphs. Developing the Middle. Drafting Concluding Paragraphs. The Last Step in Drafting: Your Working Title. Drafting: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 6. Revising Your Draft. Tips for Revising Your Work. Revising Your Ideas. Revising Your Organization. Revising Your Voice. Strengthening Your Body Paragraphs. Revising Collaboratively. Revising Your Draft: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 7. Polishing Your Prose. Tips for Polishing Your Prose. Strengthening Sentence Style. Edit Sentences to Give Them an Academic Style. Fixing Weak Wording. Polishing Your Prose: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 8. One Writer's Process. Ariana's Assignment and Response. Ariana's Planning. Ariana's Drafts. Ariana's Revision. Ariana's Edited Draft. Ariana's Proofread Draft. Ariana's Finished Essay. One Writer's Process: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. Seven Traits of College Writing: A Checklist. Part II: READER: STRATEGIES AND SAMPLES. 9. Forms of College Writing. Three Curricular Divisions. Writing in the Humanities. Writing in the Social Sciences. Writing in the Natural and Applied Sciences. The Rhetorical Modes. Multimodal Projects. Forms of College Writing: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 10. Personal Writing. The Personal Essay: What It Is and Does. 'Spare Change,' by Teresa Zsuffa. Strategies for Writing Personal Essays. Personal Essays: Learning Writers' Moves. 'Speaking Ill of the Dead,' by Rachel Ten Hove. 'It Took Me 18 Years to Embrace My Name,' by Fiza Pirani. 'What I Learned in Prison,' by James Kilmore. DIY: Craft Your Own Personal Essay. The Personal Essay: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 11. Analytical Writing: Definition. The Definition Essay: What It Is and Does. 'The Gullible Family,' by Mary Bruins. Strategies for Writing Definition Essays. Definition Essays: Learning Writers' Moves. 'How 'Namaste' Flew Away From Us,' by Kumari Devarajan. 'A Danish Word the World Needs to Combat Stress: Pyt,' by Marie Helweg-Larsen. 'The History of 'Coming Out,' by Abigail Saguy. DIY: Craft Your Own Definition Essay. Definition Essays: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 12. Analytical Writing: Classification. The Classification Essay: What It Is and Does. 'Why We Lift,' by Hillary Gammons. Strategies for Writing Classification Essays. Classification Essays: Learning Writer's Moves. 'Latin American Music: A Diverse and Unifying Force,' by Kathleen Marsh. 'Some Online Conspiracy-Spreaders Don't Even Believe the Lies They're Spewing,' by Colleen Sinclair. 'Four Ways to Talk About Literature,' by John Van Rys. DIY: Craft Your Own Classification Essay. Classification Essays: Apply and Collaborate. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 13. Analytical Writing:

Reviews

Author Information

Dr. John Van Rys has taught composition, business writing, creative writing, and literature to college students for more than 30 years. He began his teaching career at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, before moving to Redeemer University in Hamilton, Ontario, in 2005. He earned his M.A. and B.A. from the University of Western Ontario and his Ph.D. from Dalhousie University. Today, Dr. Van Rys pursues scholarly work in Canadian literature, while also writing fiction and poetry. For more than 20 years, he has worked on writing-across-the-curriculum theory and practice, on connections between workplace and academic writing. He has also pursued strategies for strengthening varied literacies in students, from reading and research to visual literacy. Dr. Van Rys has applied his expertise, co-authoring various writing handbooks for students, from middle school to college. He has also co-authored an award-winning business-writing handbook for workplace professionals, WRITE FOR BUSINESS, with UpWrite Press. Dr. Verne Meyer is an educator and businessperson. For nine years, he taught English in high schools in Michigan and Wisconsin. In addition, for fifteen years, he taught dramatic literature, theater history, and composition at Dordt University in Iowa. In 1977, partnering with Mr. Sebranek, Dr. Meyer co-founded Write Source Educational Publishing House, now a subsidiary of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Supplemental. Dr. Meyer earned his B.A. from Calvin College, his M.A. from Marquette University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. In addition to this text, he has co-authored a number of texts for college students, including THE COLLEGE WRITER'S HANDBOOK, COMP, THE BUSINESS WRITER, and WRITE FOR WORK. To meet the needs of students in grades 8 through 12, he has co-authored WRITERS INC, SCHOOL TO WORK, WRITE FOR COLLEGE, and a number of Write Source textbooks. Dr. Meyer's publications for businesspeople include WRITE FOR BUSINESS and EFFECTIVE EMAIL MADE EZ. Dr. Meyer is currently a contributing editor for Write Source and UpWrite Press. He is also a featured speaker in the School Improvement Network's instructional videos, Writing Across the Curriculum. Randall VanderMey is a professor in the department of English at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He also has taught composition, literature, and technical writing at Iowa State University, Dordt College, and the University of Iowa. Dr. VanderMey earned his M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He is a contributing editor and creative consultant for Write Source. Dr. VanderMey has received numerous fellowships, grants, and awards for his teaching and poetry. He has published two books of poems, GROWING SOUL: A SONG CYCLE, GOD TALK and CHARM SCHOOL: FIVE WOMEN OF THE ODYSSEY as well as a commissioned biography, MERIZON: THE GREAT JOURNEY. Patrick Sebranek (M.A. University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse) taught English, speech, and multimedia classes for 16 years at Union Grove High School in Wisconsin. During that time, he served as the English department chair and worked on several district-wide projects, including a writing-across-the-curriculum program and a K-12 writing sequence. He has studied the works of James Moffett, Ken Macrorie, Linda Reif, Nancie Atwell, and many other contemporary educators dealing with writing and learning. Mr. Sebranek is an author and editorial director for the Write Source Educational Publishing House and works closely with teachers and educators on all new and revised handbooks and sourcebooks.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions