16 Resources about Writing
I know what you are thinking. Why should I read about writing? Should I not just… write? Yes, you should write. But reading is an excellent way to learn how to write. When you read and are struck by a sentence, ask yourself why. Think about what in that sentence made an impression on you. The same can be true of negative reactions – if something you are reading does not engage your attention, why is that? Sometimes you may not be in the mood for some reading, other times it may be the writing style itself. By reading you can learn about writing formats too – how does a newspaper article differ from a scholarly piece? How does a short story compare to a book chapter? And so on.
Besides reading for the sake of it or to learn about writing, you can then read books about writing. Take all of these for what they are: books that give you good advice and exercises to think about your writing. But they are not the solution. In the end, you need to do the writing, sharing it, getting others’ feedback on it. Different papers, different pieces of writing, will need different shapes according to so many factors: for whom you are writing; the style required; the evidence you have; etc.
On writing academically or for an audience
Becker, Howard S. Telling about Society. University of Chicago Press, 2007
Becker, Howard S. Tricks of the Trade. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Becker, Howard S. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish your Thesis, Book or Article. University of Chicago Press, 1986.
Eco, Umberto. How to Write a Thesis. MIT Press, 2015.
Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 1998.
Elbow, Peter. Writing with Power. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 1998.
Howard, V.A. and J.H. Barton. Thinking on Paper. 1986.
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. 1994.
Helen Sword, Stylish Academic Writing. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2002.
On dissertation writing
Bolker, Joan , Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis New York: Henry Holt 1998.
Eviatar Zerubavel, The Clockwork Muse: A Practice Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999.
On term-paper writing
Posusta, Steven. 1996. Don’t Panic : The Procrastinator’s Guide to Writing an Effective Term Paper (You Know Who You Are). 1st ed. Santa Barbara: Bandanna Books.