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WRIT 330
WRITING, EDITING & PUBLISHING

NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester.

Overview:

The course introduces students to the world of professional, non- fiction writing and focuses on principles of style, the process of editing one's own and others' work, and trends in publishing.

Content:

Classes include lectures, some in-class assignments, and discussion. Some of the topics we consider throughout the semester are:

Grammar, punctuation, and syntax and how to make them work for you instead of against you Word use and misuse: a lifelong pursuit and problem

Proofreading, line-by-line editing, and other technical tricks of the trade

Structure and style and how to recognize and develop them

Getting started and sticking with it, psychological tricks of the trade

The theory and practice of revision, revision, revision

How to shape ideas, target them, and turn them into publications

Issues of editorial control and freedom

During the first half of the semester, each student will write and revise (and revise again) a major piece of non-fiction writing. During the second half of the semester, students will work in teams to write, edit, and produce a newsletter and thereby acquaint themselves with the procedures, pleasures, and problems of publishing.

Expectations:

Students should be prepared for quizzes, a fair amount of reading outside class, and a writing/editing assignment every week. Regular attendance is important because each class builds on the work of the previous class. All assignments should be word-processed and turned in on paper; only in extreme emergencies will materials be accepted via email. Students who miss any class must arrange to get notes and assignments from another student, not from the instructor.

Grades:

Following is a description of how the instructor assigns grades.

A work at a level of professional excellence

A- work that approaches professional excellence

B+ work at a level of professional competence

B work that approaches professional competence

B- above-average work that remains flawed or fails to fulfill potential

C+ average work that nevertheless shows promise C average work

D+ below average work

D unacceptable work that is nevertheless turned in

Required Texts:

On Writing Well, William Zinsser

Woe Is I, Patricia T. O'Connor

A Pocket Style Manual, Diana Hacker

Supplemental, Recommended Texts:

A good dictionary such as The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing, Claire Kehrwald Cook;

The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press)

The Associated Press Stylebook (Addison Wesley)

The Transitive Vampire, Karen Gordon (Times Books)

Writing Well, Donald Hall (Little Brown)

Simple and Direct, Jacques Barzun (Harper and Row)

The Art of Fiction, John Gardner (Vintage)

The Writing Life, Annie Dillard (Harper and Row)

Becoming a Writer, Dorothea Brande (Houghton, Mifflin)

Writing to Learn, William Zinsser (Harper and Row)

One Writer's Beginnings, Eudora Welty (Harvard University Press)

The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage, Theodore Bernstein (Atheneum)

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms, Alfred D. Sheffield, Ed. (Little, Brown)

Modern English Usage, H.W. Fowler (Oxford University Press)

WRITING, EDITING & PUBLISHING SCHEDULES & DEADLINES

The Profiles

September 13 First drafts (however rough) due

September 27 First revision due

October 11 Second revision due

October 25 Final version due

The WordBooks

October 11 Part I due (at least 14 words described)

December 6 Part II due (at least 14 words described)




			WRIT 330 WRITING, EDITING & PUBLISHING NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester. Overview: The course introduces students to the world of professional, non- fiction writing and focuses on principles of style, the process of editing one's own and others' work, and trends in publishing. Content: Classes include lectures, some in-class assignments, and discussion. Some of the topics we consider throughout the semester are: Grammar, punctuation, and syntax and how to make them work for you instead of against you Word use and misuse: a lifelong pursuit and problem Proofreading, line-by-line editing, and other technical tricks of the trade Structure and style and how to recognize and develop them Getting started and sticking with it, psychological tricks of the trade The theory and practice of revision, revision, revision How to shape ideas, target them, and turn them into publications Issues of editorial control and freedom During the first half of the semester, each student will write and revise (and revise again) a major piece of non-fiction writing. During the second half of the semester, students will work in teams to write, edit, and produce a newsletter and thereby acquaint themselves with the procedures, pleasures, and problems of publishing. Expectations: Students should be prepared for quizzes, a fair amount of reading outside class, and a writing/editing assignment every week. Regular attendance is important because each class builds on the work of the previous class. All assignments should be word-processed and turned in on paper; only in extreme emergencies will materials be accepted via email. Students who miss any class must arrange to get notes and assignments from another student, not from the instructor. Grades: Following is a description of how the instructor assigns grades. A work at a level of professional excellence A- work that approaches professional excellence B+ work at a level of professional competence B work that approaches professional competence B- above-average work that remains flawed or fails to fulfill potential C+ average work that nevertheless shows promise C average work D+ below average work D unacceptable work that is nevertheless turned in Required Texts: On Writing Well, William Zinsser Woe Is I, Patricia T. O'Connor A Pocket Style Manual, Diana Hacker Supplemental, Recommended Texts: A good dictionary such as The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing, Claire Kehrwald Cook; The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press) The Associated Press Stylebook (Addison Wesley) The Transitive Vampire, Karen Gordon (Times Books) Writing Well, Donald Hall (Little Brown) Simple and Direct, Jacques Barzun (Harper and Row) The Art of Fiction, John Gardner (Vintage) The Writing Life, Annie Dillard (Harper and Row) Becoming a Writer, Dorothea Brande (Houghton, Mifflin) Writing to Learn, William Zinsser (Harper and Row) One Writer's Beginnings, Eudora Welty (Harvard University Press) The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage, Theodore Bernstein (Atheneum) Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms, Alfred D. Sheffield, Ed. (Little, Brown) Modern English Usage, H.W. Fowler (Oxford University Press) WRITING, EDITING & PUBLISHING SCHEDULES & DEADLINES The Profiles September 13 First drafts (however rough) due September 27 First revision due October 11 Second revision due October 25 Final version due The WordBooks October 11 Part I due (at least 14 words described) December 6 Part II due (at least 14 words described) home \| bs, corporate communication \| ba, english \| ma, publications design \| mfa, integrated design \| mfa, creative writing & publishing arts \| people \| portfolio \| facilities \| classes \| undergraduate applications \| graduate applications \| contact \| site index \| university of baltimore