Telling Writing

by Ken Macrorie

Why is Telling Writing , now in its fourth edition, still going strong in hundreds of colleges and universities? Ken Macrorie touches on the answer in his "Good teaching in any field isn't a matter of employing gimmicks and choosing from a damnfool encyclopedia of tricks to play on students . . . but a matter of setting up a climate friendly to learning and then challenging learners to connect their experience and ideas with those of the accepted authorities or producers. Students can't become truly educated unless they grow out of and beyond themselves . . . Telling Writing gives them an indispensable base, a knowledge of themselves on which to grow." Macrorie's approach works because it helps students break away from the deadly academic prose fostered by so many writing courses and enables them to write about and from their own experiences.

Genres: Writing, Reference, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Serdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fine guide to developing clear, spontaneous, and communicative writing. I don't often seek out books in this vein because most of them tend to be nothing I haven't seen before in another package, but this is a shining exception. I'm keeping this one on the short shelf.

[Daudi Mlengela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is good for college students especially in English departments where writing is their day to day activities. However, the book is good to whoever wants to be a good writer of fiction or nonfiction. Ken Macrories has skillfully used different excerpts from different writers to teach his readers how they can improve their writings. The organization, Grammer, punctuation marks, and the role of workshopping your writing before submission for grades if you are a college student or for publication, if you are a free writer, are some of the important strategies Ken discusses in this marvelous book. I highly recommend this book for college students and free writers.

[Kim Noble Calhoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for teachers of writing!

[Dona]

Telling Writing. by Ken Macrorie (1971)

[Craven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic book on writing for the college set, for writing papers and stuff like that. It was still helpful to me as a creative writer, taught and reminded me of a lot and provides good exercises.

[Mike Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

One to go back to again and again. Really encouraging.

[Ann Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still a classic.