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Analysis and Critique: How toEngage and Write about Anything

Writing Creative Nonfiction Building Great Sentences:Exploring the Writer's Craft

1How to Write about Anything 2How to Be an Effective Reader 3How Literature Can Help 4Shaping Your Voice 5Knowing Your Reader 6The Art of the Essay How to Start 7How to Organize an Argument 8Supporting Your Argument 9Finishing Strong 10The Uses of Poetry 11Poetic Diction and Syntax 12Drama Writing Out Loud

13 What You Can Learn from Autobiography

14 Writing and Leadership 15The Rules of Rhetoric 16Invention and Arrangement 17Ethos and Pathos 18Finding What You Need 19Using What You Find 20 Getting Started Writing First Drafts 21Editing Finding What's Wrong

22 Rewriting Fixing What's Wrong 23 Avoiding Common Errors in Grammar andUsage

24 The Power of Words

1 Welcome to Creative Nonfiction 2Finding the Story 3Honoring the Nonfiction Contract 4 Writing Great Beginnings 5Show, Dont Tell 6Launching a Narrative Arc 7Cliffhangers and Page Turners 8 Building Dramatic Sentences 9Rhetorical Devices and Emotional Impact 10Putting It All Together 11Revealing Character in Words and Actions 12Creating Compelling Characters

13Character Psychology

14Getting Inside the Heads of Your Characters 15Using Narrative Perspective 16Shaping Your Voice 17 Writing the Gutter How to Not Tell a Story 18Dialogue Strategies in Creative Nonfiction 19Researching Creative Nonfiction 20 How to Not Have People Hate You 21Revising Your Work

22 Building Your Audience 23 Getting Published 24 Being a Writer

1 A Sequence of Words 2Grammar and Rhetoric 3Propositions and Meaning 4How Sentences Grow 5 Adjectival Steps 6The Rhythm of Cumulative Syntax 7Direction of Modification 8 Coordinate, Subordinate, and Mixed Patterns 9Coordinate Cumulative Sentences 10Subordinate and Mixed Cumulatives 11Prompts of Comparison 12Prompts of Explanation

13The Riddle of Prose Rhythm

14Cumulative Syntax to Create Suspense 15Degrees of Suspensiveness 16The Mechanics of Delay 17Prefab Patterns for Suspense 18Balanced Sentences and Balanced Forms 19The Rhythm of Twos 20 The Rhythm of Threes 21Balanced Series and Serial Balances

22 Master Sentences 23 Sentences in Sequence 24 Sentences and Prose Style

Dr. Dorsey Armstrong is Associate Professor ofEnglish and Medieval Literature at PurdueUniversity, where she has taught since 2002. Theholder of an A.B. in English and Creative Writingfrom Stanford University and a Ph.D. in MedievalLiterature from Duke University, she also taught atCentenary College of Louisiana and at California

Dr. Tilar J. Mazzeo is the Clara C. Piper Professor ofEnglish at Colby College in Maine and the New YorkTimes best-selling author of The Widow Cliquot:The Story of a Champagne Empire and the WomanWho Ruled It and The Secret of Chanel No. 5: TheIntimate History of the Worlds Most FamousPerfume.

Dr. Brooks Landon is Herman J. and Eileen S.Schmidt Professor of English and Collegiate Fellowat The University of Iowa and Director of theuniversity's General Education Literature Program.He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from The Universityof Texas at Austin.


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State University, Long Beach.

Her research interests include medieval womenwriters, late-medieval print culture, and theArthurian legend, on which she has publishedextensively, including the 2009 book Sir ThomasMalory's Morte Darthur: A New Modern English

Translation Based on the Winchester Manuscriptand Gender and the Chivalric Community in SirThomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur, published in2003. In January 2009, she became editor-in-chiefof the academic journal Arthuriana, which publishesthe most cutting-edge research on the legend ofKing Arthur, from its medieval origins to itsenactments in the present moment. Her currentresearch project Mapping Malory's Morte is anexploration of the role played by geography inMalory's version of the story of King Arthur.

Professor Mazzeo earned her Ph.D. in English fromthe University of Washington. In 2008, she won theGourmand Award for the Best Work of WineLiterature in the United States for The WidowCliquot. She is also the author of Back LaneWineries of Sonoma and Back Lane Wineries of

Napa. Her travel, food, and wine essays haveappeared in a range of national publications,including Food and Wine magazine. ProfessorMazzeo held the prestigious Jenny McKean MooreWriter-in-Residence position at The GeorgeWashington University. Her lessons, exercises, andadvice on the art and craft of creative nonfictionhave appeared in collections including Now Write!Nonfiction: Creative Nonfiction Exercises fromTodays Best Writers.

Since 1978, Professor Landon has regularly offereda prose-style course focused on the sentence. Hehas also taught courses in nonfiction writing,contemporary American fiction, 20th-centuryAmerican literature and culture, modern fiction,science fiction, hypertext fiction and scholarship,and electronic textuality.

Published widely in the fields of contemporaryAmerican literature and science fiction, ProfessorLandon is the author of numerous books, includingScience Fiction After 1900: From the Steam Manto the Stars; The Aesthetics of Ambivalence:Rethinking Science Fiction in the Age of Electronic(Re)Production; and Thomas Berger.

Among his many awards and accolades are aUniversity of Iowa M. L. Huit Teaching Award andan International Association for the Fantastic inthe Arts Distinguished Scholarship.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONFor thousands of years, writing has been a powerfulway for us to communicate with one another, toshare our distinct thoughts and ideas through thepower of words. Even in today's technologicallysaturated 21st century, we still express ourselves inwriting almost every single day. And oftentimes, wewrite to argue our viewpoints, persuade o thers thatwe're right, and share our unique experiences andperspectives.

But all writing whether it's a powerful essay, apersuasive letter, a detailed business report, or anautobiographical story is at its most effective andmemorable when it's built on the fundamentalcritical and analytical skills that transform yourwords from "good" writing to "great" writing.Regardless of your subject, your goal, or your

occasion, these skills are the heart and soul ofengaging and effective writing. They include the

COURSE DESCRIPTIONWe all have a story we want to share with others.Maybe it's a funny or dramatic moment in youreveryday life. Perhaps it's an unforgettable tripoverseas or a heartwarming family reunion. Orpossibly even the life of a close relative or publicfigure that has inspired you in some unique way.Regardless of the story or experience, there's nobetter way to write, record, and share it thanthrough the power of creative nonfiction.Bringing together the imaginative strategies offiction storytelling and new ways of narrating true,real-life events, creative nonfiction is the fastest-growing part of the creative writing world and thefastest-growing part of the market for books aswell. It's a cutting-edge genre that's reshaping howwe write (and read) everything from biographiesand memoirs to blogs and public speaking scripts to

personal essays and magazine articles.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONGreat writing begins and ends with thesentence. Whether two words ("Jesus wept.") or1,287 words (a sentence in William Faulkner'sAbsalom! Absalom!), sentences have the power tocaptivate, entertain, motivate, educate, and, mostimportantly, delight. Understanding the variety ofways to construct sentences, from the smallestclause to the longest sentence, is important toenhancing your appreciation of great writing andpotentially improving your own.Why do some lengthy sentences flow effortlesslywhile others stumble along?Why are you captivated by the writing ofparticular authors but not others?How can you craft sentences that reflect your ownunique outlook on the world?Get the answers to these and other questions

about writing and style in Building GreatSentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft, a lively 24-


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ability to understand how a writer creates his or her"voice," and how a writer conveys particularinformation to his or her audience.Essay: Of all the literary genres, the essay is therichest resource for studying the characteristics of apowerfully written argument. You'll discover howessays such as Jonathan Swift's "A Modest

Proposal" and Henry David Thoreau's "Walden"demonstrate effective strategies for starting,organizing, supporting, and concluding yourarguments.Poetry: Somewhat surprisingly, poetry has much tooffer nonpoetic writers looking to strengthen theircraft especially its command and flexibility. Inexamining the work of poets such as Wil liam CarlosWilliams, John Donne, and e. e. cummings, you'lllearn how to tap into the power of figurativelanguage, careful word choices, and dramatic wordordering.Drama: Speeches, conference papers, and otherwriting intended for oral presentation offer theirown set of challenges to everyday writers. By usingselected excerpts by William Shakespeare, history'sgreatest playwright, Professor Armstrong gives youinvaluable tips for mastering the art of tone, timing,and delivery of writing meant to be spoken outloud.Autobiography: Writing that draws on your life to

achieve a goal or enhance your credibi lity isn't asdaunting as it may seem. Detailed looks at excerptsfrom autobiographies by Benjamin Franklin,Frederick Douglass, and others offer helpful hintsabout how much personal information to include,how to take the most effective approach, andmore.Frequently, the lectures are enhanced with writingprompts and practice examples such as rewritinga passage in five different styles or writing an idea

from different narrative perspectives designed tohelp you better understand how to use and apply

interactive lectures are a chance for you to learnright alongside a master professor and best-sellingwriter as she guides you through all aspects of theprocess.

Fundamentals of creative nonfiction: Many of thelectures unpack fundamental concepts and

principles involved in writing creative nonfiction.These include narrative arcs, captivatingbeginnings, sentence variation, perspective,characterization, dialogue, and metaphors. You'lluncover ways to decide how to best employ themto fit your particular work as well as to make yourwriting more engaging without breaking thenonfiction contract with your reader.Writing process: Pulling from her own personalexperience as a writer, Professor Mazzeo guidesyou through each stage of writing creativenonfiction, from researching your topic to rev isingyour first draft. Along the way, she offers tips andadvice for everything from working around theproblem of missing sources to pushing your waythrough writer's block to finding a community ofwriters who can offer you constructive criticism.Publishing tips: How do you find the right agent?What goes into a successful book proposal? Howcan you find out which publications are the rightvenues for your pieces? In a series of lectures

centered on the practical business of marketing andpublishing your work, you'll discover the answers tothese and other questions about getting your startas a published and maybe even professional writer.Learn Tricks of the Creative Nonfiction Writer'sTrade

"I'm an English professor and a write r myself,"notesProfessor Mazzeo at the start of her course. "And

what I can tell you is that there are tricks of thetrade; things that published writers the people

ways that literary and popular writers work withthese larger sentences (called cumulativesentences) and encounter the three distinct levelsthat enhance these sentence kernels by:

Adding information and keeping a sentencemoving in place ("She served the dessert, a French

pastry affair dripping in dark chocolate.")Moving a sentence forward with increasedspecificity ("He drove carefully, one hand on thewheel, the other hand holding a sandwich, a hamand cheese fossil, a strangely colored lump madedays before by his sister.")Adding information and moving a sentenceforward at the same time ("Big Al headed backinto the bar, a demented grin twisting his scarredface, his bloodshot eyes narrowed to a fiercesquint, looking around the dim and smoke-filledinterior, scanning the terrified inhabitants for anyof his tormentors.")You also explore sentence constructions that makewriting more complex and add exciting levels ofsuspense, and you see tactics that create balanceand rhythm in sentences. Professor Landon makesthese writing methods clear and easy to apply toyour own reading and writing habits. Some of themany illuminating methods you come across are:

Using a mirroring effect between words to suggestconfidence ("Dryden's page is a natural field, risinginto inequalities, and diversified by the variedexuberance of abundant vegetation; Pope's is avelvet lawn, shaven by the scythe, and leveled bythe roller.")Using three phrases of parallel construction tocreate unity and emphasis in a sentence ("I came, Isaw, I conquered.")Beginning each element in a series with the same

word or words ("The reason I object to Dr.Johnson's style is that there is no discrimination,


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the insights found in these five genres.

Explore the Fundamentals of Rhetoric

From there, Analysis and Critique turns to a seriesof lectures that focus on the art of rhetoric (thefoundation of argumentation) and the ways it can

help you adapt your writing to a variety of differentsituations. And make the most of them.

Rhetorical ideas are so deeply woven into the fabricof Western culture that it's easy to miss out onopportunities to maximize their benefits in yourwriting. Knowing this, Professor Armstrong not onlyexplains them thoroughly but also shows you howto use them regularly and systematically to makeyour writing stronger and more persuasive. Some ofthe most applicable rhetorical concepts you explorein this part of the course include

deductive reasoning, a form of reasoning thatmoves from the knowledge you already have to theknowledge that has yet to be discovered andarticulated;commonplaces, which are well-known words andphrases that can easily communicate your theme ortopic to your audience; andpathos, which works to inspire emotion in your

readers (particularly feelings of sympathy).The increased awareness of classical rhetoric yougain from these particular lectures will go a longway to helping you become a stronger writer bycalling your attention to the basics of compellinganalytical writing. You may never use terms l ike"commonplaces" and "pathos" in your actualwriting but understanding how they work willenhance the importance of what you write and theway you write it.

Get a Step-by-Step Guide to the Writing Process

whose books you've read and enjoyed andrecommended to friends learn from doing overand over.

Every lecture of Writing Creative Nonfiction is filledwith these tricks of the trade; nuggets ofinformation, insight, and advice that you can learn

from and use whenever you sit down to tell apersonal story. Whether you're planning on tacklinga memoir, a piece of travel writing, a personalessay, or nearly any project in which effective (andtruthful) storytelling is required, these and othertips and tricks revealed in this course will go a longway toward building a powerful toolkit you can useany time you sit down to write.

Include three things every good story needs: Youknow you've got a good story to work with when ithas a narrative arc, dramatic tension (conflict thatworks as an obstacle), and interesting characterswho experience and try to surmount obstacles.Introduce ambiguity: Free indirect discoursedoesn't require attribution of speech or thoughtand invites readers to attribute your thoughts tothe thoughts of the character. Whether yourreaders accept or reject the invitation, you've beentruthful about not making claims of fact and havemaintained the nonfiction contract.

Write the "gutter: Giving your readers two piecesof information and trusting them to use theirimaginations to transform them into a singlestoryline (filling in the "gutter) is a great way toavoid overnarrating. Engaging their imaginationsalso makes them a more active participant in thestory you're telling.Draft a pitch instead of an outline: While pitchesare normally written to secure contracts fornonfiction works, they can also be a helpful way for

you to avoid getting stuck when you're havingdifficulty outlining your story.

no selection, no variety in it.")Ending each element in a series with the sameword or words ("Raphael paints wisdom; Handelsings it, Phidias carves it, Shakespeare writes it,Wren builds it, Columbus sails it, Luther preachesit, Washington arms it, Watt mechanizes it.")Recognizing and appreciating these and other eye-

opening aspects of sentences helps youunderstand the work that goes into creating aneffective, pleasurable sentence. With thenewfound knowledge gained from Building GreatSentences, you become more aware of whyparticular lines, passages, or phrases in the poems,novels, or articles you read so enchant you.

Learn from the Masters

Building Great Sentences draws abundantly onexamples from the work of brilliant writers whoare masters in the craft of writing, including DonDeLillo, Virginia Woolf, Joan Didion, and SamuelJohnson. Their novels, essays, and short stories arefrequently cited to illustrate how sentences cantease, surprise, test, and satisfy you.

Whether it was an epic poem, an 800-page novel,or a passionate op-ed in a local newspaper, you'veno doubt been captivated by a particular line,

passage, or phrase in something you've read butyou can't understand why. With Building GreatSentences, you get the secrets you need not onlyto recognize great writing, but also to understandwhat exactly makes it so great.

You also investigate numerous instances in whichan author's writing style reflects key points in thelectures. For example:

The opening paragraph of Ernest Hemingway's AFarewell to Arms reflects the author's "tough-guy"


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What about the act of writing i tself, which canoften be daunting to the most seasoned writer?You can be drafting a work presentation, a coverletter for a job application, an editorial for yourlocal newspaper, or a persuasive letter for a publicofficial in any case, knowing how to approach the

act itself can reap many rewards.

The final section of Analysis and Critique is afascinating, step-by-step guide through the writingprocess. With her keen eye for providing helpfulstrategies and using real-world examples, ProfessorArmstrong provides answers to frequently askedquestions about each of writing's four major stages:

Researching: How do you determine what yourresearch goals are? Where should you look forreliable sources of information? How do younarrow your research focus?Writing a First Draft: How long does a productivebrainstorming session last? Why is it OK to write adeliberately bad first draft? What are good ways toconquer writer's block?Editing: How long should you wait before you startediting your writing? How can you tell when you'veused too many quotations? What grammaticalerrors should you watch out for?

Rewriting: What makes a rewrite different from anedit? What specifics should you pay attention to inrewriting? How do you recast supporting points tobetter fit your argument?Writing Made Effective and Fun

As a university professor with years of experience,the instructor of a general education writing courseat Purdue University, and a distinguished editor,Professor Armstrong spends nearly every day in the

company of writing both good and bad. Sheknows which techniques work and which do not.

Practice with Exercises Crafted by a New YorkTimes Best-Selling Author

With Writing Creative Nonfiction, you're not justlearning from a dynamic writing instructor. You'relearning from a prolific nonfiction writer whosebooks including the New York Times bestseller

The Widow Cliquot: The Story of a ChampagneEmpire and the Woman Who Ruled It areexamples of the form at its best: factual and honestwhile being genuinely engaging reads.

Professor Mazzeo brings the same skill andexperience to her course that she's brought to hercreative nonfiction work. And to help you practiceand hone your newfound skills, she has craftedspecific exercises to help you tap into your innerwriter. For example, you'll

take an event in front of you and write a page ofdetailed description (without actually saying what'shappening) to witness the effects of showing, nottelling, about specific moments;write a couple of paragraphs using both direct andindirect discourse to learn the strengths andweaknesses of either approach to storytelling; andwrite a pitch for an imaginative travel piece (itsstory, its characters, its arc) in 100 words or less to

see how well you can propose a piece of writing toa prospective editor.Who knows? Perhaps one of these or the otherexercises will spark that great idea that sets you onyour way to writing creative nonfiction thatengages your reader and even sells.

Throughout the entire course, Professor Mazzeo'spassion for her craft and her devotion to sharingher knowledge and instilling confidence in fellow

writers are constant. "You need to write what's inyou; in your mind and in your imagination,"she

narrative style in its use of simple and directwriting.The lengthy sentences in Thomas Pynchon'sAgainst the Day demonstrate the importance ofenhancing writing through the use of figurativelanguage.The final sentence of Joseph Conrad's The Secret

Sharer displays just how much information canhide beneath the surface of sentences.Professor Landon's animated readings of theseand other examples (including some of his ownsentences) help you grasp the various structuresand rhythms of sentences. They also give you newways to look at why these and o ther writing styleshave delighted so many readers.

Avoid Dense Grammar

Building Great Sentences provides you with keyinsights into the craft of writing, but it neverbecomes a dull grammar lesson. Rather, thecourse is designed as a study of sentences withinthe larger framework of prose style and writingtheory.

Grammar is only used to address larger issuesabout writing; as you examine the rewards (andpotential risks) of various sentence forms, you

never become bogged down in a study of densegrammar.

You focus on why and how these various sentenceforms use language to achieve particular goals, noton labeling parts of a sentence. A thorough andhelpful study of what makes for elegant andeffective writing, notes Professor Landon, cannotdepend solely on grammar.

A Passionate Approach to the Craft


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She knows the common pitfalls, concerns, and fearsthat most writers have. And she knows just howimportant effective writing skills are in expressingyourself successfully to others.

But even more important than her experienceworking with writers and her knowledge of the craft

is the way Professor Armstrong makes writing feellike a fun process of self -discovery. Her lectures arealways engaging, always accessible, and alwaysfilled with information and takeaways that you canuse any time you need to write.

So tap into the power of effective writing withAnalysis and Critique, and learn what it's l ike tohave a masterful and supportive instructor standingright by your side as you learn the ways to writeabout practically anything.

says. "And you need to tell a great story.

And that's exactly what you'll learn how to do inWriting Creative Nonfiction. By the conclusion ofthese rewarding lectures, you'll have theknowledge, tools, and, most important, inspirationyou need to discover your stories and finally start

telling them the right way.

Professor Landon is the Director of the GeneralEducation Literature Program at the University ofIowa and the recipient of the school's M. L. HuitTeaching Award. Having regularly taught asentence-based prose style course at theUniversity of Iowa for more than 25 years, he isthe perfect guide to take you into the intricate

pleasures of great sentences.

Building Great Sentences stems from ProfessorLandon's passion for a sentence-based approachto writing, commonly overshadowed by moretechnical, theory-based approaches that ignorethe pleasures of reading and writing.

You see Professor Landon's countertraditionalapproach emphasizing the pleasure of languageand not the avoidance of mistakes. This methodmakes this course a unique way to experience andunderstand the pleasure that Gertrude Steinfound in the sequences of words that constituteour sentences.

With its passionate approach to writing andreading, and its indulgence in the sheer joy oflanguage, Building Great Sentences will change theway you read and write. It's a journey tha t givesyou unique insights into the nature of great

writing it also teaches you how you can achievesome of this greatness yourself.

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