Invention and Craft: Exercising Creativity in College Writing and Research is a first-year college composition textbook that employs creativity theory to augment best practices in writing instruction.
Promoting a problem-solving, insight-driven approach to composing, it casts students in the role of meaning-makers by pinpointing strategies for transforming knowledge, the hallmark of successful expository prose. The book's explicit treatment of knowledge transfer fosters recognition of patterns within and across genres and encourages students to apply lessons learned in subsequent rhetorical situations. Furthermore, Invention and Craft provides an instructional framework that maps similarities between expository writing and creative activity in other venues as a means of demystifying the former and broadening students' repertoire of composing strategies.
Acknowledging individual cognitive styles and diverse interests, Invention and Craft places a high priority on energising students and building their confidence as writers.
Table of Contents:
PART ONE: CREATING FOUNDATIONS FOR COMPOSING; Chapter 1: Composition and Creativity; Chapter 2: Composing Processes and Creative Processes; Chapter 3: Rhetorical Situations; Chapter 4: Invention Strategies; Chapter 5: Research Strategies ; PART TWO: CREATING TEXTS THAT INFORM, Chapter 6: Introduction to Texts that Inform; Chapter 7: Memoir; Chapter 8: Profile; Chapter 9: Report; Chapter 10: Annotated Bibliography; PART THREE: CREATING TEXTS THAT ANALYZE, Chapter 11: Introduction to Texts That Analyze; Chapter 12: Writing-Process Analysis; Chapter 13: Visual Analysis; Chapter 14: Rhetorical Analysis; Chapter 15: Literary Analysis; PART FOUR: CREATING TEXTS THAT ARGUE, Chapter 16: Introduction to Texts That Argue; Chapter 17: Research Proposal; Chapter 18: Review; Chapter 19: Position Paper; Chapter 20: Problem-Solution Paper ; PART FIVE: CREATING PRESENTATION-QUALITY FINAL PRODUCTS, Chapter 21: Source Integration and Citation; Chapter 22: Document Design; Chapter 23: Revision and Editing ; Chapter 24: Peer and Instructor Review; Chapter 25: Portfolios
About the Author :
Ronda Leathers Dively retired Southern Illinois University Rhetoric and Composition Professor and writing program administrator is the author of Preludes to Insight: Creativity, Incubation and Expository Writing (Hampton Press, 2006), Invention and Craft: A Guide to College Writing (McGraw-Hill, Inc., 2016) and Creativity and the Paris Review Interviews: A Discourse Analysis of Famous Authors' Composing Practices (Anthem Press, 2022). In addition, she has written numerous articles on expository writing pedagogy and writing program administration.
Review :
“I was very pleased to encounter a composition textbook that counters the distinction between academic writing as it exists in many university courses and writing that can be considered ‘creative.’ What particularly impressed me is that each chapter begins by discussing a ‘myth’about writing, a feature that is likely to generate fruitful student discussion and useful insights that can be used in multiple disciplines.” — Irene L. Clark, PhD, Professor of English, Director of the Composition Program, California State University, Northridge, USA
“Dively’s book is a game-changer. Unlike similar textbooks, it forefronts and expounds the creative process essential to all successful writing. Perhaps more importantly, it emphasizes the deeper roots of creativity, presenting expository writing as a creative act that transfers to other university courses, and everything beyond.” — Ryan Crawford, Director of First-Year Writing and Lecturer, Department of English, College of Arts & Sciences, University of New Haven, West Haven, CT, USA
“Advocates for a greater focus on creativity in the composition classroom will find Invention and Craft a breath of fresh air. Bringing together creativity theory and research in composition pedagogy, Dively provides a framework for incorporating creative writing in the expository writing classroom.” —Brian J. Stone, Associate Professor of English, Director of Writing Programs, Indiana State University, USA
A complete and comprehensive instructional course on how to best and successfully write compositions and publishable papers at the college/university level. Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, the new and expanded second edition of 'Invention and Craft' from Anthem Press is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.—Midwest
