Last Day Blog Tour Stops and a Special Guest!

Welcome to February everyone! Can you believe we are here already!?

Okay, today is the last day of my blog tour. And I have a special treat for you today. I will be featured over at the lovely and talented Vicki Rocho's, and I will also be over at my awesome Blog Chain buddy's, Eric Stallsworth's. So head on over to their blogs! Today is the last day to leave a comment on any of the blog tour posts (for a complete list with links, check out the blog tour tab above) for more entries in the huge Grand Prize Giveaway!!! I will be announcing the winner of the Grand Prize on Thursday, so go comment!!

And for an added treat...Eric will be doing a guest post for us here! The floor's all yours Eric! :)

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First off, a big thanks to Michelle for allowing me to grace your blog. I’m truly honored to be allowed to guest post here.

Essays are a big part of my life, particularly since I’m still working my way through a Masters degree. And depending on the assignment, I either really enjoy or really dread writing essays. Okay, more often than not I dread them. Michelle McLean has the answer for everyone like me who hates the idea of writing essays. Even if you just find the task difficult, Michelle’s book Homework Helpers: Essays & Term Papers will ease your pain.

After reading through her book, I found that Chapter 3 on Argumentative/Persuasive Essays is my favorite. Michelle is compelling, and her writing is very conversational. Reading through the chapter makes this type of essay much easier to begin and work through. From the get-go, Michelle tells you what the purpose of this essay type is (i.e. to convince your reader to agree with your point of view), and then she launches into easy-to-follow steps that will get you through the essay creation.

Since I’ve already stated that I don’t particularly like essay writing, why would I choose this type as a favorite? Surprisingly, I like the challenge. More often than not in this type of essay, you’re forced to take a stance and defend it. You have to base your stance on factual information, and sometimes you may be forced to take a stance you personally don’t agree with. This is where the true challenge comes into play.

I also believe that this type of essay has an impact on my ability to write fiction. When we’re crafting a character, everything has to be believable. In essence, we have to take a stance on who the character is and why they choose to do the various things they do. We have to prove to our readers that the story makes sense, that the characters are realistic, and that the world we are creating is worth reading about. We put ourselves in a character’s figurative shoes and walk around until our readers believe.

If you’re struggling with essays (or know someone else who does), you really need to pick up Michelle’s book Essays & Term Papers. It will help your writing ability in ways you never imagined, and it’s hands down the most laid-back (and yet incredibly informative) textbook I’ve ever read.

Thanks again to Michelle for allowing me to visit. It has been a real pleasure.