Non-Fiction

The newest addition to our best-selling Homework Helpers series is a fun, user-friendly guide that takes the confusion out of writing essays and papers for students of all ages. Unlike other books that are so full of technical jargon they confuse more than help, Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers uses straightforward language and simple steps to guide students through the essay-writing process.

Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers:
  • Describes in detailed "plain English" each element and step involved in writing a dozen different types of essays Includes a rough, edited, and final draft sample of each type of essay discussed 
  • Explains the necessity of proofreading and citing sources, providing tips and instruction on how to accomplish these tasks 
  • Presents step-by-step instructions on how to write a great SAT essay 
  • Discusses what students can expect when they reach college-level courses
Students of all ages can find help on writing essays for every major subject in high school or college. Beginners will find guidance on the basics, while those further along in their educational careers can adapt the detailed instructions for more in-depth assignments.

Buy the paperback or ebook at:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books A Million
or find it at your favorite retailer



(Coming Fall 2014)

Introduction:

Poetry is one of the most daunting subjects to learn. Even those who like to read poetry may balk at having to write it. Yet at some point, every student must not only learn about different poetic forms, but try their hand at penning a few. Students of poetry generally fall into three categories: those who love poetry and want to write it, those who are mildly interested or indifferent about poetry, and those who hate it with a passion but have to pass the class anyway.

Let’s face it. The vast majority of students out there have no desire to read, let alone write, a poem. They see poetry as a form of sanctioned torture they must endure in order to pass their course. But they have little choice in the matter and to pass they need to know exactly how to recreate and understand the forms they study.

While there are many excellent textbooks and guidebooks on poetry, these tend to be geared toward advanced students or writers with some knowledge of (and passion for) the subject. They focus on the inspiration behind poetry, linguistic tools like imagery, symbolism, and metaphors to implement, and discuss the history and rules of the different poetic forms – all very important issues. But these books often present this information without supplying an actual writing guide for the student.

For poetry-loving students, these books can provide valuable lessons on the finer intricacies of the craft, but may leave them confused as to the actual mechanics behind some of their favorite forms. And for those students a little less poetically inclined? Detailed discussions about inspiration and literary poetic tools will not only go over their heads, they’ll be ducking and covering with both hands.

So You Have to Write a Poem is designed to not only help students get through poetry assignments by showing them how to write several different forms of poetry, but also shows poetic skeptics how to enjoy the act of writing poetry.

This book follows the vein of Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers, giving novices an easy-to-read guide with simple step-by-step processes and fun examples to follow while giving more advanced poets a technical guide to the rules behind all their favorite poetic forms. This is the first volume of So You Have to Write a Poem and includes information on nine forms of poetry, along with overviews on poetry basics like meter and rhyme scheme, and a section with detailed examples on how to analyze a poem.

In this book, you’ll find:
• Chapters that are written in a fun, conversational tone with amusing examples.
• Chapter that include detailed, easy to understand instructions and “cheat sheets” that outline the rules for each form of poetry.
• Tips, steps, and information presented in a manner simple enough for a junior high student to understand, yet thorough enough to assist a graduate student.
• A format that will allow non-student users, such as freelance writers, bloggers, or the Average Joe who wants to write his sweetheart a poem, to utilize the information in this book even if they have never set foot inside a language arts class.
• A format that enables readers to quickly skim for the information they need without bogging them down in unnecessary pages of confusing material.

So You Have to Write a Poem will help those who just want to get through their class by giving them exactly what they need to complete their assignments while also providing a valuable guide to the technical rules behind structured poetic forms for more advanced writers who want to write poetry. No matter which category a student falls into, this book will be an asset in their educational arsenals.


~~~

Visit Papers, Prose, and Poetry for articles on essay writing elements and poetry.