Writing Resources

There are two kinds of writing supplements: some explain language mechanics, and some teach the elements of style. Getting the mechanics (punctuation, grammar, etc.) straightened out isn't much fun, but it's necessary. Exploring style is lots of fun, but can be just as frustrating.

Even the best writers often have trouble teaching others the craft. Teaching writing, it seems, isn't intuitive. Like many skills, when one gains proficiency putting words on paper (thoughtfully and creatively), the steps to get there are often forgotten. The books in this section are intended to help instructors teach, and students learn, the basic elements of good writing.

Any Child Can Write is a classic manual for parents wanting their kids to develop good writing skills from an early age. Harvey Wiener shows how even a shopping list can provide excellent practice for burgeoning writers, and how exercises don't need to be overly elaborate or stressful to be valuable. This is a good book to read before your kids even get to the writing stage, though it's useful at later levels as well.

Using the same methodology that made her Easy Grammar series popular, Wanda Phillips' Easy Writing teaches elementary, middle school, and high school students the basics of sentence structure through repetitive exercises that implant and cement information in kids' minds. Jump In goes further, by offering step-by-step instructions for composing creative essays (this is a popular product and highly recommended).

Many of these resources are workbooks, showing kids how to compose an outline, find a topic, take notes, conduct research, etc. Titles like The Write Stuff Adventure are less about composition and more about finding something to say and knowing how to express it. Such books are especially helpful for students who complain about writer's block.

Some now-standard reference works stand out: The Elements of Style by E.B. White and William Strunk, Style by Joseph Williams, and On Writing Well by William Zinsser all offer excellent advice for those trying to find their own effective voice. The newer Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a more mechanics-oriented book on a similar theme (how punctuation affects what you're trying to say).

None of these materials should be looked at as simply for those who want to be novelists or famous writers. They're for everyone, to improve your writing and help you say what you want in the best way possible. Writing isn't a school subject just so you can get A's on your papers; it's an essential communication skill that will determine your success at work and at home for the rest of your life. Get good at it!

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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149 Items found Print
"Cover Story" Writing Curriculum - Teacher Book & DVDs
by Daniel Schwabauer
from Clear Water Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$50.00 (1 in stock)
"Cover Story" Writing Curriculum Package
by Daniel Schwabauer
from Clear Water Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing
by Gary Provost
from Penguin Random House
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
1001 Commonly Misspelled Words
by Robert Magnan & Mary Lou Santovec
from McGraw-Hill
for 10th-Adult
in Spelling Resources (Location: REF-SPE)
Analogies for All of Us
by Marc Hays
from Classical Conversations
for 7th-9th grade
in Logic Resources (Location: LOG-RES)
$24.99
Any Child Can Write
by Harvey Wiener
3rd edition from Oxford University
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Any Child Can Write
by Harvey Wiener
4th edition from Oxford University
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Art of Fiction
by John Gardner
from Vintage Classics
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Art of the Short Story
from Pearson Education
for 10th-Adult
in Short Stories (Location: LIT-ANTH)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Beate Not the Poore Desk
by Walter Wangerin
1st edition from Rabbit Room Press
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.74
Blended Structure and Style in Composition
by James B. Webster
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
Writing Curriculum for 2nd-12th grade
in IEW Resources (Location: WRI-IEWRES)
$35.00
Century Handbook of Writing
by Garland Greever and Easley S. Jones
Revised from Century Co.
for 8th-12th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint
Write Great Fiction
by Nancy Kress
from Writer's Digest
for 7th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
CLE English Handbook
by Karen Birt
from Christian Light Education
for 7th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
CopyWorkBook: Comedies of William Shakespeare
by Amy M. Edwards, Christina J. Mugglin
from Blue Sky Daisies
for 3rd-7th grade
in The Mother Tongue Grammar (Location: GRA-MOTHER)
CopyWorkBook: George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior
by Amy M. Edwards, Christina J. Mugglin
from Blue Sky Daisies
for 3rd-7th grade
in The Mother Tongue Grammar (Location: GRA-MOTHER)
Creative Writer Level 2
by Boris Fishman
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Creative Writer (Location: WRI-CREATE)
$18.95
Creative Writer Level 3
by Boris Fishman
1st edition from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Creative Writer (Location: WRI-CREATE)
$16.95
Creative Writing
from A Beka Books
for 6th grade
in A Beka Penmanship/Creative Writing (Location: HAN-ABK)
Creative Writing Notebook #1
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 4th-12th grade
in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA)
Creative Writing Notebook #2
by Jenny Phillips, Maggie Felsch
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 4th-12th grade
in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA)
Description & Setting
Write Great Fiction
by Ron Rozelle
from Writer's Digest
for 7th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
Desk Book on the Etiquette of Letter Writing and Social Correspondence in General
from Eaton, Crane & Pike Co.
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Dialogue
Write Great Fiction
by Gloria Kempton
from Writer's Digest
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
DK Help Your Kids with Language Arts
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Don't Forget to Write
First Edition from Jossey-Bass
for 3rd-7th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$15.00 (2 in stock)
Easy Writing
by Wanda Phillips
from Easy Grammar Systems
Writing Curriculum for 3rd-12th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$30.95
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
by Lynne Truss
from Gotham Books
Grammar Reference for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$15.00 $7.50 (3 in stock)
Elegant Essay Writing Lessons - Set
by Lesha Myers
3rd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in IEW Advanced Materials (Location: WRI-IEWADV)
$49.00
Elegant Essay Writing Lessons - Student Book
by Lesha Myers
3rd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in IEW Advanced Materials (Location: WRI-IEWADV)
$29.00
Elegant Essay Writing Lessons - Teacher Manual
by Lesha Myers
3rd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in IEW Advanced Materials (Location: WRI-IEWADV)
Elements of Style
by William Strunk & E. B. White
4th edition from Allyn and Bacon
Writing Handbook for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99 $5.50 (1 in stock)
Elements of Style (Illustrated)
by E.B. White, William Strunk Jr.
from Penguin Books
for 7th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$18.00
Elements of Style Workbook
by Michele T. Poff, editor
from Tip Top Education
for 7th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
English Lessons Through Literature Level 3
by Kathy Jo DeVore
from Barefoot Ragamuffin Press
for 4th-5th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Essential Literary Terms
1st edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Excellence in Literature - Handbook for Writers
by Ian Johnston and Janice Campbell
1st edition from Everyday Education
for 9th-12th grade
in IEW Literature & Poetry (Location: LITCUR-IEW)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Exciting World of Creative Writing
by Ruth McDaniel
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Writing Curriculum for 7th-8th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$12.85
Exciting World of Creative Writing - Tests
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Writing Curriculum for 7th-8th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$3.00
Fairview's Guide to Composition and Essay Writing
by Gabriel Arquilevich
from Gabriel Arquilevich
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
Grammar & Diagramming Sentences
Straight Forward English
by Gianni DeVincentis-Hayes, Ph.D.
from Garlic Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Miscellaneous Grammar Curriculum (Location: GRA-MISC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Grammar of Poetry - DVD Bundle
by Matt Whitling
from Canon Press
for 6th-9th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
How to Write a Great Research Paper
by Leland Graham & Darriel Ledbetter
from Incentive Publications, Inc.
for 6th-9th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
How To Write a News Article
by Michael Kronewetter
from Grolier Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
How to Write a Story
by Lee Roddy
from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 6th-12th grade
in IEW Advanced Materials (Location: WRI-IEWADV)
$29.00
How to Write a Story Grades 1-3
by Evan Moor Educational Publishers
Revised Edition from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Evan-Moor Writing (Location: ZCLE-EM)
How to Write Clearly
by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
How to Write Irresistible Query Letters
by Lisa Collier Cool
from Writer's Digest
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$12.95
Imitation in Writing: Aesop's Fables
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
3rd edition from Logos School
Writing Curriculum for 3rd-6th grade
in Imitation in Writing (Location: WRI-LSIW)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Invisible Ink: A Practical Guide to Building Stories that Resonate
Reprint
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
Jensen's Format Writing
by Frode Jensen
3rd edition from Wordsmiths
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Jensen's Format Writing
by Frode Jensen
2nd edition from Master Books
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in Jensen's English (Location: GRA-JENSEN)
$21.59
Jensen's Format Writing - DVD Supplement
by Frode Jensen
3rd edition from Wordsmiths
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in Jensen's English (Location: GRA-JENSEN)
$20.00
Jump In - Parent/Teacher Manual
by Sharon Watson
from Apologia Educational Ministries
Writing Curriculum for 5th-8th grade
$7.00 $3.50 (3 in stock)
Jump In - Parent/Teacher Manual
by Sharon Watson
2nd edition from Writing with Sharon Watson
Writing Curriculum for 5th-8th grade
in Writing with Sharon Watson (Location: WRI-SWW)
$10.00
Jump In - Student Workbook
by Sharon Watson
2nd edition from Writing with Sharon Watson
Writing Curriculum for 5th-8th grade
in Writing with Sharon Watson (Location: WRI-SWW)
$40.00
Jump In - Student Workbook (with parent manual)
by Sharon Watson
from Apologia Educational Ministries
Writing Curriculum for 5th-8th grade
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Just Write Book 1 - Teacher's Guide
by Elsie S. Wilmerding and Alexandra S. Bigelow
from Educators Publishing Service
for 2nd-3rd grade
in EPS Writing (Location: WRI-EPS)
$7.89 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Learn to Write the Novel Way
by Carole Thaxton
from KONOS
Writing Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
in Konos Writing (Location: WRI-SING)
Learn to Write the Novel Way - Teacher Guide
by Carole Thaxton
from KONOS
Writing Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
in Konos Writing (Location: WRI-SING)
$4.00 (3 in stock)
Lightning Lit & Comp American Literature: Mid -Late 19th Century - Student Guide
by Elizabeth Kamath
3rd edition from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Little Red Writing Book
by Brandon Royal
from Writer's Digest
for 6th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Lively Art of Writing
by Lucile Vaughan Payne
from Mentor Books
Writing Reference for 10th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99
Mad as a Wet Hen!
from Clarion Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
My Book of Stories
by Deborah Patterson
from British Library
for 3rd-6th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
My First Story Writing Book
by Louie Stowell
from Usborne
for 1st-4th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Writing
by Lucy Calkins
from Firsthand Heinemann
for Adult
in Classroom Teacher Resources (Location: HSR-CTR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Office of Assertion
by Scott F. Crider
1st edition from Intercollegiate Studies Institute
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$15.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
On Writing Well
by William Zinsser
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Writing Reference for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
One Year Adventure Novel - Textbook
by Daniel Schwabauer
2nd edition from Clear Water Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
One Year Adventure Novel Curriculum (old)
by Daniel Schwabauer
1st edition from Clear Water Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
Painless Writing
by Jeffrey Strausser
2nd edition from Barron's
for 6th-10th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Painless Writing
by Jeffrey Strausser
3rd edition from Barron's
for 6th-10th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99
Paragraph Book - Book 1
by Marjorie Gann
Wkb Rep from Educators Publishing Service
for 1st-2nd grade
in EPS Writing (Location: WRI-EPS)
$26.99
Paragraph Book - Book 2
by Dianne Tucker-LaPlount
Workbook from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-5th grade
in EPS Writing (Location: WRI-EPS)
$26.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Paragraph Book - Book 3
by Dianne Tucker-LaPlount
Workbook from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-5th grade
in EPS Writing (Location: WRI-EPS)
$26.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Paragraph Book - Book 4
by Dianne Tucker-LaPlount
Workbook from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-5th grade
in EPS Writing (Location: WRI-EPS)
$26.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Plot & Structure
Write Great Fiction
by James Scott Bell
5th edition from Writer's Digest
for 10th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
Power in Your Hands - Set
by Sharon Watson
2nd edition from Writing with Sharon Watson
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing with Sharon Watson (Location: WRI-SWW)
Power in Your Hands - Student Book
by Sharon Watson
2nd edition from Writing with Sharon Watson
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing with Sharon Watson (Location: WRI-SWW)
Power in Your Hands - Teacher's Guide
by Sharon Watson
2nd edition from Writing with Sharon Watson
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing with Sharon Watson (Location: WRI-SWW)
$20.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Punching the Clock
by Marvin Terban, illustrated by Tom Huffman
from Clarion Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Put That In Writing Level One
by Steve & Shari Barrett
2nd edition from Barrett's Bookshelf
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in Put That In Writing (Location: WRI-PTW)
$54.95
Put That In Writing Level One (old)
by Steve & Shari Barrett
from Barrett's Bookshelf
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$18.00 (2 in stock)
Put That In Writing Level One - Answer Key and Test Bank
by Steve & Shari Barrett
2nd edition from Barrett's Bookshelf
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in Put That In Writing (Location: WRI-PTW)
$7.50
Put That In Writing Level Two
by Steve & Shari Barrett
from Barrett's Bookshelf
Writing Curriculum for 9th-12th grade
in Put That In Writing (Location: WRI-PTW)
$74.95
Rhetoric Alive Senior Thesis Student Workbook
by Alyssan Barnes
from Classical Academic Press
for 11th-12th grade
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
$29.95
Rhetoric Alive Senior Thesis Teacher's Edition
by Alyssan Barnes
from Classical Academic Press
for 11th-12th grade
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
$31.95
School of Fantastical Wordcraft
by N. D. Wilson
from Canon Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$45.00
Sentence Composing for Elementary School
by Don and Jenny Killgallon
from Heinemann
for Adult
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Sentence Skills Flipper
from Christopher Lee Publications
for 3rd-5th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
Someday You'll Write
by Elizabeth Yates
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
Non-fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$5.00
Spelling Dictionary for Writers Book 2
by Gregory Hurray
from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-4th grade
in EPS Spelling (Location: SPE-EPS)
$17.09
Story Craft
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
Story Starters
by Karen Andreola
from Charlotte Mason Research and Supply Co.
for 4th-10th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$34.95 $20.00 (1 in stock)
Student's Guide to Writing College Papers
by Kate L. Turabian
Fourth Edition from University of Chicago
for 10th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$17.00
Style
by Joseph M. Williams
from University of Chicago
Writing Reference for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
Talk to the Hand
by Lynne Truss
1st edition from Gotham Books
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tapestry of Grace: Writing Aids
by Marcia Somerville, Dana Caywood & Beth Kelley
from Tapestry of Grace
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$14.00 (4 in stock)
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style - Binder & DVDs
Institute for Excellence in Writing
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
Writing Curriculum for 2nd-10th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in IEW Excellence in Writing (Location: WRI-IEW)
$189.00 $130.00 (1 in stock)
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