What Can I Write About by David Powell

ISBN:  0-8141-5656-8

This publication of the National Council of Teachers of English has minimal introductions to twelve writing modes ranging from Description to Evaluation . The strength of the text, however, lies in the remaining chapter contents:  nothing but list after list of possible story starters, process paper topics, narrative and exposition ideas, even cause / effect relationships.  Sometimes the connection is tenuous, but with an alleged 7,000 different ideas, one doesn't have to get them all to find many useful.

Writers INC by Sebranek, Meyer, and Kemper

ISBN:  0-939045-78-8

This Write Source Handbook defies categorizing.  I've referred it to special education teachers who got a copy for themselves, it lends handily to high school MLA references, and contains an abundant supply of necessary elementary appendeces at the end.  In addition to maps, some of the more unique attachments include the entire U.S. Constitution, conversion factors, the Periodic Table of the Elements, traffic signs and signs of the Zodiac.  And the entire book is less than 1/2" thick.  One notable drawback (perhaps) is an unusual index that doesn't refer you to page numbers, but rather to sections.

After the End by Barry Lane

ISBN:  0-435-08714-2

Familiar to middle school writing teachers for years, Barry Lane's approach to "creative revision" is a very fresh approach for high school writing revision.  Lane provides unique ways to develop that are attainable and totally in line with current writing process theory.  Be forewarned, as such, Lane speaks to the teacher as writer rather than to the writing teacher.

The St. Martin's Guide to Writing by Axelrod and Cooper

ISBN:  13: 978-0-312-44624-6

In it's 8th edition, this St. Martin's is not the writing handbook you may remember from college.  It is organized according to major modes of writing (describing, arguing, comparing, etc.) with both student and professional samples of each.  It can be ordered complete with a grammar handbook and grammar software, but it's major strength is its commitment to the writing process.  As the book claims in its cover, first year college students can virtually teach themselves from prewriting to drafting to researching to formatting for publication.