Twenty-One Genres and How to Write Them

In the first section, Dethier efficiently presents each genre, providing models; a description of the genres’ purpose, context, and discourse; and suggestions for writing activities or “moves” that writers can use to get words on the page and accomplish their writing tasks. The second section explains these moves, over two hundred of them, in chapters ranging from “Solve Your Process Problems” and “Discover” to “Revise” and “Present.” Applicable to any writing task or genre, these moves help students overcome writing blocks and develop a piece of writing from the first glimmers of an idea to its presentation. 

This approach to managing the complexity and challenge of writing in college strives to be useful, flexible, eclectic, and brief—a valuable resource for students learning to negotiate unfamiliar writing situations.

Brock Dethier is professor of English at Utah State University, where he directs the composition program and teaches writing and pedagogy at several levels. He has won his college’s Teacher of the Year Award twice in the last six years and has published four books for composition teachers, including First Time Up: An Insider’s Guide for New Composition Instructors.