8 William T. FitzGerald’s Writing with Force and Flair
Writing Spaces Volume 3
The article explains how figurative language is necessary to create quality writing in academia, suggesting that a writer who can effectively incorporate such ideas demonstrates their expertise, much like a painter or chef. It provides definitions and examples of rhetorical figures such as expression and patterns, using historical writings to demonstrate their effectiveness. Instructors can use the article, the discussion questions, and the activities provided by the author to help students understand that there is no set definition for academic writing. The author offers suggestions for ways students can generate this kind of writing, using techniques such as Fieldwork, Analysis, Imitation, and Copia (Plenty). The information indirectly introduces students to this idea of voice and that their work, while still must convey a purpose, should be written in a way that demonstrates their own unique writing style and ability.
“If we are not careful, writing with force and flair comes across as mere show–in the useful figure of cliche, all hat and no cattle. Or as any cook can tell you, a little nutmeg goes a long way. To extend this culinary analogy, rhetorical figures may be likened to a spice rack, without which writing cannot be anything but bland. What is needed is the right combination of spices as a matter of both taste and tradition.”
MLA Citation Examples
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, William T. “Writing With Force and Flair.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Volume 3, edited by Dana Driscoll, Mary Stewart, and Matthew Vetter, Parlor Press, 2020, pp. 52-64.
In-text citation
“If we are not careful, writing with force and flare comes across as mere show—in the useful figure of cliché, all hat and no cattle. Or as any cook can tell you, a little nutmeg goes a long way. To extend this culinary analogy, rhetorical figures may be likened to a spice rack, without which writing cannot be anything but bland. What is needed is the right combination of spices as a matter of both taste and tradition” (57).
APA Citation Examples
References
Fitzgerald, W.T. (2020). Writing with force and flair. In Dana Driscoll, Mary Stewart, and Matthew Vetter (Eds.), Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 3 (pp. 52-64). New York: Parlor Press.
In-text citation
“If we are not careful, writing with force and flare comes across as mere show—in the useful figure of cliché, all hat and no cattle. Or as any cook can tell you, a little nutmeg goes a long way. To extend this culinary analogy, rhetorical figures may be likened to a spice rack, without which writing cannot be anything but bland. What is needed is the right combination of spices as a matter of both taste and tradition” (p. 57).
Chicago Citation Examples
Bibliography
Fitzgerald, William T. “Writing With Force and Flair,” in Writing Spaces: Reading on Writing Volume 3, ed. Dana Driscoll, Mary Stewart, and Matthew Vetter, (New York: Parlor Press, 2020), 52-64.
In-text citation
“If we are not careful, writing with force and flare comes across as mere show—in the useful figure of cliché, all hat and no cattle. Or as any cook can tell you, a little nutmeg goes a long way. To extend this culinary analogy, rhetorical figures may be likened to a spice rack, without which writing cannot be anything but bland. What is needed is the right combination of spices as a matter of both taste and tradition” (Fitzgerald, 2020, 57).
About the author
name: Writing Spaces Volume 3
institution: Parlor Press and WAC Clearinghouse
website: https://writingspaces.org/
Released in 2020, the third issue of Writing Spaces was edited by Dana Driscoll, Mary Stewart, and Matthew Vetter. In addition to the Writing Spaces Website, volume 3 can be accessed through WAC Clearinghouse, as well as Parlor Press.
From Parlor Press
Volume 3 continues the tradition of previous volumes with topics such as voice and style in writing, rhetorical appeals, discourse communities, multimodal composing, visual rhetoric, credibility, exigency, working with personal experience in academic writing, globalized writing and rhetoric, constructing scholarly ethos, imitation and style, and rhetorical punctuation.
From WAC Clearinghouse
Dana Driscoll is Professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches in the Composition and Applied Linguistics graduate program and directs the Jones White Writing Center. Her scholarly interests include composition pedagogy, writing centers, writing transfer and writerly development, research methodologies, writing across the curriculum, and assessment.
Mary Stewart is Assistant Professor and the Assessment Coordinator for the English Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her research, which is primarily qualitative, focuses on collaborative and interactive learning, blended and online writing instruction, composition pedagogy, and teaching with technology.
Matthew Vetter is Assistant Professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and affiliate faculty in the Composition and Applied Linguistics Doctoral Program. A scholar in writing, rhetoric, and digital humanities, his research explores how technologies shape writing and writing pedagogy.
