Writing Is Hard: A Collection of Over 100 Essays - Paperback

by Jim Labate (Author)

To Writers Everywhere:

Have you ever read a writing and grammar textbook? Most likely, you haven't. Or if you have, you probably read it only because some teacher forced you. With that in mind, I wrote the following essays in an attempt to teach writing and grammar in a nontraditional and nonthreatening way.

These essays appeared initially in The Hudsonian, the student newspaper at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. As one of the writing specialists in The Writing and Research Center at HVCC, I have observed that many students are intimidated by formal textbooks that attempt to explain the entire writing process or to address all areas of punctuation, grammar, and usage. Thus, I tried to make these essays somewhat informal, and I purposely focused on only a small portion of the writing process or on one small part of the mechanics of writing.

My hope was that students might take a few moments to read the student newspaper, find the essay, and learn something that would stay with them for years. After publication in the newspaper, I reformatted the essays, and now, I use them as supplemental handouts for students who are struggling with commas or fragments or term papers or any other aspect of writing. As you read through the essays, I sure hope you find them a bit more interesting than your grammar textbook.

Author Biography

Since January of 2000, Jim LaBate has worked as a writing specialist in The Writing Center at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. Originally from Amsterdam, New York, Jim graduated from Saint Mary's Institute and Bishop Scully High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Siena College in Loudonville, New York, and his master's degree, also in English, from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. Jim has spent his entire career as either a teacher or a writer. He taught physical education as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Golfito, Costa Rica, for two years. He taught high-school English for ten years (one year at Vincentian Institute in Albany, New York, and nine years at Keveny Memorial Academy in Cohoes, New York). Then, he worked for ten years as a writer for Newkirk Products in Albany, New York. Jim lives in Clifton Park, New York, with his wife, Barbara; they have two daughters: Maria and Katrina.