Big Yes for Formulaic Writing

[rboehm_at_ucomp@ccmail.llu.edu]

Hi Centaurs,

The responses to formulaic writing have been extremely interesting as both pros
and cons have been enunciated.

Thank you, Lady,  for your recent excellent response. I really have to agree
with you.  (I also do consider many other responses to have been excellent, even
though I did not entirely agree with them!)

Though we might be sick to death of hearing the term--"The Five Paragraph
Essay", the structure, form, or design is, in fact, a classic model of
conceptual thought across all the arts.  You mentioned ballet, Lady, but
consider also the major development in musical history and the interplay between
two great composers who learned from each other, developed and consolidated the
symphonic form as we know it today--the Symphony.

Go to your Mozart CDs.  Listen intently to the first movements of his symphonies
and string quartets.  In the world of music the structure is so important. 
Listen for this classic design of First Movement Forms:  

    EXPOSITION, where the two or three main themes are presented to the
listener;   
    DEVELOPMENT, where those themes the become the great challenge to the
musical skills of the composer to make them so interesting to the listeners that
none of us will ever fall asleep.  These main themes are treated with changes in
modulation, harmony, inverted intervals, timbre, instrumentation &
orchestration, rhythm, volume, and so on.... And between the presentations of
the themes there are bridge passages that lead the gently on to the next one. 
Within all this development, there is one essential ingredient--TENSION and
RELEASE.  The discords and then concords; the sudden rests or interruption of
rhythm followed by the continued flow; the modulations from major to minor...
these provide that continuous interest in the music.  Like good literature, or
drama, this Tension-Resolution factor is paramount in good composing.

    RECAPITULATION, which is almost a restatement of the Exposition except that
the tonic-dominant relationship does not modulate, but goes right into a small
coda or conclusion that ties up the whole movement.

Schubet, Beethoven, Schumann, Franz Liszt, etc... etc... used this form over and
over again--of course, with some variation and some idiosyncrasy that identified
the unique qualities of that particular composer.  Mozart's "Eine Kleine
Nachtmusik", his 40th Symphony, Beethoven's 5th, Schubert's "Unfinished" are but
some fine examples of this structure in music--but each one with the unique
touch of the Master Composer.

What if we use this terminology in writing also, instead of the INTRO--BODY
(what is that?)--CONCLUSION.

Change the concept in t he student's mind that, instead of being a pain and a
bore, like dancing, like music, like drama/acting, like painting--writing is a
PERFORMING ART!

Now, what if we get our students to listen to these works of music, and then
transpose that idea across to them as writers.  They are now the Master
composers--not of sound, but of ideas; not of tones but of words!  This does
make a great difference to their CONCEPT of who and what they are as
composers/writers.  
    Suddenly, the importance of being and original writer producing original
ideas is not        so awesome.  
    Suddenly, there is relevance to a sense of audience.  
    Suddenly my hypothesis becomes a tension factor that I must bring to a
resolution in       the minds of my readers--whether it be expository,
argumentative, cause-       effect form of essay.  
    Suddenly the lights turn on that there is a challenge to meet (rather than a
fearsome        enemy to attack)--that of developing MY original ideas in a way
that will       enchant the reader!!!!

So, this "5-P-Essay" is no longer a burdensome, brain-boring structure, but
rather a dynamic mode of thinking that will make my writing come alive and
produce those fantastic original ideas from original word-play.  It is a simple
structure to start with but has great potential as a profound structure for
production of powerful thought.

(About form, structure and organization.  There has to be paradigms of structure
on which to hang our ideas.  These will, of course change in design over the
years and for different purposes.  But the fact that we can launch satellites
that will travel for years and still meet their destination to the exact
microsecond shows clearly that the whole universe operates on very precise
structural format--of time, at least.)

Writers are every much composers of "sound" as much as musicians are:  except we
play with words --onomatopoeia, and assonance, and alliteration, and
parallelisms, and repetitions--to express our ideas.  If we can get that concept
across thru the use of another art form, then, I believe, we have expanded the
lateral thinking, skills, the critical thinking skills, and the problem solving
skills of our students, as well as giving them a greater aesthetic feeling and
expertise in producing writing.  

Now, if you want to go a step further with this music parallel with writing, try
listening to Schubert's "Trout Quintet"--Theme and Variation movement. 
Vaughan-Williams "Theme & Variation on Greensleeves" is another beautiful
example.  Writers, of course can emulate these structures in written form with a
small amount of adjustment to suit the medium of expression.  Other structures
also can then be invented to suit one's need and audience and purpose.

This, I have found to be both a liberating and stimulating factor in the
development of writers at both levels of essay writing and at the technical
writing level in the sciences where publication is often the main goal for
coming to my writing classes.  (I still find it  amazing--the number of students
I get at the graduate level, and in the sciences, who still do not know how to
handle and manipulate the 5-P-essay format!! What happened to, or in, their
Freshman Comp classes is a mystery?)

By combining the playful creative functionings of the brain with the logical,
rational functionings of the brain, the writer becomes more empowered to produce
original work (no more plagiarism!!--really!!!!!!) in which a lot of pride is
taken.

Success!  Easy success?  Enjoyable success!!!




Dr. Robert B. Boehm
Coordinator for Writing/Assoc. Dir.
Teaching Learning Center
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, Ca  92350