Re: Big Yes for Formulaic Writing

[WILL HOCHMAN <hochman@uscolo.edu>]

Dear D. Bohem, What an exemplary piece of writing--despite my
preference for non-formulaic writing (or really writing that takes the
form of its own thinking, feeling and sound), your creative approach,
muscial association, and self-reflexivity are inspiring! 

yes2u, will hochman

On Sun, 31 May 1998 rboehm_at_ucomp@ccmail.llu.edu wrote:

> 
> 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
> 
>