Re: No, Yes, and But for Formulaic Writing

[kabels@email.unc.edu (Kimberly Abels)]

What about using concepts of "purpose" and "audience" as the structure
or guides to help students make good decisions as they write?  That
seems more productive, transportable than the 5P.  Writing, at some
level, requires making a series of decisions (word choice, sentence
order, paragraphs, etc.) and putting ideas (wherever they come from)
in a linear order for a reader.  What seems hard is finding an
effective linearity for a given situation.  Using the 5P takes that
decision-making away from the writer.  Students, in comp classes or
the WC need practice making decisions about the order of ideas in
particular contexts.  When they define the purpose of a writing task
and then aim their writing at particular readers, structures fitting
their needs rise from those initial decisions.  Students can see how
and why they might paragraph at certain times, where a main point
should go, etc.  Can someone help flesh this out with an example?

To become flexible writers--ones that can succeed in our comp classes,
across the curriculum, and in the workplace--we need to give students
a full set of rhetorical tools and practice using them, not just
starter tools that they will eventually discard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kimberly Town Abels
Writing Center Director
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
(919)962-7710
kabels@email.unc.edu