My Monkey RE: Big Yes for Formulaic Writing

[Jon Olson <jeo3@psu.edu>]

In her response to Richard Long, Katie Fischer said, "I don't want my
monkey to look like a horse . . . ."  

Hahahahaha!  I love it, Katie.  You've summed up the whole issue for me in
that line.  Now I have a motto for the summer.  Thanks,  --Jon, Penn State,
jeo3@psu.edu

At 11:12 AM 6/2/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Richard,
[snip]
>Yet I love structure.  But I love a structure that rises out of the bone
>pile to support the particular skeleton I'm putting together rather than
>the one in the next lab down the hall.  I don't want my monkey to look
>like a horse and I don't understand why nearly everyone who supports
>"the formal academic essay" feels I have to learn the horse structure as
>the sole important one when there are so many animals  and things I hope
>to construct in my writing life.
>
>What am I saying?  Give me liberty or give me the monkey?
>
>Katie