Post for Friday

Purpose and provocation. These two words fit well into any discussion of writing, yes? As writers, we seek a purpose for the words we put down on a page. In kind, those very words were usually provoked by something. Graff and Birkenstein start out chapter one, "They Say," with a story that emphasizes just that. Clarity of purpose is obviously a huge element of thesis development, so why would the authors feel so compelled to point this out? Perhaps due to the fact even though most writers try, some forget. The passion behind the purpose and provocation at times has the writer drowning in his own sea of opinions, examples, and the like. Detailing what others have said is always a good start to what you as a writer have to say. It certainly never hurts.

Today I had the misfortune, or fortune as it turned out to be, of clearing out old furniture. In doing so, a toy kitchen of my daughter's caught the attention of our clearing out frenzy. The toy was perfectly usable, but sitting in a corner gathering dust since seven year olds don't show much interest in toy kitchens. I do have a point here (no need to fear that I've gone off the deep end and am suffering from writer's block.) At any rate, the kitchen might have found additional life in a garage sale, but ended up at the curb instead. An hour after it was set out, a grandmotherly type of advanced years came knocking on the door and asked if she might offer me some money for the kitchen. I was so startled by her comment I didn't properly consider what she was telling me---that she had an adopted granddaughter who would just love the toy. I told her by no means was it necessary to pay me for the kitchen, and that she was welcome to take it. What was it doing in my house, save for gathering dust?

Words are sometimes like a toy kitchen. They sit in a corner gathering dust, or sit on a page, hoping to be noticed. Templates are like those toy kitchens that Graff and Birkenstein are always pushing us into. The basic nature of what we start out with is the same, but every little girl creates her own little world from that kitchen...er...template. Apart from provocation and purpose, Graff and Birkenstein are quick to point out that the best writing is like a conversation. One sided communication doesn't inspire much learning, let alone much thinking. To be fully developed, the best writing allows for two voices in one paper. Call it an argument and counterargument if you like. The point is to stir something up.

Templates and the "moves" that Graff and Birkenstein suggest may seem too formal to bring to a tutoring session. It depends on how such things are implemented. A starting point is better than a blank sheet of paper. To conclude with a point mentioned in another article, tutors should save themselves from the "savior" mentality by allowing the tutee to see that templates provide a setting. From that basic setting, products of great imagination are produced.