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CMGT Writing Initiative Newsletter 1.2 (Fall 2014)
Structure: Writing in Space-time
Like a software designer, the Baroque
composer Johann Sebastian Bach (16851750) liked to hide Easter eggs in his
“code.” But rather than jokes or
messages, Bach hid his own name,
spelling it out over and over again in
many compositions.
Bach’s cryptographic signature, the so-called “B-A-C-H motif,” has had a
broad and lasting impact. Since 1700, more than 300 composers have
referenced the motif in their works (Bruhn, 2008). Subsequent artists’
hidden signatures in a variety of media – Alfred Hitchcock’s cameos being but
one example – are another legacy. But the motif is more than a bit of cultural
arcana. In fact, its theoretical implications for Bach’s music help illuminate an
important aspect of the writing process.
Momentarily freeing music from its imprisonment in time, cryptograms like
the B-A-C-H motif, as Elbow (2006) has observed, lend to music a kind of
meaning usually restricted to writing. One can easily say what a literary text
means – sum it up – in part because it, unlike music, exists in space (Elbow,
2006). Unlike a fleeting experience, a text is always available to its reader in
its entirety. Tellingly, the spatial dimension of writing provides us with many
common metaphors for the writing process: “support” and “structure” come
from architecture, for example. The perhaps unique complexity of writing
reflects its simultaneous existence in time, however.
Managing the spatiotemporality of writing poses a unique set of challenges
for writers. Unfortunately, many notions of organization tend to reflect only
writing’s spatiality. Outline all paragraphs, instructors say. Give each
paragraph a topic sentence, they say (“topic” comes from the Greek word for
“place”). Make sure your paper is coherent and cohesive. As important as
these practices certainly are, how can you ensure that your writing process
accounts for the fact that the reader also experiences a text like she does a
piece of music – as an experience bound to time?
Writing Process Model: The Hourglass
Look, perhaps, to the hourglass. With its symmetrical top and bottom and its
narrow middle, the hourglass embodies the ideal paragraph outline: claim
(general), evidence (specific), warrant (general again). Now imagine a series
of hourglasses stacked end to end with holes drilled through all the bases.
Sand flows from one warrant to the next claim, while each hourglass retains
its coherence.
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CMGT Writing Initiative Newsletter 1.2 (Fall 2014)
Like a set of stacked hourglasses, a well-organized text coheres while
remaining dynamic. Its movement is rhythmic but predictable and
controlled. At any given place in the text, the reader can easily follow the
train of thought while understanding how a particular sentence or paragraph
fits into the whole. In theory, such effects are achievable through sustained
attention to the spatiotemporality of the text. In practical terms, this might
entail a combination of advance planning and a use of certain stylistic
devices.
Writing Technique: Paragraph Looping
Transitional terms – “therefore,” “for example,” “consequently,” “more
specifically” – help a reader follow the thread of an argument or exposition,
but paragraph looping offers a way to create a smoothly flowing text
arguably superior to the use of transitional words alone. Recently published
work by established writers shows that professionals use this technique to
manage the temporal dimension of writing and create smoothly flowing
texts. More specifically, paragraph breaks in these authors’ books reveal that
the repetition of key words or ideas at the beginning of paragraphs can help
achieve smooth transitions between ideas.
From McChesney’s Digital Disconnect (2013, p. 73):
From Boyd’s It’s Complicated (2013, p. 29):
More Help with Organization from Pearson Writer
For more tips on organization and transitions, see the lessons on outlining,
paragraphing, and transitions under “Organizing Your Writing” in the
Writing section of Pearson Writer.
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CMGT Writing Initiative Newsletter 1.2 (Fall 2014)
References
Boyd, D. (2013). It’s complicated: The social lives of networked teens. New
Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Bruhn, S. (2008). Sonic transformations of literary texts: From program music
to ekphrasis: Nine essays. Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press.
Elbow, P. (2006). The Music of form: Rethinking organization in writing.
College Composition and Communication. 56(4), 620-666.
McChesney, R. (2013). Digital disconnect: How capitalism is turning the
Internet against democracy. New York, NY: The New Press.
Oron, A. (2011). Arrangements and transcriptions of Bach’s works using the
name Bach. Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved from http://www.bachcantatas.com/Arran/L-BACH.htm
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