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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. 1 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. 2 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 3