The Writing Continuum

1
The Writing Continuum

• While it may be tempting to think of the writing
  done for paper one as completely unrelated to any
  other writing youll do at GT, think of all types
  of prose falling onto a writing continuum.

2
On one end of the continuum, we have open form
prose.

• Open form
• Narrative-based prose
• This side of the continuum is less concerned with
  getting a specific point across as much as it is
  with sharing an event or experience, conveying an
  emotion, telling a story, etc.

3
On the other end of the continuum, we have
closed form prose.

• Closed form Open
  form Thesis-driven prose
• This side of the continuum is more concerned with
  delivering a point and proving that point through
  research, evidence, logical arguments etc. All
  points in closed-form prose directly advance
  central thesis. This prose is very rigidly
  structured. (Ex. There are three reasons why
  windpower is untenable A, B, and C. One
  paragraph is dedicated to each of these three
  reasons.)

4
Most forms of writing fall somewhere in between
these two extremes on the continuum.

• Closed Implied thesis prose Open
• Sometimes writers imply a thesis/argument. The
  persuasive purpose of the paper is still there,
  but the position the author is trying to convince
  her or his audience of is not explicitly stated,
  and may often be complex.

5
Authors chose their form based on their purpose
for writing, their choice of topic/type of
argument, and the audience whom the author
imagines is going to read the text.

• Closed Delayed thesis Implied thesis Open
• When authors employ a delayed thesis style, the
  thesis statement is still made explicit for the
  reader, but is not stated until after some if not
  all of the evidence has been presented. Authors
  chose this form for very controversial topics or
  if they imagine a very skeptical audience.

6
Where would you place the essays weve read thus
far this semester?

• Davis?
• Poole?
• Roundtable discussion?

7
Youll note that what seemed to be the defining
element for the essay type was the thesis
statement.

• What is a thesis? Is it all that different from a
  topic? What is a thesis statement supposed to do?
  Where should it go?

8
Lets have a running definition of a thesis
statement. A thesis statement

• is an answer to a question we know to be both
  problematic and significant. (This is why paper 1
  is so important-- one long exercise in practicing
  the work necessary to create a thesis statement.)
• takes risks in that people could disagree with it
  or that it could be proven wrong.
• creates tension in that it surprises and
  simultaneously challenges the reader with a
  thought they might not have considered.
• when given early in the essay forecasts the
  direction for the rest of the document and lets
  readers know what to expect.

9
What is the difference between a topic and a
thesis?

• While a topic also might forecast the direction
  for the rest of the document, topics do not take
  risks because they do not engender disagreement.
• Also, while topics may hint at surprising
  information, they do little to create tension if
  they do not show how that new info changes how a
  given idea should be viewed.

10
How can we take these following statements that
do not take risks and turn them in to strong
thesis statements?

• The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was an
  event that altered the US space program.
• The advent of locomotive technology had a big
  impact on American culture.
• There are some good and bad things about credit
  cards.
• There are many reasons why local governments are
  deciding to add bicycle lanes to their roads.

11

• Although the Challenger disaster was a horrible
  event that saddened an entire nation, the lessons
  learned from NASAs mistakes in the incident have
  proved valuable.
• Although many people would readily admit that the
  locomotive was an invention that brought more
  regions of America together in closer contact,
  research suggests that it had a devastating
  impact within those communities themselves.
• While seemingly everyone in the US has
  demonstrated a preference for spending on credit
  versus using hard currency in business
  transactions , research shows that this
  enthusiastic trust in credit systems as a means
  of payment is unwarranted.

12
Note that each one of these examples employs a
surprising reversal formula

• creates tension by invoking a common view or
  innocuous view within itself.
• hints at how it plans on expanding that common
  view
• could be proven wrong. The reader wont know for
  sure until the evidence has been presented.