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Prewriting Invention Without Special Software Peggy Parris Department of English Drake University Des Moines, Iowa '50311 Coll1puter invention programs for student writers began to appear several years ago with Hugh Burns' heuristicdialogues based on Burke's Pentad, Aristotle's Topoi, and the Tagmemic Invention Matrix, and new ones keep popping up like dandelions after a spring rain. However, students don't need special invention software to reinforce the heuristic instruction we give them in the classroom. in front of the terminal of a mainframe or at .the keyboard of a free-standing PC, all writers need isa word processing program and the training to use it. Here are just a few of the things they can then do: 1. Macrorie's free writing, even for the tyro typist, bas never been easier than on a computer. Since everything is only written in light, deferred judgment seems to come more readily. If the temptation to evaluate what's being written is too great, the contrast on the monitor can be turned down sothat nothing appears on the screen at all as the writer freely writes. Later, the results can be reviewed by readjusting the contrast and/or by printing out hard copy. 2. Because writing on a computer allows for the insertion of characters at any point in a string, with the remainder moving over to accommodate them, practice in adding free modifiers, using the principle ()f Christensen's Generative Sentence,1 is not only .easy but fun. In addition to helping students write more concretely and specifically, the exercise can produce the beginnings of a story or an essay. 3. Structured heuristics--such as Burke's Pentad, the Young-Beeker-Pike Tagmemic Matrix i and Selfe and Rodi's questions for expressive writing --can be entered into the computer as separate permanent files. The appropriate file can be called up by a student writer any time it is needed, worked with, and the results stored in a new file, leaving the original unaltered and ready for future use. for example, if a writer using a PC wants to do some prewriting for a personal experience essay, the 1 diskette containing the Pentad questions--What's happening? Who's involved? and so on--is put into the disk drive and the file loaded into the computer's memory. The writer then uses free writing to respond to each question, the remaining questions moving down to make room for answers of any length. When the subject has been thoroughly explored, the raw material generated is saved onto a diskette in a new file, to be called back up or printed out whenever, after incubation, the writer needs it. 4. In the same way, a fiction writing student can explore a character before composing a short story by calling up the file containing a set of heuristic questions-- What's the character's full name? What're some observable facts about age, physical appearance, clothing, mannerisms of behavior and speech that would make it possible to pick ______ out of a crowd? and so on --which are answered, using free writing. When the fictional personality is fully developed, the profile is saved and/or printed out as the writer has need of it. S. Similarly, regular, closed poetic forms can be set up in individual permanent files for poetry writing students, called up, written in, and filed under the resulting poem's working title. For instance, when the file SESTINA is called up, the following appears on the screen: 1 2 3 4 S 6 6 1 S 2 4 3 and so on through the remainder of the six stanzas and the envoi. The writer decides on six end words and types them in front of the numbers in their proper order. The numbers are then deleted, and with free writing and whatever comes to the poet's mind, the lines in front of the words are filled in. This very rough draft is saved in a new file for a period of incubation. The writer can call it back up when ready to work on the poem some more.

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Prewriting Invention Without Special Software

Peggy ParrisDepartment of English

Drake UniversityDes Moines, Iowa '50311

Coll1puter invention programs for student writersbegan to appear several years ago with Hugh Burns'heuristic dialogues based on Burke's Pentad,Aristotle's Topoi, and the Tagmemic InventionMatrix, and new ones keep popping up likedandelionsafter a spring rain. However, studentsdon't need special invention software to reinforce theheuristic instruction we give them in the classroom.

~ated in front of the terminal of a mainframe or at.the keyboard of a free-standing PC, all writers needisa word processing program and the training to useit. Here are just a few of the things they can thendo:

1. Macrorie's free writing, even for the tyro typist,bas never been easier than on a computer. Sinceeverything is only written in light, deferredjudgment seems to come more readily. If thetemptation to evaluate what's being written is toogreat, the contrast on the monitor can be turneddown sothat nothing appears on the screen at all asthe writer freely writes. Later, the results can bereviewed by readjusting the contrast and/or byprinting out hard copy.

2. Because writing on a computer allows for theinsertion of characters at any point in a string, withthe remainder moving over to accommodate them,practice in adding free modifiers, using the principle()f Christensen's Generative Sentence,1 is not only.easy but fun. In addition to helping students writemore concretely and specifically, the exercise canproduce the beginnings of a story or an essay.

3. Structured heuristics--such as Burke's Pentad, theYoung-Beeker-Pike Tagmemic Matrix

iand Selfe and

Rodi's questions for expressive writing --can beentered into the computer as separate permanentfiles. The appropriate file can be called up by astudent writer any time it is needed, worked with,and the results stored in a new file, leaving theoriginal unaltered and ready for future use.

for example, if a writer using a PC wants to do someprewriting for a personal experience essay, the

1

diskette containing the Pentad questions--What'shappening? Who's involved? and so on--is put intothe disk drive and the file loaded into the computer'smemory. The writer then uses free writing torespond to each question, the remaining questionsmoving down to make room for answers of anylength. When the subject has been thoroughlyexplored, the raw material generated is saved onto adiskette in a new file, to be called back up or printedout whenever, after incubation, the writer needs it.

4. In the same way, a fiction writing student canexplore a character before composing a short storyby calling up the file containing a set of heuristicquestions--What's the character's full name?What're some observable facts about age, physicalappearance, clothing, mannerisms of behavior andspeech that would make it possible to pick______ out of a crowd? and so on --which areanswered, using free writing. When the fictionalpersonality is fully developed, the profile is savedand/or printed out as the writer has need of it.

S. Similarly, regular, closed poetic forms can be setup in individual permanent files for poetry writingstudents, called up, written in, and filed under theresulting poem's working title. For instance, whenthe file SESTINA is called up, the following appearson the screen:

1234S6

61S243

and so on through the remainder of the six stanzasand the envoi. The writer decides on six end wordsand types them in front of the numbers in theirproper order. The numbers are then deleted, andwith free writing and whatever comes to the poet'smind, the lines in front of the words are filled in.This very rough draft is saved in a new file for aperiod of incubation. The writer can call it back upwhen ready to work on the poem some more.

Page 2: Prewriting invention without special software

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Similar permanent files, using letters and numbers torepresent rhyme schemes and repeated lines of otherpoetic forms--villanelle, various kinds of sonnets,.and so on--can be created and used by studentwriters in the same way.

All this is at the prewriting stage. Using thecomputer, drafts can be entered, edited, saved, orprinted with an ease and freedom that writers havenever known before-i-nc more retyping, no morecutting and pasting with scissorsand tape, no moreLiquid Paper. The computer is a wonderful tool forany writer at any stage of development at any stageof the writing process, but it can be especiallyhelpful to the apprentice at the prewriting stage,using nothing more than a word-processing programand a little instruction and encouragement from us.

I Francis Christensen, "A Generative Rhetoric of theSentence," in ConteIl.!£QrYI Rhetoric:.h..Conc~tualBack..&!ound with Readings, ed, W. Ross Winterowd(New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1975), pp.337-51.

21'11 happily share the computer modifications ofthese heuristics and handouts to teach students to usethem to anyone who sends a self-addressed, stamped ,envelope.

*t*ttttttttttt*tttttttttt**t*tt***tt***t*t*tttt

Teaching Writing through Programming

Linda HylerSouth Junior High School302,7 Tomahawk Drive

Lawrence, Kansas 66044913-842,-8990

I got involved with computers quite by accident--Ineeded an elective class for my doctoral program ineducational administration. As a result, I have beeninvolved with microcomputers since the School ofEducation at the University of Kansas offered itsfirst class in educational computing. Since that time1have gone on to win jointly with my husband afirst place prize from the Joint Council of EconomicEducation for a computer program and supportmaterials we designed, and I have co-authored acomputer manual, A ~te of the Apple, published byReston. Obviously, I'm hooked on computers andwant to share my love with my students. Despite mypersonal growth in computer knowledge andprogram design, my favorite activity for junior highstudents is still one of the first 1developed.

I teach at South Junior High in Lawrence, Kansas.We had one of the first computers in our schooldistrict thanks to a government grant that Ourcareeeducation consultant received. That was a great ryear! I was the only teacher in the building Whoknew how to use the crazy thing or perhaps the onlyteacher crazy enough to want to know. At any rateI could hog the computer-r-every day, all day. Ther~was one tiny problem. We had no software otherthan the Basics disk and the ~ste1!1M~. Then,there wasn't even that much on the market tobuy--especially for education--nor was theremoney to purchase software. After we had allwatched the Kaleidoscope program until we wereseeing color patterns in our sleep, I decided that weneeded to do something else, but was there lifebeyond the ~stem Master? Whatever 1 did neededto have some relationship to the subject matter inthe core class I taught (American history and Englishintegrated for two hours).

Becauseof the lack of software, our class at KUemphasized programming. Therefore, that was whatI knew and what 1could share with my students, buthow to justify it in my curriculum? For years, Ihave had students write children's books and sharetheir stories with a kindergarten class. Why nottranslate this activity to the computer? I did andwhat a success!

Writing was occurring at two levels. First, there wasthe creative writing of the story and second thetechnical writing of the program. Both levelsemphasized different writing skills. Students had tocreate their story, plan it, compose the text, review,edit, and revise. This all had to be accomplishedwithin the framework of BASIC programming. Theprogramming demanded sequence, structure, outlinesproofing, and revising (debugging). In both cases the 'goals were the same--clarity, coherence, detail, logic,precision, orderliness.

Before going to the computer, students had to plantheir stories using story boards. However, what Iloved most was what the computer and programmingdid for my students' writing habits. Suddenly, theyhad to spell words correctly. The computer wouldnot stand for sloppy habits such as leaving letters outin commands. When they did make a mistake, theyactually had to proofread to continue. For an eighthgrader, proofreading is a fate worse than death. Yet,

.here were my little darlings proofreading their workand enjoying it. In addition, no one ever seemed tofinish the book. There was always some item to add