Imitation, not Limitation: Fan Fiction in the Classroom
There is a dizzying array of syllabi for various advanced exposition courses. Many of these syllabi address student writing development issues such as clarity, style, logic, and organization. They also address traditional focuses as description, narration, information, and argument. They can include anything from grammar texts to cable news web sites as required reading, and they usually include reassuring terms such as "improvement" to remind the student that s/he already has the basic skills necessary to compose a quality essay. Assignments might include reading a model text for guidance in writing. Some syllabi encourage imitating those models in the form of assigned essays. Professors have the option of assigning these imitative essays near the beginning of the course and sometimes throughout the course. Imitative writing involves students drawing on the organizational, rhetorical, and stylistic strengths of an essay in order to compose an original work. When used properly, it can encourage students to develop original ideas derived from the models. The imitative writing assignment is traditional in the writing classroom, because it follows the natural pattern of learning for students. Strunk and White note in The Elements of Style: The use of language begins with imitation. The infant imitates the sounds made by its parents; the child imitates first the spoken language, then the stuff of books. The imitative life continues long after the writer is secure in the language, for it is almost impossible to avoid imitating what one admires. Never imitate consciously, but do not worry about being an imitator; take pains instead to admire what is good. Then when Wright 2 you write in a way that comes naturally, you will echo the halloos that bear repeating. ( 10) This authoritative text demands that writers "never imitate consciously," instead suggesting that students incorporate those traits from models in a natural, unforced way. Professors who assign imitative writing, especially when using narratives as models, follow this tradition of learning by doing.
Imitative Writing, Development, Student, Creative Writing, English Language and Literature
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