Writing Exercise 1: Structural Imitation
Demonstration
Structural imitation is a way to follow in the footsteps of accomplished writers and artists. Before we get started, here’s a structural imitation of a Tom Petty song, “Crawling back to you.”
Passage from Tom Petty’s “Crawling back to you”
Waiting by the side of the road
For day to break so we could go
Down into Los Angeles
With dirty hands and worn out knees
I keep crawling back to you
I keep crawling back to you
The ranger came with burning eyes
The chambermaid awoke surprised
Thought she’d seen the last of him
She shook her head and let him in
I keep crawling back to you
I keep crawling back to you
Structural Imitation
Anticipating the page to load
For the assignment to open so we could work
In the Canvas course site
With a dusty screen and dirty keys
I keep doing my homework
I keep doing my homework
The student came with a curious mind
The teacher was very kind
Thought it be another boring assignment
They smiled and began
I keep doing my homework
I keep doing my homework
Overview
Just as musicians often develop their craft by studying the songs of other musicians, or artists by imitating the techniques of other artists, one of the best ways for us to develop our craft as a writer is to imitate the style of other writers. Drawing on Felicita Arzu Carmichael’s discussion of structural imitation in Paideia 18, Chapter 3 “Language, Style, and Reading Habits,” in this Writing Exercise assignment, we are going to explore syntax (sentence structure) and paragraph development (sequencing ideas) by imitation. The work we do in this assignment is intended to help you be more aware of your craft as you read and as you write.
Materials
Paideia 18, Chapter 3: “Language, Style, and Reading Habits,” by Felicitia Arzu Carmichael (available in BryteWave Course Materials)
Instructions
In Paideia 18, Chapter 3: “Language, Style, and Reading Habits,” review Felicita Arzu Carmichael’s examples of structural imitation on page 36.
Think of a favorite writer (e.g., novelist, poet, essayist, academic writer, songwriter, etc.) and find an approximately 50-100 word passage in the form of a paragraph, two or three sentences, two or three verses, etc. (it can be anything).
NOTE: If you are having trouble thinking of a particular passage, try a Google search for a writer you like, look up “famous quotes” by that person, Google search the lyrics for a favorite song, look up famous quotes and just find a passage that resonates with you. If you’re at a loss in finding a passage that resonates, you could draw on a passage from Gloria Anzaldúa’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” or draw on a passage from Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue,” or draw on a passage from one of the Paideia 18 authors.
Introduce the author and the sources of the passage you are going to structurally imitate.
Transcribe that passage word for word, punctuation mark for punctuation mark, and space for space (don’t just copy and paste–try to get a feel for how that passage sounds and moves in sentence structure and/or as a sequence of sentences).
Below the passage you transcribed, and following Felicita Arzu Carmichael’s examples of structural imitation on page 36, structurally imitate your passage using your own words and ideas but mimicking the sentence structure and/or development of ideas in the paragraph.
To Submit
Format your response as follows:
Introduce the author and source of passage you are going to structurally imitate–complete instruction 3
Transcribed passage:
50-100 words–complete instruction 4
Structurally Imitated passage–complete instruction 5
Submit your work as an uploaded PDF or Word document attachment or in the text box.
