Joining a conversation

You  already know that every writer stands on the shoulders of many giants. One of my giants is Professor Graff, author of “They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter In Academic Writing” Of the most important lessons I learned from Graff is that writing, academic writing in particular, is a conversation. It was a […]

You  already know that every writer stands on the shoulders of many giants. One of my giants is Professor Graff, author of “They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter In Academic Writing”

Of the most important lessons I learned from Graff is that writing, academic writing in particular, is a conversation.

It was a huge Aha! moment for me. Once I discovered that, writing changed from a huge monster to something I can mould and play with.

And I commend the same lesson to you. Before you engage in writing, change into a conversation mode. And you will soon discover doors and windows of ideas opened to you.

You will find words and moves to use that were not available to you before.

Why is that?

Because to join a conversation, you have to consider what others have said before your intervention – before you joined in.

Narrative Hook

One effective way to join a conversation is to use a narrative hook. Once you start with that, the remaining moves are fairly simple. About six moves in total.

One, you take a step back and stretch the conversation to the past. E.g. “since the turn of the century…”

Then you mentioned the controversy or interest in your topic. E.g. “Many experts have been obsessed with the question of whether this is the century to end extreme poverty.”

Three, you mention the views of opposing sides and quote them. E.g. “One school of thought thinks that it can be done. For instance, the most vocal advocate of this view is Professor X. Writing in the journal of ABC, he held that ‘put the quote here’” and then explain the quotation. Example:

“On the one hand, those who believe it can’t be done hold that… On the other hand…”

Four, then you summarise their views. E.g. “In sum, the question is whether it can be done or not.”

Five, agree or disagree with any of the camps. E.g. “I strongly disagree with those who said it can’t be achieved and elect to pitch my tent with those who see the possibility of achieving that.”

Finally, state your own position on the topic. E.g. “My own view is that the world is progressively and incrementally getting better. For example, maternal mortality has reduced drastically worldwide. The global fight against infant mortality has also recorded positive results. Sixty years ago, half of the world was desperately poor. The situation is not that bad now. Therefore, I see the possibility of ending extreme poverty before the end of this century.”

Here’s a template you can use immediately:

“ Since the passage of the law on___________a controversial issue has been whether _______ or __________.

Those who argue that _________, contend that_______. On the other hand, those who oppose this view are vehement that _______.

The chief advocate of the first camp said ‘____’

The essence of X’s argument is that ____.”

“In sum, the argument can be reduced to whether____ or ______.

“My position on this matter is that …”

Here’s a partial implementation of the above template:

“Since the election of President Donald Trump, there has been a controversy about the utility of the social media in political campaigns. In other words, do the social media benefit or facilitate the creation of a well-informed electorate or is it a wicked tool in the hands of politicians to misuse and abuse?

“Those who believe that the social media help the voters advance a trenchant argument that it was the social media that President Barack Obama (a man universally acknowledged as an effective leader) used to win elections and raise funds…”

Summary

The technique of joining the conversation is one of the best methods you can use to structure your writing and many writing instructors are using it all over the world to teach beginning writers the art because it brings many advantages.

One, it gives you credibility because you immediately sound like a professional. That is how the experts do it too. Another advantage is that it gives you the words to use. You will no longer worry about what to say and how to say it.

But most importantly, it gives you a structure you can use to make your writing clear and logical.

So next time you have something to write, join a conversation.