Betsy is right. I teach a technical writing class to music students. I interpret that broadly. The challenge for them is to write in concrete terms about the most abstract form of art there is.Remember Zappa: Writing about music is like dancing about architecture? We do a lot of exercises on metaphor and I wish I had some examples of the wonderful ways they describe their music, their instruments, their goals, etc. Their instruments can wolves, giraffes, penguins, chameleons....... They love the exercises because they experience the thrill of actually coming close to articulating what they feel but can't express except through music. Tracy Punchard Tracy Punchard, PhD School of UT Arts and Sciences Selkirk College 301 Frank Beinder Way Castlegar, BC V1N 3J1 (250) 365 1318 >>> Betsy Sargent <[log in to unmask]> 11/02/06 01:09pm >>> Cliches always get a bum rap--anyone remember Ryan Stark's fascinating piece on the value of cliche in JAC 19.3 (1999)? How come when Roger asked for cliches, he got so many mixed metaphors and gaffs from student writing instead? I thought Inkshed was a place where we focused on the amazing ideas in students' exploratory writing, instead of on their inevitable mistakes and misunderstandings. Betsy At 01:47 PM 11/2/2006, you wrote: >I hadn't looked before but there is an internet broadcast if you >click on the Listen Online link on this page: > >http://www.cjbk.com/shows/today > >Roger > >Geoffrey Cragg wrote: > >>Hi Roger, >> >>Any chance of getting access to the broadcast? My contribution >>comes from an old Effective Writing exam: "Water your spark and watch it grow." >>Cheers, >>Geoff >> >>Roger Graves wrote: >> >>>I have been asked to participate on a radio show tomorrow in a >>>segment on cliches in honor of National Cliche Day. Does anybody >>>out there have any old chestnuts they would like to share? Any >>>favourite student phrasings? I await your responses with baited breath. >>> >>>Roger Graves >>> >>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >>> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to >>> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties, >>> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask] >>> >>>For the list archives and information about the organization, >>> its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to >>> http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/ >>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >>> >> >> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to >> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties, >> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask] >> >>For the list archives and information about the organization, >> its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to >> http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/ >> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- > To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to > [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties, > write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask] > >For the list archives and information about the organization, > its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to > http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/ > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- M. Elizabeth (Betsy) Sargent Professor of English Department of English and Film Studies University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2E5 CANADA (780) 492-0457 Office (780) 492-8142 FAX [log in to unmask] http://www.sargent.nelson.com/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties, write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask] For the list archives and information about the organization, its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties, write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask] For the list archives and information about the organization, its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-