"I try to think but nothing happens." Curly of the Three Stooges

Lindemann writes on page 150 that, “…what we do when we think transcends terminology.” But in the same paragraph she writes that, “Thinking is relational.”  Isn’t “Thinking is relational” using terminology about how we think?

Lindemann loves Aristotle.   Her book includes what he said about many topics.  In chapter nine she writes that his twenty-eight topoi were descriptions of ways to “generate subject matter.”  Lindemann is again highlighting the importance of the invention/ prewriting process as opposed to the finished product.

In discussing paragraphing she writes that the form and size of the paragraph should be determined by its contents rather than the contents fitting into a pre-established paragraph form.  Her writing about sentences’ relationships driving paragraphing is very clear.  The explanation of the coordinating and subordinating sentences with the numbers in front of the sentences illustrated her idea very well.

Lindemann’s writing about the frequency of topic sentences in paragraphs shows the complexity of the writing process and the difficulty in teaching how to do it.  She writes that some groups studied the percentage of paragraphs that contain topic sentences.  The results were difficult to quantify because the groups couldn’t agree on what a topic sentence is. 

I like the idea of the topic sentence of a paragraph as a promise to the reader.  It’s a good metaphor for my students and me.  I wonder what Aristotle would have thought about it.