English

OPEN FORM TO CLOSED FORM WRITING STYLES From The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing

FIU Custom Edition CLOSED FORM OPEN FORM Top Down Thesis Prose

Delayed Thesis Prose

Thesis Seeking Prose

Theme Based Narrative

Thesis explicitly stated in introduction

Thesis appears near end

Essay organized around a question rather than a thesis

Often has an explicit theme rather than a

thesis All parts of essay linked clearly to thesis; top-down structure; topic

sentences in every paragraph; transitions

between them

Text reads as mystery; through

a process, scenarios, or

examples-good transitions

Essay organized around a problem or question; writer often tells stories to

reveal problem’s complexity

Often organized chronologically or has

story-like elements; uses literary

techniques; often called “literary

nonfiction” Reader is guided

throughout a clear structure

Reader held in suspense works to engage the reader

into the issue

Reader gets exposed to various sides of looking at

a problem

Reader gets transplanted into a plot in which there

are scenes that involve issues or

conflicts Contains hard

evidence and research (i.e. statistics,

surveys)

Evidence from writer’s own

experience and research from other sources

may provide field research evidence

along with personal experience

Contains details that may or may not be

based on true events

Structure forecast centered around

proving the thesis

Centered around a problem or issue

where there is usually a solution

suggested

Centered around a problem or theme that the writer may or may not arrive at a thesis or solution

Often used to heighten or deepen a problem or show its human significance

Third person narration Uses third or first person narration

Uses first, third, and second person

narration

Uses mostly first person, but

sometimes, third person narration

Analyze, interpret, argue/persuade

Analyze, interpret, explore, inform, persuade

Explore, inquire, inform, explain

Express, share, entertain, explore

EXAMPLES EXAMPLES EXAMPLES EXAMPLES

Archeological findings published in an anthropological

journal

Article found in Newsweek

Article in Cosmo or GQ

Bill Clinton’s memoir

Business report presented at a

negotiation hearing

Article found in Miami Herald

Discussion forum posted online

Harry Potter books

Published results of a scientific experiment

Biography of a serial killer or a

mysterious crime

Journals, diary entries, personal

assessments

“How-to” or “Self Help” books

When to Use Closed Form vs. Open Form Writing From the The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing

p. 60 Closed Form: -when your focus is on the subject matter itself and your goal is to communicate efficiently to maximize clarity. In these cases your aim is to analyze and persuade. -when you imagine your audience as a busy or harried reader who needs to be able to read quickly and process ideas rapidly; [when you do not know your audience or your audience is serious and formal] -when the conventional genre for your context is closed form writing and you choose to meet, rather than break, readers’ expectations -when you encounter any …situation that asks you to assert a thesis in response to a problem or question Open Form: -when you want to delay your thesis rather than announce it in the introduction to create suspense; a delayed thesis structure is less combative and more friendly; it conveys an unfolding “let’s think this through together” feeling. -when your aim is expressive, exploratory, or literary. These aims tend to be served better through narrative rather than through thesis-with-support writing. -when you imagine a relaxed, [friendly], audience reading primarily for enjoyment and pleasure. -when the conventional genre calls for autobiographical narratives, character sketches, or personal reflective pieces. Popular magazine articles often have a looser, more open structure than do scholarly articles or business reports.