"I don't know how you do it... you take something
I write, and you just... make it better."
-In Control
I am a project of two very different schools. First, I am an artist. I write plays, lyrics, songs, musicals, all sorts of things. Either I write to amuse myself because it's a hobby of mine, or I write to fill a contract that I have taken on professionally. For instance, in the summer of 2012 I was hired to write a musical based on the fairy tale "Snow White," but given a number of constraints around that: the leading role was being written for a certain Off-Broadway actress with roots in my hometown; the producer wanted an expanded role for the Magic Mirror; the Prince needed "a funny Disney-style sidekick;" and so on.
On the other hand, I am an academic. Currently pursuing my MA in English, a part of me has been carefully trained to think like a scholar, and write like a scholar. The Western linear argumentative essay of proof and persuasion, which I am required to write between eight and twenty times per semester, is a very different animal than the dramatic work. It has rules that work differently- citation, evidence, a text that must speak for itself. The paper can evolve during peer review, revision, in between drafts, but it cannot be shaped and reimagined on its feet the way dramatic work can.
During the first semester of my MA at Duquesne, I discovered the possibility of a middle ground between these two disciplines. Within English and education studies, there exists a relatively new, still somewhat controversial, subdiscipline known as Compositional Theory, also commonly known as "Comp theory" or "comp" for short. Comp, which is essentially the study of how people write, how people can BETTER learn to write, and how to teach writing of any kind, has been the subject of "theory wars" since it emerged during the mid-twentieth century as a major field of study. No one can agree on definitive compositional theories, and the entire field has often run on an "agree to disagree" basis.
The more comp I read, the more I began to draw parallels between the structured, linear modes of academic writing and the more flexible, hands-on styles of creative writing. I looked at the way I learned to write as an artist and considered the way it coincided with what I was learning about comp theory. Little by little, connections began to appear more tangibly.
In the next few blog posts, I'm going to talk a little bit more in depth about my connections between comp theory and playwriting, and between academia and artistry. If you're interested in following along at home, or in looking into the application of these theories yourself, there are two books (technically three) that I absolutely must recommend as required reading.
First, Cross Talk In Comp Theory, a compilation edited by Victor Villanueva. This book is huge, dense, and not always fun to read, but it has no peers as a comp-theory bible. Every author I mention on this blog has their exemplary work found in this reader, though I will give the names of individual articles, most of which can be found online, for those who don't feel like purchasing this huge reference work.
The second (and third if we're being technical) necessary volume for this discussion is acclaimed lyricist, composer and musical mastermind Stephen Sondheim's two-volume "artistic memoirs," Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made A Hat. (I counted them as one item since the two are frequently for sale together in a slip-case.) These two books offer a look into the development of one of the major theatrical voices of the past fifty years, showing not only his complete lyrics for the stage but huge amounts of notes on technique, playwriting and lyrical theory, and the art of revision. If you're looking for insight into the famously prickly artist's many enmities, or the truth about the rumors of an "erotic dungeon" beneath his spacious abode, you'll go away empty-handed, but for those who prefer intelligent artistic criticism over salacious details, this artistic autobiography is worth more than any seedy tell-all memoir could ever hope to offer.
I will do my best to quote the pertinent sections of each book as I come to them in discussion, to prevent any confusion. If you have any questions, comments, gripes, concerns or requests, don't hesitate to post comments! I would love to hear from any readers of this page.
On the other hand, I am an academic. Currently pursuing my MA in English, a part of me has been carefully trained to think like a scholar, and write like a scholar. The Western linear argumentative essay of proof and persuasion, which I am required to write between eight and twenty times per semester, is a very different animal than the dramatic work. It has rules that work differently- citation, evidence, a text that must speak for itself. The paper can evolve during peer review, revision, in between drafts, but it cannot be shaped and reimagined on its feet the way dramatic work can.
During the first semester of my MA at Duquesne, I discovered the possibility of a middle ground between these two disciplines. Within English and education studies, there exists a relatively new, still somewhat controversial, subdiscipline known as Compositional Theory, also commonly known as "Comp theory" or "comp" for short. Comp, which is essentially the study of how people write, how people can BETTER learn to write, and how to teach writing of any kind, has been the subject of "theory wars" since it emerged during the mid-twentieth century as a major field of study. No one can agree on definitive compositional theories, and the entire field has often run on an "agree to disagree" basis.
The more comp I read, the more I began to draw parallels between the structured, linear modes of academic writing and the more flexible, hands-on styles of creative writing. I looked at the way I learned to write as an artist and considered the way it coincided with what I was learning about comp theory. Little by little, connections began to appear more tangibly.
In the next few blog posts, I'm going to talk a little bit more in depth about my connections between comp theory and playwriting, and between academia and artistry. If you're interested in following along at home, or in looking into the application of these theories yourself, there are two books (technically three) that I absolutely must recommend as required reading.
First, Cross Talk In Comp Theory, a compilation edited by Victor Villanueva. This book is huge, dense, and not always fun to read, but it has no peers as a comp-theory bible. Every author I mention on this blog has their exemplary work found in this reader, though I will give the names of individual articles, most of which can be found online, for those who don't feel like purchasing this huge reference work.
The second (and third if we're being technical) necessary volume for this discussion is acclaimed lyricist, composer and musical mastermind Stephen Sondheim's two-volume "artistic memoirs," Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made A Hat. (I counted them as one item since the two are frequently for sale together in a slip-case.) These two books offer a look into the development of one of the major theatrical voices of the past fifty years, showing not only his complete lyrics for the stage but huge amounts of notes on technique, playwriting and lyrical theory, and the art of revision. If you're looking for insight into the famously prickly artist's many enmities, or the truth about the rumors of an "erotic dungeon" beneath his spacious abode, you'll go away empty-handed, but for those who prefer intelligent artistic criticism over salacious details, this artistic autobiography is worth more than any seedy tell-all memoir could ever hope to offer.
I will do my best to quote the pertinent sections of each book as I come to them in discussion, to prevent any confusion. If you have any questions, comments, gripes, concerns or requests, don't hesitate to post comments! I would love to hear from any readers of this page.