Exercise #2 "They Say, I Say"

In the Introduction to "They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing,Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates designed to help generate a thought process that helps organize the author's thoughts into coherent work. Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the type of writing templates they offer focus on the structure of the paper. As the authors themselves put it, "templates, focus writers attention not just on what is being said, but on the forms that structure what is being said." Although some people believe that modifying your writing style through trial and error is best, Graff and Birkenstein insist that following a template helps the writer generate ideas. In sum, then, their view is that following templates in your writing process can drastically help develop a successful writing style.
I agree for the most part with Graff and Birkenstein's ideas especially when dealing with younger students. For the most part, I was taught a basic template in writing a paper or essay that always included a introduction, body, and conclusion. The detailed templates the authors discuss would have made a lot of my papers from high school and early college more coherent. However, I feel as a student becomes more adept to a set writing style that works, he/she should consider developing their own individual style of writing.