Dick - I think that the issue goes beyond being "like us" (yes, I, too, admit to an ancient attachment to diagramming!) and reaches to the heart of the issue that we have with NCTE and their various attacks against grammar. If we can move grammar away from the side of the writing process that deals with error correction and more towards what classical rhetoric would call "invention," then we can demonstrate that grammar can, indeed, play a major role in creative ("right brain") part the writing process. In fact, I think that grammar can a more powerful creative tool than so-called "unstructure free-writing." Students can use standard grammatical constructions to create original, powerful sentences, paragraphs, and even entire essays starting with little more than simple subject-predicate combinations. There truly is a grammar for the right brain, and as you indicated, it doesn't need to be separated from the left brain. In fact, it is the structure of grammar that allows both halves to work so well together! Grammar is an "all brain" subject! Geoff Layton _________________________________________________________________ Fixing up the home? Live Search can help http://imagine-windowslive.com/search/kits/default.aspx?kit=improve&locale=en-US&source=hmemailtaglinenov06&FORM=WLMTAG To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/