The Fun of Writing

Yesterday, I wrote my next to last paper for my summer class.  Somewhere in the middle of it a thought struck me that made me stop and laugh.  I have been doing some editing of project instructions for a publisher and I realized that I am working in two different writing styles on any given day.  I will show you what I mean.

I am starting with a paragraph from one of my fav blogs: stuff Christians like.  Here is the link in case you want to read the entire post.  It is a post about raising your hands while singing in church.  The paragraph as written by the author: 

5. The Pound Cake
This is what we in the industry, of hand raising in case you were wondering, refer to as an "underhand move." Instead of sticking your arms out, you hold them with your palms facing the sky as if you are ready to receive something from someone in front of you. In the pound cake, your elbows should be at stomach level, with your hands tilted at a 47 degree angle as if someone visiting your house warming party is about to hand you a delicious pound cake. It's not a heavy cake, so you don't have to brace yourself, but can instead just relax and think, "hey cool, pound cake. Let me take that for you."

The paragraph as I would edit it at 3pm for a how to book:

5.  Pound Cake
The "underhand move." Hold arms out with palms facing sky. Elbows should be at stomach level, hands tilted at 47 degree angle as if someone is about to hand you a pound cake. Do not brace self.   Relax.  Take cake.

The paragraph as I would write it for a scholarly paper at 5pm that same day:

 The Pound Cake

Normal Girl

Spring Arbor University

Introduction

     Schulze (2005) describes that this is what we in the industry, of hand raising in case you were wondering, refer to as an "underhand move (Frey, p. 455)."  The raising of hands, while biblical, is somewhat controversial in today's church.  Psalm 63: 4 says, I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands (Holy Bible).  

     Instead of sticking your arms out, you hold them with your palms facing the sky as if you are ready to receive something from someone in front of you. Research has found that palms facing the sky is relevant to open and correlational praise in fundamental denominations across America (Frey, p. 560).  In the the movement now known as the pound cake, your elbows should be at stomach level, with your hands tilted at a 47 degree angle as if someone visiting your house warming party is about to hand you a delicious pound cake. The Unabashed Praise Theory allows that thanking the Lord your God at this point for His many blessings will assure both satisfaction and excellent group outcomes.  UPT is valid for individual communication as as well as in groups of all sizes (Schulze, p. 27).

Conclusion  

     It's not a heavy cake, so you don't have to brace yourself, but can instead just relax and think, "hey cool, pound cake. Let me take that for you."  Future studies that could prove beneficial in this vein would be: does shortcake provide the same benefits as pound cake in this scenario?  Does congregation satisfaction increase or decrease as the angle of the hands increases or decreases?  

Is it any wonder I am perpetually confused???

Normal Girl