Barry Lane in After THE END describes form this way: "Many writers talk about the power of visualizing the shape of the pieces they work on. A novel that loops back in time might be shaped like a coiling spiral, an essay centered on one central idea might look like a big duffel bag stuffed with examples" (1993, 93). Lane suggests asking students to draw the shape of something they have written, which is an excellent way to relate form to content.

          Consider having your students to do this with one of their writings, but first introduce this strategy with this exercise. Select two short pieces of professional writing---one fiction, the other nonfiction. Ask the class to draw two shapes, one representing each piece. To get them started, give them some shapes to consider sketching as models: a spider web, building blocks, Legos, beach balls, chains, sacks, bookshelves, planets, wastebasket, refrigerator, basement, desk drawer, map, flashing Christmas lights, pyramid, stretch of river, boards, garden plot, or a tree.

          After students have listened to and drawn both pieces, share drawings and discuss how the content related to the form. You might also use this as a springboard for discussing Nonfiction Model #5 or Freitag's Pyramid.