In the Preface and Intro of "They Say/I Say", the author emphasizes the importance of the use of templates in writing. They argue that there are certain "moves" that every experienced writer has to give their writing structure and flow. These moves are not usually an innate talent in students, so these templates are used as guidelines for them to see how to properly structure a piece of writing. According to the author, a writer must view the topic from an agreeable standpoint as well as an opposing one, though you don't have to agree one way or the other. It is argued that these templates stifle creativity and are not needed when it comes to teaching writing.
I agree that these templates are a good idea to introduce students to the right "moves" and to help them to better understand what they are writing. I don't agree, however, that these templates stifle creativity. A person can be just as creative if they know the proper way to do something.
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I take your point, Catherine, that being able to know the basics of writing is not an innate talent, which is why the templates are useful guidelines "to see how to properly structure a piece of writing." Still, the authors actually argue that these templates do not stifle creativity. They argue against that proposal against the templates.
Although I agree that a person can be creative while using a template, I do think that templates somewhat limit the creativity of the writer simply because when you are following an already established format, you are not coming up with a completely original form of thought and therefore not as creative as if you had completely created your own argument. I think the point that you made about a person being just as creative if they know the proper way to do something is important to note. I think that a person can even be more creative if they start out with a template that forces them to look deeper into the subject. Overall, I think templates are a good starting point and once a writer is comfortable with the format, they can break away from that and become more creative with their own format of writing.
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