I agree Betty. It is a starting point. I'm glad not everyone abhors the five paragraph structure. Speaking to some young English professors at UT, I sense a really condescending attitude about it. "Oh, we would never teach that anymore!"  But, to me, if you're trying to communicate ideas other people can comprehend clearly, having a sense of structure helps. So many teachers think their students are poor writers because they just let them pour out their thoughts, then somehow expect them to organize the  mess afterwords. Like you said, it is much better to have some idea of where you are going. 
   
  Thanks for the response,
  Carole Ann


A society which muzzles its poets risks going to the dogs. (Carole Borges)
                                                    
  Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to 
make your soul grow." (Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 1923-2007)


       
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