Narrative writing seemed to produce writing of a slightly higher quality, but even then the ideas were seldom more than a linear progression of events. Creativity was absent in virtually every writing assignment. As I look back at what I was attempting to do, I realize that the model of complexity, chaos, and order could provide much needed answers to my instructional dilemma. He continues, Further, with multiple interacting elements occurring in most situations it is difficult to predict their development, to know how a complex system will respond to a given change. In simple situations those near equilibrium with few variables easily described by linear mathematics there is a uniform proportional relationship between cause and effect.
Small perturbations cause small effects.
Predictability is based on this stable relationship. In complex situations, however, this simple relationship does not hold. A small perturbation, acting among many intertwined elements, can have a multiplying, even Karr 6exponential effect. And some of these effects are of a transformative, qualitatively different nature, as in atomic reactions. I failed as a writing instructor to recognize the vital importance of the initiative elements of the invention process.