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Seismic Sensation

JohnnyJ, the point of your comment isn't totally clear, though your screaming capitals continue to prick the eyeballs. Join the rest of us with some lower caps mixed in? Promise we'll still read you. ;) Right on, Barb! Enjoy the workshop. I took a minor in writing, which meant a lot of workshopping in forced, artificial, anxiety-ridden (for some) hours with a variety of folk in various stages of skill/experience. The low point was when a novelist with the best of intentions made us write a story together, in assigned groups. Eek. Imagine the inevitable suicide story of the beginning writer, then add seven writers of different ideas on how to get the protag to his noble demise. I think ours read like whatever a schizophrenic attempts to mask with blaring earphones...;) Naturally, the best writers took criticism well, whereas the beginners took every comment personally, and tended to snark back at the group, feeling cornered, or else moped; put upon and also feeling cornered. Those with a little knowledge and a smug, sophomoric attitude, tortured these individuals, while quavering in wait for the professor's remarks. Workshopping can be wounding for anyone who has not yet learned the value of literary critique with good intentions for the betterment of the piece under discussion (even knowing it would likely never fly--maybe it could walk, or crawl). I think that in many programs, the efficacy of workshopping is still thought of as dubious, though it is still done (as are doctoral programs in creative writing --can writing really be taught, as the question goes?) I have never found a satisfactory answer to that question, though I can say I will always trust the process of multiple revisions with intelligent feedback, for which one should certainly pay. ;) This is why a group of writers with a little blockage and the time to meet can be a lovely thing. I and a few others continued to workshop and hold discussion groups for literary criticism, only with enthusiastic participants (friends and friends of...) of a certain understanding--and a trust in each other, which is obviously key. I'm sure your first order of business is to establish ground rules, and trust in yourself as the moderator/instructor, then start to develop it between participants. Hopefully, you get a good group! I would love to hear more about the experiences--write a column or more on them?
— July 5, 2010 5:10 a.m.

Summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime

"I also got some fresh tomatoes & avocadoes for my BAT sandwich. Two so far and they tasted great. Have you ever done a taste test just to see if there is any difference? Try it on tomatoes." I'm not sure what you are recommending we try on tomatoes? You mention avos and strawberries, so not sure if you mean one of those? Produce at the Horton market sounds lovely; we'll have to go. Auntie SD, the rest of the world looks at us, thinking, how arrogant can a people get? They go on and on about how some people should learn English, but make little effort to learn any other languages themselves, or to learn something about other cultures. I tell you, it is embarrassing to travel and hear these impressions, and have no rejoinder because it is true. As a country we are isolated, and we are arrogant. Speaking of impressions: "My impression is, she was born into a rich Mexican family and believes she has no reason to learn English. After all, she is a film star and she has people to do her bidding. My 2 cents worth: Learn English " Why should she learn English, beyond the English she knows for film acting? I think you are assuming that she is an American citizen and lives here in the US full time, because you saw her on a show filmed in L.A.. Without doing the Internet research we probably should before speculating and judging, my impression is that she is likely a world traveler with multiple languages under her belt--French, perhaps, as she appears to have acquired a French last name.
— June 29, 2010 12:47 p.m.

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