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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.
Noboozapalooza
"Gee Grasca...for someone who likes to act worldly when it comes to issues like The Law and banning things, you sure need to get out more." Oh, and Grasca? Don't worry about being pegged as "Orwellian." It's basically all these aggressive "Anarchist/Libertarian/Tea Partier" (take your pick) "representatives" (note the need for heavy scare quotes when dealing with these folk and their "ideas"), who think that referencing 1984 and Socialism makes them sophisticated and super-aware, showing how they are onto our "cat-loving, bleeding heart Liberal" plots to take their guns and money and give it to the poor. Except if "Regulator" is who I think it is, there is no taxpaying whatsoever, so this person has forfeited his right to even speak of politics. You know, you are a pretty nice person, and I am sorry you came in at such a moment. Here I was saying it was a nice, calm place to blog and chat, but here we go again with another hate-fest from the lunatic fringe...good thing posting is bulletproof, huh?— June 30, 2010 5:37 p.m.
Noboozapalooza
I could be wrong, but many of the markers are there, so here's a theory: "TheRegulator" is neither a woman, nor does he have a husband, unless you count his girlfriend's husband in that little triangle situation he's got going. Let's see how long Pete lasts as "TheRegulator." Nice, masculine, but more shoot from the a$$ than from the hip, as per usual, screwing us over for his share and putting us all in our stereotypical "place" whilst enjoying the fruits of our taxpaying labor. Sound right?— June 30, 2010 5:28 p.m.
Doing Europe: Prague, Czech Republic
What I have learned from this experience? Hmmm, well, besides the fact that Prague is apparently Fred's beotch, and not allowed to go out with other guys? Or that Fred suffers a creative form of dyspepsia? ...Certainly what it looks like when one attempts to juggle too many identities and accounts at once, and while royally pissed (take your pick of definitions). Fred, admit that you have finally received a well-deserved dressing down for your overquick tendency to bite; sure it was wincingly clumsy as dressings down go, but well-deserved, sir. Consider yourself cleansed and reborn at the hands of...ok, hold on here: goldsborscht/mveseskis/mamabear/DHasek/McDade/sanso66/the_kid Whew! SurfPuppy! Hey, Puppy! Someone has beaten your score! ;)— June 30, 2010 8:15 a.m.
Michael....
You should if you are a "facist" because Facebook should be shut down as a hypocritical, facist, Liberal, Elitist Web site.— June 30, 2010 7:32 a.m.
Michael....
russl, I beg to differ, friend. I have had the honor of not just hearing (about) your great talents, and of course we are surrounded by some writers even here on the Reader who take craft seriously and above all else, including, and it goes without saying, how many 'most-copied' objects they can purchase, attempting to bolster a frantic, dying ego. I count myself lucky to have such friends, whose talents shine as surely as do their stable personalities. Just now, I happened to be listening to a friend's band play just down the street (they sound like a late 70s rock band but with threads of other genres running through a very intense music making--I'll have to arrange for you to hear some of it sometime); it just blows me away what sounds can come from a person's throat and fingers that do not when you are sitting and having a coffee and smoke ;)— June 29, 2010 9:48 p.m.
Michael....
CF, plenty of threads go on and on for lots of reasons. I like it, and don't consider it dead, since I am in a conversation with Grasca. re: #97 Grasca: "Criticism is valid" - a truism. It may be that criticism is also an art which needs to be used with a delicate hand . To maul another's work is not truly criticism but rather an exercise in literary muscle flexing. Playful written jousting is another thing which engages but does not destroy." Grasca, again I am confused. You set out a moral tenet for textual criticism, and say it must be applied "delicately,"--I'm not sure who you are chiding with "mauling" or "literary muscle flexing," but then again, your example of this is not an example of it. Instead, you switch back to an ongoing fight with someone on this site--and it sounds horrible, to be "outed" if you don't want your info out there-- Again, I am truly sorry this is happening to you, but it is a non sequitur in relation to the argument over criticism, unless this person has also been putting your work down under the guise of performing analysis on it. Can you enlighten me?— June 29, 2010 1 p.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.
riding out tomorrow..a Sunday musing
Weak milk and ripening starfish... Powerful sense of movement with the waves and spray, etc. What is it with your stuff, nan? I honestly have a hard time being emotionally affected by a lot of writing, and should try to get to the bottom of the whys and hows of this effect your writing invariably has. Perhaps it has something to do with your living what you feel, producing a sense of something truly authentic-- dunno...but it works ;)— June 29, 2010 12:45 a.m.
Poem: A configuration of a stale situation
Oh yeah, forgot to address the rap--I think you could be right about spoken word, nanners; does sound like it. Haven't been to one of those evenings in a lonnnnggg time. Do you go to slams, ever?— June 28, 2010 11:59 p.m.