tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post5140111210961283582..comments2023-07-19T04:05:34.796-04:00Comments on Of Cabbages and Kings: Fletch Would Have Wanted it This WayAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-81385294755919213482012-08-14T10:37:16.754-04:002012-08-14T10:37:16.754-04:00This reminds me of a writing group I attended here...This reminds me of a writing group I attended here. Just the once... Someone wrote a beautiful piece and it was torn to shreds by inane pointless comments "Why was the milkshake strawberry? What's the reason?"<br /><br />Idiots.<br /><br />As a reader of yours I am SOOOOOOOO glad you didn't go the Hemingway route.Damian Traslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11902313899141214251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-33550294389588338122008-09-19T05:56:00.000-04:002008-09-19T05:56:00.000-04:00Chyna- It reminds me of a professor who showed us ...Chyna- It reminds me of a professor who showed us surrealist painting, and then when we liked it, he was disappointed. I think we were supposed to say it was tripe. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-12767293674033012872008-09-18T16:21:00.000-04:002008-09-18T16:21:00.000-04:00Best part was that he argued with me for most of t...Best part was that he argued with me for most of the class period that day about this song. Hey if ask for opinions you should be prepared to get one, like it or not. ;) i don't think he knew who he was messing with, we had a barricuda of a music teacher in high school. I was already quite well versed in what and why's. And sometimes you just don't like it and there is no real astronomical reason why not. You just simply don't like it. Case closed. LOLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-50073299537023889682008-09-17T12:55:00.000-04:002008-09-17T12:55:00.000-04:00Chyna- Heh, I can imagine what the facial expressi...Chyna- Heh, I can imagine what the facial expression must have been. Teaching isn't easy, but I think some teachers forget when they illicit your opinion on things, it might not coincide with what they believe themselves. It's always an adventure. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-55575520133205063272008-09-17T12:52:00.000-04:002008-09-17T12:52:00.000-04:00I had a music appreciation class that was like tha...I had a music appreciation class that was like that. I was into hair bands at the time and apparently the instructor just assumed that was all I listened to. IN my whole life. Anyway there was some song we were supposed to critique (Field of Sheep, a religious based piece). I told him that I liked the piece until they started singing and thought that it ruined the whole thing. You would have thought I'd announced that the Devil was taking over the world for the look he gave me. I still stand by that critique by the way. I liked that whole piece until the annoying singing started. Chalk it up to a piano teacher who had the technical side of playing the piano down but didn't have the soul. Utterly destroyed Man From Snowy River. I still haven't forgiven her. :(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-14689712511480935032008-09-14T08:23:00.000-04:002008-09-14T08:23:00.000-04:00Rhet- Well, beautifully on-cue, my friend! No, I a...Rhet- Well, beautifully on-cue, my friend! No, I agree with your assessment of the tone during this time. <BR/><BR/>And I honestly think if the approach had been more of a, "Well, you like THIS about writing, so here's a great literary example of that you might enjoy," we would all have gotten much farther with less sense of being left in a literary wilderness without breadcrumbs.<BR/><BR/>Chat Blanc- Heh, yes, indeed. Can you smell the irony? :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-79389269753751242252008-09-13T23:16:00.000-04:002008-09-13T23:16:00.000-04:00Irony: college professors killing the creativity i...Irony: college professors killing the creativity in creative writing classes :)Chat Blanchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08049275050536199230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-48605295015285776902008-09-13T17:43:00.000-04:002008-09-13T17:43:00.000-04:00That's short for "Quality Point Average"; and if y...That's short for "Quality Point Average"; and if your QPA got too low, you were either "on Dean's Vacation" or, even more geeky "in the Square Root Club", which meant, from what I recall, that the square root of your QPA was somehow bigger than your starting number.<BR/><BR/>I watched the spectacle of this particular Creative Writing department from fairly close range, and there _were_ some faculty who wrote genuinely interesting stories that didn't all circle around despair. But there wasn't any room for laughter, unless you were simultaneously aiming for the poignant side of absurd. <BR/><BR/>This isn't to damn all literature that strives to tell us About Ourselves, but there should be room for literature that simply tells a story, spins a yarn, or sets up a truly phenomenal pun....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-57466551873954709732008-09-13T16:49:00.000-04:002008-09-13T16:49:00.000-04:00Greg- As a product of this environment herself, I ...Greg- As a product of this environment herself, I just think she wasn't exposed to enough quality non-literary authors to understand it was possible to help students reach their personal goals AND guide them toward good writing.<BR/><BR/>I've developed my "voice" quite a bit since then, but I also know who I am now. I do know a number of people from that class had talked about bailing on writing altogether because of it. I don't think any of us did, but it took a while to undo the "lessons" from that particular course. <BR/><BR/>Fortunately I had some terrific screenwriting professors and one great fiction professor who helped heal the wounds.<BR/><BR/>PS- I don't know what the "Q" in "QPA" stood for. Maybe the Rhet remembers.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-68959611536409394202008-09-13T12:36:00.000-04:002008-09-13T12:36:00.000-04:00Good god, I don't see how she could get off dictat...<I>Good god</I>, I don't see how she could get off dictating what style of author you were supposed to be. Obviously she was little enough of one herself that she had no clue.<BR/><BR/>I'm glad she didn't stifle your voice all-together; I like it just fine the way it is. Although, I bet you can do a hell of a Hemingway parody now, if you wanted.<BR/><BR/>(<I>"QPA"?!?! Did you go to school in Canada? What's that aboot...??</I>)Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14337889899066280559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-56562351490531762162008-09-12T18:23:00.000-04:002008-09-12T18:23:00.000-04:00Jay- You touched precisely on my issues in connect...Jay- You touched precisely on my issues in connecting with Hemingway. <BR/><BR/>And in happier thoughts, regarding Terry Pratchett, I was just listening to a wonderful book on CD of his on my drive back from Philly-- "Mort"-- and was completely charmed. He's on my reading list, as now Dick Francis and Georgette Heyer will be. :) Thank you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-54797612248731281872008-09-12T16:57:00.000-04:002008-09-12T16:57:00.000-04:00Some professors have their heads well and truly we...Some professors have their heads well and truly wedged. I think you know where. <BR/><BR/>I've read Hemingway, simply because it's 'classic' and so revered. I didn't like it. It doesn't flow, it isn't meaningful to me, I don't like his style - it doesn't 'speak' to me. I don't like John Steinbeck either, so there!<BR/><BR/>However, some pulp fiction is absolutely brilliantly written. I don't know Gregory Mcdonald (though I'll check it out, thanks!) but if you've read any Dick Francis, you'll recognise a master storyteller of the crime genre. His stories are set against the English thoroughbred horseracing scene. His prose is effortless - it flows beautifullly and you never have to go back and read anything again. Terry Pratchett is brilliant at comedy/allegorical fantasy. Douglas Adams was brilliant. Georgette Heyer was also brilliant (light historical romance). <BR/><BR/>Just because you're not aiming for the Booker, doesn't mean your work isn't worthy. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-13286872650740452772008-09-12T15:10:00.000-04:002008-09-12T15:10:00.000-04:00Unfinished Dude- You might very well enjoy the Fle...Unfinished Dude- You might very well enjoy the Fletch books then. They move quickly, and the banter is entertaining. Worth picking one up to give a try, anyway!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-42090787744521651702008-09-12T15:01:00.000-04:002008-09-12T15:01:00.000-04:00Jenn: I'll be honest I've never read Gregory McDon...Jenn: I'll be honest I've never read Gregory McDonald, but this makes me want to read him. Personally, I always loved (still do) pulp fiction. For example, one of my favorites is Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. I just love the way Parker does dialogue. I try to read it to my wife, though, and she doesn't get it at all. Oh, well...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-81645280700031393512008-09-12T13:02:00.000-04:002008-09-12T13:02:00.000-04:00Da Old Man- I'd have been interested to see what t...Da Old Man- I'd have been interested to see what the analysis was on "Green Eggs." :) (And actually also on what your classmates got out of the "really important writers.")Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-51622109970585900552008-09-12T12:56:00.000-04:002008-09-12T12:56:00.000-04:00Fortunately, I went to a slacker college, surround...Fortunately, I went to a slacker college, surrounded mostly by...well, slackers. So the bar was really low. I liked that. <BR/>Anyway, we had to do a book review for one English class. Most went with Hemingway, or some other really important writer, knowing the teacher would be impressed. <BR/>I chose Green Eggs and Ham. I aced it. <BR/><BR/>I did mention there were a lot of slackers, didn't I?Da Old Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02529514518271981093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-70486580821093730792008-09-12T11:58:00.000-04:002008-09-12T11:58:00.000-04:00Sue- Tastes vary, and where many of us go into cla...Sue- Tastes vary, and where many of us go into classes expecting to gain access to a wide range of ideas and then get to cherry-pick what inspires us, so often it seems that isn't the case. I think it's easy to mistake a student's lack of connection with a certain author for a lack of understanding. <BR/><BR/>I've heard the technical writers aren't true writers thing as well. Given the amount of interpretation and rewriting that needs to be done, there's no question in my mind technical writing forms one branch on the writing tree.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Tiggy- And what was his reaction to that miserable, gritty story? Was he satiated, or was it "not of the quality of your usual work"? :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-3371056522986052052008-09-12T11:25:00.000-04:002008-09-12T11:25:00.000-04:00Reminds me of my college days. My English tutor ha...Reminds me of my college days. My English tutor handed me my latest effort, on which he had scrawled the words <BR/>"A+! Another funny story! Now can we see something SERIOUS from you?"<BR/><BR/>I then wrote the most miserable and gritty story I could, just to annoy him.<BR/><BR/>Some of us just don't 'do' serious!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-10757989345953150022008-09-12T11:14:00.000-04:002008-09-12T11:14:00.000-04:00Ah yes, the professor who wants to "help" you. I b...Ah yes, the professor who wants to "help" you. I believe we all had one. I was just perfecting my overly-analytical-I-only-want-to-converse-with-actual-intelligent-free-thinking--persons-and-not-ready-stamped-clones-of-any-sort persona when I took a class on Shakespeare. The professor was a Shakespeare expert...published and everything, who believed what came from his mouth on this topic was gospel and should be treated as such if we wanted to be true intellectuals. Imagine his horror when I told him I hated Romeo and Juliet (his absolute favourite) because it was too trite and saccharine for my taste. I was informed I would forever be intellectually and emotionally stunted should I continue in this manner. I did ponder his words for quite a while...but came to the conclusion that he was just mad I didn't agree with his expertise. <BR/>Years later the resolve I gained from sticking with my own beliefs in the face of a "known superior intellect" help me verbally flay the magazine writer I had as a teacher who told me Technical Writers were not true writers...as she was. Um...yeah...let me postulate on that for moment... <BR/><BR/>SueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-76389141531495766472008-09-12T11:00:00.000-04:002008-09-12T11:00:00.000-04:00TimeThief- I truly identify with what you're sayin...TimeThief- I truly identify with what you're saying. I think if you have any inkling of what you are or enjoy when you start, you'll find of Yourself almost in spite of the intervention.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-59675427436532046832008-09-12T10:52:00.000-04:002008-09-12T10:52:00.000-04:00Reading your post hurled me back in time to colleg...Reading your post hurled me back in time to college and I even felt myself grinding my teeth as I recalled my own professorial struggles. Then I laughed out loud because the more that prof tried to help me lose my "self" the closer I got to finding her voice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-92099892258668768522008-09-12T09:26:00.000-04:002008-09-12T09:26:00.000-04:00Melinda-- Thanks! And it's interesting your academ...Melinda-- Thanks! And it's interesting your academic experience went along those lines, too. It's so hard when you're just trying to work out what you want to be-- on SO MANY levels-- to have it pushed in a direction that ISN'T you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10883854503294092142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173487087895437639.post-1966112652718783532008-09-12T09:23:00.000-04:002008-09-12T09:23:00.000-04:00What a great piece! Your story took me back to my...What a great piece! Your story took me back to my own academic journey and some serious headbutting I had with a professor of mine. <BR/><BR/>You are absolutely right--you have to be true yourself. Always. <BR/><BR/>MelindaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com