POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
$Zero
as a writer, you write words.
for effect.
what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
for the purposes of this poll, exclude all effects related to you
making money from those words.
because if such a thing were included, one could submit as an answer
the effective words you wrote on the back of a deposit slip while
robbing a bank.
this poll asks a much different question.
it asks about the words you wrote, in and of themselves.
have you ever written any words which had what you would consider "the
best effect" outside the realms of commerce?
if so, what were they?
...
also. exclude words you've written to an individual.
(and/or a specific group with whom you are personally acquainted).
for the purposes of this question, include only those words you've
written which were written in a general sense to a general readership.
...
so, with those qualifications in mind, what are the best effects your
written words have ever had?
if any.
...
that you know of.
or that you assume.
...
-$Zero...
the best thing about being a writer -- part XV
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.writing/msg/1deffc751f20a578
john.ku...@sympatico.ca
I pass on knowlege for free through written words and get thanks back,
mostly in words, but sometimes in glee.
What better effect could there be?
serenebabe
> POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
>
> as a writer, you write words.
>
> for effect.
>
> what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
<...>
I've had people tell me that what I've written has helped them in one
way or another. That's the best. Once I wrote about how I understand
why some women don't leave abusive relationships. Someone wrote to me
to tell me that she was in such a situation and learned from what I'd
written and felt like maybe she might be able to leave. I don't know if
she ever did, but, that was pretty powerful.
--
It's All About We! (the column)
http://www.serenebabe.net/
microblogging here: http://serenebabe.blogspot.com/
serenebabe
> POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
>
> as a writer, you write words.
>
> for effect.
>
> what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
and, Zero, what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
--
It's All About We! (the column)
http://www.serenebabe.net/
microblogging here: http://micro.serenebabe.net/
$Zero
> On 2009-05-14 11:33:24 -0400, "$Zero" <zeroi...@gmail.com> said:
>
> > POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
>
> > as a writer, you write words.
>
> > for effect.
>
> > what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
>
> and, Zero, what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
anytime anyone ever did this:
reject the brainwash
and life became better because of it...
without harming others.
-$Zero...
if there's one thing i am for certain, it's a successful writer.
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.writing/msg/a4e21848ff582521
Lars Eighner
<2aef191a-ff11-4c87...@v17g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>, the
lovely and talented $Zero broadcast on misc.writing:
> POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
> as a writer, you write words.
> for effect.
> what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
Oh *writing*. I don't know.
The best effect my words ever had (that I know of directly) happened when I
was invited to LA to give a lecture sponsored by the public library and some
other organization. One of the terms of the engagement was that I had to
give a seminar after the public lecture for selected high school students.
This was not big deal, I was assured: just pat the little wannabees on the
head and say something encouraging.
The person from the library who was put in charge of me was entirely
charming and gracious. But the person from the other organization (I really
forget what it was) was very suspicious. When she saw me, evidently she was
ready to believe that at least some part of /Travels/ had actually happened
to me, but she was simply convinced that I had not written the book. In the
minutes in the dressing room before the lecture there was one question after
another about what my editor did for the manuscript, hadn't Steven polished
it a little, and so forth. I had been asked a few such questions before but
nothing quite so pointed and persistent.
The lecture was not especially brilliant as I had only a few remarks and
took questions from the audience which was very modest in number. After a
quick smoke break it was time for the high school masters class seminar.
Evidently the sponsor who did not believe I knew anything about writing had
something to do with the master class. At any rate I found myself at the
head of a coffin-shaped table with twenty students and the dubious sponsor
seated around it. The sponsor made rather a show of placing her Dayrunner,
still securely zipped in front of her. She leaned back with her arms folded
across her chest.
It took a little prodding to get the students to cough up the first
question, and it was a fairly softball sort of thing about whether you
really could learn to write well and shouldn't just express yourself.
"When you sharpen the tools of expression, you sharpen the tools of
perception...." I began.
In a flash the Dayrunner was unzipped. From then on the sponsor took down
every word in shorthand --- missing perhaps only a few the couple of times
she broke a pencil and had to fish out another one. I liked that very much.
Oh yeah, this seemed to set the kids on fire, too.
--
Lars Eighner <http://larseighner.com/> use...@larseighner.com
114 days since Rick Warren prayed over Bush's third term.
Obama: No hope, no change, more of the same. Yes, he can, but no, he won't.
Ejucaided Redneck
> so, with those qualifications in mind, what are the best effects your
> written words have ever had?
In August of 2004, two and a half years after a piece about my mad,
creepy Great Uncle Ezra ran on NPR's "Morning Edition," I opened my
email and found this, from someone in Virginia whom I'd never met,
haven't met, and am unlikely to ever meet:
"Bob,
"I'm writing to say thanks. A couple of years back I'd been accepted
into a PhD program, the fulfillment of several years dreaming, planning,
and earning my MA at night school. But I had a family to support and a
good job. I was petrified about entering the program and leaving the job
-- actually, leaving the money, since that was really the only thing
keeping me there.
"Then, one morning in the midst of agonizing over the decision, I was
listening to NPR and heard the piece about your uncle Ezra. I think I
actually stood still holding my breath at one point. That story made up
my mind.
"I entered the PhD program the following fall and just finished my last
semester of coursework; now I'm moving on to preparing for comprehensive
exams and writing my dissertation. I also got a part-time teaching job
at a local college three semesters ago that has been so enjoyable that
I'd probably show up and teach whether they paid me or not.
"Thanks, Bob. Sometimes a storyteller is the voice of God."
"Voice of God?" I was only telling a bar story,
--
I believe writing is a discipline. I write
every day. Even if I'm not writing well,
I write through it. I can fix a bad page.
I can't fix a blank one.
-- Nora Roberts
--
http://bobsloansampler.com/
Now available: "Nobody Knows, Nobody Sees"
MISSING MOUNTAINS: http://www.windpub.com/books/missing.htm
serenebabe
> On May 14, 10:14�pm, serenebabe <sereneb...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 2009-05-14 11:33:24 -0400, "$Zero" <zeroi...@gmail.com> said:
>>
>>> POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
>>
>>> as a writer, you write words.
>>
>>> for effect.
>>
>>> what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
>>
>> and, Zero, what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
>
> anytime anyone ever did this:
>
> reject the brainwash
>
> and life became better because of it...
>
> without harming others.
has that happened? how do you know?
serenebabe
Neat story!
What is your book about?
serenebabe
<...>
Sure sounds to me like it was a god thing. Pretty cool. Do you have a
link to the story (or the exact title) so we could listen to it? I love
your stuff.
Ejucaided Redneck
>> "Voice of God?" I was only telling a bar story,
> <...>
>
> Sure sounds to me like it was a god thing. Pretty cool. Do you have a
> link to the story (or the exact title) so we could listen to it? I love
> your stuff.
NPR has it archived at
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1138696 but it's in
a format that apparently requires a player I don't have.
You can read it here:
http://open.salon.com/blog/bob_sloan/2009/01/15/betcha_this_trumps_most_stories_about_compliments
--
Anybody who manages to survive
childhood has enough material to
write fiction for a lifetime.
-- Flannery O'Connor
serenebabe
> serenebabe wrote:
>
> >> "Voice of God?" I was only telling a bar story,
> > <...>
> >
> > Sure sounds to me like it was a god thing. Pretty cool. Do you have a
> > link to the story (or the exact title) so we could listen to it? I love
> > your stuff.
>
> NPR has it archived at
> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1138696 but it's
> in a format that apparently requires a player I don't have.
>
> You can read it here:
>
> http://open.salon.com/blog/bob_sloan/2009/01/15/betcha_this_trumps_most_stories_about_compliments
Too
>
bad the audio doesn't work, would be great to hear it. But it was a
neat read, too. The old photo is cool, too. So glad you've got your
stuff online there! That's new, isn't it?
Do you keep all the rights for the NPR pieces?
$Zero
> On 2009-05-15 00:28:34 -0400, "$Zero" <zeroi...@gmail.com> said:
> > On May 14, 10:14 pm, serenebabe <sereneb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> On 2009-05-14 11:33:24 -0400, "$Zero" <zeroi...@gmail.com> said:
>
> >>> POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
>
> >>> as a writer, you write words.
>
> >>> for effect.
>
> >>> what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
>
> >> and, Zero, what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
>
> > anytime anyone ever did this:
>
> > reject the brainwash
>
> > and life became better because of it...
>
> > without harming others.
>
> has that happened?
yes.
> how do you know?
because of the words i wrote.
...
translation:
it's a combination of logic, reason, intuition, faith, and the laws of
probability.
to name just a few.
-$Zero...
dude, i'm not the one complaining about blank pages.
personally, i've never met a blank page i didn't like.
love, even.
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.writing/msg/a4e21848ff582521
Alan Hope
>On 2009-05-14 11:33:24 -0400, "$Zero" <zero...@gmail.com> said:
>> POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
>> as a writer, you write words.
>> for effect.
>> what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
><...>
>I've had people tell me that what I've written has helped them in one
>way or another. That's the best. Once I wrote about how I understand
>why some women don't leave abusive relationships. Someone wrote to me
>to tell me that she was in such a situation and learned from what I'd
>written and felt like maybe she might be able to leave. I don't know if
>she ever did, but, that was pretty powerful.
I wrote an article on Marco Antonio Mazzini, bass clarinettist from
Peru living in Ghent, who was selected to play with the YouTube
Symphony Orchestra in New York. I met him last week and he told me my
article had helped his little sister get a visa to go to NYC with the
family to see him. The US Embassy in Lima, apparently, is tough on
Peruvians who want to go to the US, but when she showed them the
article in English from Belgium about Marco, all resistance melted
away, and she got to go see him play in Carnegie Hall with Michael
Tilson Thomas. Your BiL, Heather, was closely involved with the YTSO,
and you can see him doing his vlogger thing on the T00b, which was
quite funny because he's going around interviewing all these young
people, and probably for reasons of context people have no idea who he
is, and even when he happens to mention he was just playing with
Joshua Bell, nobody twigs. I get the impression he got a big kick out
of not being recognised by musicians from all over the world.
serenebabe
> serenebabe goes:
>
>> On 2009-05-14 11:33:24 -0400, "$Zero" <zero...@gmail.com> said:
>
>>> POLL -- best effect your words ever had.
>
>>> as a writer, you write words.
>
>>> for effect.
>
>>> what is the best effect your writing has ever had?
>> <...>
>
>> I've had people tell me that what I've written has helped them in one
>> way or another. That's the best. Once I wrote about how I understand
>> why some women don't leave abusive relationships. Someone wrote to me
>> to tell me that she was in such a situation and learned from what I'd
>> written and felt like maybe she might be able to leave. I don't know if
>> she ever did, but, that was pretty powerful.
>
> I wrote an article on Marco Antonio Mazzini, bass clarinettist from
> Peru living in Ghent, who was selected to play with the YouTube
> Symphony Orchestra in New York. I met him last week and he told me my
> article had helped his little sister get a visa to go to NYC with the
> family to see him. The US Embassy in Lima, apparently, is tough on
> Peruvians who want to go to the US, but when she showed them the
> article in English from Belgium about Marco, all resistance melted
> away, and she got to go see him play in Carnegie Hall with Michael
> Tilson Thomas.
Very cool. And cool that you got to hear about it, too.
> Your BiL, Heather, was closely involved with the YTSO,
> and you can see him doing his vlogger thing on the T00b, which was
> quite funny because he's going around interviewing all these young
> people, and probably for reasons of context people have no idea who he
> is, and even when he happens to mention he was just playing with
> Joshua Bell, nobody twigs. I get the impression he got a big kick out
> of not being recognised by musicians from all over the world.
Yeah, I'm sure you're right. One of the reasons I think he and I get
along so well is because I am not at all impressed with (or even really
aware of) his music stuff. Not saying he's not talented. I'm sure he
is. But the closest I come to thinking about his professional life is
wondering what he does with the groupies. I'd much rather talk tv. It
can get lonely on that pedestal I'm sure.
--
It's All About We! (the column)
http://www.serenebabe.net/
microblogging here: http://micro.serenebabe.net/
Ejucaided Redneck
> On 2009-05-15 04:40:50 -0400, Ejucaided Redneck <bobsl...@yahoo.com>
> said:
>
>> serenebabe wrote:
>>
>> >> "Voice of God?" I was only telling a bar story,
>> > <...>
>> >
>> > Sure sounds to me like it was a god thing. Pretty cool. Do you have a
>> > link to the story (or the exact title) so we could listen to it? I
>> love
>> > your stuff.
>>
>> NPR has it archived at
>> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1138696 but it's
>> in a format that apparently requires a player I don't have.
>>
>> You can read it here:
>>
>>
http://open.salon.com/blog/bob_sloan/2009/01/15/betcha_this_trumps_most_stories_about_compliments
>>
>
> Too
>>
> bad the audio doesn't work, would be great to hear it. But it was a neat
> read, too. The old photo is cool, too. So glad you've got your stuff
> online there! That's new, isn't it?
I was stashing some pieces there that are gonna be in a "revised and
extended" version of my radio essays. Haven't put anything new there in
a long time though.
> Do you keep all the rights for the NPR pieces?
Yeah. I signed an agreement that they wouldn't run in an audio form
anyplace else for ninety days, but that was it.
Sadly, NPR does almost no commentary nowadays. The departure of Bob
Edwards, and NPR's hunt for a younger demographic --a futile one, I
suspect-- was the end of that.
--
The freelance writer is a man
who is paid per piece or per
word or perhaps.
--Robert Benchley
serenebabe
<...>
> Sadly, NPR does almost no commentary nowadays. The departure of Bob
> Edwards, and NPR's hunt for a younger demographic --a futile one, I
> suspect-- was the end of that.
Yeah. And with those changes they've mostly lost me.
--
It's All About We! (the column) -- new 5/16 "Doing It in Public"
danger...@gmail.com
> Sadly, NPR does almost no commentary nowadays. The departure of Bob
> Edwards, and NPR's hunt for a younger demographic --a futile one, I
> suspect-- was the end of that.
A younger demographic? When I have NPR on in my car, my teenaged
grandchildren scream and hold their heads as if I'd poured sulfuric
acid in their ears.
Good luck to them.
DB
serenebabe
<danger...@gmail.com> said:
I'm about to be 40 and I don't know if I'm a younger demographic or
not. Mostly I'm not, but for NPR, maybe I am?
Anyway, I feel like they've gone too corporate. Too "balanced." And
overall it's undergone a process of dumbening I don't enjoy.
--
It's All About We! (the column) -- new 5/16 "Doing It in Public"