Susie Schaefer sent me an email message yesterday afternoon; it began, “I’m supposed to be writing articles on summer youth events for our diocesan newspaper. Instead, I’m erasing every other sentence.” This reminded Susie of the olden days back at Seabury’s Writing Boot Camp (Hello Debra, Beth, Cliff, Siobhán, and others!), where I promised that if we practiced the principles I taught there, eventually we would internalize the awareness of what our colleagues would say to us about malconstructed periods, imprecise usage, and evasive passives.
“So, I… decided to entertain myself by making a picture.”
I glow with pride (not only that my writing instruction has taken root, but also that Susie sustained a correct implementation of LOLspeak), and I urge Susie et al. to press forward for the golden afternoon when they no longer “erase every other sentence,” but compose freely in strong, supple, limber, stirring prose. Even for a diocesan newspaper.
Now, I can haz bocaburger?
Could you share some of that (writing) wisdom with us? Any handouts? My writing is definitely my weakest area in grad school, which sucks big time in a philosophy program.
🙂
A deluge of handouts is on your way, José; I hope you find them helpful.
Do you remember when there were such things as missing persons rather than persons who went missing?
Do you remember when one taught one’s pet to “Lie down” rather than “Lay down?”
Do you remember when people knew the difference between enormousness and enormity, knew that comprise is an active verb?
Grumble, grumble