Wednesday, November 22, 2006
L'esprit de l'escalier
Okay, here's what we're going to do: Pretend that you never saw anything about posting every day, because I LIE. I lie to you, Internets. Don't give me any lip about it. I see nobody posted any comments, so that's good. Let's just pretend.
Here is a story, nonetheless. Do you know l'esprit de l'escalier? It is when just the right thing to say comes to you too late, as you're leaving, usually on the stairs. I had a visit from l'esprit last night. Mark, the news editor, had asked me to take five minutes before I left and come up with a good headline for the feel-good holiday story about a local company that slaughters turkeys (oh, you should have seen the photos we didn't run). I thought for five minutes, but only came up with "Before you gobble 'em ..." which was okay but not brilliant. I told Mark it was the best I could do, and headed out. As I was literally on the stairs, it came to me. I ran back up, into the newsroom, and shouted "Mark!" He jumped (I am startling, like a ninja) and said "Wha?!" "TRUE TALES OF THE TURKEY TRADE," I said. He threw both arms in the air and cheered, and I went on my way. And you know? You better believe it's the lead story on the front page today.
Here is a story, nonetheless. Do you know l'esprit de l'escalier? It is when just the right thing to say comes to you too late, as you're leaving, usually on the stairs. I had a visit from l'esprit last night. Mark, the news editor, had asked me to take five minutes before I left and come up with a good headline for the feel-good holiday story about a local company that slaughters turkeys (oh, you should have seen the photos we didn't run). I thought for five minutes, but only came up with "Before you gobble 'em ..." which was okay but not brilliant. I told Mark it was the best I could do, and headed out. As I was literally on the stairs, it came to me. I ran back up, into the newsroom, and shouted "Mark!" He jumped (I am startling, like a ninja) and said "Wha?!" "TRUE TALES OF THE TURKEY TRADE," I said. He threw both arms in the air and cheered, and I went on my way. And you know? You better believe it's the lead story on the front page today.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
NaBloPoWhat?
It's NaBloPoMo! I'm too late to participate for prizes, but I think it's a great idea. I started this blog spurred by a class assignment, with no clear idea of what I wanted to do. It's a good way to keep in touch with family, share photos and things found on the Internets, sure. But I also wanted it to be a place where I could work on my writing. When you do something every day, you get better at it, really and for true. I've seen it happen with Webcomics (check out a current QC, then an old one), and with blogs too. If you're much of a blog-reader, you know what I mean — ever find a delicious new blog, then spend hours wading through the archives? Well, probably not. But I have.
So I've had this idea burbling around in the back of my brain for a while. It's wedged in between "I should learn to sew" and "I should read more nonfiction," but I'd like to think that it has a slightly better chance of happening now, rather than later. (Or ever — do you know how expensive sewing machines are?) Being relaxed and happy seems to have had a beneficial effect on my creativity, and I've been collecting anecdotes from work for something I'm calling "Adventures in the News Media." Not quite sure how to go about it, yet. Should I write them down first? Should I start a new blog? Should I move this blog to typepad so I can have a separate section for it? If I've learned anything in the past several years (*looks wise*) it's that a crappy first step is better than a million awesome plans, so ... tomorrow. Look for something tomorrow. (What? I've got to save stuff up now, if I'm posting every day!)
So I've had this idea burbling around in the back of my brain for a while. It's wedged in between "I should learn to sew" and "I should read more nonfiction," but I'd like to think that it has a slightly better chance of happening now, rather than later. (Or ever — do you know how expensive sewing machines are?) Being relaxed and happy seems to have had a beneficial effect on my creativity, and I've been collecting anecdotes from work for something I'm calling "Adventures in the News Media." Not quite sure how to go about it, yet. Should I write them down first? Should I start a new blog? Should I move this blog to typepad so I can have a separate section for it? If I've learned anything in the past several years (*looks wise*) it's that a crappy first step is better than a million awesome plans, so ... tomorrow. Look for something tomorrow. (What? I've got to save stuff up now, if I'm posting every day!)
