Hi writers:
A confession: I am a wretched flyer. I let all of the “shoes
off, shampoo bottles visible, throw away your yogurt” rules bother me and make
me feel small. And I opt out of walking through the x-ray scanner because it is
creepy, not necessary, and because research suggests that the radiation reaches
our organs.
This weekend during travel in New York, after I opted for a
pat-down, an airline employee tried to persuade me into the machine by saying,
“There is a good chance your personal belongings might get stolen while you
wait.” I boiled in silent helplessness for a few minutes, got the pat-down,
retrieved my (unstolen) belongings, and then decided to write the airline an
irritated citizen letter. In that act of articulating my complaint, I thought
of one more reason why writing can be a thing of such value.
PROCESS: WRITING FOR
CHANGE
This weekend reminded me that writing, or speaking or even
language at all, is first about change. If we have everything we need and the
world is just as we want it, there is nothing to say except for an occasional
“isn’t this nice?” It helps, in the writing process, to remember this. Words
are intended to change things.
Try this: In
writing dialogue, try only including words in which one character is asking for
something – be it respect or a piece of pizza or a kinder world. Think about
the hidden “wishes” of words.
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PROMPT
Write a short piece objecting to something. (10min)
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