Text Message Stories: 160 Characters or less

As a person who has committed to writing as a career, I am always looking for ways to challenge myself and hone my skills. Over the weekend, I exchanged text messages with friends and I realized that many of my friends break the character limit (160 characters) during their messages. I thought about how I text and how often I break the character limit. Quite often.

This got me thinking about how to tell a story, and how much space is necessary. Many people, writers especially, know the (tall) tale of Hemingway writing a novel in six words. While "For sale: baby shoes, never worn" has passed into legendary status, I'm looking for something a little more manageable. I present to you "Text Message Stories: 160 Characters or less." Let me know what you think.

I'm running late. It's 3:55pm. The bank closes at 4pm, and I'm 3 minutes away.

The light changes to green. I'm off down side streets.

3:57pm. Will I get there??

My head nods as my eyes close. I'm jarred awake by the motion.

The computer screen slowly fades into focus.

Project Development Budget.

I sigh. I need coffee.

I press send, now I'm waiting. Will she respond? How long will it take?

Is she expecting me to text?

My phone buzzes in my hand. A smile dances across my face.

Perhaps now it is your turn, dear reader. Try your hand at this type of "Flash Fiction," but remember the rules. Your story must not be longer than 160 characters (including spaces). Use the text message function on your phone to check yourself. Feel free to leave your stories as comments. I look forward to seeing what you create!

Videoblog

The Importance of Education or, Writing for funsies.

A new thing that I have been doing with my Writing Center colleagues is 15-minute writing challenges. The rules are simple; take a basic essay prompt (we usually use Texas Success Initiative  prompts) and write an essay in fifteen minutes or less. A panel of three other Writing Specialists judge which essay is the best. Prizes range from candy and other snacks to pints of blood from defeated foes. It's a lot of fun, intellectual, and very nerdy. Things that more or less describe me and my co-workers. I've re-printed my winning essay below:

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION

            Although many agree that education is an important, there is much debate on the details of that importance. Some argue that education plays a crucial role in the overall development and maturity of individuals in terms of bringing out the best of their native intelligence while others contend that education, of any kind, increases, expands and creates new native intelligence. Despite their differences, both sides of this argument agree that education is important because it cultivates a desire for knowledge, a natural curiosity and, most importantly, critical thinking skills.

            Knowledge is a never-ending desire that encourages people to learn more about topics this know as well as add information about new topics. Whenever a person is in the process of gaining knowledge there is a point where suddenly “it” clicks and understanding is reached. That initial moment of understanding is the driving force behind the never-ending desire for knowledge. That moment drives people forward as they attempt to learn more. This is a key aspect in education because it creates a craving for more knowledge. Ideally, this need becomes insatiable which allows for an open mind that is always receptive to being educated and the process of learning new things. This process also leads to another important part of education.

            The natural curiosity produced by the educational process is critical because it allows new information to be received and seeks out environments in which learning can take place. This is seen easiest in the formation of social groups that meet to partake in a specific activity. Social groups of this nature tap directly into peoples’ natural curiosity because they offer an opportunity to try something never done before while learning about the activity from those who have some level of mastery. This is important because education is not relegated to classrooms or formal settings. These social groups create a learning environment wherever they take place which solidifies the idea that education can take place anywhere, allowing for natural curiosity to flourish. While natural curiosity is important, it is not the most important aspect of education.

            The development of critical thinking is the most important aspect of education. Critical thinking is the ability to think deeply and directly about any subject by applying previously gained knowledge and experience to the subject. It is a skill that is developed through constant application and usage that enables a person to come to proper and well thought out conclusions by taking into account everything they know. It is the single most important aspect of education because it is a skill that transfers to every part of life. Critical thinking helps with decision-making which is the quintessential facet of life. The only way to increase critical thinking ability is through education which makes education of the utmost importance.

           In conclusion, a desire for knowledge, sparks a natural curiosity in all people. These two parts of education combine to form the basis of critical thinking, the most important part of education. With solid critical thinking ability, the various challenges of life are easy to overcome. Because of this, it doesn’t matter whether education develops native intelligence or increases it.

Here we Go

I enjoy writing, I really do. This blog has been a showcase of my love for prose in one form or another for quite some time, even if my updates have been sporadic of late. In the last two weeks I've had several interesting encounters. I had a conversation with my uncle wherein he asked me if  I was still writing. I said I was "on a break" as if I had been writing a ton and needed to cool off. Later that same week, I received and email from a complete stranger. Her message was simple. "How do I get updates of new posts of your blog?" My answer was appropriately vague, like I had something to hide when really I just didn't have a great answer for her question. A few years ago, I wrote a message to my father and published it on this blog. I noticed, this past Father's Day, that my father had framed that post and set it on display in the house. I took it as a sign. 

I'm working on being less sporadic. New content everyday, except Sunday. This counts. It will be the (one... two...) second time I've attempted something of this magnitude. It worked out pretty well before, so I am hopeful this time. So, here we go... again. Thanks for baring with me.

Usage

I always feel like I'm blowing the dust off an old tome when I write a post here after several months of inactivity. The interface is hardened and tough from lack of use. I have to break it in again before it feels totally workable. But much like an old familiar story, I know where and how it goes. Sure, it's been a while, but not so long that I've forgotten. Soon, I'll be back in the swing of things; I look forward to being there.

Newsletter Redux

I made a newspaper. Well, technically it's a newsletter, but I still made it. Aided by my co-worker, and new friend, Kris, I took what was effectively an inter-departmental memo and, through the magic of Journalism, transformed it into a legitimate professional newsletter. I swear, I have no ego about my accomplishment! The process was quite interesting, let me explain.

Close to a month ago, I and a few of my work compatriots attended a dysfunctional department meeting. I learned two things from that meeting: 1) I should complain less about the perceived issues in my office. 2) The entire department was putting together a "newsletter" to showcase the available services to faculty and staff alike. I immediately went into "journalist mode." Several ideas for content about my office sprang to mind and I found myself delighted at the possibility of writing news even if it was just for others at my job. This delight was furthered when Kris approached me, saying that he had some ideas for content. A brother-in-arms, I thought. Someone who understands news writing and how awesome this will be!

Kris and I, along with Sarah aka Parker (she is our photographer so it fits), had a business lunch. Over homemade hummus and crackers (Thanks Parker!) we discussed strategy and content, What was worth printing? What could we leave out? Why doesn't Journalism believe in the Oxford Comma? With a plan in place, we began in earnest to create our content for the newsletter. We decided to do two stories that would require interviews, the rest was general filler. Kris did a "spotlight" piece on one of our co-workers while I did a feature story on our boss.

I did page layout on the wall.

We went about the task at hand with fervor. In a short time, our content was complete, then, disaster struck. Parker brought a hard copy of the "newsletter" to us. There was no formatting of any kind and it was obvious the various offices had cobbled some information together and emailed it off without a second thought. Kris put a voice to my thoughts saying, "This can't be the newsletter." We wondered who was in charge of editing the final product as well as who had put this "mock-up" together. After a minute of lamenting, I turned to Kris and said, "We're going to have to do this ourselves. We need to take this and do it properly or it won't happen." Kris nodded in agreement.

Kris and I set to work on our new, grander scheme. We tasked Parker with taking photographs  of every staff member in the department, we figured out where and how to add content to extend the newsletter. We created a streamlined layout and formatting for the newsletter. It was difficult because each office within the department had different font sizes and font types. We spent a lot of time trying to line up text boxes and graphics to minimize empty space on each page. What made the process interesting is that we worked with a program that isn't normally used to design newspaper-style documents. Yet, despite that drawback, Kris and I found ways to achieve the look we wanted.

When we presented a fully edited copy to the department head, he was blown away by our production value. Whatever he expected, we went above and beyond it. That feeling is bittersweet.

Kris and I debate layout

I'm glad that I was able to impress people, but I also feel that the fact that I impressed them means they did not expect much. My degree is in Journalism, Kris was Journalism undergrad until he switched. Sarah used to be a professional photographer. Between the three of us, we have the skill sets to make something very good. I don't think it should have come as such a shock that we could create something of such high quality.

The newsletter was "put to bed" today (that's a Journalism term for finished/gone to print). I'm happy with the product because it needed very little proofing from the Marketing Department and despite some meddling, the content on the page is exactly what we planned. I hope this is the start of a new opportunity at my job. I can't wait to see the printed product...
 

Insight, or, Write... when it happens

A few weeks ago I couldn't sleep. I put myself to bed at a reasonable hour with the intention of rising early to begin writing a feature story for the newsletter I was creating. I tossed and turned, literally. Eventually, I had to face the fact that I wasn't tired. I was too wired to sleep because I was looking forward to the journalistic writing ahead of me. I sat up in bed, "woke up" my phone, opened a word document and typed the following:

The director of the Academic Center for Writing is a difficult guy to pin down. Ask him about his daily schedule and you're likely to hear a response describing the multitude of meetings he has. Quite possibly, he is about to be late. "I'm on so many committees, some I started myself," he says. That is quintessential (*), a man who is dedicated to his job and passionate about the students he serves.

Once it was out of my head, I had no problem falling asleep. It's interesting how it happens that way sometimes. I can't remember another time I was that excited about journalism.

Earlier this year, my father, in an attempt to cajole me out of a malaise, suggested that I write some news stories. He would act as my editor. He pitched me an idea and I followed up and wrote a short "newsy" story. It was excruciating. I had to fight through the writing process and was not happy with the final product. I don't even know where it is now.

Yet, when I began writing this latest feature story, it flowed from me so easily and  naturally that comparisons to riding a bike sprang to mind.

Maybe it was because I had a more active role in the research and interview process for that story than I did for the one I wrote for my father. Or, maybe it was that I was writing for myself, both as a writer and as the executive editor of the newsletter. Honestly, I can't place the reason, but I know that it was invigorating to find myself in the middle of the process again.

I look forward to more nights interrupted by flashes of journalistic insight.

* Names have been removed to protect privacy

Writing & Educating: A study of Philosophy

My good friend, fellow educator, writer and partner in crime, Gage, wrote a piece for the Boston Teacher Residency blog recently. His writing got me thinking about writing and teaching... and teaching writing and I came to realize that even though it was unstated, I have a well developed philosophy on how to teach writing to others. Simply put, learn by doing. Because writing is a process, it must be done constantly and repetitively. Sure, there are rules to learn that guide writers and show them how to do it, but to really and truly write, one must engage in the process. Sometimes, however, as a teacher, we must show students the process so they understand it.

I work in a writing center at a Texas college. One of the core philosophies of the writing center is to make the students better by not editing their papers and essays, but showing them how to improve their work by focusing on a specific aspect that can be strengthened. By doing this, the writing center makes students better writers because we don't take their work and make it better ourselves, we show them how to make their own work better through focused lessons on singular topics.

While I agree with this teaching idea, I disagree with its implementation. We writing center Writing Specialists are not to write or mark up students' papers when we work with them. The thought here is that if we do that, then students will just make the corrections we highlight and not actually learn from their mistakes. Maybe in some cases this is true but it doesn't give our students very much credit for trying to learn. I have yet to meet a student who's only aim was to have a writing specialist quickly read their paper and make some cursory corrections. Every student I've worked with has asked me to help them with something specific that they can learn and apply to their current  writing as well as their writing in the future. These students are eager to learn from us to make themselves better. furthermore, this awkward implementation gives us educators even less credit.

None of us work in the writing center to just glance at students' papers, do some superficial corrections and send the student packing. We are passionate about writing and it shows when a specialist stays a little later than they have to to make sure a student understands a concept, or when faced with multiple students, a specialist attempts to help them all. Whether we write on a students' paper is irrelevant when compared to these gestures. Moreover, sometimes writing on their paper is the best and easiest way to illustrate a mistake and how to fix it moving forward. It is frustrating when a rule hampers the furthering of knowledge.

Overall, I very much enjoy working in this writing center. I don't agree with that particular policy but it hasn't stopped me from getting my message to students. Still, it would be nice if my philosophy on writing and teaching matched up with that of the place I work.

Online Bios, Hate 'em!

I don't like writing mini-biographies, the kind used on websites to briefly introduce people to faculty or staff. They are terribly short and require you to cram some aspect of your life into 150 words or less. They are a pain to do and it annoys me just thinking about them. How can I distill my academic and work experience into such a small space? Here's one I wrote recently:

Rick is one of the newest members of the Ink Spot. He has taught English and writing at both the high school and collegiate level and is excited to bring his expertise to Mountain View. Rick has a Master of Science degree in Journalism from Boston University and a B.A. in English Language & Literature from the University of Chicago. Rick has worked as a freelance journalist for both online and weekly publications as well as a corporate communications writer. Most recently, he has worked as a substitute teacher for 6^th-12^th grade in the Little Elm ISD. Rick looks forward to bringing East Coast wit and Midwest charm to the Ink Spot.

Education, check. Work history, check. But does the bio really give a reader insight into who I am? No. I always feel like I'm missing some crucial aspect which is never found out until the bio is "live" on the website and effectively unchangeable. Here is another one, written for my Phreelance Writers blog:

Dash is a native of Dorchester who, despite popular belief and lack of an accent, actually grew up in Boston. He left Beantown for the bright lights and big times of Chicago and the University of Chicago. In 2007, he returned to Boston and met Gage through a tutoring job at the West Roxbury Education Complex working with high school students to improve their writing. Dash recently completed a Master’s degree in journalism at Boston University and freelanced for the Bay State Banner and UMass-Boston.

I feel like my personality comes through better on this one but it still remains informative in terms of my education. It even gives a sense of where I've lived in the past. But even this doesn't truly represent me, what I like and what I'm about beyond writing. Here's one more for you:

Rick spent his early years training in the Kung Fu style of Xiao Hong Quan at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng City, China. At eighteen, he left China for America and undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago. After receiving BAs in English and Ancient Greek and Roman History, Rick traveled the world, getting into adventures across Europe, Northern Africa and much of Asia. In 2007 he decided three years of the "wandering warrior" life was enough. Settling on a career in journalism, Rick was accepted to Boston University's Journalism program. He is currently a first year graduate student focusing on sports journalism. Rick enjoys telling stories from his "wandering warrior" days. Ask him about his time in Thailand. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't.

  

This is, by far, my favorite bio I've written and had online. Elements of it are completely false, but presented in such a way that they are believable. When taken as a whole, and mixed with truthful facts about my life, who's to say the bio isn't completely true? Did I grow up in Boston or a Shaolin temple in Dengfeng City, China? If asked, I'd probably just shrug my shoulders and smile. 

While I'm not a fan, I understand the necessity of these bios. As a writer, I can bang them out quickly but it's not my favorite type of writing. Still, finding something within the writing process of the bio can make it less painful. Besides, we all know you really want to ask me about my time in Thailand!

Constrained Writing

Sentences without verbs, impossible, right? Maybe not. So far, not one in this post. Yet, comprehension. How? Easy, language as a vehicle of knowledge. Clear meaning almost lyric in form just not convenient. Why? Good question. Michel Dansel, a French Doctor of Letters, an intelligent man. His passion against verbs, those "invaders, dictators, usurpers of our literature," notable especially in Le Train de Nulle Part, by Dansel, a book without verbs.

This type of writing, Constrained Writing, pure in format without the clutter of verbs. Dansel's belief, the clearest kind of writing. My opinion, not so much. Lyrical and poetic quality? Yes. Interesting thought exercise, of course. Useful? No, not beyond academically. A quotation from my friend, Veronica: "Verbs... So great! A post without verbs, not easy, nay, near impossible. Only nouns and adjectives, no spice without verbs!"

Atrophy

I'm trying to stretch. My fingers flex, my palm contorts for better grip. Forearm is sore, shoulder tight, must drop pen and shake out hand. My mind aches. My writing has atrophied. I've always thought of writing as a muscle, something to be used and worked out with regularity to maintain flexibility and strength.

I've spent years toning this muscle through active use and teaching others how to use their own muscle. I thought, for a while, that teaching others was enough of a workout to maintain my own levels of writing fitness. I was wrong. It's been almost a year since my last entry and in the time between much has happened. Perhaps too much. Suffice to say, there was plenty on which to comment which leaves me with no excuse for such a long absence. I'm putting myself in rehab, writing rehab. Bear with me as I work my way back to full strength. The skill is present, I just need to work on my endurance.

An Experiement - The Return

About two years ago I committed myself to a writing experiment on this blog. While I failed in the initial pursuit of the task, I think it went well enough in terms of getting me to think about writing and to write daily. Recently, I've felt as if I'm losing my touch. This will be the second entry I've posted on Rick's Rants THIS YEAR!

That number is outrageous and I'll be damned if I let Fienberg best me in blog post output.

With that said, I'm reinstating the Experiment. One post, everyday, for the rest of the month of September. This counts. Hopefully, I can shake off the rust and get back into form. Come along with me and find out. Here we go!