Comments on: question of the week

By: Elizabeth Westmark ("Beth")

Elizabeth Westmark ("Beth") — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:58:10 +0000

“Traipse” is one of those fabulous words used by my mother, late of Mississippi. Haven’t heard it in a long, long time. “Look at that prissy thing, traipsing all over town.” :)

By: Deanna

Deanna — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:26:04 +0000

Cool, Beth. I shall traipse over to your place now and see.

By: Elizabeth Westmark ("Beth")

Elizabeth Westmark ("Beth") — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:37:32 +0000

Great question! My answer is waaay too long for a comment, so I answered it over at my blog, and have asked others for their feedback, too.

Thanks for providing a stimulating exercise.

By: Deanna

Deanna — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:50:01 +0000

Interesting, Sarah, that you’ve focused on short stories. I’ve been all over the map. Even now, when I’ve *really* decided I won’t do fiction, I can’t quite relax reading a novel. Except when it’s Lord of the Rings.

Fresca, it sounds like you found a great deal!

Thanks for the responses. :o)

By: fresca

fresca — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:18:40 +0000

Good question. Many reasons, of course, but just last night I started reading the annual edition of “The Best American Sports Writing” I’d picked up for a quarter at a garage sale because I wanted to pay more conscious attention to writing. I figured that I would pay more attention to the writing in this book because I am not in the least interested in sports. My plan backfired: the storytelling is so good, I am gobbling the essays up like candy. They aren’t about sports, they’re about people. That’s good writing.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:31:34 +0000

I rarely read magazines, mostly books. In books I look for escape, which is why I read mostly novels rather than nonfiction or theology. I’ve never aspired to writing a book so I’m not caught up in thinking how I would do it as I am when I read short stories.