http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Almond > > > > This entire conversation reminded me of this little story..... Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! > > > > The professor told his class one day: 'Today we will experiment with a > new form, called the tandem story. The process is simple: each person > will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. > > 'As homework tonight, one of you will write the first paragraph of a > short story. You will e-mail your partner that paragraph and send > another copy to me. The partner will read the first paragraph and then > add another paragraph to the story and send it back, also sending > another copy to me. The first person will then add a third paragraph, > and so on back-and-forth. Remember to re-read what has been written each > time in order to keep the story coherent. There is to be absolutely NO > talking outside of the e-mails and anything you wish to say must be > written in the e-mail. The story is over when both agree a conclusion > has been reached.' > > The following was actually turned in by two of his English students, > Rebecca and Gary. > > > THE STORY: (first paragraph by Rebecca) > > At first, Jennifer couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The > Chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now > reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he > liked Chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind > off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about > him too much her asthma started acting up again. So Chamomile was out of > the question. > > > (second paragraph by Gary) > > Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron > now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about > than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Jennifer with > whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. 'A.S. Harris to > Geostation 17,' he said into his transgalactic communicator. 'Polar > orbit established. No sign of resistance so far...' But before he could > sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a > hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him > flying out of his seat and across the cockpit. > > > (Rebecca) > > He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt > one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who > had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its > pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. > 'Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel', > Jennifer read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously > excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her > youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no > newspaper to read, no television to distract her from her sense of > innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her. 'Why must one > lose one's innocence to become a woman? ' she pondered wistfully. > > > (Gary) > > Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands > of miles above the city, the Anudrian mothership launched the first of > its lithium fusion missiles. The dimwitted wimpy peaceniks who pushed > the Unilateral Aerospace Disarmament Treaty through the Congress had > left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien empires who were > determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the passage > of the treaty the Anudrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying > enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop > them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion > missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his > top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the > coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion, which vaporized > poor, stupid Jennifer. > > > (Rebecca) > > This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My > writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic semi-literate adolescent. > > > (Gary) > > Yeah? Well, my writing partner is a self-centered tedious neurotic whose > attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. 'Oh, shall I > have chamomile tea? Or shall I have some OTHER sort of TEA??? Oh no, > what am I to do? I'm such an air-headed bimbo who reads too many > Danielle Steele novels!' > > > > (TEACHER) > > A+ - I really liked this one.
I don't get why one is supposed to be liberal and one conservative. The guy's writing is like many sci-fi novels.
I don't see a big difference between what they do & won't do. May be a bigger difference between what they say. Specially if 1 discounts them accusing each other of the same things.
