Using Subtle Signals

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

SQUAREJOHN

Everyone demands I write as you suggest but part of me says every direction is the wrong path when you dont know where youre going. As a civil engineer in my past life I wanna know where I need to build a trestle or tunnel long before I get to it. As a writer I do not wanna paint my story into a corner and be forced to punt.

 

[squarejohn]

SQUAREJOHN

Everyone demands I write as you suggest but part of me says every direction is the wrong path when you dont know where youre going. As a civil engineer in my past life I wanna know where I need to build a trestle or tunnel long before I get to it. As a writer I do not wanna paint my story into a corner and be forced to punt.

What you say is true, "part of me says every direction is the wrong path when you dont know where youre going." It's equally true--in writing--that you may wind up at a different destination than you originally planned.

You are also correct, saying that a civil engineer needs to know the lay of the land far in advance (done a bit of that myself). However, when writing a story, it is usually possible to change the landscape to suit yourself. Everyone develops their own method.

I really don't have any idea why you have taken exception with my post. Maybe I made a mistake writing it.

At least you didn't say I was a dumb asshole or a racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe. Thumbs up!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I dont generally attack people with brains and commonsense or folks trying to use both to get to the truth. Like I said, plenty of people think you should strike out like Columbus looking for China and go wherever you go. My girlfriend suggests my way is hopeless when it comes to writing, and I like her well enough. Your way doesnt work for me is all I'm saying.

You know, some experts swear you can determine when a melon is ripe by thumping it, others say no. There's room for honest disagreement so long as each can do it their way.

My brain is wired differently. It naturally seeks confounding information from experience. Lemme give you an example: I took an IQ test once upon a time. The question was IDENTIFY THE ODD-MAN OUT, and included pictures of A. Squirrel, B.Skunk, C.Snake, D. Pig, and E. Sheep.

The correct answer is D. PIG; my answer was C. SNAKE (a snake is a reptile NOT a mammal like the others.)

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Why were there so many rats in her house? Why would she use such a bloodthirsty method to kill them?
Maybe she's newly become some kind of werecreature, that would make someone flip their lid for a while...

Steve might be the only human in the bunch.

I said a lot of things that could go a lot of ways. I also never said if the rats were varmints or informers.

I wonder what was freaking everyone out? Wait, why am I asking this? I should be answering it!

 

[jomar]

Y...

Instead of "said knowingly," try, "...'said.' There was a knowing tone in his voice."
Or a tone of approval; or, It sounded like a rebuke; or, He had a voice like gravel. On and on like that. Just putting a period after "said" is often good enough.

...

How about having him tilt his head slightly, eyebrow arched....

...an almost imperceptible nod...

...becoming still just before speaking softly, iron in the voice...

Then again, I have been known to use "ly" at the end of a word.

 

[jomar]

My brain is wired differently. It naturally seeks confounding information from experience. Lemme give you an example: I took an IQ test once upon a time. The question was IDENTIFY THE ODD-MAN OUT, and included pictures of A. Squirrel, B.Skunk, C.Snake, D. Pig, and E. Sheep.

The correct answer is D. PIG; my answer was C. SNAKE (a snake is a reptile NOT a mammal like the others.)

Nor does it have four legs.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Nor does it have four legs.

True, and it lays eggs and is deaf. The question is awful.

 

[oggbashan]

My brain is wired differently. It naturally seeks confounding information from experience. Lemme give you an example: I took an IQ test once upon a time. The question was IDENTIFY THE ODD-MAN OUT, and included pictures of A. Squirrel, B.Skunk, C.Snake, D. Pig, and E. Sheep.

The correct answer is D. PIG; my answer was C. SNAKE (a snake is a reptile NOT a mammal like the others.)

I was asked for my professional opinion on a set of performance measurements for Social Work activities. I suggested that these two were unfortunate:

1. Number of mental health sufferers prevented from needing emergency admission to hospital.

2. Number of self-help groups for mental health sufferers set up in last month.

Can you see anything wrong with those measures?

Og

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I was asked for my professional opinion on a set of performance measurements for Social Work activities. I suggested that these two were unfortunate:

1. Number of mental health sufferers prevented from needing emergency admission to hospital.

2. Number of self-help groups for mental health sufferers set up in last month.

Can you see anything wrong with those measures?

Og

Based on my experiences self-help groups are clustre-fucks; groups can be excellent but require an adult professional to control the dominant group members. Plenty of mental health centers receive money to fund case managers and social centers for patients. Both are intended to decrease the need for inpatient treatment. But too often the case managers and social center people take the patient by the hand to the emergency room and dump them.

 

[tickledkitty]

Yes, I think about these things as I'm writing. However, the difference is that I do the best I can while I'm writing, then I read it through about 10 times and fix the little things, and then let my editor deal with it from there. If you get hung up on every little thing, it's really hard to let the story flow.

Have you thought of using an editor? I've always found an editor to be an invaluable resource.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I was asked for my professional opinion on a set of performance measurements for Social Work activities. I suggested that these two were unfortunate:

1. Number of mental health sufferers prevented from needing emergency admission to hospital.

2. Number of self-help groups for mental health sufferers set up in last month.

Can you see anything wrong with those measures?

Og

The second one, I think, you're referring to the phrase "mental health sufferers set up"? That's a very UK usage if that's what you're talking about. The first one.... How they might be "prevented from needing" is speculation for a horror story! Other than that, why are these people suffering from mental health? I'd think their mental illness is causing them grief.

 

[oggbashan]

The second one, I think, you're referring to the phrase "mental health sufferers set up"? That's a very UK usage if that's what you're talking about. The first one.... How they might be "prevented from needing" is speculation for a horror story! Other than that, why are these people suffering from mental health? I'd think their mental illness is causing them grief.

The politically correct phraseology for mental illness changes so frequently that I can't keep up with it. I think I should have written "experiencing problems with the mental health".

The answers to 'What is wrong?' are:

1. If an alternative to emergency admission is possible then an emergency admission isn't necessary. Professional health workers don't take someone to an ER unless they HAVE to. Therefore this measure is impossible. Either emergency admission is essential, or it isn't. No action by social workers can change that.

2. The number of self-help groups set up (started) could be manipulated. Five new groups each of five people would score better than one new group of twenty-five, but the group of twenty-five could be a better use of staff resources and more effective (or not). This statistic measures nothing meaningful.

Og

 

[Stella_Omega]

Twenty-five mentally ill people in one room sounds like a very unpleasant experience for everyone concerned.

Just saying.

 

[oggbashan]

Twenty-five mentally ill people in one room sounds like a very unpleasant experience for everyone concerned.

Just saying.

True. But if a group is formed of twenty-five, the usual attendance would probably be a maximum of sixteen.

The measure is also wrong because it assumes that forming new groups is better than running existing groups properly.

Og

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

When I worked emergency services at the hospital management was always coming up with clever schemes to involve patients, and one of the schemes created a monster they called a CO-FACILLITATOR. This was a patient paid minimum wage to interact with her peers.

In theory the co-facillitator was to assist her peers with social skills advice and other mundane living issues at day treatment and at their residence. But in practice the co-facillitators tried to access patient records and intimidate peers using their paid status to do it. I managed emergency services over the weekends, and frequently chased the co-facillitators off the premises with a broom. Then on Monday we'd have a staff-administrative brawl about their 'professional' status and priviledges...which were ZERO. I always won the brawls.

 

[Loring2]

Ok .... ?

SQUAREJOHN

Everyone demands I write as you suggest but part of me says every direction is the wrong path when you dont know where youre going. As a civil engineer in my past life I wanna know where I need to build a trestle or tunnel long before I get to it. As a writer I do not wanna paint my story into a corner and be forced to punt.

I assume that you going to punt it out of the coffin corner.
Now where the hell is a good metaphor when you need one?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I assume that you going to punt it into the coffin corner.
Now where the hell is a good metaphor when you need one?

What was the name of the famous dragster during the 60s? COLOR ME GONE!

http://www.draglist.com/artman2/uploads/2/ColorMe1.jpg

 

[statsultan]

Yes, I think about these things as I'm writing. However, the difference is that I do the best I can while I'm writing, then I read it through about 10 times and fix the little things, and then let my editor deal with it from there. If you get hung up on every little thing, it's really hard to let the story flow.

Have you thought of using an editor? I've always found an editor to be an invaluable resource.

I do all that, too. And I have two editors who are very good at different things. Both seem to let this problem of mine through as a matter of style, though. So on this issue, at least, I'm on my own in attempting to improve my writing.