tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post7444180811900478753..comments2023-06-26T07:09:15.225-06:00Comments on Love, Power & Fairytale Endings: See? I'm Smiling!Jeffe Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-41600681692202051262010-03-10T14:58:23.505-07:002010-03-10T14:58:23.505-07:00I do think things can be misconstrued in the writt...I do think things can be misconstrued in the written word. My brother and I both have a similar sense of humor and obviously know each other well, and yet one night got into a knock down on Facebook chat (I know!) over I don't even know what, because he totally misunderstood something I wrote and it just spiraled into one ugly mess from there!<br /><br />And let's face it--there are people who don't "get" sarcasm, dry humor, wit, etc, in person--they are totally missing the gene-- so it's probably a stretch to think they'd follow along online. I try to tread lightly around those folks and pray I don't offend anyone. (Unless I mean to and then I think I'm perfectly clear about my intentions!)<br /><br />Excellent post though...words are powerful...but as they are handled by us flawed individuals (well, I should only speak for myself, ahem), they can and do come out wrong at times. I hope that most people judge others by the totality of their words and actions and not just a fleeting tweet or two. <br />:)@muftopmommyhttp://www.muffintopmommy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-24060985018839677912010-03-09T21:00:01.080-07:002010-03-09T21:00:01.080-07:00Ah, Adrien-Luc -- thanks for persevering and re-co...Ah, Adrien-Luc -- thanks for persevering and re-composing! <br /><br />It is a good lesson. I've been taken aback several times by the Follow Friday (on Twitter) notes saying what I'm about. They're remarkably perceptive about traits I hadn't thought I'd shown. <br /><br />Maybe it does come down to a question of control. People see what they see, whether we mean them to or not, whether it's how we wish to be perceived. <br /><br />Adrien-Luc - you may be opinionated, which can also be called assured, confident and decisive. It makes you who you are and what makes you interesting. <br /><br />Let the words fly! If we are honest and are careful writers, then we can do nothing more.Jeffe Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-91252324458336006652010-03-09T20:34:24.240-07:002010-03-09T20:34:24.240-07:00(Let's try this again after that little crashi...(Let's try this again after that little crashing snafu earlier...)<br /><br />I actually had first-hand experience with this yesterday. Someone called me "highly-opinionated" and, while they meant it as a compliment, it came off to me as "mouthy and obnoxious." This person barely knows me from Twitter and my blog, two places where I actually try to curb my stronger opinions and temper my abrasive, caustic humor into friendly cynicism. The very last thing I wanted to come across as was opinionated, but I failed because no matter what mask I lay over my words, I can't help how others perceive them. Just as the person who called me "highly-opinionated" can't help that I read it as "mouthy and obnoxious" (probably because I'm very afraid of crossing the line from brash into obnoxious, so it makes me a little sensitive to that).<br /><br />It's actually a good lesson to carry over into writing, and on the quest towards publishing. Just as on the internet, once we let our words fly out into the world as a book we can't really control how people will interpret them. We can't force readers to read a scene in the exact voice we intended, or picture the exact thing we want. All we can do is choose our words carefully, and be sure to find the right ones to convey the appropriate message whether it's in a story, on Twitter, or in any other venue.Adrien-Luc Sandershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00148313636361346390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-89265606575966615912010-03-09T19:31:42.743-07:002010-03-09T19:31:42.743-07:00LOL, funny thing is, I really DID burn my thigh. N...LOL, funny thing is, I really DID burn my thigh. No joke. Don't hold a wine glass between your legs on a sunny day.<br /><br />(But see, that was one of those jokes I figured everyone would assume I was making up. Sadly, it just happened to be true).<br /><br />TawnaTAWNA FENSKEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468819219529035563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-57998608974124101122010-03-09T18:23:48.297-07:002010-03-09T18:23:48.297-07:00Okay Marcella - your AP English teacher was clearl...Okay Marcella - your AP English teacher was clearly the clone of our comp sci teacher. Truly unsettling! I think that's a good point, that authors want to try to control the uncontrollable. The sad truth is, there's only one phase of this business under our complete control: the first draft. After that, we have to accede to the forces of the market, like it or not.<br /><br />KAK - you are *so* right! Emoticon abuse is substituted for careful phrasing far too often. Or is that what you meant? 0_o?<br /><br />Isn't that interesting, Tawna? I can see how a dry humor like yours would elicit mixed responses. "You BURNED your thigh?!?" It's an educational experience, alrighty...Jeffe Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-72417982571809200542010-03-09T16:43:09.204-07:002010-03-09T16:43:09.204-07:00I've been learning a lot about this very subje...I've been learning a lot about this very subject as I've spent the last month getting the hang of blogging and tweeting. I write humorous fiction (or at least I like to think I do) and there have been several occasion where jokes I've attempted have fallen flat. Or sometimes half my readers will get it, and the other half will reply to me in a way that makes it clear they thought I was serious. It's a good lesson for me that dry humor doesn't always translate in social media!<br /><br />Great blog post!<br /><br />TawnaTAWNA FENSKEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468819219529035563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-11517789080406146992010-03-09T14:54:24.284-07:002010-03-09T14:54:24.284-07:00There are those who try to leverage the "trut...There are those who try to leverage the "truth in jest" on-line through emoticon abuse.<br /><br />::sniffle:: Poor emoticons, too cute to ignore, too pervasive to annihilate.K.A. Krantzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06674754426001151828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-30876990955588524452010-03-09T12:27:30.212-07:002010-03-09T12:27:30.212-07:00Mm. The smile you describe only thinly veiled my A...Mm. The smile you describe only thinly veiled my AP English teacher's "I'm picturing you all dead by my hand" fantasy. That we could all identify precisely what he was thinking behind that smile disturbed the entire class. We were a subdued lot. Did our work, got the hell out. As to the author tweeting exhortations to her fans - control issues. She's pretending she can control the uncontrollable - other people's behavior. Wonder how that's working for her. (Here's the advantage of being trite - you read that in exactly the tone of voice I meant you to because we all know where it comes from...but this is the only advantage. Cause you know, it's still trite.)Marcella Burnardhttp://www.marcellaburnard.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-6562614020009995592010-03-09T10:14:40.258-07:002010-03-09T10:14:40.258-07:00Kev - oh. Eeep. And YOU are older!
Marin - those ...Kev - oh. Eeep. And YOU are older!<br /><br />Marin - those are great insights. I find it interesting, too, that after all these years of moving business interactions more and more online, for the sensitive stuff we're going back to the telephone and in-person conversations. It's creating a kind of tiering of communications. Watching people learn this is always interesting. I do feel certain that berating people for taking communications the wrong way is not the solution. <br /><br />Speaking of which, I feel so gratified that my recollections were accurate about that teacher!<br /><br />And Katie - you're right. Authors rely on the goodwill of their readers, created partly by the works themselves, but also by the author herself. Like it or not!Jeffe Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-2128306218284546882010-03-09T09:50:18.113-07:002010-03-09T09:50:18.113-07:00Everything someone posts or say on the internet is...Everything someone posts or say on the internet is open to interpretation. it is very hard to know if what is being said is in joking matter or whatnot.<br /><br />But authors really do need to be careful because of what the public sees them as.KT Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15958121742156171756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-72890262022681478912010-03-09T09:45:01.592-07:002010-03-09T09:45:01.592-07:00I think the email/blogging/twitting thing has open...I think the email/blogging/twitting thing has opened a whole new psychology to communication. I was a Organisational Comm major and I have a feeling that and Business Comm had to be (or should have been) wildly revamped over the last many years.<br /><br />On the one hand, it's easy to be misunderstood because someone reads a tone of voice you didn't use, though it's also easy to hide behind the "If you'd heard me say it, you'd know I was joking" gambit.<br /><br />On the other hand, it's an opportunity to be more precise with communications. I have learned that a sensitive communique needs to be handled with kid gloves - or maybe not emailed at all.<br /><br />I'm eagerly awaiting the day when people learn not to email about sensitive issues and have the sense to know when to pick up a phone or call a meeting.<br /><br />Off soapbox.<br /><br />I know which computer teacher you're talking about. I feel so close to you right now.Marin (AntiM)https://www.blogger.com/profile/06169366794914669666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-30120172534189737692010-03-09T09:39:34.700-07:002010-03-09T09:39:34.700-07:00You learned BASIC programming, sweetie. Not reall...You learned BASIC programming, sweetie. Not really DOS. But this really just serves to underscore your whole now-we-know-how-old-you-are point.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12840386653128026934noreply@blogger.com