Can you please bring your “Ball Four” books as well as the AP Stylebook, please. And can you comment on this yet? I need to know. Try it. If you can’t, email me at anzalon@buffalo.edu. Thanks.
February 23, 2011
February 21, 2011
Comment Alert
TJ says the comments are working fine. Can we give it a workout? Can anyone comment on this post? What about answering this: What kind of food should be prepare this Thursday? And here’s something else: Get those leads and nutgraphs in. Room 306. Clemens. It’s open. I checked. I can’t tell where we should go from here if I don’t see you getting the hang of these two basic concepts. OK?
February 17, 2011
Read the blogs
Dear Professor Anzalone,
I tried to post a comment on your blogs, but it would not let me. It’s probably because I’m not doing it right! Although I was able to read both blogs without a problem.
Michael Atencio
And Another Thing …
I forgot to ask you if you can bring your textbooks, “The Complete Editor,” tonight. There are a few things I need to point out, and I’ve been avoiding it for more interesting topics to talk about.
“When will those things start?” you might be asking youselves.
See you tonight.
CMA
February 16, 2011
I’ve Missed Talking to You
A few words about the biggest event in all our weeks: the Thursday ENG 399 class.
We’re going to have that open-book quiz on AP style, so bring your book. We’re going to read the Anthony Bourdain story (and we’re going to read that early so we have energy to get into what he’s trying to do). And then we’re going to talk about the all-important and all-powerful anecdote, because if you don’t know what an anecdote is and how basic and useful it is in writing this penetrating emotional reality we’re looking for, then you haven’t lived. And then you can count how many times I say the word “anecdote,” and roll your eyes whenever I repeat it. Also, can you bring your “Ball Four” books, because I want to dip into that to give you an idea why I think this is valuable, and not JUST ABOUT SPORTS, which I am not afraid to defend. OK? Can anyone who is reading this see if he or she can comment on it, or do you have to be administrators of the blog? I don’t think so. Give it a try. And this is a non-food week. If enough people read this blog, we’ll try to have some kind of refreshments next week, OK? See you then, then. Are there any typos in this? Not be intention.
February 10, 2011
A Habit Worth Abusing
This is probably too late for most of you this week, but I would like to get everyone in the habit of checking on our little blog the day before or the day of class. Something will certainly come up that I’d like to share with you. And getting a quick glimpse on this will set the tone for what needs to be outstanding classes every week, since they are so rare.
First point: I think I’ll bring food tonight. I’m goingt to try to do that whenever we hit a little wall or seam and need a boost. Ask students of previous years: We don’t let too many weeks go by without having something to eat, although I can’t promise to provide everyone with the style they prefer. It might be something akin to old-fashioned Buffalo food. We’ll perfect our tastes as we go forward.
It’s also a great trick for editors. If your writers like the horses, take them to track. If food matters, feed their appetites. They’ll like you more , work harder and be more receptive to your brilliant revisions.
The other thing is I really, really hope is that everyone has read “To Die in Chile.” We’re on schedule with the little nit-picking things we need to do to clean up copy, and we’ll make the next step tonight. And we have good stories we’re working on. But we need to get inspired, to find our muse and to read things that take us places we did not know we were capable of, and then find the way to repeat the experient ourselves, in our own writing. And much of what we’re going to try to do to conjure up this “penetrating emotional reality” we’re looking for is on display in this David Remnick article.
So read it, please, have some thoughts about why it’s good or sucks, and avoid seeing your professor turn apoplectic.
See you tonight. Ciao, baby. Bring a beverage and napkins, if you can.
— Charles Anzalone
Editing for the Conscientious Writer 