The end of a semester is a great opportunity to do some whining, experience some regret, and make plans for a better future... at least, that's how they have affected me for decades.
The month between college semesters is the perfect time to browse great writing from across the internet, though I tend to favor sources like the New York Times and Washington Post since the writers usually confine themselves to under-800 words. That allows for a clear thesis and for a bit of depth without overwhelming readers with overly complex writing.
And when I am looking for models for my college writers, I am acutely aware that giving them 2,000+ word essays means most of them will simply skip that reading. Those students didn't sign up for a literature class. They want to sharpen their writing... well, mostly they want to fulfill a graduation requirement.
I spend a couple hours each morning with coffee, some sort of pastry, and my iPad, reading whatever appeals to me in the online NYT and Post sites, along with the "replica" version of the Denver Post and the non-profit Colorado Sun. I often detour into The Athletic, part of my Times subscription, searching for signs of an exciting Iowa football offense in the future or reveling in the latest exploits of Caitlin Clark. I also subscribe to the print version of The Atlantic magazine... though I confess that I probably spend more time reading online articles that come in a digest each afternoon than thumbing through the monthly publication.
To my chagrin, I only open a novel a couple times a week. Reading fiction and nonfiction books more regularly is a great resolution for my 2024 list.
But when my biorhythms dip mid-afternoon, my go-to is more likely to be old episodes of "Moonlighting." David and Maddie and their rapid-fire arguments (with underlying flirtation) is not something you get much in modern TV series. The show itself barely acknowledges the idea of a logical plot and Bruce Willis spouts wisecracks even while a bad guy if firing a pistol (or a hand-held laser in one season one episode).
The show is a bit dated (from the mid-80s) but the vivid characters and the joy in playing with language make the show a treasure. I look forward to stealing some interchanges to repurpose in some future readers theater scripts though only patrons over the age of 60 will have even vague memories of the show (or of a young Mr. Willis and a stunning Cybill Shepherd). Agnes Dipesto answering the phone in rhyme remains one of the best recurring bits in TV history.
I have often wished that in my real life I could be as quick with a line as Harold Hill. And Bruce Willis gives the professor a run for his money in terms of speed and wit and saucy attitude.
It takes a special talent to write such rapid fire dialog, combing precision with "hearing" the words as they will be spoken by the actors. A speciality of "Moonlighting" is overlapping dialog, where both David and Addie are blithely speaking about their own situation and may not even be sharing the same topic. Yet a viewer can pick up the gist of both speakers.
Speaking of rapid fire: I have already downloaded and reformatted several fine writing models for next semester, with topics ranging from how pizza became an iconic American dish to why "rizz" was the 2023 word of the year, to why most younger people think putting a period at the end of a text is odd, perhaps threatening and certainly overly formal.
They range from 800 to 1,200 words and I even add annotations to provide a bit of direction to my college readers. We may be online but even a pale version of in-class comments and insights adds to my enjoyment of the courses.
As for the students? Who knows?
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