Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 14:52:11 EDT From: dis tink Subject: Re: F: Warning to Those in Minnesota (Chris Lott) In-Reply-To: Your message of "Fri, 25 Oct 1996 09:03:22 -0800." okay...I'm still catching up, but I'll venture a fast response... why don't we change the name of the list? because I am the listowner, and I am going to focus on writing. what material isn't well suited to this forum? I believe that the recent torrent of quoted material, usually lacking any indication that the poster has asked for permission to infringe on the originators' copyright AND lacking additional comment, thought, or effort by the posters, is not suited to this forum. I believe that baiting, teasing, intentionally irritating pieces aimed at hurting people are not appropriate. This is hard to judge, but at least in part consists of patterns more than the occasional misstep -- e.g., whacking people once by accident and freely apologizing is one thing; doing it repeatedly and refusing to admit any error or loudly insisting that you have the right to do so...that is probably a problem. I have used filler to post questions, to post odd pieces of writing and thought which I didn't think made a whole piece (yet), and to schmooze with my friends. Giggling with people over the dance of beagles in the moonlight at times has been apropos. But I have tried to avoid simply posting the latest piece of someone else's work which I have stumbled over. I have also tried to avoid simply posting my "mental burping" in initial reaction to other people. (forgive this attack of indigestion, please?) but mostly, I have tried to post my writing. If people will focus on posting their own work, no matter how silly, no matter how maddening, I shall be pleased. (and the words will be better for this, that one keyboard, stained and splattered with gore, still clicked...?) Certainly one might include a quote or even a whole news story as a lead-in to one's one work, one's own thought and bleeding, one's own heart-rending eruption of emotive power...but make sure you've put the time and effort into doing your work. And try to avoid the knee-jerk baiting, reacting, and so forth, okay? We all know that it is easy to cause flames, irritation, and what not. Do we have to demonstrate it again? [and as i disintegrate into a pile of smoking black clothing under the onslaught of buckets of clean water, I repeat..."Who would have thought..."] sorry. may I recommend writing, the whole writing, and nothing but the writing? so help me muse? [mumbling under his breath and vowing not to respond so quickly again...] tink :) -- using template mhl.format -- :) Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 09:03:22 -0800 :) :) From: Chris Lott :) Subject: Re: F: Warning to Those in Minnesota (Chris Lott) :) :) As usual, those who post the most irrelevant material will go to any :) length to defend their right to post such by trying to label it "research :) material." :) :) Let me ask a different question then: giving the implicit definition of :) research material that can be gleaned from such responses, what is NOT :) suited for this forum? :) :) I anticipate an answer that there is not a SINGLE THING which can be :) construed to be something that should be brought up on another forum or :) that is not really relevent to writing, writers, research or (at the very :) least and most grotesque of the defenses-- spoken by a writer). So, :) why don't we change the name of the list, at least, to something a little :) more suitable? Like TALK-L or CHAT-L or WHATEVERTHEFUCK-ONE-WANTS-L?? :) :) :) c :) :) -- :) Chris Lott :) fncll@aurora.alaska.edu