Announcing a new feature for writers! (oh boy!)

By On May 8, 2010 · 69 Comments · In Events, Announcements, Tours, Seminars, Featured, Minterview

“Min-terviews”

Each week I will post a new topic.  It’s a mini interview.  You can answer the question yourself, or ask it of someone else and post their response.  This could be a great conversation starter at a party, with strangers, at the coffee shop, or on a train. Get creative and make it a party game. “Hi, I am a writer on assignment, and I wonder if I could interview you with a single question?”  There is no limit to the number of people you interview and post, but there is a limit to length and format, and violate the format at your own peril!

Basic rules:

MUST BE ACCEPTABLE TO A GENERAL AUDIENCE–i.e., could you read this to your mother?

INTRODUCTION MUST BE BRIEF.  “Hi, my name is Arthur.  I live in the Pacific North West where I (attend school, rob banks, crab, raise kids).  NO SPECIFICS that could lead to stalking–I’m still on probation!  First names only of people you min-terview. Make it clear that they remain anonymous. (They might even be more willing to share a secret)

THIS IS NOT ADVERTISING.  This is writing.  If you are a professional writer, in your introduction you can say at you option: ” I am a writer and you can find me on the “Our Friends” of this site”, where I am building a directory.  You can send me a few lines about yourself and a link to your email or website and I will be happy to pimp you there at no fee.

THIS IS NOT A CONTEST–no prizes, only surprizes.

THIS IS NOT FILTERED.  Up until now your work has come to me for editing and approval before it gets posted, though comments have by-passed that and are posted in the comment box unhindered.  This feature will only work if people play nice and no time is required on my part except to post a new topic each Saturday.  Do not send me or A Word with You Press your min-terview.  Post directly in the comment box.

AFTER YOUR INTRODUCTION the actual min-terview itself can be no more than 150 words.  I may change this from week to week.

SO…Ready for your first Min-terview?  As a little bonus to get this started, I am offering TWO topics.  Here are the questions to ask yourself or somebody else.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

and

SHOULD ICELAND BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DAMAGE THEIR VOLCANO HAS DONE?

Post in the comment box.  If nobody responds, I guess I will have to answer the first question myself!

have fun

thorn

inspired-by-this-morning’s-cup-of-coffee-in-chief

 
About The Author

Thornton

Someday, I'll get it write...

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  • diana_SD

    I can't edit. . .I'm stuck with the ignominy.

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    Oh Miryam. What went wrong can't be undone. What went right is that he found a woman with a reverence for life and for the feelings of other people, which is so clearly evident in the comments and encouragement you give other writers on the site here, not just for the writing, but for the parts of themselves that they have chosen to reveal.

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    we all should wronged in that way. I like happy endings

  • Star5fallonmyheart

    If that kind of thing means being wronged, oh LORD am I being right-ed!

  • http://www.motheroad.wordpress.com/ motheroad

    I'm still stuck on the swan.

  • http://www.motheroad.wordpress.com/ motheroad

    What Went Wrong: I KNEW I shoulda taken dat left toin at Albeqoique!

  • Star5fallonmyheart

    I TOLD you to take a left!!! Now we gots to find a gas station to ask for directions!!!

  • http://www.motheroad.wordpress.com/ motheroad

    If only Bugs Bunny had Mapquest.

  • Derek

    If the volcano is an international issue then I'm surprised NATO hasn't sent in a peacekeeping force (wink wink) by now.

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    What a sweet short bio you have done of Miryam and I'm sure all of us who have been the recipients of her kind, insightful comments would agree with you.

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    Come to think of it, that seems to describe you as well, doesn't it? I am sure you are too modest to agree, but in this case, your opinion does not count.

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    my pun krocks!

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    In talking with a land developer who was loosing a high-end ($1,000,000+houses), beautifully located, gated community with all of the ingredients for a dreamer's dream, I asked, “What went wrong?”

    The look on his face as his eyes misted, spoke volumes before he said a word. I looked for a polite way to change the subject.

    He cleared his throat and began enumerating, “An unexpected recession, gas at four dollars a gallon, big banks failing or fearful to lend construction money to builders, residential buyers who had the kind of money it took to build a large, expensive house were hesitant to invest money into a market that was as shaky as an old man with palsy, all this causing inactivity for three years with interest running.” He took another breath to begin again, but noticing I had stopped writing, he asked, “How much time do you have to listen?”

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Brian, Himself is always telling me that I should have been born 200 years ago, that I would have made a great pioneer. I think with you…Well, I just can't “pen” you down! I thought with your long blond locks, the adventurous life and the chaos you caused with your pirate story, I had you pegged during the Erroll Flynn pirate movie era, but this piece takes you waaaay back to the Vikings and all the little people hiding under every tall stones. Did the Vikings make it to Iceland? We look for you by land and you come by sea, and that's a good thing. You are a very versatile and creative writer. I hope you are keeping all of your writings in tact for those little Brian's who are perhaps “downrange”. I would encourage everyone to do that. How great would it be to find a box of your grandfather's or grandmother's writings done in their prime when all things were possible???

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Brian, Himself is always telling me that I should have been born 200 years ago, that I would have made a great pioneer. I think with you…Well, I just can't “pen” you down! I thought with your long blond locks, the adventurous life and the chaos you caused with your pirate story, I had you pegged during the Erroll Flynn pirate movie era, but this piece takes you waaaay back to the Vikings and all the little people hiding under every tall stones. Did the Vikings make it to Iceland? We look for you by land and you come by sea, and that's a good thing. You are a very versatile and creative writer. I hope you are keeping all of your writings in tact for those little Brian's who are perhaps “downrange”. I would encourage everyone to do that. How great would it be to find a box of your grandfather's or grandmother's writings done in their prime when all things were possible???

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Brian, Himself is always telling me that I should have been born 200 years ago, that I would have made a great pioneer. I think with you…Well, I just can't “pen” you down! I thought with your long blond locks, the adventurous life and the chaos you caused with your pirate story, I had you pegged during the Erroll Flynn pirate movie era, but this piece takes you waaaay back to the Vikings and all the little people hiding under every tall stones. Did the Vikings make it to Iceland? We look for you by land and you come by sea, and that's a good thing. You are a very versatile and creative writer. I hope you are keeping all of your writings in tact for those little Brian's who are perhaps “downrange”. I would encourage everyone to do that. How great would it be to find a box of your grandfather's or grandmother's writings done in their prime when all things were possible???

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Brian,
    Himself is always telling me that I should have been born 200 years ago because I would have made a great pioneer. I have been trying to “pen” you down but when we “look for you by land, you come by sea”. I thought the chaos you caused with your pirate story showed enough personal knowledge that I had you in the Erroll Flynn pirate days. But now, here you come as a Norseman stirring up trouble with the help of all their “little people”. You are a very creative and versatile writer. I hope you are keeping all of your stories for the little Brians who are perhaps, “downrange”. What a treasure! We all need to be doing it, I'm told.

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    DISQUS DOESN'T SEEM TO LIKE ME! AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS TROUBLE WITH THEIR COMMENTS? WHEN I WROTE THE ABOVE IT APPEARED THAT IT WASN'T GOING TO ACCEPT MY PASSWORD SO AFTER WHAT I CALL PATIENCE, I WROTE ANOTHER. TODAY I FIND THAT BOTH HAVE BEEN PRINTED. I DON'T SEE A DELETE BUTTON, WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES, BY THE WAY. SO, PLEASE KNOW THAT I HAVN'T COMPLETELY LOST “IT”.GUESS I'LL HAVE TO PLAY “GUEST”.

  • Bzuley

    Arthur is lying. And I know this because he would say, “I live in the Pacific Northwest.” And he'd only do that if he were a Californian living in the the Northwest, because if he were truly Northwestern, body and soul, he's say, “Let's finish our coffee, pick up some microbrews, and go camp/hike/listen to Indie music. Hey, are you from here?”

    A few hours later, the somewhat startled person he was talking to would ask him his name and he'd say, “I always wanted to be called _____.”

    Besides the criminal record, don't trust that Arthur I tell you.

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