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

 
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Thornton

Someday, I'll get it write...

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  • http://www.alongthewritelines.blogspot.com Derek

    WHAT WENT WRONG? If you have to ask the question, the answer may not be much use to you!

    SHOULD ICELAND BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DAMAGE THEIR VOLCANO HAS DONE? Only to their own people.

  • Star5fallonmyheart

    I got a topic starter: what do you think about Starbucks' new Frappaccino recipe? I'll be answering that under the “What went wrong” suggestion.

  • diana_SD

    I'm not sure if I got the gist of this assignment. I started by posting the question to friends, but through e-mail, not in person. (Hey, I'm confined to my computer screen.) So my initial mini-interviews are extended one-liner responses, not really writing. That is, they are direct quotes from other people. I think I may not understand this one properly–or I don't get off enough.

  • Brian Harrison

    I asked a local grocer, Buster Gilliam, the Iceland question. He said, “that Iceland should be accountable ever since the Vikings told the Dvergar (dwarfs) to shove it. And they stayed bottled up underground fuming at the insult until now.”

    But the min-terview was interrupt by a Faye Driscoll, the produce lady, who overheard us and corrected the information by stating “No, indeed it wasn't the Dvergar, but the dragon Fafnir, who from time immemorial razed the countryside and was due a very big rampage recently. Therefore the Icelandic peoples had nothing to do with that.”
    Next, an intense argument ensued between the two of them about Norse Mythology. And I left the grocery store never guessing what a sensitive issue it was.

  • diana_SD

    By George, I think Brian's got it!

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

    Sounds like something was erupting

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

    Indeed, he does. Just go with the flow, Diana

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

    Being a Brit, Derek, I can understand how you would be hesitant to be critical of any country that makes an ash of itself. As for the what went wrong…are the election results in yet?

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

    They should not have made it with alfredo sauce instead of the usual drizzle they use, though I understand from a marketing standpoint they were looking to create the alppucino

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

    You just need the right magmatude, Diana. I would love to see somebody use the other question though. Ask somebody what went wrong, and the response to that could be volcanic. Could be the marriage, the election, the perfect date night that wasn't? And forgive me for asking, but is it that you don't get OUT enough? (your hopefully freudian slip of a response is far more candid, if that's what you meant. I can relate)

  • http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/wartime/ Sean Labrador y Manzano

    4/20. 2 tickets to Gary Numan, scheduled to play the entire The Pleasure Principle. Remember “Cars”? –exemplifies California—

    Here in my car
    I feel safest of all
    I can lock all my doors
    It’s the only way to live
    In cars

    Here in my car
    I can only receive
    I can listen to you
    It keeps me stable for days
    In cars

    Here in my car
    Where the image breaks down
    Will you visit me please?
    If I can open my door
    In cars

    Here in my car
    I know I’ve started to think
    About leaving tonight
    Although nothing seems right
    In cars

    The Fillmore was the first date of three, then L.A. and Coachella. Otherwise, I would have joined my co-workers at Cypress Hill, making their annual April 20 appearance in San Francisco.

    But he was grounded in London. Eyjafjallajökull owes me drink tickets, many, for the rescheduled show.

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

    were you fuming!

  • http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/wartime/ Sean Labrador y Manzano

    LOL. My friends were fuming at Cypress Hill. I was relieved that I didn't ask someone on a date (it was going to be last minute)–that would've pissed me off.

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

    just a casual glance at the date of the date, I guess it would been smokin'.

  • http://www.facebook.com/davesuzanne.liy DaveSuzanne Liy

    I have my own answer for “What went wrong?” My answer is that Sarah Palin was born. And that she chose to live in the United States instead of Canada.

  • diana_SD

    OUT. I meant OUT. I didn't have any idea of what you were talking about until I re-read. I'm editing now.

  • diana_SD

    I'll never know–the lines for it are too long.

  • diana_SD

    What I should have asked was: how do you spell the name of the volcano in Iceland. Instead, I asked a group of my friends and employees through e-mail about accountability for Iceland. Here are some replies:

    Chris says: “Absolutely not. Should other nations of the world be held accountable for natural disasters which have occurred in their nations? Do we have to pay for lost productivity because of Katrina? Should Haiti for being hit by an earthquake?

    I see no reason they should be held accountable for what is ultimately a matter of statistics and inevitability. “

  • diana_SD

    Another response to the Iceland question from Louise:

    Louise: “No. Natural events are mutli national and deserve a multinational response even if it means disruption to other economies. However, non-natural disasters such as the BP oil disaster should have the company being held responsible for multinational problems regardless of whether the company provides services to other countries or not.”

    Me: “What sort of “disruption to other economies” do you mean?”

    Louise: “For example, the volcano disrupted air travel which affected business, etc. in countries even far away. I do not know if freight travel was affected or whether that is done by ship. Mail disruptions are bound to have been affected as well.”

  • diana_SD

    A friend responds to the Accountability of Iceland in a nutshell:

    Linda: “No. That's silly. It's an act of God/Mother Nature/Fate/Bad Karma/Evil”

    I wonder whose karma???

  • diana_SD

    Should Iceland be held accountable for the activity of its volcano? This respondent has taken the larger and more pragmatic view:

    Mark says: “Since it's a precursor to the apocalypse that will occur in 2012, I think it would be useless…it will take longer than that to get it into and through the courts!”

    Yes, let's use our time more wisely than in litigation, I always say, too.

  • diana_SD

    Iceland accountability: How about focusing on prevention instead of compenstion? Kathy writes: “That is an act of God/nature in my perspective. Also keep in mind what they are doing with aluminum refining using their geothermal power sources, allowing the rest of us the benefit of the refined metal without the hazard of combustible fuels doing the job. If there is a way to control a volcano, let the rest of the world know and patent the procedure fast!”

  • Star5fallonmyheart

    After being jailed for 8 hours at work…the Alppacino =D

  • Star5fallonmyheart

    Min-terview me! I'll give you a longer answer than one sentence! =D

  • Star5fallonmyheart

    The ping-pong machine in the break room broke. When that happened, the higher ups at corporate Starbucks got bored and were in dire need of something to do. They figured the best way to entertain themselves were to receive angry e-mails from loyal customers and laugh at the outraged masses. The best way to incite their anger? Take something they truly love…change it up and make it so complicated that it won't taste the same way ever again.

    And thus, the new recipe of Frappaccino for Summer 2010 was born.

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

    Yes but she can see Canada from her bedroom.

  • http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/wartime/ Sean Labrador y Manzano

    I still want my concert back. Maybe if Sigur Ros and Bjork toured together. Played for free, donated their appearance fees, I'd be satisfied. Or, if the Sugarcubes reunited. Better yet, the Sugarcubes begin their comeback playing at all the airports closed because of ashfall. You know entertain the stuck passengers.

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

    I had no doubt…still.

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

    If that was God at work I don't think he was acting

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

    Yes, but regarding disasters and culpability, just remember the San Andreas is not my fault!

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

    There is a quote in my novel “The Boy with a Torn Hat” (shameless plug here). “That lad's a disaster–six point eight on the rectum scale.”

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

    Yes, but you're a writer. Aren't you always on the look out for a good line?

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

    According to a man whose name is harder to spell than the Iceland volcano, Hojatleslam Kaazem Sedighi, a Muslim cleric, “Women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes.”

    translation: Bjork did it.

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

    The problem is, the huge plume blotted out the sun, leaving Bjork dancing in the dark

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

    Courting disaster?

  • http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/wartime/ Sean Labrador y Manzano

    that is a fabulous film

  • http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/wartime/ Sean Labrador y Manzano

    Now we need a census of those in this community led astray by Bjork.

  • http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/wartime/ Sean Labrador y Manzano

    I believe Canada has stricter border controls.

  • diana_SD

    Oh, ohhhhhh! I am not going to click “like” on that.

  • diana_SD

    I've figured it out. This entire assignment was a clever ruse to serve as a platform for TS's less than punctilious puns. I feel so used. Used by a ruse, in fact.

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

    I was trusting you to get it. I was surprised that Bjork was so well hung

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

    Or those who would like to be

  • diana_SD

    Check out “Boobquake” on Facebook, if you are wired in there. A researcher at Purdue, started a viral research project to test the cleric's hypothesis.

  • diana_SD

    True, true, but this was more like a run-on line, so I couldn't run in and run out again, which is really different than a *good* line, but then good is relative, but like one of the relatives you don't really want to see very often.

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

    yes but for entering or leaving?

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

    My apologies if you feel you've been sullied

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

    I do try to keep abreast with scientific research, but I do know that boobs without nipples are pointless

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

    You're to spoiled. I suppose you expect Starbusks to open up another cash register just for you. A one-liner.

  • Miryam

    I caught my husband off guard, and asked him this question… below is his reply:

    What Went Wrong

    It was 1955. A man in a hurry was driving up 33rd Street, in Tacoma. As he approached an intersection, he failed to stop at the sign, and crashed into the driver’s door of a 1948 Chevrolet, flipping it three times. The man inside the Chevrolet was ejected; landing head first on a large rock about fifteen feet away. He withstood severe head injuries, and spent the next two days unconscious in the hospital before passing away. It was probably best he pass away, as his wife would have had to nurse him for the rest of his life in a comatose state. What went wrong is that the man who died was my father. He had just said goodnight to my two younger brothers and my mom before leaving to attend a union meeting that evening.
    The Bible says, Gd is a Father to the fatherless…

    Word Count: 147

  • Miryam

    As long as I had my husband’s attention, I asked him for one more…

    What Went Wrong:

    There was a lady named Miryam. She lived in Chehalis, and was meeting two girlfriends from out of state in Tacoma one evening. One of her girlfriends was looking forward to seeing a country western band that night, which happened to be playing in the area. Well, what went wrong was that the band all came down with the flu and could not play! So, Miryam remembered a jazz club called Preceedos and suggested that they all go there.
    As the Hammond was playing, I walked into the room and saw Miryam for the first time. I was enamored with her at first sight, and after a short time I got up my nerve, and asked her to dance. It was a good dance. Two months later, we were married. We have been married for seventeen years now, and I am so happy that something went wrong that night!

    Word Count: 150

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