Re: fussing

Jaramillojp@kktv.com
Tue, 12 Aug 1997 23:52:22 -0700

<<<<<< one of my favorites is how "Slight Rebellion off Madison" is written in
> 3rd person, when as we know, catcher came out in first person...

Yes!  I used this as an exercise in a writing class I taught.

It was wonderful to see the way people literally did double-takes as
they
compared the unfamiliar story with the well-known version.  (The
comparison
also shows how the work progressed from competent workmanship in the
story
to significantly more in the novel.  That in itself was a blessing for a
class full of novice fiction writers, some of whom seemed to reallize,
"If
he can do that, I can make my stories better with careful revision.")

--tim>>>>>>>>

What helps me is something I read in an article once about Salinger
being quoted as saying he'll never write a novel. And in many ways
reading Salinger's early story it's as if I can almost see not Salinger
the brilliant writer but Salinger the learning writer trying to get it
right. You'll never know how many drafts that line and that thought has
gotten me through!

Suerte
John Paul

(Jaramillo@kktv.com)