<<<<<< 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)