I've found that giving your class an insolvable problem, some kind of Pandora's box or riddle of the Sphinx, is a great way to free up time for blogging.* In this instance, a simple Algebra 1 "decimal rounding" assignment did the trick.
All that remains to be done is field the occasional question, monitor the noise level, and write this post. Unfortunately, my algebraic solution was so neat that now I'm out of content. That's the problem with efficient problem solving - it makes for boring plot lines, and thus puts a damper on blogging. Fortunately, only rarely are life's questions and dilemmas resolved this easily.
I never thought I'd hear myself say that. I wonder if many writers gradually start hoping for strange or puzzling things to happen, thereby giving them new material. This theory would give substance to my suspicions that writers are often a strange bunch.
*I realize this might give the impression that I'm generating random assignments to keep the students busy, and I just want to affirm that I would never, ever, ever even conceive of doing such a fiendishly innovative thing.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Classic Literature from Passe Problems?
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3 comments:
I have mistakely converted the statement, "writers are a strange bunch" to "the strange are writers." Being strange myself, at a young age, I fancied myself a writer. Alas, writers slave over there words, I simply vomit them.
On a slightly related note, I have always found that strange content may not always been good content (but I know you know that), but you reminded me of a quote which a college friend said, maybe 6 six years ago, "Surreality is banal." She was a good writer.
The proof of my logorrheic writing style is the obvious "there," "their" mistake.
As I see it, writing may give one a predisposition toward "strangeness." However, if this perception of strangeness (from the outsider's perspective, of course) is a consequence of the writer seeing the world with very sensitized vision, it's hardly a bad thing. Being highly observant can make one very sane. And the highly sane may appear very strange.
But as you say, the "strange" are not (thankfully) all writers, any more than acting strangely qualifies one to write...
Ok, I think I've exhausted that vein. ;)
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