Theme: Saying Too Much
If you wouldn't write it and sign it, don't say it. ~Earl Wilson
GYM SHOES SPEAK
CAROLYN B HEALY
My friend Carol and I walked home from school down 111th Street. We made it almost to the bus stop a block from my place. It was a Friday because I carried my white Keds home for their bi-weekly cleaning, as required by the gym teacher. My name was neatly printed along the side, and I had them tied together by the laces because they looker cooler that way.
I know I was in fifth grade because I remember the cocktail of growing freedom that fall – I could take unapproved routes home, pick up candy at the school store with my babysitting money, climb on the giant boulders where the vicious dog lived – without anyone telling me I was too little. Life was already good, and getting better. MORE . . .
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THE GOOD EDITOR
ELLIE SEARL
A good cook knows how to edit. Take meatloaf. Most recipes call for some kind of filler—like breadcrumbs. The right amount guarantees a moist, savory meatloaf feast. Too much and it's dry, tasteless, stick-in-your-mouth lump.
A good writer knows how to edit. Take Mark Twain. In his short story, "Advice to Little Girls," he wrote, "Good little girls always show marked deference for the aged. You ought never to 'sass' old people unless they 'sass' you first."
Now that's succinct. MORE . . .
