|
|
If you really wanted to impress us, you would've posted it in your own handwriting. |
Posted on 02/02/2005 9:04:12 AM PST by Old Professer
I took my usual seat by the door so that I could enjoy the breeze that stirred the leaves on my worn notebook, now tattered by days of scratching, rubbing and starting over. Each time a leaf fluttered briefly I looked up expecting to see what I had come for only to turn back to my worn nub of a pencil wondering why I had ever accepted this assignment in the first place.
“Go to a public place; write a descriptive narrative,” the E-mail instructed. How more public could a place be than the Newtown Public Library? Well, here I am and here I’ve sat other than getting up and going to the parking lot waiting to see if people even slowed down for library entrances anymore, let alone pulled into the parking lot walked inside and actually touched a book. Two hours I’ve been here. In and out like those old saloon doors in late-night movies where they sell you life insurance and vacuum cleaners and still nothing to see.
I should confess right now that I am an inveterate fabricator, those days I mention earlier are really minutes stretching into what feel like days. My English instructor thinks I can learn to write by writing, isn’t that silly? I don’t even know how to read yet, not fast I mean, and not certainly because I want to; can you believe she thinks there are people who like to read?
I’ve been around the block and everybody I know here in Newtown, (why do they call it Newtown since it’s been here for over two hundred years?) knows that reading is just one notch above shoveling snow and this teacher all of a sudden wants to come in here and make a big deal out of a bunch of boring words on paper.
Well, anyway, here I am still in my seat and scribbling this stuff because I figure 700 words can’t be more than two or three pencils worth, four maybe, if you count the erasers, especially when you try to slip one by the slave master with big-shot words like “fabricator.” But I better find something good to write about pretty soon because that deadline is tomorrow and I still have to do my hair.
Oh, I just did a word count and I’m up to 391 words; I fabricated the “pencils” and “erasers” stuff, I’m good at that, remember? Four hundred and three words and counting, maybe this won’t be as hard as I thought.
Oh, darn! My battery light just came on.
If I can work up the nerve I’m going to go up to the desk and ask that old prune if there is a thingy I can plug in to finish this before that creepy guy over by the stacks walks by me one more time (I swear, if he doesn’t stop doing that, I’m going to quit coming here).
My battery is revived, happy day! But that creepy guy wants to know if I have any spare change; how insulting. All this time I thought he was a lecher or something honorable, but he’s just a stinking bum.
I’m back. Did you miss me? I was out in the parking lot looking to see if any of those cars with the all the belted-in kids were turning into the library so I could have something to write about before I get to my 700 words (574 right now). They went right on by, didn’t even look over here; they all seemed to be staring at the ceiling while a strange blue light flickered on their faces.
The creepy guy walked past me and out to the sidewalk where he’s standing right now with his hand outstretched and his thumb pointed in the air like he is checking to see if it’s raining but any fool can see that the sun is still shining even though it is turning reddish-orange out there in the trees and a soft purple is now leaking under the glass doors right by the tables where all the income tax papers have been stacked all day.
I must go home soon because I’ve been here like all day and all I’ve seen are just some real busy people who slow down outside and let someone out long enough to come in and grab papers, the old prune behind the counter, Mr. Creepy and all those shelves filled with old, smelly junk from when Newtown was really new.
Maybe I don't understand the question, but the post looks good so I think you have succeeded.
Good read.
Very entertaining read, I think the format looks good, but I'm not sure what look you're going for.
The narrative certainly is descriptive of what she saw while she was in the public place, I felt like I was there with her. I've seen that creepy bum before. I would say she achieved her objective.
1. Open the document in Word.
2. Highlight all of the text (Ctrl+A)
3. Click the down arrow on the right hand side of the font box to display the list of fonts.
4. Click on "Wingdings 2"
It won't be readable, but it sure will make it stand out from the other papers in the class.
Great stuff, Prof! And well-formatted to boot.
Word is such an incredibly pointless feature-heavy resource-hog. I just hate those times when I have to work in it.
You mean you're looking for a font that looks like script? Try Lucida Handwriting.
Prof, please believe me that this comment is well intended, but just about any method will give you better HTML than using Word, and that includes having a pack of rabid chacma baboons fling handfuls of their dung at random points on the keyboard.
This is really your lucky day. A few years back, John Robinson changed the FR software so that we don't have to use HTML code and marks any more -- as long as we don't use any symbol that hints at HTML!
If you use a HTML symbol out of carelessness, or ignorance, you will fall down a deep rabbit hole (like Alice in Wonderland) and you will have to use HTML throughout your writing forever. Otherwise, your posts will have no paragraphs, and it will be all jumbled together.
But, you are lucky because you chose today to write your descriptive paragraph. If you had written it two years ago, it would have looked a mess, and you might have been very unhappy.
So, thank John Robinson from the bottom of your heart for making posting on Free Republic easy and Jim Robinson for providing this space so that we can write to our heart's desire, as long as we follow the rules. :)
|
|
If you really wanted to impress us, you would've posted it in your own handwriting. |
You have some run-on sentences in there. Heed your punctuation.
Thanks for the tip! That's what I love about FR -- learn something new every day.
That's what concerned me, even after I previewed it I expected to see the actual post all jumbled.
Some of the features are dependent. The previous sentence probably looks normal to IE users.
My life is one long run-on sentence I can't even look forward to parole for twenty more years but I keep nudging the rocks along the way forgive my penchant for the painting with a brush uncleaned.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
