TWI Writing Styles

[Logicisgreatstuff]

Just came back to add some more comments, and wow, look at all the nice replies. Thanks everybody, that means a lot.

I checked this place out years ago — but didn't really, until recently reading Penworks's book, and only lurked off and on since then. I have procrastinated tremendously (sorry) on adding a 'new members' intro, should probably do that one day soon.

I just had to say something on the topic, as it is one of my greatest pet peeves! (Leaving aside for a moment the matter of wooden spoons.)

Anyway, I was only going to add a sarcastic remark along these lines:

On 6/9/2023 at 10:40 AM, Twinky said:

great for learning to develop a split personality.

A wonderful recipe for lasting psychological damage, indeed. It is nice though to be on the other side, I've been gone a long time, life is good now, etc. Reading the memoir did make me suspect there's still some recovering to do. Your writing has helped me, it would be nice to do that for someone else.

 

[Logicisgreatstuff]

On 6/9/2023 at 12:46 PM, Nathan_Jr said:

What was your parents’ response to these low grades in writing?

I don't remember! I would guess either nothing, or something like "do what the teacher says."

What I can say now is mostly connecting dots in hindsight. Other than a vague intuition, I doubt that at the time I was aware of anything wrong. Cognitive dissonance was strong enough that I could compartmentalize things, without noticing any contradictions.

[penworks]

Glad to hear Undertow helped you, Logicisgreatstuff. Your generation of Wayfers is near and dear to my heart, since my daughter was 12 years old when we escaped HQ. She reminds me that I said over and over that I wrote Undertow for your generation, since most (certainly not all) in mine were/are too brainwashed to consider reading it.

By the way, logic, too, is near and dear to my heart. One of my favorite college courses post-TWI was Symbolic Logic. 

Cheers!

Edited July 20, 2023 by penworks

[chockfull]

On 6/9/2023 at 7:10 AM, Logicisgreatstuff said:

I experienced the same thing!

But instead of my education hindering progress in TWI, it was the other way round. I, an all-A’s student, started receiving C’s (and lower) in my wring class. I failed assignments! Unbelievable. 

The difference? Before then, I guess most writing assignments were just to check that we knew the mechanics of writing, spelling, grammar, and what have you.

Now suddenly our teacher expected us to think clearly, make a point, and give evidence for it. You know, like a thesis statement. And an argument, and one not based on fallacious reasoning.  

The most hilarious part (in hindsight) is that my lowest marks were when she accused me of plagiarism! I was so confused. I really believed I was citing sources properly by including the name of a book at the end of the paper.

Thankfully this lasted only a couple years before the lessons really took. Then I had to learn to split my thinking between school mode and TWI mode, so I could function in both contexts. 

Hey Logic nice post.

OMG this took me back to college and the first time I took PFAL.  I also was in a college writing class and tried to use logic about “keys to the Words interpretation” to explain my logic and told the professor I wrote using “figures of speech”.  He gave me a D for that paper and told me my logic wasn’t as good as I thought it was.  LMFAO!  

I did pull the grade up to an A by taking his advice and listening and following directions on writing assignments.  That was very difficult.

Since then unlike penworks my writing has vastly degraded over time and devolved into a more informal exchange of ideas as on this forum.  

Except for this one period of time I wrote and published a book and contributed as an author on two more.  That was more like dental extraction.  The topic is not anything Way related.  As an author I have the potential to make about $1.50 an hour from calculations.    And my favorite quote about being an author is from someone I don’t remember.

”I love deadlines.  I love the swooshing sound they make as they go by”.

Welcome to the cafe and have a coffee and scone on the house.  

 

[chockfull]

3 hours ago, penworks said:

Glad to hear Undertow helped you, Logicisgreatstuff. Your generation of Wayfers is near and dear to my heart, since my daughter was 12 years old when we escaped HQ. She reminds me that I said over and over that I wrote Undertow for your generation, since most (certainly not all) in mine were/are too brainwashed to consider reading it.

By the way, logic, too, is near and dear to my heart. One of my favorite college courses post-TWI was Symbolic Logic. 

Cheers!

Hey penworks,

I’m not brainwashed…. brainwashed….. brainwashed.

Now when you read that sentence you also have to supply the visuals of a guy doing the robot dance.  Or it doesn’t have the full impact.

 

 

[chockfull]

On 7/20/2023 at 8:45 AM, chockfull said:

Hey penworks,

I’m not brainwashed…. brainwashed….. brainwashed.

Now when you read that sentence you also have to supply the visuals of a guy doing the robot dance.  Or it doesn’t have the full impact.

 

 

Just realized this gave the impression I had not read penworks book.

I ordered it from her and started reading it one weekend.  I almost got through all of it the same weekend.  It really was riveting reading through it the first time.  Took me maybe one week to read it.

It is one of the only true historical accounts available for that time period in TWI and to me shows another side of the story of the earlier days.  The factual accounts all ring true from my experiences.

Anyway commentaries here aren’t always corralled neatly into the right threads per topic - sorry.

[Twinky]

1 hour ago, chockfull said:

I almost got through all of it the same weekend.  It really was riveting reading through it the first time.

Hear that, Mike? 

Are you still going at it, a paragraph a week? 

[Rocky]

On 7/20/2023 at 7:45 AM, chockfull said:

Hey penworks,

I’m not brainwashed…. brainwashed….. brainwashed.

Now when you read that sentence you also have to supply the visuals of a guy doing the robot dance.  Or it doesn’t have the full impact.