Cheddar cheese is yellow and melts nicely to make sandwiches.

Bacon has the ability to arouse the dead with its delicious smell and to drive Canadians bonkers.

Desire is stacked in favor of the bacon, except–

They’re under pressure from health nuts, vegans and pig lovers to eat soy food product.

It takes guts to eat bacon, and even though the asymmetrical nature of challenging the status quo is in their favor, often we find we’re short on strips of pig flesh. … and then the cheese prevails.

We tend to write in a consistent form; it’s a fun exercise to try someone else’s style on for size. Above is a parody (with appropriate respect to the brief, metaphoric blogging style of Seth Godin (original post Insurgents and incumbents).

Why do this? Writing is at its core the simplest, yet most creative, form of storytelling. How do we shape ideas, images, pictures with just words? I’m thinking it a useful exercise to try writing in someone else’s style (hence the whole genre of fan fictiion).

It’s easy to do badly (as I have done above).

What else might you try? Maybe the cryptic, un-punctuated dialogue style of Cormac McCarthy, where you have to follow intently to figure out who is saying what– how about a conversation among zombies, waiting on The Road.

i’m cold.
so am i. it’s how it is.
i’m hungry too.
we will eat, we just have to wait.
how long?
not long.
you always say that.
it is the truth as i know it.
why do they run from us?
it’se fear.
they scream alot.
they have trouble handling pain.
they shuld just go quietly.
yes.
i’m really cold.
we never will be warm, only at first bite.
it does not last long.
no.
okay, the sun is going down, get ready.
i hope i can run fast.
you will.
ok.

Maybe one could write a discussion of twitter in iambic pentameter. Other ideas for literary styles to copy?

Although ds106 is focused on media, there’s a lot of powerful in words as media.

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An early 90s builder of web stuff and blogging Alan Levine barks at CogDogBlog.com on web storytelling (#ds106 #4life), photography, bending WordPress, and serendipity in the infinite internet river. He thinks it's weird to write about himself in the third person. And he is 100% into the Fediverse (or tells himself so) Tooting as @cogdog@cosocial.ca

Comments

  1. This is a perfect fit for the fan fiction section, and will be a lot of fun. it also really focuses on the idea behind ds106 that makes it most successful, come up with an assignment idea broad enough to pique people’s interests while allowing them to do something of their choosing. But, at the same time, makes for an interesting and engaging exercise for everyone to read. Love this one.

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