CNN Advice on Writing. I thought some of you who are interested in writing professionally might enjoy this very nice article at CNN: How to Edit Your Way to a Can't Miss Story. It lists some great suggestions for storytelling, and I was struck by the fact that the #1 item to consider is point-of-view. So, the way that many of you are experimenting with point-of-view in your stories for this class is something that the reporters at CNN recommend as a technique for aspiring journalists to consider also! As the article explains, the first question you have to ask yourself when you write a story, any story, is: Through whose eyes am I telling this story?
Storybook Title Listing. As I explained in an email you got yesterday, I need everybody to check your title listing and let me know if you want me to make any changes. Everybody has a Storybook website now, which means I can make the final adjustments to that "randomizer" script. So, if you would like me to make any changes to the way your Storybook title is listed, please let me know by the end of the day on Tuesday at the latest. If you like your title as it is listed, there's no need to write me back - but if you want me to change it, please write back and let me know. Here are the listings: MythFolklore, World Lit, and Indian Epics.
Storybook Stack. As usual at the beginning of the week there are still LOTS of Storybook assignments in the stack. If you turned something in on Friday afternoon or on Saturday, you should have comments back from me already. If you turned something in on Sunday or Monday, it is probably still in the stack. If you want to check and make sure your assignment is in the stack, you can see the contents of the stack here.
Week 8 Internet assignment. The Week 8 Internet assignment is now available. Once again, you will be commenting on the Storybooks that already have at least one STORY available for you to read. Most of the Storybooks do now have at least one story, since most of the folks who did not publish a story in Week 6 did publish a story for Week 7. Some of the Storybooks have two stories already and one of them - Amber's Goddesses on Trial - already has all four stories. Congratulations, Amber!
October 12: Columbus Day / Día de las Culturas. Traditionally, October 12 is celebrated as Columbus Day in the U.S., although the federal holiday is moved to the second Monday in October for convenience (that's why the Post Offices were closed yesterday). Throughout many of the countries in Central America and South America, however, October 12 is designated instead as Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) or Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) to honor all the cultures of the Americas, including those exterminated by the European invasion. When Columbus made his report about his journey to the Americas, he wrote that report in Latin; if you are studying Latin, you might find it interesting to read Columbus's words - the Latin text of his Epistola de Insulis Nuper Repertis is available online at the Latin Library. The image below, from the Library of Congress, shows an early printed version of Columbus's writings from 1494:
