In Today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* My Quote of the Day
* The Bradbury Challenge Report
* A Few Thoughts on Apologies
* A Few Story Starters
* Of Interest
Quote of the Day
“It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.” P.G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories
My Quote of the Day
“Apology, n. 1. A device intended to soothe wounds and put a potential victim off his guard. 2. A precursor to the next offense.” (after The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce)
Note: “Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week: Apologies” appears in Of Interest today. It’s a good post. It also served as a catalyst for a few possibly untoward thoughts I’ll present later in this issue.
The Bradbury Challenge Report
Participating in any challenge is a great way to have fun and grow as a writer.
The requirement is to write at least one short story per week, then let me know the title, word count, and genre per the format below. During the past week, the following writers wrote these new stories:
- Balázs Jámbor “Technically you are the king” 6000 fantasy
- Vanessa V. Kilmer “Heat ‘Em Up” 2998 Adventure
- Christopher Ridge “Old Man’s Daughter” suspense 630
- Christopher Ridge “The Woman I married” horror 1292
- Christopher Ridge “Dental Visit” horror 1035
- Christopher Ridge “Hunting Rabbit” horror 2005
- Christopher Ridge “Playdate” horror 750
- Christopher Ridge “The waiting Room” suspense/thriller 2564
- Christopher Ridge “Cold Coffee” suspense 568
- KC Riggs “The Right Path” 1914 Paranormal
- Dave Taylor “The Stereoscope” 4,017 Paranormal
- Glynn Young “Aidan” 4803 General
- Glynn Young “Brother Lionel” 1801 General
Congratulations to all of these writers.
A Few Thoughts on Apologies
I admit, compelled by Dr. Mardy’s excellent post, I intentionally searched for the Quote of the Day.
I knew I’d read or heard the quote somewhere, though I initially remembered it as a witty response to someone uttered by Alexander Woollcott, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, back in the 1920s.
In the version in my mind, the quote is identical except the ending: “It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort will beat you to death with them.”
Here are a few of my own tongue-in-cheek thoughts on apologies:
“To the recently offended, deserving an apology is proof-positive that his morals, knowledge, or social standing are superior to those of the offending party.”
“When I’m the offended party, I do my best not to let the other person know I’m offended. I neither ask for nor demand an apology. Instead, I smile and utter something noncommittal like ‘Thanks’ or ‘Okay’ or ‘When you’re right, you’re right.’ Then I silently accept the win and go on about my business.”
“Demanding an apology is an offense to one’s self. It displays one-upmanship at best and insecurity at worst, and it broadcasts to the world that you will find no apology acceptable.”
“Demanding an apology is akin to demanding love or respect. It is unseemly and deserving of an insincere response in kind. And who needs an insincere apology? Or, for that matter, an abusive lover or false respect?”
“Demanding an apology is certain to instill in the offender a deeper disdain of the offended. You are better off to simply walk away—but only if you can do so without turning your back. Knives are notably insentient things. They have no sense of right or wrong and no regard for who’s wielding them or which target the wielder might choose.”
“Demanding an apology is an excellent way to put someone in his place—and admit to him that you believe he has a ‘place’.”
“Being offended on one hand and offering an apology on the other are both complete wastes of time. On those rare occasions when someone presses the Pause button for the purpose of eliciting an apology for any slight, real or imagined, I typically say ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I apologize’ as quickly as possible, and in either case I mean it, though I mean it a little more sincerely if I feel it’s deserved.”
“Life is too short to spend any time trying to determine whether the offended believes my apology is sincere, so even as I’m uttering those words I’m wondering whether we can just press Play again, move on, and get back to the task at hand. After all, in the pursuit of any endeavor we’re only passing time until we die.”
“With a significant segment of society having their springs tightly wound and set to anticipate and pounce on some manufactured ‘offense’—which they often offer up in the first place as bait—today it’s a good rule to have an effective and seemingly sincere apology ready at a moment’s notice, if only to enable you to distance yourself from the ‘offended’ party during the ensuing confusion.”
“Everything depends on context, and always on the speaker’s or writer’s intent rather than the recipient’s perception. If no harm was intended, no apology is necessary. In fact, if harm was wrongly perceived, the recipient should apologize for misunderstanding, intentionally or otherwise. Of course, such apologies are rarely if ever forthcoming.”
“In the deep south the insincere apology always ends with ‘Bless your heart’. The sincere apology also ends that way.”
“Continuing to value the presence of another is evidence enough of any necessary apologies whether or not they’re uttered aloud.”
That’s probably more than enough. (grin) Please don’t take offense at any of the above nonsense. I probably won’t apologize.
A Few Story Starters
In the final myth-infused article I’ve linked to in Of Interest, the author at least offers up five great little story starters. See the five bullet points under the section labeled “The Big Move.” Pick one. Then, unlike the author of the article, simply write what comes and enjoy the story.
Talk with you again soon.
Coming next, an update on covers and the paper version of Writing Better Fiction, Second Edition, which I hope to release on July 1.
Of Interest
Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week: Apologies
MI5 vs MI6: What Is the Difference? Everything you want to know about the British intelligence system.
Just for fun: How to actually visualize $1T.
How to Deal with Imperfect Writing Conditions