Thursday, August 28, 2008 Delen: The Hack is in (Part 2) By Annie Delen Jaded Mind
LET us not forget the Law School Professors who delighted in giving 20 or so loooooong cases, all to be read, understood, digested (summarized) and recited in class the next day.
I have never done so much writing (no computers involved mind you) in my whole life but through it all, I'd like to think that despite the audible groans and bleeding fingers (I might have exaggerated a bit), we have somehow perfected the art of converting five to 10 pages of legal gobbledygook into five to 10 pages of understandable prose.
And though I may not be destined to become a legal luminary in this lifetime or in the next, I at least gained valuable training in coming up with articles designed to confound, confuse, and drive readers up the wall.
Then again, the story will never be complete without Attorney Pakol over at Zigzag Weekly.
To those who don't know yet, he gave me my first job as a professional writer.
Heck, he probably was the closest I ever had to a mentor though he is the farthest from the usual stereotype that we see on the big screen. He wasn't into making neophytes quake in their flip-flops by yelling.
There was no need. As it is, his voice is always a notch louder than normal. He didn't bawl us for missing deadlines although he did send memos. He didn't toss away articles one can't make heads nor tails of...he patiently rewrote them.
I did have to make coffee once in a while. This I can honestly say...working with the man developed my patience. As to how, I'm not quite sure.
Patience as it turned out was a quality I was in dire need of. So, have I made any of my students cry? I might have though they are too proud to admit. Was it necessary? That is a question I am not prepared to answer now. Suffice to say that there is more to writing than simply answering an essay question.
Two weeks ago, I gave away my "closest friends". Koontz, Patterson, Cornwell and Sheldon to name a few are now languishing at the bottom of a box in the fair city of Tabuk. My sister-in-law probably has not gotten around to unpacking them since they got home.
There was a time when I could not imagine being separated from them. A year ago to be exact. (Un)fortunately, I have decided to live a minimalist life. That, my friends is another way of saying I need to lessen my baggage, emotional or otherwise, if I hope to live in a one-bedroom apartment without being suffocated to death.
Which reminds me, if anyone out there has a one-bedroom apartment to offer at a reasonable (for an impoverished hack that is) price and within the city, please inform me through anne_delen@yahoo.com.
No real estate B.S. please. I've been here for 12 years so I know what "cute bedrooms" (walk-in closets) and "panoramic view" (hundreds of galvanized roofs) mean. In fact, I intend to write an article on the ironies of house-hunting one day.
So let's get back to the topic, which is all about BOOKS and the close to nonexistent reading public.
A decade ago, I could easily find someone to discuss bestsellers with. Reading novels was a popular pastime for a lot of people I knew. Call it a nerd clique but we even had a group where we could regularly swap pocketbooks. Life was in between the cover of the latest mystery novel, legal thriller, horror stories etc. Take your pick -- there was always something for everyone.
