The Old Man and the Oysters

This will probably be the longest piece I've done in two months, and may hold the record even longer after I'm done. Shoulder surgery sucks, typing hurts, and meds with voice software make for interesting new languages. I'll be back writing and reviewing as soon as possible. But, I saw today there was some contest for merit badges, and I thought I had a good idea. Perhaps this with be shared with others, and that's why I'm going to type it out, because I so often note it in my reviews. As I say in them, as much to remind me - as anyone else - to use all our senses.

I can't claim this as mine. I enjoy City of Angels, and while my wife pokes fun at me, it has some interesting moments. First, angels live in libraries. Of course they do. However, most people miss that while they could sit and "listen" to a book being read, they choose to read themselves over the shoulders of humans. Nice. But when Cage discusses A Movable Feast by Hemingway, he says something every writer should hear. He doesn't forget taste. It tends to remind me to create better understanding for a reader.

I believe that as someone who has made at least a poor attempt at horror, I've worked the sixth sense. Like many, though, I forget the first five, and when cutting down for word counts, descriptions like those can go first. So, to sum up, someday I'd like WDC to create a merit badge split six ways with an eye, ear, nose, hand, mouth, and a question mark. It would be given when a writer uses them all!