Comments on: Micro Travel Notes: Travel Stories in 3 Sentences or Less

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:27:16 +0000

interesting discussion.

for me it’s not about being busy or using too many words or any of that…

i like the challenge of learning the economy of words….i so often end up in stream-of-consciousness writing and feel i’m spewing too much, and there is something sweet about short, concise descriptions packed full of power…but it’s not like texing or im where words get diluted & abbreviated. this is more about saying more with less characters. sometimes the things that other people have said that have hit me the most & stayed with me through the years have been short, to the point profound statements that were easy to recall.

By: Laura Giliberti

Laura Giliberti — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:21:13 +0000

I loved the micronote activity as well…but not because we use too many words usually, as Joshua suggests.
Are we so busy, that we cant take the time or effort to express our thoughts or feelings or actions in less than 400 words?? OR ELSE?? who does that benefit?? If we communicate like that, in short/staccato sentences and commands–won’t the subtle nuances of our communciation be lost? Emails and texts already leave much to be desired..think tone/loss of body language/eye contact….how many times have we misread what the authors intent was, because the peronal touch is gone–how much POORER will our art of communication be, if we are now trying to communicate in as little words as possible!

By: joshua johnson

joshua johnson — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:37:59 +0000

I am very happy that the response to Micro-Notes has been so positive. Everybody keep their fingers limber, we will be asking for more Micro-Notes soon.

Little snacks of prose are where it is at in this increasingly brief and spastic info space. The 140 characters of tweets and texts has redefined what communication consists of and by and by I think the trend is a positive one. It allows for more interaction with more people.
Although I am a reader and enjoy the classic literary model ( I know many traditional types view tweets and such as the demise of the written word ) I look forward to the evolution of these communications.

Anything we can say in 400 words we can say in 40 or 4.

By: Susan

Susan — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:15:58 +0000

thanks for your conceptional wisdom, Josh! i look forward to reading more of these.

By: David Miller

David Miller — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:20:31 +0000

appreciate the bigups susan.

i was stoked about the writing for this. we’ll definitely continue pushing it.

have to give credit for the concept though–our man in LA, Joshywashington.

By: Susan

Susan — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:06:32 +0000

Thanks, Aaron & Nancy! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

And thanks to David for creating a space where the spontaneity of travel-tweets can exist someplace besides the twitterstream.

By: Christy

Christy — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:12:59 +0000

This really was a great idea. I like the ones you have chosen because they tell so much in so little words. Beautiful piece! Now mine:

Sitting on a black sand beach, sipping on a fresh fruit “batido”, listening to the waves roll in while finishing the last few pages of my book just as the sun sets over the rain forest – life doesn’t get much better than this! Getting paid to travel really does have it’s rewards!

By: Cathey

Cathey — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:49:36 +0000

great idea. all are fantastic…i loved alex’s.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:17:53 +0000

Love them all. I think my favorite may be Susan’s.

By: Joshywashington

Joshywashington — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:45:48 +0000

Nice work people! Short and sweet, like little literary lollipops!

By: david miller

david miller — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:35:02 +0000

thanks eva!

By: david miller

david miller — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:34:31 +0000

thanks jenny. this was actually josh's idea. would love to see some micro notes from you.

By: neha

neha — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:00:52 +0000

great stuff … I love love loved this though – … playing a tiny toy piano trying to capture the sound of my contentment.

By: Eva

Eva — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:40:12 +0000

Great stuff! David, this – “They seemed to assume you as the reader already knew everything, and so the writer needed only to remind him or herself of what was happening or what had happened.” – reminds me of that Hemingway line in A Moveable Feast. It went something like, “You can omit almost anything so long as you know what you are omitting.”

By: Jenny Williams

Jenny Williams — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:38:20 +0000

I love this idea! It really forces you to think about the small details that tell the bigger story. Gorgeous writing, all.

By: Candice

Candice — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:35:10 +0000

Awesome. Loved Maya’s, I’ve taken an obsessive interest in Iceland lately.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:30:47 +0000

Niiice. I really like Susan’s, very zen.