Theatrical Adaptation

Style Suggestions for Meditations

For your meditations, use these rules of thumb.

1. Be sure to include your name. In a printed copy, make sure your name is at the top of your meditation. In your post, consider signing each post at the end, or providing a brief title line.

2. Provide a subject or title. Choose a system that you will use consistently for each meditation. You could, for example, number your meditation (by week or sequence or date); you could simply use a title, provocative or descriptive. I recommend using some combination of both. (e.g. "Meditation #1: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" or "Week #3: Dark Oz: Maguire's Wicked"; "Sept. 8: Which Witch is Which?") You could, if you like, include your name in the meditation title (e.g. "Everist 1: Bad Witches Are Ugly?"). I ask only that you (a) provide a subject or a title and (b) try to be consistent.

3. Consider providing hyperlinks. You can make the title of your post into a hyperlink (just enter the web address in the "link" box on the posting screen), which is handy for making reference to key subjects or examples. Hyperlinks are a good way to broaden your discussion by providing context - either central or tangential.

4. Make references and quotations as specific as you can; if you're addressing a classmate's post, for example, specifically mention (and link to, if possible) the post and the date, so that your reader can follow your thinking.

5. For clarity, please italicize titles of plays and films. Feel free to use bold face for emphasis (but not to excess), or to clarify a citation. Because this is an on-line forum, avoid underlining text (it is likely to be confused with a hyperlink). Note that you may have to italicize titles from directly within the "posting" screen in blogger - there is a convenient button at the top of the screen. In general, use the formatting options available to help clarify your position, rather than simply for effect.

6. When posting a comment, be specific about which part of the meditation you're addressing. Sign your name to your posted comments!

posted by Kirk Andrew Everist @ 12:26 PM