> Subject: FW: Stanford writing assigment
>
>
>
> Assignment for Freshman Writing Class at Stanford:
>
>(This part is important to the story so dont just skip it)
> "Today we will experiment with a new form called the tandem story.
The process is simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting
to his or her immediate right. As homework tonight, one of you will
write the first paragraph of a short story. You will e-mail Your partner
that paragraph and send another copy to me. The partner will read
the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story and send
it back, also sending another copy to me. The first person will then
add a third paragraph, and so on back-and-forth.
Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep
the story coherent. There is be absolutely NO talking outside of the
e-mails, and anything you wish to say must be written in the e-mail.
The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached."
> The following was turned in by two English students in the class:
> Rebecca and Gary.
>
>
> THE STORY:
>
> (first paragraph by Rebecca)
>
>
> At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The
> chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now
> reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he
>liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off
> Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him
>too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the
question.
>
>
> (second paragraph by Gary)
>
>
>
> Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack
>squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think
about
> than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with
> whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to
> Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar
> orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could
> sign off, a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a
> hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent
> him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.
>
>
>
> (Rebecca)
>
>
> He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt
> one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who
> had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its
> pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4.
> "Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space
> Travel," Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The
> news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the
> window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and
> carefree, with no newspaper to read, no television to distract her from
> her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her..
> "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman" she pondered
> wistfully.
>
> (Gary)
>
>
> Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands
> of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian mothership launched the first
> of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks who
> pushed the Unilateral Aerospace disarmament Treaty through the congress
> had left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien empires who
> were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the
> passage of the treaty, the Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth,
> carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet.
>
> With no one to stop them, they swiftly Initiated their diabolical
> plan. The lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The
> President, in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean
> floor off the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion,
> which vaporized poor, stupid, Laurie and 85 million other Americans.
> The President slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow
> this! I'm going to veto that treaty! Let's blow 'em out of the sky!"
>
>
> (Rebecca)
>
> This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My
> writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic semi-literate adolescent.
>
>
> (Gary)
>
> Yeah Well, you're a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at
> writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh, shall I have
> chamomile tea Or shall I have some other sort of FUCKING TEA
> Oh no, I'm such an air headed bimbo who reads too many Danielle Steele
>novels!"
>
>
> (Rebecca)
>
> Asshole.
>
>
> (Gary)
>
> Bitch
>
>
> (Rebecca)
>
> FUCK YOU - YOU NEANDERTHAL!
>
>
> (Gary)
>
> Go drink some tea. Whore.
>
>
> (TEACHER)
>
> A+ - I really liked this one.
> --------------------------------------------------------