Treasured Tweets From A Few Favorite Writers
As I've said in previous twitter-centric postings, retweeters (those who re-publish other people's content) have a key role to play, fishing for tweets we wouldn't normally see. But, as before, we'll be focusing on original content. And, to simplify, I'll comment on a single tweet each in seven categories (click the underlined category to see the tweet on Twitter):The Witty:
"Based on comments from winning players, it's remarkable how much time God spends to help athletes defeat their opponents." Neil deGrasse Tyson, 3:28 PM, 10/18/13
Comment: Keeping it light, and yet, what a skewering.
The Observant:
"Wonder if this was intentional: New gop.gov site features pic with sign saying 'No Right Turn'". Garance Franke-Ruta, 11:34 AM, 4/10/14
Comment: Looking for irony is a good bet. The photo shows a street sign outside a storefront office. The headline on the photo is "An America That Works."
With Syntax Entangled:
"'The crows did it!' squawked Polly." Alison Tyler, 11:29 AM, 1/22/16.
Comment: The timing here is key. Ms. Tyler came up with this challenging six-word story in an astounding five minutes. We know this because she was replying to "In six words or fewer, write a story about an unsolved murder." which had been posted at 11:24.
Humorous:
"Dogs writing in a Hello Kitty diary: 'Your life is a lie'." Dogs Doing Things, 1:27 PM, 8/28/14.
Comment: Absurd often makes it funny.
Cutting Edge:
"Just one more time this pic is really awesome." Ta-Nehisi Coates, 7:34 PM, 12/24/14.
Comment: Photo: Barack Obama posing for a photo with five Brownies (pre- girl scouts). Cutting edge because black and white mix here. The girls, all smiles, sensing Obama's goodness; his own Blackness and upbringing, agreeing, hence the ready smile.
Trompe L'oeil, In Writing:
"On NBC in Iowa after the Belmont Stakes: An ad for @GovernorPerry" Kasie Hunt, 6:25 PM, 6/6/15.
Comment: Keep it understated. The context behind the tweet will then suddenly occur to the reader in a thunderclap of bliss. Here, the key is that the horse reaching for the Triple Crown failed. Perry, in Iowa, is remembered for bungling a debate appearance in which he whiffs... "...and the third is...whoops, I forget."
Mine (From my own smorgasbord):
"Have to admit, this seaweed-that-tastes-like-bacon seemed like a dead ringer for fake news, wasn't:" Me, 9:31 AM 12/11/16
Comment: Maybe half of what I tweet about are articles I link to and comment on; in this case, an article about a newly discovered seaweed that tastes like bacon, but is especially nutritious. "Fake news" was a hot topic at the time, too.
