Dear Krisma, Editor:
After our initial email exchange regarding the acceptance of my short story, and after your request for a different title, I conducted a classroom survey. My convict-students were asked to read the story and choose from the following:
1. Ruth Mondo’s Chance Encounter (original)
2. Small Steps for Ruthie
3. FindYourMate.com
During this process, in which I witnessed a heated debate between murderers, rapists, thieves, and drug dealers, I discovered that there’s more to this story than Ruth’s desire to find a companion; I discovered that the story conveys a message of “missed opportunities.”
One prisoner, a man doing “all day” for murder, said, “No matter how hard you try to do the right thing, no matter how prepared you think you are, there’s always a possibility of the wrong outcome.” He went on to say how difficult it is to make the correct choices when you’ve had negative experiences all your life. “Our reactions,” he continued, “aren’t always based in reality.” Ruth and Old Man Gordy’s insecurities, he pointed out, lead them to believe they're making fun of each other’s appearances. I couldn't agree more.
In the end, my students reached a general consensus that “FindYourMate.com” should be the title of the story.
I hope this information serves you well and best wishes on the next issue of Diverse Voices Quarterly.
Sincerely, JR.
14 comments:
Title by consensus. what a unique idea. Love it.
JR-How very diplomatic of you! Power to the people!
Made use of your..."captive" audience I see!
Dunno about that.
Headlines or signs should never mislead.
I think I'd use something pedestrian, like "Looking for Mr. Right."
Ivan,
Sounds too close to Judith Rossner's "Looking for Mr. Goodbar." Still, not a bad title.
JR, this was almost Kafka-esque!
Come to think of it FindYourMate dot com , spelled out, would still work. A possibly real web title might be confusing.
Come to think of it, FindYourMate dot com would still work. Better to spell it out so it is not confused with a real web address.
Come to think of it, FindYourMate dot com would still work. Better to spell it out so it is not confused with a real web address.
Come to think of it, FindYourMate dot com would still work. Better to spell it out so it is not confused with a real web address.
Hard-won wisdom from a convict re: his take on reactions/reality.
And an excellent title.
When I first read the titles, I instantly loved "FindYourMate.com."
Always interesting to hear the input from various slices of the population. Sounds like there was some interesting debate, at least!
Wicked!
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