Great Short Writing

When I was a kid, I’d look through the Sunday New York Times to see if a Danny Kaye movie would be on TV that week. On the every-so-often chance that it would, I’d start coughing the night before and then the next day be really sick. Especially if it’d be Wonder Man, a very funny movie and my favorite Danny Kaye flick. It’s a wonder.

Tonight I was looking through the TV listings in the NYT, something I never do anymore. I was laughing at the great writing in the teeny tiny little box in the schedule chart and marveling that someone actually has that job – who is that person, anyway? They list the title, then the year of release, the main actors. then a one line summary. The best part is the little throwaway line at the end, recommending it or not.

Check it out (I won’t list all the actors, etc, just the title, summary, and the recommendation line. Thank you, whomever has that job, I enjoy your work):

Yes Man: Man decides to say yes to everything. A maybe at best.
Role Models: Buddies do community service as mentors. Only if you’re feeling charitable.
Seven Pounds: I.R.S. agent wants to help seven strangers. As unbelievable as it sounds.

My positive thought for the day: smart writing often comes in small packages!