My Big Fat Church of Christ Tuesday, Writing

So now that a few folks among the Churches of Christ are starting to observe the traditional Christian calendar (here and there, anyway) I wonder if any of them are doing anything special for Mardi Gras (a.k.a. Fat Tuesday). It sounds like so much fun. But I just don't know where to begin. Any suggestions? Only the kinds of things that won't get me fired, please. Oh, and hurry!

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For lent, I'm not giving up anything that hasn't already been denied. But does this mean I don't get to do the fat thing?

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Something I've noticed is that written work is a lot like a kid. It involves a process that takes time. Finally birthing it is painful. It might not be perfect, but you are reluctant to change a thing. It's easy to overlook the flaws that others see. And that's mainly because there's a part of you that's in there, and you happen to like yourself. No wonder I get so defensive whenever I ask someone to tell me what they think of something I've written and they tell me.

At a writing school in New York, they have "the booth." You're in the booth when others in the class who have read something by you are talking about it. They're required to say something genuinely positive first. But then, they can mention what they think of as negatives. The writer, in the booth, can only listen. He cannot come to the defense of his work (himself).

I've only read about the booth. Never actually been in it. But it sounds like a good exercise, yes?